Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Chairman of the Edo State Assets Verification Committee, Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, has clarified that the panel was not set up to witch-hunt anyone but is crucial for a pathway to the government transformation agenda.
He stated that the Committee would ensure accuracy and accountability in the discharge of its mandate, adding, “We will be looking at the budget; who is doing what and in what location?”
Umakhihe disclosed this to journalists shortly after the 14-man committee was inaugurated by the State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo in Government House in Benin City.
“We are looking into the financial and non-financial aspects of the government,” he said.
Also speaking, a member of the Committee, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said the Committee would not be deterred by the opposition party criticism, pointing out that asset verification is a global practice.
Afegbua, who was apparently reacting to the PDP’s complaint against the setting of the committee, said, “Everywhere in the world, you are supposed to have a status report” when a new government is taking over from a previous administration.
Also commenting on the PDP reaction to the Government of Governor Okpebholo’s decision to review the e-governance platform set up by the Obaseki-led administration, Afegbua said, “What they called e-governance is e-corruption,” disclosing that the information provided on the platform could not be accessed.
He decried the PDP’s penchant for referring to Governor Okpebholo as ‘Governor-select’, adding that Edo people voted in their thousands for Okpebholo in the election, which he said was about Edo people, and the governor won convincingly.
“The Committee is made up of people with proven track records in governance, legislature, and finance. We are going to interrogate claims and figures.
“The step of our 14-day government decision has endeared the Edo people to us. Certain persons will be invited to the panel, and we will be fair. The Committee would not be distracted by needles of opposition that would not add value,” he said.
