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Tag: Oshiomhole

  • Okonjo-Iweala withdrew $1bn for Jonathan’s re-election —Oshiomhole

    Okonjo-Iweala withdrew $1bn for Jonathan’s re-election —Oshiomhole

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of illegally taking $1 billion from the federation account to prosecute the re-election bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Speaking at a seminar organized by the Edo State government for Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors, the governor said the former minister also needs to tells Nigerians how the Excess Crude Account was drawn down to $4.1 billion from the peak $10 billion when no approval was given by the National Economic Council for any withdrawal.

    The theme of the workshop was: “Enhancing IGR in Edo, Issues, Prospects and Challenges.”

    Oshiomhole, who said Okonjo-Iweala would have been declared a pathological liar if she were to be a witness in court due to the inconsistencies in her statements, said a forensic audit would truly determine how much was illegally spent from the federation account under her watch as minister.

    He said the state government would now hold Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors responsible for any fraud detected in their departments, saying the government has trimmed down the cost of running government.

    He said: “The truth is, many things went wrong even at the federal level. As you might have read in the papers, while the federal government, under Goodluck Jonathan, with the then Coordinating Minister of the Economy liked to blame governors for wasteful spending, for not saving for the rainy day, for not investing properly, the truth is the real weakness in the Nigerian federal chain has been the Federal Government.

    “Our hope is that with the new President, given his pedigree we will break from the past.

    “As I’m sure you will soon begin to hear when all the numbers are published, last week, I complained aloud that Edo State lost about N10 billion over a four year period from only one source, the NLNG remittance to the federation account.

    “How did I arrive at the figure? I used my 4-Figure Table and I asked myself at $2.1 billion remitted by NLNG as taxes and Shell, and by the way, Shell is not the only oil operative, we have Chevron and several others. They shared the $2.1 billion based on the revenue allocation formula, Edo State got about N2.27 billion. So I said, thank God this money came after the departure of Okonjo-Iweala and President Jonathan. If the PDP were still in charge in Abuja, this money would have been taken.”

     

  • Oshiomhole advocates stiffer penalties for rape, child abuse 

    Oshiomhole advocates stiffer penalties for rape, child abuse 

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has advocated stiffer penalties against rapists, paedophiles and anyone involved in child abuse to serve as deterrence to others.

    He also urged people of the state to stop giving alms to child beggars to discourage the rising trend of child beggars in the state.

    Speaking to the Chairman and members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in the state, led by Mrs. Stella Ojemen, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Thursday, Oshiomhole said, “Edo State Government appreciates that you are addressing some of the challenges that government ought to have addressed like ensuring that we all mount campaigns against rape and defilement as well as ensure that when people have carried out these heinous crimes, that they are properly arrested and that they are diligently prosecuted with a view to sending them to prison.

    “We have discussed this time and again at our Executive Council Meetings and at a point, we asked the Attorney-General to review the laws such that the number of years a convict gets will commensurate with the severe nature of rape and defilement.”

    Oshiomhole added, “we are concerned, we have discussed this and we have a feeling that the number of reported cases are on the increase. We also know that because of the nature of our environment, there will be several others that may not even be reported at all.

    “When you look at the sheer number of rape cases that are recorded, it is clear that across the country, both rape and defilement cases are increasing and therefore this calls for tougher measures on the part of those strengthening the law and providing for stiffer and harsher punishments than what is currently obtained but also ensure that the few cases that are reported are properly prosecuted with a view to securing conviction.

    “Consistent with our commitment in this area, I would advise that whenever you have such cases, when you are likely to have much more information than even the Ministry of Justice or Police, and there might be cases where efforts are made to cover up cases reported in some quarters, you are an NGO and might wish to open up such cases. So I will advise you to liaise effectively with the Attorney-General and also encourage the Local Government Chapters to ensure that all cases are reported.”

    The Governor however noted that the State has recorded a high level of victory in the fight against kidnapping and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that kidnappers are completely put out of business in the State.

    He said, “I appreciate the issues you raised about kidnapping and the peculiar challenges that female victims suffer but we are dealing with it globally and we have recorded a lot of achievements. We have presently up to 50 cases of kidnappers that have been arrested and so the era of impunity where the state appears helpless is over.

