Edo State Government-owned Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, which is wearing a new look, will today host President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other leaders and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as personalities, at the inauguration of Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The governor-elect yesterday at the highbrow Viewpoint Hotel and Suites, in Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin, received the report of the 25-member APC transition committee, which was put in place on October 14 and chaired by a former deputy governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu.
He said Okpebholo would find the committee’s recommendations useful in charting a new roadmap that would signpost a new dawn in Edo State, stressing that the issues involved were not only important, but would also form a strong basis to understand the status report of Edo.
He said: “A snippet of some of our recommendations will suffice. We recommended a review of all Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on the management of the Central Hospital and Stella Obasanjo Hospital, both in Benin. We recommended that the local and foreign debts must be accounted for. All employment carried out in recent past should be cancelled.
“The incoming Edo governor should investigate the true ownership of Ossiomo Power Plant and Raddisson Blu Five-Star Hotel in Benin City. The same with Museum of West Africa Art (MOWAA), Edo, at the site of the demolished Central Hospital, Benin City. 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 Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme, and that a probe should be instituted to uncover its rather opaque operations. All major contracts issued by Edo State Government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed, as they appeared not to have followed due process, including payment advance awarded to the contractors.
Obaseki’s government could not account for the number of teachers in Edo State. Hence, we demand a proper teacher head count.”
Responding, Okpebholo said the committee’s report would be useful to his administration.
The governor-elect had earlier appointed Fred Itua as his Chief Press Secretary (CPS).
The appointment, the first by the incoming administration, will take effect from today. (Text, excluding headline: The Nation)