The All Progressives Congress (APC) transition committee on Monday said that Governor Godwin Obaseki-led outgoing Government is leaving a debt of N410 billion for the incoming government of Monday Okpebholo.
DAILY POST reports that the committee made the disclosure during the presentation of its report to the Governor-elect in Benin City.
The chairman of the committee, Pius Odubu, who is also the former Deputy Governor of the State, presented the report to the governor-elect and said the amount was contained in a document presented to the committee by the outgoing Government transition committee.
The committee, which recommended that the local and foreign debts must be accounted for, added that the amount was higher than the N55 billion debts inherited by the Governor Obaseki administration.
Odubu noted that if the amount presented to the committee by the outgoing government was fact-checked the debts would be more than N500 billion.
The committee also recommended the complete review of all the contractual agreements and Memorandum of Understandings, MoUs, on the management of the Central and Stella Obasanjo Hospitals.
It also recommendations for the cancellation of all employment carried out in the recent past by the outgoing government
“The Governor should investigate the true ownership of the Ossiomo power plant and Radisson Blu Hotel. The same with the Museum of West Africa Arts- MOWAA.
“We deserve to know the state’s equity in these companies as the outgoing government went blank on these enquiries.
“We also demanded a comprehensive review of the world bank funded EdoBest program and a probe should be instituted to uncover its rather opaque operations.
“All major contracts issued by the state government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed as they appear not to have followed due process including the payment advance awarded to the contractors” he said.
The committee also disclosed that the State procurement agency indicted the outgoing government in its own report to the Transition Committee.
He said with the indictment, the governor-elect should take a critical review of the procurement agency reports.
The committee chairman added that the ICT ecosystem should be streamlined as there appears to be a duplication of duties.
He advised the governor-elect to institute an inquiry into the outgoing government’s non-provision of audited financial statements published or unpublished to the committee.
The committee further demanded a proper headcount of teachers as the outgoing government could not account for the number of teachers in the state.
Odubu urged the governor-elect to find time to go through the report as he commences the process of leading the state in the next four years.
“Your Excellency, it will interest you to know that the report being presented to you this afternoon is derived from our collective inputs during the several sessions we had as a team.
“We did not just carefully examine the five thematic pillars as presented by the government’s transition team, we took time to look at other information availed the committee through our interactions with relevant stakeholders in the state.
“We had robust meetings with the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Security with a view to having first-hand information on the challenges and opportunities facing this important segment of our population in the course of deepening governance across the state.
“Our perspectives, recommendations and suggestions are well captured in this report as a work in progress that could further be expanded for a more detailed and fact-finding effort to arrest the drift in the state.
“Your Excellency sir, what we are presenting to you in this report is a summary of all the engagements and interactions during the course of our assignment.
“The scope of our work covers the terms of references and we are proud to state that you will find these recommendations meaningful and resourceful in the course of charting a new roadmap that will signpost a new dawn in Edo state.
The issues involved are not only mutually exclusive but will form a strong basis for understanding the status report of our dear state”, he added
Speaking shortly after receiving the report, the Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo commended the committee for a job well done.
He said, he would find the reports very useful and promised to work with all the recommendations.
Obaseki leaving N410 billion debts for Okpebholo — APC transition committee
