Neglect In Accountability: PDP Chieftain Slams Oshiomhole

Despite his appreciated contributions to the development programmes in Edo state, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has received serious lashing. Some residents of Edo state were full of praise for Governor Oshiomhole after he inspected the roads projects at upper lawani street and 2nd East Circular Road in Benin, the state capital. But according to Osahon Igiebor, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Edo state Governor Oshiomhole was running against the best international financial principles of accountability. Igiebor accused the governor of playing games with the truth in terms of money expended on projects across the state.

He said: “This can be seen when a critical look is taken at the Airport Road project where money running into billions of naira was used to dualise a road leading to a local airport that is suffering from patronage while other states like Delta state, are using similar amounts to build international airports in their states. “What is the rationale behind building a multi-million naira wing in a Central Hospital already short of manpower and basic infrastructure to make the existing buildings in the hospital useful to the people. “What has happened to the Stella Obasanjo hospital where the equipment that are there are either non-functional or lacks the man power to make them useful to the good people of Edo State. How many incubators can both Stella Obasanjo hospital and the Central hospital boast of collectively,” he quelled.

Igiebor alleged that the state House of Assembly has not lived up to its responsibility of checking the excesses of the executive arm in terms of project proposal, award of contract, implementation and execution.

Accordinging to him, this was totally wrong for a developing state like Edo state. “This is because either the contracts are seen to be over bloated or money is used on projects that do not benefit the people in real terms either now or in the future,” he alleged. He maintained that the N30 billion raised from the capital market for the water storm project could have been used to stimulate the economy by investing the money to ventures that would resurrect a comatose economy of the state.

“This can be achieved by partnering private business interests in building an international airport that can handle long haul flights and the latest aircrafts like the A380 that any other airport in Nigeria cannot handle at the moment.” Meanwhile, Governor Oshiomhole has decried the fact that the entire 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is entitled to 26% of the revenue allocation while the 52% is retained in Abuja.