EDO: NBS report proves futility of Obaseki’s foreign trips, MoUs —APC

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, came under scathing criticism from the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday over the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recent report on the state.

The NBS had in a report released on Friday revealed that Edo State did not receive any capital investment in the second quarter of this year.

The bureau added that the total capital inflow to Nigeria during the period was $1.29 billion.

However, in a statement issued by its Chairman of the Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, APC said the report had confirmed previously known belief of the futility of the numerous agreements Obaseki signed during his trips across the world.

The statement read: “The governor neglected infrastructure, security, and other critical factors required to build investor confidence in the state and wasted public funds on incessant trips abroad where he lodged in seven-star hotels and rode in luxurious cars only to return with MOUs not worth the paper they were signed on.

“Worse is even the governor’s deliberate de-marketing of the state with his full embrace of tyranny and abuse of power. The legislative arm meant to pass and regulate laws was rendered impotent with the governor’s decision to abduct and swear-in minority members in the dead of the night, state agencies were bastardized and used as tools of oppression to intimidate the governor’s political enemies.

READ ALSO: Edo election will put final end to godfatherism —Obaseki

“Thugs became lords who enjoyed direct sponsorship and patronage from the state government. All of these eroded the confidence of investors and those that were in the state prior to 2016 all fled.

“Knowing the governor’s irresponsible penchant for passing the buck, we fully anticipate him to blame his failure to attract any capital investment in the entire second quarter of the year on COVID-19. But for the sake of those who may not know better, it is important to note that this is an ongoing trend occasioned by nothing else but the ineptitude of the Obaseki-administration.

“This is so because a report from the NBS also showed that Edo State failed to attract any new investment in the entire first quarter of 2019.

“The only thing left to do now is to continually commend the Edo people for their endurance as we all collectively look forward to the 19th of September when Governor Godwin Obaseki can be put out of his misery and kicked out of office for good.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now