Obaseki probes Hospital Contracts under Oshiomhole; explains why he appointed new Commissioners.

Obaseki probes Hospital Contracts under Oshiomhole/explains why he appointed new Commissioners.

The Edo Government says it will probe contracts for construction of structures and supply of equipment to Benin Central Hospital, awarded by the administration of Adams Oshiomhole.
Mr. Cruise Osage, Special Adviser to Edo Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Benin, saying a Commission of enquiry would soon be constituted to probe the contracts.
According to the Governor’s Aide, the action for probe was necessitated by numerous calls on the government to look into the contracts in which billions of taxpayers’ money were expended on poorly executed projects under the regime of Adams Oshiomhole, past Governor and incumbent APC National Chairman
He said the Commission of Enquiry would have a mandate to ascertain if details of contract terms were adhered to, especially the quality of materials used for the building.
Osagie said the Commission of Enquiry would also determine the extent of irregularities regarding the purchase of equipment among others.
“The state government will investigate allegations of fraud and irregularities with the contract for procurement of the hospital equipment,” he said.
The aide stated that the commission would unravel why the equipment contracted was yet to be supplied and other claims made by the contractors.
He said, “The contractors who handled the building had questions to answer including the shoddy jobs done among others.”
Osagie said works were ongoing at the hospital to patch up parts of the Hospital, as parts of the poorly constructed facilities leading to collapse of the roof in some sections.
Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki at the weekend explained that he changed members of his cabinet because he wants the best brains and committed hands to give the final push of his first term towards achieving promises to the people of the state.

He said, “We’re on the last lap as a government, we need to review how we operated in the last two or three years. We need to put our best foot forward and give the final push. So, it is not unusual in the life of governments after a few years’.

He spoke at the 2019 annual retreat and convention of the Usagbe Club of Nigeria in Abuja even as he clarified his statement that he met thugs who masqueraded as role models and took over power in Edo State in the past.

His words, “If you understand what happened in Edo up to 2006, the lone state actors have become empowered by the political class. They were collecting revenues, determining things. They were like an alternative government. They constituted themselves into a vermin that were used for political activities.

“Part of the crisis we had to deal with was how to remove these thugs from the streets, from collecting revenue and intimidating private businesses”.

On the alleged rift with his party’s National Chairman, the governor said ” there is no rift between himself and the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as is being projected by people.
It would be recalled that recently, the Oba of Benin Ewuare ll visited President Muhammad Buhari on the issue and there has been other frantic efforts l to reconcile the two.
However, the governor who had hitherto avoided the question on his relationship with his predecessor insisted that all was fine with them.
END