- Most Projects Bequeathed To Us Are Sham, Shoddily Done– Edo Govt.
- Blackmail Can’t Rubbish Obaseki’s Legacies — Ex-governor’s Aide
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The government of Edo State and Mr Crusoe Osagie, the media aide to the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Godwin Obaseki, have continued to trade words over the Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin and some other projects initiated and inaugurated by the previous administration.
It was the incumbent governor, Monday Okpebholo, who first fired a barb at the previous administration by alleging that the Stella Obasanjo Hospital was poorly constructed.
He accused the previous government of rushing the project so that it would be inaugurated before the end of its timeframe, which end on November 12, 2024.
The incumbent governor stressed that it was the hastiness to complete the project that made the contractor to do a shoddy job the previous administration bequeathed to him.
Okpebholo made the remarks during an inspection of the facility on Tuesday evening alongside Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, and Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Adams Oshiomhole,
He promised to address the structural defects and ensure the hospital serves the people effectively.
Okpebholo stated, “After inspecting the facilities, it is clear that nothing was done here by the Obaseki-led administration as they just painted the building and fixed air conditioners to deceive the people to think the building was completed. I don’t know what Obaseki and the PDP government did.
“This is a sham. Construction was ongoing when he commissioned the building. This is unacceptable. It is unfair. It is cheating to Edo people. We will come back again to talk with the contractor and see how to commission it for Edo people.”
Meanwhile, the media aide to Obaseki , Crusoe Osagie,i refused to take the remarks from the state government lying down.
In a swift reaction to Okpebholo’s comments, Osagie said no amount of lies, blackmail and propaganda by Governor Monday Okpebholo and his media team can blemish his principal’s legacies.
He said the former governor, in eight years, successfully transformed the fortunes of the people and placed the state on the path of accelerated growth and prosperity.
Osagie said this in a statement issued minutes after the state government tackled his principal.
He lambasted the Okpebholo-led administration for its continuous resort to what he called baseless allegations, falsehoods, and lies to discredit and tarnish the image of the former governor.
Osagie said, “The vacuity and cluelessness of the Monday Okpebholo-led government was laid bare in its most recent polemic where it fruitlessly sought to denigrate the immediate past governor of the state, whose illustrious legacy of service to Edo State transformed the fortunes of the people and placed the state on the path of progress and prosperity.
“In the scribbling riddled with falsehoods, lies, and propaganda, the government grandstanded about banning thugs when it is a well-known fact that thugs and thuggery are part and parcel of their administration.”
Osagie further praised the former governor for implementing various projects across the state.
“If anything, His Excellency, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has firmly etched his name in gold in the annals of Edo State’s history through the big, bold, transformative and impactful projects that dot the nooks and crannies of the state, and no matter the lies or blackmail, these legacies cannot be blemished.
“We urge the clueless government of Monday Okpebholo to refrain from their divisive tactics and resort to lies and propaganda, and instead focus on governance and delivering developmental projects for the benefit of the State and its people if indeed they have any clear vision or agenda to offer,” Osagie added.
Osagie noted that the present administration’s resolve to “expose” Obaseki was “laughable.” adding that the people of the state aren’t “easily swayed by baseless theatrics.”
“Okpebholo and his media hirelings should know that the people of Edo State are sophisticated and discerning people and can not be easily swayed by baseless, ignoble, and attention-seeking theatrics.” he added.
Recall that the two parties had earlier exchanged words over the e-governance initiated by the Obaseki administration.
Okpebholo had said that the entire e-governance platform is being run and operated from the backend by unknown non-state actors, and no one within the whole public service of the state has administrative control of the platform.
But Obaseki’s aide, Crusoe Osagie refuted the claim saying the platform is not run by non-state actors stressing that the platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants.
