CSO petitions EFCC, exposes how Obaseki siphoned N2bn, using consultants

Out-going Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has been advised to refund the N2,792 billion of taxpayers’ money allegedly spent on phoney consultants in the past four years or face prosecution

A socio-cultural group named Edo Akugbe Movement based in Benin city, made the disclosure and threatened to reveal more fraudulent facts about the Obaseki years as Governor of Edo state.

In the petition, Edo Akugbe Movement stated that Obaseki only listed three months of consultancy payment of N58,171,161 each from July to September 2024, amounting to N174,513,498 against the 4 years in the books.

While countering this, the group’s spokesperson, Barrister Osarobo Omorogieva, stated that the N58 million was paid out every month in the past four years, amounting to N2,792 billion.

According to them, the consultants, though faceless, were used to siphon money from the State, apart from his high security votes, which rose to about N1 billion monthly.

The statement explained that the Governor “used the consultants to siphon monies from international donor agencies (IDAs) and loans acquired from banks and international NGOs.”

While calling on the EFCC to fish out a certain Mr. Giles, a Sierra Leonan, the statement disclosed that the said man “was constantly in Government House, Benin City and fronted as consultant for many NGOs on behalf of Obaseki.”

They also berated Obaseki for “constantly flying expensive private jets across continents, lavishing parties in very high circles, a development which painted us wrongly before the international community.”

“Security agencies should examine the books in Edo state and read in-between the lines to expose how Governor Obaseki used consultants to defraud Edo state in his 8 years as Governor.

“The magnitude of fraud that rocked Edo state government is too monumental to be swept aside despite the call by some Nigerians not to look in that direction.

“Edo state is in very deplorable state today because we had a Governor whose sole business was to loot the state treasury while enjoying the rot of infrastructure, especially the roads.

“Come to GRA in Benin city, the great capital of Africa, and you will be shocked that the roads do not have a single drainage. If not for the efforts of Senator Adams Oshiomhole as Governor, Edo State would have been long submerged in floods.

“We resisted Governor Obaseki from producing a successor and voted for Senator Monday Okpebholo so that he can show the world the mess the outgoing has put the state,” the group said.

Since last week, Governor Obaseki has been in the news over allegation of massive corruption, resulting in the arrest of his Accountant-General and other officials of the State by EFCC operatives last week.

Two weeks ago, the House of Assembly turned down the request of the Governor for a supplementary budget, the third in 10 months, barely three weeks to his exit.

Obaseki is expected to hand over to the Governor-Elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo next week in Benin city.