    “The unfortunate thing though is that as we apprehend we still have more young people going into the business. We will sustain our effort at arresting and ensuring prosecution. We have amended the law to provide for death penalty for proven cases of kidnapping and also to demolish the houses of the kidnappers or any premises used for kidnapping because we feel that landlords are liable, they are supposed to verify the character and status of their tenants. These are some of the measures we have taken to ensure that we make the state a lot safer for our people”.

    The Governor called on the people of the State to join hands with Government and other Non Governmental Organizations to ensure that incidents of child labour and street begging are completely wiped out of the State adding that Edo people are not lazy and will never succumb to begging as an alternative to hard work.

    He said, “on the issue of Child Labour, I am disturbed at the growing numbers of beggars and their children that I see along the streets and a lot of these people are people who have migrated to Edo these past few months and unless we take firm measures, Edo may become a haven for beggars that have been thrown out of even their own states of origin where begging has been prohibited. I have directed the Commissioner for Women Affair to take firm measures to bring this incidence to an end.

    “Edo cannot be a haven for beggars. We recognize the economic challenges but begging is not and will not be the solution and exposing children to begging is unhealthy and I will even appeal to Edo people not to give alms to child beggars because it doesn’t help because women and their fathers push this children to the street, they use them in the manner they do hoping they will attract pity. The more pity we show to those kids, the more they are subjected to these dehumanizing practices. This is not a thing to be encouraged.”

    Earlier, Chairperson of International Federation of Women Lawyers, Edo State Branch, Mrs. Stella Ojemen said they were in Government House to promote the rights of women and children.

    She said, “We are not profit making and not a religious organization, non-political. Our duties are simple: to ensure that women and children who are confronted with all kinds of issues are protected. We are disturbed by the incidence of child labor and trafficking of women in the state and with the plight of widows who are being disturbed by the families of the husband.

    “We are also worried by the incidence of female gender mutilation. We are also worried about the maltreatment of women and children in crisis zones and we are really disturbed by all of these issues.”

     

  • Who succeeds Oshiomhole in Edo?

    Who succeeds Oshiomhole in Edo?

    Ahead of next year’s governorship election in Edo State, aspirants have started to mobilise supporters and set up structures for the realisation of their dreams. Correspondent Osagie Otabor reports.

    Who will succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole in November, next year when his tenure expires? This is a one million dollar question Edo residents are battling to answer because of the unprecedented developmental strides of the governor. Many people have indicated interest in the race, but the big question is, who will the people trust with their votes?

    Among those interested in the job are Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole’s deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, former Minister of State for Works Chris Ogiemwonyi, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere, Mike Onolemenmen, Chief Solomon Edebiri, Kenneth Imasuangbon, Matthew Iduoriyikemwen and Christopher Iyare.

    The aspirants are carrying out consultations and intense lobbying among leaders in the state and explaining why they are better replacement after Oshiomhole.

    In June 2014, two-time governor of the defunct Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, began a lone search for a successor to Oshiomhole. Ogbemudia began his search during the party primaries for the recent general elections. He visited the Ijaw in Gelegele and some community leaders in the state to seek their support.

    Ogbemudia told the Ijaw that he looked forward to the realisation of his dream that one of them (Ijaw) would become governor and urged them to work with other ethnic groups to achieve the goal.

    He said: “We need to work together as a team. We need to keep our cooperation working. Expand and make friends and make sure you are part and parcel of the whole. There are many things we can do without fighting. We need God to give us somebody to take over from Oshiomhole in 2016.”

    Ogbemudia told the elders of Evbuotubu and Ohovbe that Oshiomhole’s successor would emerge, following consultations with community leaders.

    He said the time has come for the people to look for a good candidate, who would build on the legacies of Oshiomhole, instead of waiting till the eleventh hour.

    Last month, the former governor announced that he would launch the Edo Mass Movement (EMM) on July 4, adding that the group will lead the search team.

    Ogbemudia noted that the state has made tremendous strides in infrastructure, adding that Oshiomhole’s successor should not destroy his achievements.

    He said: “We in Edo State, want to ensure that the state is developed and because of that I am going to proclaim Edo Mass Movement, irrespective of party affiliations, and we will support any political party that gives us indication that it wants Edo State to succeed.

    “The launch of the movement entails the mobilisation of people across the three senatorial districts to sensitise them on the need to collaborate in the search for a credible candidate that believes in good governance so as not to destroy the progress made so far by the Oshiomhole administration.”

