Ex-Governor Obaseki’s roads were not adequately documented according to Governor Okpebholo

According to Thursday’s report by the Edo State Assets Verification Committee, the roads that were granted by the Godwin Obaseki administration were not adequately documented.

According to furucinovel, this information was revealed during a press briefing in Benin City by Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, the committee chairman.

The roads, according to Umakhihe, were not accurately recorded in the records of the Ministry of Works, which is now the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, which was provided before the committee.

He did, however, reveal that the outgoing administration left the current Monday Okpebholo administration with a massive financial burden—approximately N200 billion—in the form of unpaid payments to contractors managing road projects in the state.

The road projects were supposedly awarded in 2024, according to Umakhihe, who further claimed that the contractors were simply given mobilization.

As several contractors had previously admitted, he did find instances when funds were returned to government officials.

In his opinion, though, construction of the roads was slowed down by the development.

The committee also noted a lack of control by the supervising Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), according to the former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

Additionally, he said that the awarding of the highways was purportedly influenced by the governorship election that took place on September 21, 2024.

Several questionable variances in contract sums have resulted from big contracts being awarded without following the Edo State Public Procurement Law.

The variations exceeded the basic contract sum in many instances, he stated.

On the other hand, he did reveal that the committee had alerted the governor to the necessity of continuing some of the hastily granted road projects around the state during the dry season.

He argues that the government must move swiftly to ensure the continuation of some road projects because we cannot refuse the Edo people the chance to have a good road network, particularly during this dry season.

The road infrastructure is a major area with outstanding commitments. In order for the government to make a significant impact in road development, they must investigate during the dry season, regardless of how obscene some of our discoveries may be.

In an interim report that the committee has sent to the governor for action, Umakhihe explained that the purpose of the press briefing was to inform the public and make public some of the committee’s conclusions.

He said that the committee will return from recess on January 6, 2025, to carry out its mandated duties; hence, it is necessary to provide some recommendations to direct governmental and governance activities.