Coalition Of Benin Socio-Cultural Organizations, an umbrella body of the Benin Ethnic Groups, has alleged that the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has converted the affairs of the State into his personal business.
Gatekeepers News reports that the group, in a statement jointly signed by its Coordinator, Osaze Amas Edobor and other executives, alleged that Obaseki turned Edo State into “a one-man show” due to the absence of “proper checks and balances by Institutions saddled with the Constitutional responsibility such as Edo State House of Assembly, and Opposition parties,”
The group also claimed that “despite our huge resources from Federal Allocations, International Donors and IGR, the rate of development in Edo state is nothing to be proud of.”
“Regrettably, Edo state and her people have been held hostage and ruined with the anti-people policies of Obaseki led administration which has prompted us to ask these deep and thought provoking questions.
“Thus, we demand verifiable Answers as critical Leaders and Stakeholders in the development of our dear State from Governor Obaseki which are as follows:
1. Why are you running the affairs of our dear state like a private business
2. Why are you allocating Edo State properties specifically lands to your cronies for personal businesses through your Commissioner for Lands without due process?
3. What was your motive for demolishing the old Central Hospital, and what do you propose to build there?
4. Where are the Gélé Gélé Seaport (Benin River Port), Industrial Park, Edo Fabrication etc village you promisedthe Edo people?
5. Why are you keen on acquiring lands in Ogbe-Ezoti even when the said area serves as one of the historical and cultural sites in the Benin kingdom?
6. Why haven’t you been able to conduct Local Government elections in the state, and why are allocations meant for local government diverted?
7. Why are you not effectively using the over #500,000,000 monthly security vote meant for the state to solve the security challenges bedeviling the state?
8. Why are you always paying leap service to the insecurity bedeviling our dear state as Chief Security Officer of the State?
9. What was your intention for privatizing Edo Specialist Hospital which was built to deliver affordable healthcare services to the downtrodden and general good of Edo people??
10. Why are you not willing to sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into Law in spite of the persistent menace/killings by herdsmen?
11. What was your intention for demolishing The State Library, and Ministry of Agriculture for ShopRite? And why haven’t you disclosed the Edo State shares in the private firm known as ShopRite?
12. Why is Upper Ekenwan road construction moving at a snail’s pace for more than 4 years to the extent that it seems to have been abandoned by the contractor handling it?? and What is the duration of the construction, and Why is your Commissioner For Works is not supervising road projects from time to time?
12. Why is your Commissioners docile, and inactive to their responsibilities?
13. Why is Edo State including Benin City dirty and defaced?
Why is the Ministry of Environment not alive to its responsibility in keeping Edo State clean?
14. What was the #16 billion given to you by the Federal Government for the construction of Federal roads( like Akpakpava road, Sapele road, New Lagos Road, Uselu/Ugbowo road etc ) executed by your Predecessor used by your administration?
15. Why are jobs meant for Edo Indigenes are given to non Indigenes as against what is obtainable in other States of the Country?
16. What is the fate of our state-owned Institutions like AAU, Ekiadolor, Usen?
17. Why haven’t you directed Edo jobs to disburse World Bank Business Grant to Edo State beneficiaries when they have been subjected to two different applications/registration between 2020 and 2022 whereas other states have since disbursed their funds to their beneficiaries?
18. Why are road construction, and rehabilitation in the State are in comatose? and Why are the few ones that have been either rehabilitated or re-constructed substandard?
Why are these contractors not held responsible for constructing substandard roads or for abandoned projects?
19. Why is the awarding of contracts to these contractors carried out in uttermost secrecy?
Sadly, these acts of secrecy encourage them to construct substandard roads thereby shortchanging the State.
20. Why are existing drainages/gutters within and outside Benin City filled to the top/blocked?
What is the Ministry of environment doing about it?
Why is it that a lot of these rehabilitated or newly constructed roads are not associated with drainages?
What kind of contractors builds roads without drainages, and expect it to last?
21. Why haven’t you implemented the EndSars Panel Report even after you publicly promised that you will implement it to the fullest?
22. Why is the Edo State government not thinking of expanding the old Ikpoba bridge and reducing the useless Ramat park which is a huge burden to road users and residents on daily basis??
23. What stopped you, His Excellence Governor Obaseki from fast-tracking the upgrade of the approved Benin Airport to international standard with cargo terminals by the federal government that was announced on March 5th, 2018 by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika?
(25) Why haven’t you, His Excellency Governor Obaseki, set up a Probe Panel for the Storm Water Project as promised by you??
(26) Before the construction of the Azura Power Plant, we were told 14 -15 percent shares were for Edo state but after the completion of the Power Plant, the entire shares were sold. Therefore, we want to know why you sold our shares, who you sold them to and where are the proceeds???
(27) What are Edo State shares in Osiosomo Power Plant and The Ologbo Modular Refinery?
To the State House of Assembly, Opposition parties, and our Elders.
We respectfully ask why have you become YES- men to Governor Obaseki?
Why are the members of the Edo State House of Assembly not asking questions, and performing their constitutional roles as contained in the Constitution such as checks and balances, oversight functions, monitoring and evaluation? despite that, we are not unaware that only a few run the affairs of the Edo Legislative Arm, which has never happened in the history of our democracy.
Why are Opposition Parties in the State not playing their roles as an alternative force by keeping the Governor on his toes with constructive criticism and providing succour to the Edo people?
Why are our Elders decided to be silent rather than engage the Government ever since the administration of his Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki?
To NPDC, we commend the protest that was staged against your insensitivity and the deliberate attempt to sideline Host Communities by Representatives of the affected Host Communities.
However, we are using this medium to call on the MD of NPDC to honour our courtesy visit letter earlier submitted to him as an avenue to finding a lasting solution to our pressing needs and demands.”