    Ogbemudia, however, said the movement would not work for any political party, but for the people in their search for a credible successor.

    Analysts, however, are of the view that the search for Oshiomhole’s successor by Ogbemudia would be a fruitless one. They argue that searching for a candidate without any political platform would be a hard sell to party leaders. Ogbemudia, observers said, lacks the goodwill to propel any candidate to electoral victory.

    Ogbemudia, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was a member of the defunct National Republican Party (NRC). The NRC fielded Lucky Igbinedion, who lost the governorship election to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    When PDP was in power in Edo, Ogbemudia’s residence was a rallying point. His son, Eghosa, won an election as Chairman of Uhunmwode Local Government during the Igbinedion administration. One of his daughters was councillor in Ikpoba-Okha.

    In the 2012 governorship election, Ogbemudia ‘supported’ the PDP, which lost in the 18 local governments. In the last general elections, two of his children contested under the PDP. A third contested under the APC. Only one, Uyi, got the PDP ticket to contest for the Oredo East Constituency in the House of Assembly, but she lost to the APC candidate, Chris Okaeben.

    Besides Ogbemudia, the Edo Peoples Assembly (EPA), led by Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, is also searching for a successor to Oshiomhole. The group said the next governor must also make life meaningful for Edo people.

    The ideal candidate must have pedigree, proven record of service and sufficient understanding of the intricacies of governance.

    Obaseki said the group would ensure that elected officials are alive to their responsibilities.

    Obaseki said the EPA will educate the masses and the political class so that the killing of youths would stop because of the inordinate ambition of a few.

    He said: “We will move to places and talk to people. We will take over our streets and ask our brothers to sink boreholes in their neighborhood”

    “The card reader has made us to know that the political calculus has changed. People will not be able to go into a small building and thumbprint papers. It is either the card is reading or it is not.”

    “The 2016 election is going to be a pivotal turning point for the Edo people. Nigeira has just witnessed a paradigm shift in electioneering in Nigeria. If it doesn’t affect the people of the state now, we might just miss the box.

    “It is important that we must be able to take over the political space and agenda of the state. We must be able to make sure that we contribute directly to the emergence of someone who will protect the economic and socio-standing of the average Edo man.”

    The APC has barred aspirants from setting up campaign structures and it has been silent on zoning to any senatorial district. The PDP has also not spoken on zoning, but indications are rife that both parties may field candidates from Edo South Senatorial District.

    Indications that Ogbemudia’s choice may be rejected by some PDP leaders emerged last week when former Governor Lucky Igbinedion declared that the next governor would be a founding member of the PDP.

    Former Senate Chief Whip Senator Roland Owie said he would join other well-meaning leaders of the PDP to scout for a credible candidate, who does not have any connection with the PDP failed government.

    He said: “The 2016 governorship will not be based on political platform; it is going to be who that candidate is. For the PDP to be seen to have broken ranks with irresponsibility, we have to be sure that our candidate for 2016 will not have any relationship with previous failures of the PDP government in Edo”

    “The truth is that the performance of the PDP government between 1999-2007 cannot be compared to the performance of the Oshiomhole government because we all have eyes and we can see. You can see achievements in roads, schools and many other spheres of life. The Ugoneki-Ehor Road, which passes through my community, was done in 1974 by the military administration; no body touched that road until Oshiomhole came. Today I can get to my village  in 20 minutes from Benin.”

  • Group seeks support for Osunbor’s governorship bid

    Group seeks support for Osunbor’s governorship bid

    Ahead of the 2016 governorship election in Edo state, a socio-Political group in the state, the Edo Visionary Network, Tuesday charged the leaders and people of Edo Central senatorial district to realize their dream of producing the next governor of the state after the expiration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole by backing the governorship ambition of Prof.Osarhiemen Osunbor.

    The group described Prof.Osunbor as a man with great vision and potentials and regretted that the internal politics of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which culminated to the Appeal Court ruling in 2008, led to his short stay in office.

    The former governor had earlier this year dumped the PDP for the APC.

    The group led by Comrade Innocent Ebhotemen, which had in November 2014, urged the former governor to declare his ambition to run for the 2016 governorship election under the All progressives Congress (APC), commended him for his recent declaration for the 2016 governorship election and urged all Esan sons and daughters to unite behind him.

