Edo govt tackles Information Minister for criticising Gov Obaseki

The Edo State government has lambasted the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, over his criticism of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s comments regarding Federal Government’s handling of palliatives as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.

At a press conference last Wednesday, Obaseki had criticised the Tinubu-led government of insincerity in the distribution of the palliatives across the country as well as not having laid down plans to cushion the effects of the hardship Nigerians were going through as a result of the subsidy removal.

“I have always warned. I warned Nigerians during the last May Day this year. I told them that we have come to the end of the road and that the old economic order in Nigeria is gone and we have to come up with a new economic order and stop deceiving ourselves as a nation,” the Edo governor had said.

In a swift reaction on Thursday, Idris had admonished Obaseki not to play politics with the issue and should rather concentrate on providing good governance to the people of the state.

“Rather than delving into narratives which do not provide the complete picture, the focus should be on how the Edo state government will be using available resources to drive impactful projects that genuinely uplift the people of Edo State,” Idris said in a statement.

Read also: Tinubu had no plans what to do after subsidy removal, Obaseki laments

However, the state government, in its statement on Sunday issued by the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, cautioned the Minister against trying to gag Obaseki and other Nigerians who are not happy with the way the Federal Government is handling the palliatives.

“It is unfortunate and sad that the Federal Government now wants to gag citizens and even a popularly elected governor from speaking truth to power and expressing himself in the light of the perilous times we have fallen into.

”This action of the Minister is reminiscent of what happened in 2021 when Governor Obaseki raised the alarm over the irregular and illegal printing of money by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria.

”The claim that Governor Godwin Obaseki failed to attend the National Economic Council meetings is blatantly false. The governor has attended all NEC meetings since the onset of this administration and records are there to prove this fact.

”Records of Edo State government’s performance are also available for Nigerians to verify. Our reforms in the education sector, especially the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation, EdoBEST, programme has been hailed globally.

”In the agriculture sector, Edo State Oil Palm Programme, ESOPP, is currently one of Africa’s largest agricultural programmes. Our radical reforms in the civil and public service, with the government’s e-government and capacity enhancement initiatives, as well as the development of a valid and effective social register, to mention but a few,are also areas the state has done well.

”The area where the minister may be referring to as non-performance should be the condition of the extensive federal roads running through the state, which the federal government has abandoned and even prevented us from intervening to repair, claiming contracts for their repairs have been awarded.

”Isn’t it rather unfortunate that the minister in his first outing has taken this untoward route when he ought to be reconciliatory and seek to synergise ideas and opinions on how best to carry the country along in this difficult and trying times that we have found ourselves?”

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