Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Transition Committee, on Monday, set the stage for the inauguration of the governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as it submitted its report to Okpebholo, calling on the latter to probe the finances of the state under the Godwin Obaseki-led administration.
The APC Transition Committee made the recommendation after coming to the conclusion that the outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished.
The committee also asked the new administration to carry out a complete review of all Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on the management of the Central Hospital and Stella Obasanjo by the outgoing government.
The 25-member committee led by former deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, further recommended that all the local and foreign debts incurred under Obaseki must be accounted for, pointing out that even the procurement agency in its report to the transition committee, indicted the government.
The Edo APC, it would be recalled, had on October 14, 2024, set up a Transition Committee made up of 25 members to interface with the outgoing government for a seamless transition.
After three weeks of meetings, interactions, engagements, and analyses of the documents presented to the committee, according to Odubu, it came out with the following recommendation that all employment carried out in recent past by the outgoing administration be cancelled.
The committee also urged the incoming governor to investigate the true ownership of the Ossiomo Power Plant and Raddisson Blue Hotel as well as the Museum of West Africa Arts (MOWAA) with a view to knowing the state’s equity in those companies as the outgoing government went blank on these enquiries.
It further demanded that the new administration should carry out a comprehensive review of the World Bank-funded EdoBest programme, adding that a probe be instituted to uncover its rather “opaque’ operations”.
“All major contracts issued by the state government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed as they appear not to have followed due process including the payment advance awarded to the contractors.
“The procurement agency indicted the government in its own report to the Transition Committee hence we have advised the new Governor to take a critical review.
“The ICT ecosystem should be streamlined as there appears to be duplication of duties.
“The outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished hence the committee is advising the government to institute an enquiry into this.
“The government couldn’t account for the number of teachers in the state hence we demand a proper teacher head count,” the transition committee declared.
Responding, Senator Okpebholo thanked the committee and assured that the report would be useful to his administration.
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