    According to the statement, “the record of Prof.Osunbor as a two-time senator and a governor speaks volume of his capacity and excellent inclination.

    “At this maternal time in the history of the state we believe he possesses a credential no other aspirant would be able to match.

    “Senator Osunbor holds the promise of superlative continuity that Edo people desire after Governor Oshiomhole must have creditably discharged himself and retired from the stage. Osunbor holds the hope for the entire Edo people.

    “He also represents the hope of the entire indigenes of Edo Central senatorial district who legitimately yearn for their zone on the principle of equitable rotation of power to occupy the office of the governor of Edo state and have full tenure of service to the fatherland.

    “We want to especially plead with the leaders and members of the APC to which Osunbor now belongs to in the fullness of time to entrust Osunbor with the mandate to represent the party and subsequently to serve the state,” it stated.

     

  • NNPC spent N3.7tr without approval – Oshiomhole

    NNPC spent N3.7tr without approval – Oshiomhole

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the last three years withheld and spent N3.7 trillion oil revenue without budgetary provision and approval.

    Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, disclosed this to State House correspondent after the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, a total of N8.1 trillion generated from the oil sales during the period ought to have been remitted to the Federation account.

    But instead, the governor said only N4.3 trillion was remitted to the Federation Account.

    He also disclosed that the former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spent $2 billion from the Excess Crude Account between November last year and May this year without approval.

    He said: “This is the first time we had a National Economic Council meeting in which under the instructions of the President, NNPC and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation was compelled to provide information in black and white on issues as it relates to the total sales of Nigeria crude from 2012 to May 2015. This never happened before.

    “What we saw from those numbers, which I believe Nigerians are entitled to know, is that whereas the NNPC claimed to have earned about N8.1 trillion, what NNPC paid into the Federation Account between 2012 and May 2015 was N4.3 trillion and NNPC withheld and spent N3.7 trillion.

    “The cost of running NNPC is much more than running the Federal Government.”

    He said that $4.1 billion was in Excess Crude Account as at November 2014 while the Accountant General’s Office reported that the balance as at today was $2.1 billion.

    To this end, he said that Okonjo-Iweala spent $2 billion from the account without any approval by NEC.

    Four state governors have been selected into a committee to probe the accounts.

     

  • Oshiomhole, wife inspect Benin road

    Oshiomhole, wife inspect Benin road

    Residents of Second East Circular Road in Benin, the Edo State capital, and environs, yesterday trooped out to catch a glimpse of the governor’s wife, Mrs Lara Oshiomhole.

    She accompanied Governor Adams Oshiomhole to inspect the construction of the road.

    It was her first public appearance in Benin since they got married last month.

    Mrs Oshiomhole performed her first function at Okpekpe, when she presented a cheque to one of the winners of the long distance race.

    Several motorists alighted from their vehicles to see the governor’s wife; several others cheered as she waved back.

    Oshiomhole told reporters that the residents had demanded to see his wife when he inspected the road the previous week.

    He said: “When I came here, many of them were asking, ‘Where is the First Lady?’ Some said they thought I would be on honeymoon. I promised them I would come with her.

    “She is here so that she can have an idea of what we are doing in this city and to know what we are yet to do.”

  • Oshiomhole seeks downward review of Edo budget

    Oshiomhole seeks downward review of Edo budget

    Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has sent a bill to the State House of Assembly, seeking a review of the already signed 2015 appropriation budget.

    Oshiomhole had last year signed the approved N159.3billion appropriation bill into law with a promise to ensure set out objectives in the budget are realised.

    In a letter to the lawmakers and signed by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Oshiomhole said the need to review the budget was because of dwindling revenue and fall in crude oil price.

    The governor is seeking a downward review of the budget to N127billion.

    The lawmakers who would be having their last sitting on Thursday suspended some sections of the House Rules to enable them pass the reviewed budget.

  • Oshiomhole disowns group

    Oshiomhole disowns group

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has dissociated himself from a group – Seminar Group organising a conference – ‘Gatekeepers Foundation, Change Ambassadors of Nigeria and Niger Delta Media Professionals’.

    A newspaper advertorial published on Sunday, May 31 by the group listed Oshiomhole as a keynote speaker in the seminar titled: ‘President Muhammadu Buhari Change Agenda and The Niger Delta Struggle for Development’, which is scheduled for today.

