.Governor-elect personally funding inauguration – Afegbua

By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – BARELY 24 hours before the change of baton from Governor Godwin Obaseki to the governor-elect, Sen Monday Okpebholo, the verbal bickering between the two continued as Obaseki through his Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie accused the incoming government of allocating N5b for the inauguration which he said was an indication that the next government would be that of profligacy.

He also described as petty the decision not to invite Obaseki to the event slated for the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Tuesday.

But a statement by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Transition Committee, Prince Kassim Afegbua criticized the governor for absconding from his responsibility of funding the inauguration as is done in other places and stated that the refusal of the state government to show readiness to fund the activity led to the governor-elect opting to fund the ceremony.

Afegbua in the statement also chided Obaseki for claiming that he was not invited for the inauguration describing it as self-indicting.

“In another clime, an outgoing governor or president organises the inauguration of the incoming, but for the painful loss of the PDP at the election, Governor Obaseki and his co-travelers are doing everything possible to frustrate the inauguration of the incoming Governor.

Rather than sit down to plan the inauguration event as it is done in other climes, Governor Obaseki is busy planting landmines on the path to smooth transfer of power.

“Our inauguration team met with the Secretary to the State Government, who later handed our team over to another Permanent Secretary. The said Permanent Secretary had nothing on her table. She asked that our team should present an inauguration budget, and we declined because we wouldn’t want them to accuse us of spending bogus funds for the inauguration.

“When we reported to the governor-elect, he opted out of such an arrangement and took over the responsibility of funding the inauguration from his own personal resources. 

“He has also cut down on the activities to make the entire ceremony a bit moderate. He doesn’t believe in an ostentatious display of resources when a lot of Edo people have been impoverished by Governor Obaseki. He’s of the view that inauguration shouldn’t be an elaborate event.”

Osagie in his statement said the incoming governor and his aides should focus on “their exorbitant N5bn inauguration ceremony” and leave Obaseki out of their petty politics.

According to him, “It is quite telling that we are back to the era where unconscionable spending sprees, jamborees, and parties are the preoccupation of government in Edo State.

“It is unheard of that the governor was not invited to the inauguration ceremony, which reveals the level of pettiness that would prevail in this new dispensation.”

“The incoming government has made commitments to the vendors to the tune of N5bn in official capacity with many more expenses expected to be incurred on November 12, the day of the inauguration.

“It would indeed be a very sad day for Edo people who have hitherto witnessed prudent and judicious use of public funds to drive economic development in the State, to have their resources frittered in this manner.”