Edo People should be Grateful to Obaseki for Spending ‘Meagre’ N426m, N255m on Feeding, Cooking Gas in 3 Months

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By Reporter

The Edo State awards winning governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki had earlier in the year, christened his 2023 budget as ‘Budget of Resilience and Transformation’.

And on the face value, the budget was praised, even the World Bank has always rated Edo State budget performance in the past, highly.

Part of the trashed Edo State Financial Report, Courtesy SaharaReporters.com

Why not? The 2023 budget had a capital expenditure estimate of N192billion with recurrent expenditure of N127.5billion made up of encouraging allocations to strategic, critical sectors. So it looks beautiful enough not to attract suspicion.

Edo State is 3rd most indebted with External Debt of $259million

But the reality of Obaseki’s ‘Budget of Resilience and Transformation’ came to the fore last Monday November 27, 2023 – courtesy SaharaReporters.com.

Edo State Local Debt stood at $126bn as at June 2023

On that day, the New York based online news channel published an exclusive story with  headline: “Edo Governor Obaseki Spent N973million On ‘Bank Charges,’ Over N670million On Meals, Cooking Gas in Three Months.“

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If the intention of Sahara Reporters team was to invoke reaction from Edo people, by now the writer will be shocked in amazement about the passive reaction of Edo people to their award winning investigative story.

Yes, shocked!

Maybe they were expecting revolts and public outcry from a state that has borrowed more than its capacity to repay the mountainous local and external debt, which by June 2023, has risen to a total of N400bn.

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According to the figures from Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, Edo is ranked 14^th most indebted state in Nigeria in terms of Domestic debt of N126bn, and External debt of $259million, the figure places Edo as the 3^rd most indebted to Multilateral lenders.

Edo State debt profile rose from 187bn in 2016 when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole handed the state coffers to Godwin Obaseki, to N400bn as at June this year.

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It’s high time Sahara Reporters be told to leave our lovely state and princely governor alone.

We like it as we are! Docile, ‘peace-loving’, lay back people made up of the most reluctant elders who are always comfortable with ‘half bread is better than none’ condition.

Elders that will assembly themselves in to pamper a state governor and feign a total support of a very deprived and oppressed citizens.

Pamper a vovernor that will divert fuel subsidy palliatives and go ahead to inflate figures used in fueling on account of ‘free bus ride’.

Sahara Reporters should look elsewhere with their investigative journalism because in Edo State you will find leaders who are more concerned about their survival, and worry less about the future of their children.

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As a matter of fact, Governor Obaseki should deploy his social media ants to attack Sahara Reporters because the nosy journalists are playing with the tail of a lion.

The busybody-meddlesome-interloper journalists even had the courage to reveal the figures posted by Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration on Edo State website and in the process told Nigerians that, Edo State has spent N973,475,295.69 on “bank charges” between January and June 2023.

How is this their business? Is Edo State money theirs?

As if that ‘tatafo’ wasn’t enough, Sahara Reporters revealed a fact that, Obaseki also spent N296,390,714.00 on publicity and advertisements in six months.

And so what? Are they also aware that ‘Redwire’ is an international image cleansing and doubling concern? If Sahara Reporters is still doubting the value of publicity and advertisement services that consumed N300million in 6 months, they can check out the beautiful photoshopped pictures @governorobaseki on Instagram.

Not done yet, the sagacious Sahara Reporters revealed that Edo State amiable ‘wake and see’ governor also spent N425,768,967.40 to dine and wine in 180 days.

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Again, what is the problem with these over-sabi journalists?

Are they not aware that, after building the ‘best’ civil service secretariat and training school in Nigeria, Obaseki chefs needed to cook special meals that fits his now heroic status?

Omoyole Sowore better call his workers at Sahara Reporters to order. What is their business if Edo State spends N254million in three months to buy cooking gas for their workaholic governor?

Are Edo people complaining? After all, the best road networks are found in Edo State.

Which one is, cooking gas gulped N254,577,158.27 in three months? And wetin bi Sahara Reporters business with Obaseki’s administration spending  N212,899,175 on welfare? Una don forget say, Edo na welfare state?

Sahara Reporter even had the audacity to reveal that Obaseki’s government had spent over N307million on postages and courier services within and over N330million on donation and gift in just 6 months.

And so what? After all, stamps used for mails in Edo government house are minted with gold dust that will make the Qatar royal families envious of Governor Obaseki and his team.

Finally, the news media house reported that a whopping N976 million was deducted from Edo State Government account as bank charges from January till June 2023. Is Sahara Reporters aware that, Sterling Bank helped farmers in Edo State who applied for agripreneur loan to run their bank account?

Rather than speak to these obvious economic waste, Edo State Government hurriedly pulled down the report from its website to prevent further scrutiny, which was the main purpose of publishing the financial reports.

Midwest Herald condemns in strong terms the wasteful expenditure by the administration of Mr Godwin Obaseki as presented in the budget performance reported by Sahara Reporters which was earlier published in Edo State official website.

Our condemnation is in the light of a fact, that the state is presently broke and unable to undertake projects that will improve livelihood of Edo people, including hundreds of roads across the State, that are in dilapidated.

This paper has noted with concern the brazen decision to delete the Edo State Statement of Account from government‘s website. The governor must submit his stewardship to the scrutiny of those he took the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance to serve.

Urgent step must be taken to revive and restore the original figures earlier posted, doing otherwise will undermine the interest of Edo people.