The former governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki has urged Governor Monday Okpebholo to stop ‘whining and get on with the task of governance’

Obaseki, who was reacting to allegations of N 200 billion debt owed contractors by the government, N3.8b state government contribution to the Museum of West Africa Arts (MOWAA), among others said Governor Okpebholo, “Handlers have continued to display a glaring ignorance and poor understanding of basic concepts in economics, governance, and administration. ”

A statement signed by Crusoe Osagie, former Special Adviser on Media Project to the former governor said, “The Okpebholo-led government must stop whining and get on with the task of governance.

“Although I can not confirm the exact figures mentioned by the billionaire former federal government Permanent Secretary, Dr Ernest Afolabi-Umakhihe, I am aware that the Obaseki-led government had a lot of projects going on simultaneously and we had what we called the Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) which allowed the contractors to carry on executing their projects with the assurance of monthly instalment payments already guaranteed by the government.

“The Obaseki-led government was a stickler to the public procurement law, and all contract variations were honestly done following due process.

“The immediate past governor ran the most transparent and accountable procurement system and implemented an e-procurement model that redefined the procurement process in the country, with the World Bank, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the Federal Government recognizing Edo State as the best procurement State in Nigeria.

“In fact, not less than 19 Nigerian States and 2 countries visited Edo State to understudy the transformational changes in the State’s procurement system. The records are there and are verifiable.

“As for the Radisson Hotel Project, the Obaseki-led government acted as a pro-development government should do, removing all the bottlenecks and allowing private equity to flow into the State. I am surprised that the committee has a problem with the State government owning minority shares in the business, considering the fact that it is common knowledge that the Government should not run businesses.

“So, the private sector owning 80 per cent and the government owning 20 per cent is exactly in line with best practices. The same goes for MOWAA.
As for the cyber security fees, I understand that the Okpebholo-led government has a lot to learn about running government entirely on a digital platform.

“This makes cybersecurity paramount, and all they need to do is consult international organizations so they can understand that cybersecurity is the future of the global workplace.

“Edo has led the charge nationwide, and if Okpebholo needs help, he should swallow his pride and reach out to Obaseki. I am sure the immediate past governor will be willing to assist.” He said.