APC Governorship Candidate Questions Use of N5 Billion Palliative in Edo State
Senator Monday Okpebholo, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has called for accountability regarding the N5 billion palliative approved by the Federal Government to alleviate the hardship faced by civil servants.
In a statement released on political developments ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Okpebholo criticized Governor Godwin Obaseki’s announcement of a new minimum wage for civil servants, labeling it a deliberate distraction.
He insisted that there are pressing issues that the governor should address. Okpebholo highlighted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved N5 billion for each state and the FCT in 2023 to procure food items for distribution to the poor and pay civil servants for six months.
He questioned the whereabouts of the N5 billion allegedly kept aside by Obaseki for the upcoming governorship election, describing the minimum wage increase for workers as a “Greek Gift.”
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He said: “Governor Obaseki is actually owing Edo civil servants arrears of six months.
“Like other states, Edo got N5 billion from the federal government to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal. In FCT, civil servants were paid additional N35,000 for six months.
“Other States did the same thing and distributed palliatives to them. In Edo State, Governor Obaseki has been mute.
“No civil servant got any extra money like their counterparts in other States. Let us begin the conversation from there.
“Obaseki should explain to Edo civil servants and Edo people what he did with the N5 billion. Nobody in Edo State has gotten any palliatives or cash transfers from the Edo State Government. What has Obaseki spent the money on?”
The APC governorship candidate alleged that huge sums of money has been kept by the governor to buy votes and prosecute the governorship election.
He said Edo State civil servants should be better treated rather than a Greek gift to them to blackmail them into voting for a party that has failed.
The civil servants, he said, knew “Obaseki has failed on every front.”
