Okpebholo promises to right the wrongs of past administrations
By Sebastine Ebhuomhan I Wednesday, August 14, 2024
ABUJA, Nigeria – The All Progressives Congress (APC) formally flagged-off its governorship campaigns for Edo South District at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Sports Ground in Benin City on Tuesday.
It continued for Edo Central today, Wednesday, at the Uromi Town Hall Field in Esan North East Local Government Area. It temporarily ends tomorrow, Thursday, at Auchi in Etsako Central Local Government Area in Edo North, according to a statement signed by the Secretary-General of the Edo State APC Campaign Council, Hon. Joseph Ugheoke.
As the supporters of Labour Party (LP) are eagerly awaiting the party’s timetable, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formally begins its campaigns in Edo South District, tomorrow. It holds at the Garrick Memorial Grammar School in Benin City, according to a statement signed by the party.
While the political election season is known for lies, deception and hypocrisy, there have been a lot on offer in Edo State. The Edo government and PDP leaders and their agents have become fond of spreading lies, especially on the personal life of the APC candidate and serving lawmaker of Edo Central at the Senate, Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo, alias Akpakomiza. One of such lies is that Okpebholo has no wife or child. They started blogging after the PDP candidate’s wife, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Akintunde Ighodalo, became conspicuous. But the gentle, composed and soft-talking politician used the big occasion of his campaign at UNIBEN to debunk the lies with the presence of his beautiful daughters at the stage.
Until Wednesday, 7th August, the PDP-elected government of Edo State had successfully sold an ocean of lie carefully woven to deceive, confuse and distract residents from the truth of how it received, stole, warehoused, re-bagged, and hoarded bags of rice donated by the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria for the state residents. On that day, Channels Television, Nigeria’s broadcast king, professionally forced the truth out of the lying and untrustworthy PDP and Edo government in a live interview.
Notably, it took the 16-time winner of Nigeria’s Best Television Station of the Year’s Breakfast Morning Show host’s insistence for the Edo State Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, to admit that Edo State government indeed received trucks of rice from the FG. He admitted in his reply to the allegation by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh, in another Channels TV live interview.
The host insisted, “I’ll like you to speak pointedly to the point he made. Has Edo State received 20 trucks of rice from the Federal Government? Yes or No. So, we can get out of the way.”
Nehikhare answered, “In March, in em, er… Well, I would say we received some trucks of rice…” Mr. Nehikhare’s forced confession came after well publicised press conferences in Benin by the government and party, where both denied rice gifts.
Speaking earlier in another Channels TV live interview, ex-governor of Edo State and lawmaker of Edo North Senatorial District, Distinguished Senator Adams Oshiomhole accused Edo government of secretly receiving 30, 000 bags of rice donated by the Dangote Foundation, hoarding same and secretly repackaging them into Edo State government rice.
Comrade Oshiomhole alleged, “And I saw in those democratised distribution by the people, that those rice, the Dangote label were being covered by Edo State government. Whereas Dangote intention is not to do it in the name of government.”
Even after Nehikhare stammered to admit the truth, the Edo State government, the PDP, the Asue Ighodalo Campaign Organisation and Governor Godwin Obaseki have yet to honestly admit receiving 30,000 bags of rice from the Dangote Foundation as at the time of this report.
As a red flag, the government’s denial underlines falsehood, deceit, unaccountability, stealing, and corruption in Mr. Obaseki’s government and further raises the likelihood of misappropriating huge public funds purportedly for the purchase of the same rice that were donated free-of-charge. While it is commonsensical to link this suspicion to the secret repackaging of the FG-branded rice into Edo State government bags, being presented as part of the state-funded food programme as well as into private branded bags that were being sold to the hungry public at market price, only an audit of the government’s befuddled system can reveal this. Until the chickens come home to roost, the clouds would continue to gather.
As this journalist reported last week Tuesday, and as Nehikhare forcefully admitted, Edo government took delivery of 20 trucks with a total of 24, 000 bags of rice, hoarded same at PDP leaders’ homes, secretly same them into new bags, and thereafter, denied receiving any rice. Unknown to the state residents, the government had also secretly received another 30,000 bags of rice from the Dangote Foundation as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
Without any knowledge of the disgrace ahead, Governor Obaseki on 29th July announced his government’s second phase Feeding Programme for the distribution of 56, 250 bags of 10-kilogram rice, across the three senatorial districts in collaboration with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the Edo State Muslims Pilgrim Welfare Board, beginning in Edo South. With his claim of the programme gulping N2.2 billion, Obaseki went further, as he always does, to lash President Tinubu’s FG to “come out clean and transparent for people to trust” even though residents were already suspiciously linking his 56, 250 bags as products allegedly re-bagged, repackaged and rebranded from the Dangote rice in 50-kilogram bags and the FG rice in 10-kilogram bags. This clearly raises a question of misappropriation.
