Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki
Edo State chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Anthony Aziegbemi yesterday gave reasons why Governor Godwin Obaseki is yet to reconstitute his cabinet, almost one and as half months after he was sworn in for a second term last November 12.
Besides, Aziegbemi also dismissed the rumour presently making the round that the governor is scheming to dissolve the state executive council of the party, which was elected at a state congress in Benin last March, to pave way for his loyalists.
The chairman who spoke with journalists in Benin on Tuesday explained that Governor Obaseki resolved to delay the appointment of his cabinet members because of dwindling revenue occasioned by the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in several months of lockdown and the steep fall in oil price, the mainstay of Nigeria economy.
He lamented: “Something happened to the economy of the state. If not for the prudent management of resources by the governor, he would have been able to pay salaries of workers and gratuity of pensioners which are presently being paid.
“There is no way he could have carried on as if nothing happened.
Sixty per cent of revenue accruing to the state from the federation account is gone. That is why we said let us look at what we are not doing well. The effects of all these are still hunting us. There is no way he could have continued as if nothing happened before.”
As a member of the transition committee, the former member of the House of Representatives said that he was shocked a few days ago when they discovered that in the office of the governor, their 138 casual workers whom the governor has not seen.
Again, Aziegbemi lamented that the committee members discovered 66 vehicles in the governor’s fleet with 28 drivers while the House of Assembly with 24 members has over 600 workers.
“If we had continued like this, things would have been worse. If not for the prudent management of resources by the governor, he would have been able to pay salaries of workers and gratuity of pensioners.
“There is no way he could have carried on as if nothing happened.
Sixty per cent of revenue accruing to the state from the federation account is gone. That is why we said let us look at what we are not doing well.
The party chairman however assured that no worker will be sacked but instead will be trained and retrained at the staff centre so that they can be redeployed to where their services will be needed.
“There are many vacancies in the civil service that have to fill up. Only recently we had an advert in newspapers for civil servants in the state. The PDP supports the idea of Governor Obaseki delaying his cabinet.”
The PDP chairman said that the party was very comfortable with the choice of Mr Osarodion Ogie as the Secretary to the State Government as it is the governor’s prerogative to appoint his personal aides and not that of the party.
He added: “It is not in our brief as a party to appoint personal aides for the governor. It’s his prerogative. Whether he briefed us or not, they are his personal aides. We think he did the right thing by appointing the person he appointed.
“You’ll agree with me that Mr Osarodion Ogie is the best person for that job. We are in support of the governor bringing out the best person to fill in the position. We are not interested in whether he consulted us or not.”
He has not told me that. As at the last time, when I asked he has told that, nobody said that he has told him. At this level, one doesn’t deal with rumours. We deal with facts.
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