Newly elected Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has set up a 14-person panel to verify details of the assets and liabilities of Edo State that the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki handed over. Fred Itua, the chief press secretary (CPS) to Governor Okpebholo announced that the governor “has approved the constitution of a 14-man “State Assets Verification Committee” to probe the administration of Godwin Obaseki” in a statement issued on Sunday November 2024.
The 14-person panel includes Taiwo Akerele, former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Chief of Staff during his first term as governor of Edo State.
The statement announcing the constitution of the panel alleges that “the Godwin Obaseki-led Government came up with very scanty and limited Assets and Liabilities of the State” despite “repeated calls for a more holistic database”.
It is not clear when the “repeated calls” were made to the “the Godwin Obaseki-led Government” to provide more details on the state’s assets and liabilities- during the transition period (between when Okpebholo won the gubernatorial election of 21 September 2024 and 12 November 2024 when he was sworn in as governor) or after Okpebholo resumed duty as Governor of Edo State.
The statement did not also give any indication of the kinds of “assets and liabilities” that the 14-person panel is to verify or the discrepancies or irregularities in the records handed over by Godwin Obaseki’s administration that the Governor Okpebholo’s government is concerned about.
As Governor-Elect, Okpebholo had in October 2024 alleged “widespread reports of looting of government funds and properties by officials of the out-going administration from the Government House, Benin City”. He accused the Obaseki administration of “still obtaining loans from banks and other financial institutions under very shady headings” and noted the” massive looting and vandalisation of properties including vehicles, furniture, gadgets, household utensils and even carpets from offices and residences of Edo state Government”.
The Obaseki-led Edo State Government on 18 October, 2024 challenged the then Governor-Elect to provide evidence of these allegations.
The Okpebholo administration has also “suspended” recruitment into the state civil service, claiming that the leadership of government ministries and agencies in Edo State are engaged in “ongoing clandestine recruitment”.
Assets Verification or Probe ?
The statement on the Edo State verification panel is titled “Assets verification: Gov Okpebholo unveils 14-person panel to probe Obaseki“.
“It remains unclear whether the 14-member panel is tasked with verifying discrepancies in the ‘assets and liabilities’ handed over by the Godwin Obaseki administration or investigating allegations of ‘massive looting’ under his tenure. While the press statement frames the panel’s role as a verification exercise, it also explicitly hints at a mandate to ‘probe Obaseki.'”
The press statement reads, “In furtherance of the Governor’s initiative to set the State on the path of development and accountable leadership, the need to set up a State Assets Verification Committee becomes very imperative.
“Despite repeated calls for a more holistic database of the Assets and Liabilities of the previous administration, the Godwin Obaseki-led Government came up with very scanty and limited Assets and Liabilities of the State.
“In line with the Governor’s campaign promise to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in Government, and to deepen the governance process, a Committee made up of respected sons and daughters from Edo State has to be constituted.
According the press statement, the committee will be inaugurated on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024. Perhaps, the Okpebholo administration will release a “terms of reference” and hence clarify the mandate of panel clearer during the inauguration.
