By Ali Abubakar
In a surprising turn of events, the Edo State House of Assembly has denied outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki’s request for approval of another supplementary budget—the fourth since January 2024—just two weeks before he leaves office.
Speaker Blessing Agbebaku and the Assembly had previously approved three supplementary budgets this year, with the most recent totaling N450 billion, passed on the eve of the September 21 governorship election.
Obaseki’s latest request, turned down on Monday, was intended to allocate funds for incoming Governor Monday Okpebholo to facilitate a smooth transition into governance. However, the Centre for Good Governance and Public Safety has criticized these supplementary budgets as fraudulent, alleging collusion between the legislative and executive branches.
The Centre urged Obaseki to safeguard public properties from potential looters, emphasizing his responsibility as the current Governor until he hands over to the Governor-elect on November 12. They called on him to demonstrate that he is not complicit in the ongoing looting of government assets by his associates.
In a statement signed by Solomon Igiehon, the Centre expressed deep concern over the rising trend of looting by public officials and security personnel during governmental transitions. Igiehon detailed instances of theft, including solar streetlight poles and panels being uprooted in New Benin and a 500KVA generator removed from the Edo State Geographical Information Service premises.
Furthermore, a woman was reportedly caught stealing new television sets, refrigerators, and a brand-new Hilux vehicle from the Nigerian Observer newspaper’s Victor Uwaifoh Hub.
The Centre criticized Obaseki’s silence on these matters, questioning whether he is culpable or has abandoned his responsibilities. They called on security agencies, including the police, DSS, and EFCC, to investigate the looting of state properties, asserting that these assets were purchased with Edo State resources.
Additionally, they urged the Transition Committee, led by Dr. Pius Odubu, to report these incidents to security agencies and encouraged the public to provide information on those involved in the looting to deter future misconduct.