On 1st of August, the first of 10-day national protests, a secret rice warehouse was discovered at Urora along with a parked loaded trailer of rice. The discovery resulted to looting and vandalism by angry residents, many of whom the state government enticed to participate in the protest for which a big podium fitted with sound systems was built at Ring Road. The discovery turned the protests into #EndBadGovernanceinEdoState! The second day saw another secret warehouse looted at Eyaen while the third day saw yet another warehouse looting at another part of Benin.
A quickfire Government Special Announcement signed by Nehikhare after the first warehouse was looted dishonestly washed government and the PDP hands off it. “We will not put this tactic past the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is spreading malicious content to score cheap political points. This condemnable action is intended to cause chaos in the state and the APC is discouraged from such ignoble practice,” the statement lied.
After more warehouses were looted coincidentally with Oshiomhole’s revelation of the stolen Dangote rice, the government changed its tune. It began to argue that 24, 000 bags of 10-kilogram rice were too infinitesimal for the state’s teeming population. It even accused Oshiomhole (without any evidence) of seeking to set the state on fire. But Edo people remain grateful to the former Labour president for his revelation.
The government’s admittance of the truth has thrown up more controversies, doubts, questions and allegations. As the residents are asking, how can a government and a party that lied about receiving bags of rice be trusted with votes to continue to steal public funds in power?
Reacting in an essay, Governor Obaseki’s Controversial Rice Distribution: A Call for Accountability and Unity, a chieftain of the LP, Osagie Ehorlor posited, “At the heart of the matter is the need for transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, particularly during time of crisis.” “The controversy surrounding the rice distribution serves as a reminder that our leaders must be held accountable for their actions and must act in the best interest of all citizens,” Chief Eholor added.
For others like the ex-international footballer, Prince Collins Eselemo, Obaseki must put conscience before his actions instead of party sentiments. Eselemo, a son of the Eselemo Ijaw dynasty and an APC stalwart, is still speechless after watching in shock and horror the pulling down of the multi-million naira, 500-meter-long perimeter fencing he built free-of-charge to secure his alma mater, the New Era College in Benin. The wilful destruction was allegedly carried out by the PDP-government agents to prevent APC from gaining “political capital” or likely votes in the coming election. According to The Punch, Edo State Commissioner for Education, Joan Oviawe, has yet to respond.
As the PDP begins its senatorial campaigns tomorrow, it must address these critical issues of governance and corruption plaguing its government in Edo State. Failure to convince voters would increase the defection of its sad members for a total rejection of the PDP on Election Day. For example, yesterday’s defection of the former Representative of Ovia South West/Ovia North East Federal Constituency, Hon. Gabriella Omosede Igbinedion to the APC and Okpebholo has undoubtedly shown where the support of the family of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, lies. The abuses, curses and threats on Igbinedion’s family from Ighodalo supporters and Obaseki aides can not stop others from defecting.
Indeed, no other statement best capture the Obaseki’s attempt to corrupt the body of Christ than “morally bankrupt” as Oshiomhole described it at the campaign ground where Ms. Igbinedion defected. The applause Oshiomhole’s speech received resonated with Okpebholo’s promise to right all the wrongs of the Obaseki/Ighodalo/Ogie administration, if elected Edo State governor.
In a lighter mood, happy birthday to the in-coming deputy governor of Edo State, Right Honourable Dennis Idahosa, alias Denco. Mr. Idahosa is the serving second term lawmaker of Ovia South West/Ovia North East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. His desire and determination to uplift the lives of the people of his constituency has attracted viable and visible development projects to the communities, resulting to his other nickname of Mr Projects. It is a fact that the Obaseki administration has an agency called Ministry of Roads and Bridges. While the ministry never built a bridge other than few roads until this year, Mr. Projects built quality roads and bridges, even as a lawmaker, to inter-connect communities in his constituency.
A former Commissioner for Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Job Creation, Idahosa has empowered countless members of his communities apart from pursuing effective legislative duties of making laws, sponsoring bills, moving motions and undertaking oversights, all of which culminated in the clamour for his elevation to the Government House on Dennis Osadebey Avenue along with his flag bearer, Senator Okpebholo. It will therefore be wise of voters to overwhelmingly tick the ticket of the man Okpebholo described as “a dependable running mate” in the governorship election of Saturday, 21st September, 2024.
NB: Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and media consultant from Edo State, writing from Abuja. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com or 08037204620.
