The governorship candidate of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has demanded for accountability of N5 billion approved by the Federal Government as palliative to cushion the hardship on civil servants.
In a statement he issued on political developments ahead of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State and made available to the media on Friday in Abuja, Okpebholo described the announcement of new minimum wage for civil servants by governor Godwin Obaseki as a deliberate distraction, insisting that there are real issues the governor should address.
The statement recalled that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, in 2023, approved N5 billion for each State and the FCT to enable them procure food items for distribution to the poor in their respective states and pay civil servants a certain amount for six months.
He said the minimum wage for workers is a “Greek Gift”, adding that the governor should explain the whereabouts of N5 billion, which he claimed Obaseki kept aside to prosecute the governorship election in September.
He said, “Governor Obaseki is actually owing Edo civil servants’ arrears of six months.
“Like other states, Edo got N5 billion from the federal government to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal. In FCT, civil servants were paid an additional N35,000 for six months.
“Other states did the same thing and distributed palliatives to them. In Edo State, Governor Obaseki has been mute.
“No civil servant got any extra money like their counterparts in other states. Let us begin the conversation from there.
“Obaseki should explain to Edo civil servants and Edo people what he did with the N5 billion. Nobody in Edo State has gotten any palliatives or cash transfers from the Edo State government. What has Obaseki spent the money on?”
The APC governorship candidate alleged that huge sums of money have been kept by the governor to buy votes and prosecute the governorship election.
He said Edo State civil servants should be better treated rather than a Greek gift to them to blackmail them into voting for a party that has failed.
The civil servants, he said, knew “Obaseki has failed on every front.”