07/11/2015
Former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion, has
replied his successor, Adams Oshiomhole on allegations of
diverting $31 million meant to build a cement factory in
the state during his administration.
Igbinedion was governor of the state from 1999 to 2003.
On Wednesday, the Edo State Government, through the
Commissioner for Information, Loius Odion, said an
investigation would be launched on the alleged missing
funds and has directed the Attorney General to
commence legal action.
“I feel joining issues with Oshiomhole would amount to
dignifying him and his outbursts and lending credence to
his bogus allegations…
“On the AVA Cement Company, for that is the true
name of the company they are referring to, Oshiomhole
claimed that I used Edo State $31 million to execute the
project to about 90 percent…As at 2006 when the AVA
Cement Company project kicked off, the exchange rate
for a dollar was about N100/$1 hence, $31 million then
amounted to about N3 billion.
“So, if Edo State Government invested N3 billion for a
project that gulped well over N20 billion, the question is;
where did the balance of N17 billion come from?”
Meanwhile, Edo State chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday in Benin that
moves by the state government to recover $31million
alleged to have been fraudulently taken from the
state’s coffers by the government of former governor
Lucky Igbinedion, smacks of political desperation and
persecution.
Speaking through the state Publicity Secretary, Chris
Nehikhare, at a press briefing yesterday, the party said
it was shameful and disgraceful that “it took the
Oshiomhole administration seven years to wake up from
its slumber to begin what is clearly a case of political
witch-hunting.”
It pointed out that instead of facing the challenges of
the state in form of dilapidated roads, corruption, flood
and others, Oshiomhole was plotting how “to perpetuate
himself in office by installing his lackey as successor.”
The party drew the attention of Edo people to what it
described as parlous state of roads in the state capital,
listing some of the roads to include Evbotubu Market
Road, Ugbiyoko Road, Upper Sakponba Road, St Saviour
Road, Boundary Road, Ihama Road, Nekpenekpen Road,
Upper Adesuwa Road, Ibiwe Street and Uwa Street.
According to the PDP, despite the billions of naira
expended on the storm water project, flooding was on
the increase in the state, adding that Oshiomhole will be
leaving behind next year, a huge number of abandoned
projects and unfulfilled electoral promises.
It alleged that in order to placate the people, the
Oshiomhole administration was planning to use the now
familiar tactics of deploying caterpillars and mobilizing
some contractors to site as soon as election was
approaching.
