By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN CITY—The Edo State Government, yesterday, described comments made by the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, with regards to the World Bank loan being sought by the state government, before the senate, as irresponsible and an attempt to misinform the public.

*Oshiomhole

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Louis Odion, said “Ordinarily, we would not have dignified yet another farrago of despicable verbiage of Orbih with a response but for the sake of the gullible who may be conned by his smooth-talking.

“In the said statement, without shame, Orbih and his co-travelers told a litany of lies about the situation in Edo, all in their wicked desperation to poison the minds of the federal lawmakers against approving the bill presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“From the transparent lie that Edo State is owing workers to the idiotic claim that the Edo State Government took a N35 billion bond yet unaccounted for. Orbih and his wrecking crew in PDP are free to indulge in self-deceit to relieve the trauma of the crushing defeat they suffered in the last general elections.”

“Every knowledgeable person in Nigeria today will attest that Edo under Adams Oshiomhole never owed workers wages or salaries, a feat for which the governor has been praised for being exemplary.

“In fact, whereas many states are owing workers backlog of salaries in view dwindling oil revenue, not only has Edo been up to date in its obligation to workers, we are also able to keep all our contractors busy at various sites across the state. Edo took N25b bond, not N35b he feverishly parroted. Again, contrary to his false claim that Edo is today weighed down by debt overhang, the truth is that Edo has continued to service the bond taken in 2010 faithfully with the sum of N520m paid back monthly ever since under an ISPON (Irrevocable Standing Payment Order). In fact, the good news is that the State Government is nearing the liquidation of the loan.”