    Oshiomhole said yesterday: “My attention has been drawn to a statement issued by an amorphous body purporting to be speaking for Niger Delta.

    “This so-called group is unknown to me. No one met or contacted me, much less mentioned the idea of any conference or the motive behind it to me.

    “For anyone to have gone ahead to advertise a seminar with my name without even the courtesy of my fore-knowledge is fraudulent and unacceptable.

    “By this statement, I hope this body will stop promoting themselves with my name”.

     

  • Oshiomhole asks Okonjo-Iweala to account for $30b excess oil cash

    Oshiomhole asks Okonjo-Iweala to account for $30b excess oil cash

    Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala got yesterday an arduous task from Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    She shoul tell Nigerians before leaving office how the economy was managed since her coming on board in 2011 and account for about $30 billion that ought to have accrued to the government based on the official oil exports of 2.3 million barrels per day, the governor said.

    Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, with other members of the Federal Executive Council, will take a final bow from office today after the end-of-tenure dinner, where President Jonathan will hand over governance to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    But the Edo governor insisted that the irreducible minimum expected of Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala as a former World Bank Managing Director and a Minister of Finance worth her salt is to tell Nigerians why the management of public finance was shrouded in secrecy under her tenure.

    Oshiomhole’s request was contained in his article entitled:  “Economy: Okonjo-Iweala’s hidden figures”, which is published in full on page 2 of this edition.

    He said Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s tenure as Finance Minister remained “a bile in the dish until she clarifies her role in the management of resources.

    In the article, the Edo State helmsman accused the minister of mismanaging the economy and abuse of financial regulations.

    According to him, the minister has not explained how a $10 billion balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was drawn down to $2.O7 billion between December 2012 and now, when only $4 billion was shared from the account.

    Oshiomhole said: “Indeed, the last time any money was shared from the ECA was in May 2013. For six clear months in 2013, the National Economic Council (NEC) did not meet, an act many believed was contrived to conceal information on the operations of the ECA. When eventually the NEC met after those six months, the minister reported that the ECA had dropped to $4 billion.

    “For the sake of transparency and accountability, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala has a duty to herself, to the nation and the international community to account for what transpired in the ECA by giving full disclosure of how much accrued to ECA on a month-by-month basis and the subsequent outflows.”

    The governor alleged that the minister encouraged financial impunity by unilaterally taking money from the ECA to fund the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) and the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for consultancy services on the Second Niger Bridge.

    Oshiomhole said: “Why the minister should fund SURE-P from the ECA is inexplicable, because it is a complete violation of the law and due process. In this regard, it is necessary that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala makes available to the nation SURE-P’s financial statements, indicating clearly the sources and uses of funds.

    “It is also a fact known to all that under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), only the National Assembly (NASS) has the power to appropriate monies for subsidy. Similarly, nobody spends money that is not appropriated or in excess of what was appropriated without recourse to the NASS.

    “In the first place, ECA is not an exclusive preserve of the Federal Government. It belongs to all the tiers of government: federal, state and local governments. Moreover, the minister has no power whatsoever to spend monies without the express consent and approval of the state governments.”

    On the SWF, the governor said: “It is understood from the law establishing the SWF that the state governments are part of the decision-making regarding the operations of the Fund.

    ‘However, till date, no state government has any idea about how the Fund operates or how it is managed. Like the ECA, its management is opaque.

    “The only information we stumbled upon as state governments is that the minister of finance had unilaterally and without recourse to NEC and the state governments, withdrawn money from the SWF to fund consultancy services in the name of the Second Niger Bridge.”

    He also took on the minister on her accusation that state governments have been finding it difficult to pay salaries, accusing her of leaving the log in the eye of the Federal Government to draw attention to the speck in the states’.

    His words: “Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was quick to blame state governments for not paying salaries but the situation with the Federal Government employees is even worse. Things have gone so bad that even salaries of federal employees have to be paid by recourse to irresponsible borrowing from the capital markets.

    “Let me state for the record at this juncture that while Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, as Minister of Finance, is borrowing recklessly to pay salaries of federal employees, in Edo State, we are paying salaries as and when due, including teachers employed by local government areas without recourse to borrowing.”

