By Irabor Stephen
Credible sources within the Edo State Government house informed our Benin City correspondent that the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, called some workers in the office of the Account General to help in withdrawing money from the state’s coffers today. Although the workers refused to do the bidding, details of the questionable request are still sketchy at press time as our correspondent could not reach the said workers at press time.
According to the Government House source, the workers called by the governor has since switched off their phones and has refused to do the bidding of the outgoing governor.
Last week, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, arrested the Account General of the State, Julius Anelu and other senior government officials. This arrest was partly connected to reports that of the #24.6 billion that was recently deposited into the Edo State Account, a staggering #14 billion was withdrawn within just one week. So this arrest might have been the reason why workers in the office of the detained office of the Account General might have refused to help Obaseki to withdraw more funds from the state’s account to avoid the fate of their boss. It is said that the arrested Account General, Anelu, has been making incriminating confessions against Obaseki and other cabinet members.
Our investigation found out that the over 40 billion Naira paid by owners of Raddisson Blue Hotel did not reflect in the government account even when it was known that the government provided the land along Gulf Course Road.
There are inverifiable news that Governor Obaseki will be detained by the EFCC for financial crimes just like Okowa who is in the custody of the commission in Rivers State for being unable to account for over 1 trillion that went to the state’s account during his 8 years tenure. In the next seven days, the immunity clause that has made Obaseki’s arrest impossible after heaps of petitions against him, including the mismanagement of the agriculture loans and that of the $75 million loan from the world bank for educational purpose, will expire.
