28th November, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has dismissed claims by Governor Monday Okpebholo regarding the remodeled Stella Obasanjo Hospital as “childish, laughable, and infantile.”
In a statement on Thursday, Obaseki’s media aide, Crusoe Osagie, alleged that Okpebholo’s comments were part of a scheme to withhold payments to contractors who worked on the hospital.
Osagie accused unnamed officials in the Okpebholo-led administration of extorting contractors by demanding kickbacks of up to 30% of the project’s total cost before authorising payments.
“At the end of the Obaseki administration, about N30 billion was left in the state’s coffers—enough to settle these contractors and meet other obligations. However, the current government is diverting funds to satisfy political godfathers and supporters,” Osagie claimed.
He further alleged that the criticism of the hospital project was a ploy to appropriate new funds for a facility already completed and equipped.
“The Stella Obasanjo Hospital’s outpatient and inpatient departments are fully operational, with advanced equipment installed. A management company has been contracted to oversee operations, including training state health workers to handle the facility’s sophisticated technology,” Osagie explained.
He clarified that the only ongoing construction at the hospital involves the mortuary and administrative buildings, part of a planned medical hub. According to Osagie, Okpebholo deliberately avoided inspecting the functional sections of the hospital to score political points.
“Edo people must resist this heist. The claim that the hospital is incomplete is a blatant lie meant to justify siphoning funds. This is another attempt by a clueless and incompetent administration to rob the people of Edo State,” he stated.
Osagie urged the public to reject what he described as Okpebholo’s manipulative tactics and focus on holding the administration accountable for genuine development.