    On how he arrived at the $30 billion figure which should have accrued to ECA, Oshiohmole recalled how he was forced to raise the issue at one of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

    He said: “This prompted me to ask a very pertinent question: if the closing balance of the ECA as at December 2012 was over $10 billion and that for three years running Nigeria’s budget have been based on the average of between $77 and $79 benchmark while the average price of Nigeria’s crude has been $108 per barrel, suggesting an average of about $30 per barrel, how come that there was no accretion to the ECA?”

    He wondered why the minister waited till the twilight of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration before alleging fraud in the subsidy claims by Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).

    “The question to ask is: how come that it is now, for the first time, that we are hearing from the CME about fraudulent claims by the oil marketers amounting to billions of naira? At what point did the CME realise that these fraudulent and similar claims are going on? When did it start? Is it just recently or it has been going on all along?,” the governor posited.

    According to him, the proper thing to do is for Okonjo-Iweala to clarify her role before leaving office.

    He said:  “In this regard, I wish to remind the minister that before she leaves the stage, she is duty bound to inform the state governments, as critical stakeholders about the financial status of the SWF backed up by convincing evidence.

    “There is too much of secrecy surrounding the management of our public finance. The earlier the minister comes clean on the management of our financial resources, the better for all of us, so that the incoming government will derive the baseline from which to launch its economic recovery strategies to combat our present morass.

    “This is the irreducible minimum that is expected of any minister of finance worth his/her salt. Otherwise, for now, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s tenure is a bile in the dish.”

  • Tears as Oshiomhole suspends local govt chair

    Tears as Oshiomhole suspends local govt chair

    Residents of Etsako West Local Government of Edo State were at the Government House in Benin, the state capital, to sing and dance yesterday.

    It was at the swearing-in of Alasa Mohammed Idaro as the local government’s chairman.

    They arrived at the venue of the event with drums, but they ended up shedding tears for and with the man they wanted to celebrate.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole suspended Alasa few minutes after his swearing-in.

    The governor named Yesufu Busari Omomemi, who had been sworn in as the Vice Chairman, to become the local government’s Acting Chairman.

    Alasa wept after his suspension. His supporters also joined him in weeping over his travail.

    The former vice chairman was sworn in, following the death of former Chairman, Hassan Kadiri, last Friday after a prolonged illness.

    Before Oshiomhole’s arrival, Alasa, who was dressed in a grey suit, sat under a tree, surrounded by friends and well-wishers.

    He was memorising a handwritten vote of thanks speech.

    It was learnt that the forme council vice chair was suspended because of his activities when Kadiri was ill.

    Hassan died few hours after some youths protested at the local government’s secretariat, demanding his removal over prolonged ill-health and Alasa was fingered as the mastermind.

    Oshiomhole said a panel of enquiry would be set up to investigate the allegations against Alasa.

    The governor, who said he performed the swearing-in with mixed feelings, added that it was inhuman for anybody to organise a protest against somebody else on a sick bed.

    He noted that what saddened him was the events and controversies that happened the day Hassan died.

    Oshiomhole said the name of the suspended chairman had been mentioned by those arrested as being the financier of the protest.

    He said: “Some disgruntled elements, whether they were masquerading as Students’ Union Government (SUG) officials or they were just touts and thugs, were hired by some persons to organise a protest that was almost turning violent, such that they had to bring in the police and even the army to restore peace in the local government.

    “I am informed that the purpose of the protest was that Hassan, on his sick bed, should be relieved of his duties as Chairman so that the Vice Chairman could take over his job. I do not think human beings should play God.

    “It is absolutely unacceptable that anyone would be so desperate to instigate another to protest against a man that was bedridden and admitted in the hospital, fighting for his life.

    “Our jobs are worthless without life. All of us have our dates to depart this planet Earth. So, for anyone to organise a protest against someone who was bedridden, that he should be forced out of office so that another person would get promotion, is unethical and absolutely unacceptable.

    “To publicly organise a protest against the sick, making unprintable statements, disturbing public peace and mobilising people to do things that are capable of leading to riots with the possibility of even death, that, for me, is the height of irresponsibility. I do not think any civilised government will condone that.

    “Therefore, in exercise of the powers vested in me as the Governor of Edo State under the Local Government Amended Acts, where there are weighty allegations against local government officers, I have the powers to carry out a thorough investigation on those allegations. This is because we know for a fact that to allege does not necessarily mean to prove. Allegations must be proven before any further actions…”