Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has thrown more light on the government’s plan to look into the unlawful withdrawal of $31 million from the government coffers for a questionable business and other matters which were clear abuse of power by the Lucky Igbinedion administration.

Speaking to members of the civil society groups and students of the Ambrose Alli University who thronged the Government House in their thousands to pledge their support to the government on its policies, especially the Land Use Charge Law, the Governor said the Igbinedion family had thrown caution to the wind and was using its television and radio stations to wage war against him because he recovered over 200,000 hectares of land illegally given out to Chief Gabriel Igbinedion by his son, Lucky, when he was governor.

Saying he was not deterred by the media campaign against him, Oshiomohle said he would do what is always right in the interest of the Edo taxpayers no matter whose ox is gored.

The governor said: “Let me thank all of you for coming out in this huge number to express your solidarity, your support and your endorsement of my stewardship here in Osadebey Avenue.

“Let me assure you, I will continue without fear of man, but with the fear of God to provide leadership that will deliver prosperity to the great people of this great state. To do that, everybody who lives in this state must be subjected to the rule of law.

“In the interest of the Edo people, even the ones yet unborn, I want to be remembered after my stewardship not only for roads, hospitals, schools, but much more importantly, I want to be remembered as the man who brought an end to exemption.

“You are here looking for a small parcel of land and Lucky Igbinedion, former Governor here gave out to his own father, Gabriel over 200,000 hectarcs of government land. They took that land on the ground that they will use it for mechanised farming. That is what is in the books but what is on ground is that Igbinedion takes this land and gave it to cocoa farmers, some of them from Edo, some from Yoruba land. These cocoa farmers will farm and sweat to grow their cocoa on government land, Igbinedion will sit in his house on which he is not paying ground rent and collect royalties. Is Igbinedion the Oba of Benin? The great Oba of the great Benin Kingdom never subjected his people to that level of exploitation. Can you accept that one chief collects royalties as if he is a traditional ruler?

“Based on the powers vested in me, as the elected Governor of the state, I used those privileges to revoke the over 200,000 hectares of land that Lucky gave to his father. I revoked it and I returned it to the state government.

“Let me tell you what I have done, I told those cocoa farmers, you are Nigerians, you do not need resident permit to live in any part of Nigeria as Nigerian citizens. Why will a Nigerian be asked to pay rent on a farmland to a chief who collects royalties and I directed them ‘go and do your farming and whatever you make from it, pay tax, personal income tax to Edo State Government to ensure that the Edo people have the resources to develop the state and I said never again should you pay money to a chief.

By the way, Osho baba is my Hero!!!