Benin monarch debunks claims of Minister’s banishment

By SIMON EBEGBULEM
THE Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa, has described as misleading and untrue, the reports that the Minister of State for Works, Dr Chris Ogienmwonyi, was banished from the palace due to the alleged inability of the Federal Government to fix the Benin-Lagos Road.

Some national dailies (Not Vanguard) had last week, reported that the Oba warned the Minister not to come to his Palace until the Federal Government fix the road, which had been of great concern to the  monarch.

However, in a statement by the Secretary to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Oronsanye-Guobadia, in Benin City, it said “it is generally not the tradition of the Oba’s Palace to respond to every false and inaccurate news items, but we are constrained to do so, this time because of the undeserved embarrassment and denigrating innuendos, our beloved and highly esteem Minister of State for Works, Engr Ogiemwonyi, faced, arising from the mischievous and distasteful news reports of the Minister’s visit to the Oba’s Palace on February 25, 2011.

“In the said publication, it was variously reported that the Minister had been “banished” from the Oba’s Palace over the Benin-Ore Road. We view this report as a calculated attempt to provoke a controversy between a highly achieving and deeply respected Benin leader and the Oba’s Palace. At no time did the Omo N’Oba threatened to banish the Minister over the Benin-Ore Road project, during the visit,” it added.