Okpebholo Opens Probe Into Obaseki’s Tenure As 14-man Assets Verification Committee Takes Off

…Says action not for witch-hunt but to strengthen the fight against corruption

By Simeon OSAJIE

A probe into the eight years tenure of the immediate past governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, took off on Tuesday with the inauguration of a 14-man Assets Verification Committee constituted to look into the books to determine the assets and liabilities inherited from the administration.

Inaugurating the Committee at the Exco Chamber of the Government House, Governor Monday Okpebholo, insisted that the exercise was not for witch-hunting but to strengthen the fight against corruption, which he said, was part of his mandate.

Governor Okpebholo therefore charged the Dr. Ernest Afolabi-Umakhihe-led committee to confirm the existence, conditions, locations and ownership of all state assets.

In his charge to the Committee, Senator Okpebholo said “Prior to my inauguration on the 12th of November 2024, I set up the Transition Committee to collate all necessary information for a seamless hand over of Government. That committee, which was headed by Dr. Pius Odubu, had since submitted its report.

“Based on the report, we have found it necessary to set up this committee to establish the true status of our assets as a state. This assets verification exercise is therefore a process that will confirm the existence, conditions, locations and ownership of all assets, whether fixed or movable, tangible or intangible.

“We are trusting this 14-member committee to do thorough checks and provide us with an updated record of Edo State assets and property. I want to also assure you that this exercise is not intended to witch-hunt anybody but to strengthen the fight against corruption, which is part of my mandate as Governor.

“The assignment we are giving you today is in line with my promise to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in government,” said the governor.

Briefing journalists after the inauguration, the committee chairman, Ernest Afolabi-Umakhihe, a retired federal permanent secretary, said his committee was on a fact-finding mission to unravel the state of affairs as inherited by the current administration on November 12, 2024.

He noted that the report by the Odubu-led transition committee highlighted some gaps which would be filled by his committee in order to ensure accountability, transparency and accuracy.

Umakhihe said, “We want to have full details of ongoing projects across the state, looking into financial and nonfinancial aspects of the government to present the facts the way they should be”.

He added that the committee’s mandate was to know the level of projects and to develop a pathway for government’s development agenda.

A member of the committee, Prince Kassim Afegbua, who took advantage of the event to clear some insinuations by the opposition, dismissed the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the government had shut down the e-governance platform initiated by the immediate past administration, describing it as “very laughable, very incorrect”. Afegbua said “what they call e-governance is actually e-corruption. That is the basic truth because we tried as much as possible to access some of the information they paraded before this new government, we couldn’t even access those information”.

On the PDP’s criticism that the government set up the assets verification committee because it had nothing doing, Afegbua said everyone knows that “all over the world, it is good for you to have a status report on the government when you are taking off.  …And because the previous government was short in terms of facts and figures that dominated the smooth governance process, we have a duty as APC in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal government to begin to interrogate certain gaps as captured by the chairman of this committee”. He said the party would not be distracted by needless opposition’s statement that would not add value to the governance process of Edo State.  

Afegbua insisted that the committee would interrogate some grey areas in the last administration while a lot of persons would be invited to face it in line with its terms of reference.

Former member of the House of Representatives, Patrick Ikhariale, painted a disturbing picture of the state’s debt portfolio. Ikhariale, who recalled that Edo State was created in 1991, was concerned that “as we speak today, Edo State’s debt profile is about N450bn to N500bn; that is to say between 2016 and 12th of November, 2024, Edo State had accumulated debts burden in over 2000, 3000 per cent compared to what we have had in the previous years. I repeat, prior to 2016, we had a debt profile of about N45b while today, “we have a debt profile close to N500bn. It is important that we look at the issues that concern Edo people. Obviously, the money we are talking about must, in our estimation, be used for what it was intended”.

Stating that it would be nice to hear from Edo people, Ikhariale said the committee was open to receive memoranda from members of the public.

Dr Patrick Obahiagbon, said the exercise was to ensure accountability, detect fraud and ensure financial accountability by the past administration. Obahiagbon stated that because the previous administration did not cooperate with the APC’s transition committee in providing needed information, “It’s like this government is starting on a political tabula rasa. So, starting on a political tabula rasa therefore, it behooves the government to know the state of affairs, where we were yesterday, and where we are today to be able to move forward”.  

The report of the committee is expected to be made public at the end of the assignment.