Edo PDP accuses Oshiomhole of awarding fraudulent contracts •PDP is mischievous - Govt
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Written by Uchechukwu Olisa

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken the state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to task for allegedly awarding fraudulent contracts to his cronies and obtaining of loans for unspecified purposes.

Besides, the Edo PDP called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to examine the fiscal policy of the state government since, according to it, the debts being incurred by the Oshiomhole administration could no longer be serviced by statutory allocations and internally generated revenue (IGR).

Addressing journalists on Monday in Benin City, the chairman of the PDP in Edo state, Chief Dan Orbih, also challenged Governor Oshiomhole to disclose and make public the financial state of affairs in the spirit of accountability and the oath of office he swore when he assumed duty as governor of the state.

Chief Orbih said that apart from the N18.8 billion debt profile which the Oshiomhole administration had accumulated from November 2008 when it came into office and December 2009, the administration had, between January 2010 and now, obtained loans of N5 billion, N2.2 billion, another N5 billion from Skye Bank, Equitorial Trust Bank (ETB) and UBA Plc.
Orbih further said the state government had concluded negotiations to obtain yet another loan of N2.9 billion from FirstBank Plc. The PDP alleged that all these loans were being obtained for unspecified reasons and that if something was not done, the state’s debt profile might put the people of the state in perpetual state of debt repayment.

He further alleged that the governor gave over N20 million to some traditional rulers in Edo South to request for a constitutional position of Speaker of the state House of Assembly, adding that the government claimed it spent N2.7 billion on Auchi erosion control project, N4 billion on the design of erosion control projects in Benin City and its environs and N250 million to remove sand from gutters, all of which, he added, no visible job had been done.

But the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Abdul Oroh, disagreed with the PDP, saying the PDP was not just being mischievous but was also lying to the people of the state. He said while it was true that the state government was committing about N50 billion to road projects, it was not true that the government was obtaining frivolous loans.

“Some of these loans are in the best interest of the state. And the Commissioner of Finance briefed the House of Assembly on these loans and it was satisfied. We are not worried. We think the projects are appropriate, they are necessary, they are in the interest of the people. There is nothing wrong in taking loans. Governments all over the world do take loans. We are confident we are going to service the loans,” Oroh added.


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