Okpebholo Wants To Dip Hands Into Edo Treasury – Edo Govt

Edo State government has accused the Governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, of planning to dip hands into the state treasury immediately after inauguration.

The Edo State Commissioner for Information, Chris Nehikhare, made the allegation while reacting to the arrest of the Accountant General of the state by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In an interview with Arise TV, Chris Nehikhare said the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) government wants to bring money from outside to carry out the inauguration, after which, they would loot the state purse.

“The arrest of the accountant-general and others is a ploy by the incoming administration to dip its hands into the treasury. They aim to secure funds for their inauguration.

“This is an orchestrated drama because they don’t even want the state government to be the one to approve the amount of money to be used for their inauguration in a few days’ time.

“Instead, they want to bring money from outside sources and then loot the treasury on the first day by claiming they are repaying those they borrowed money from. That is what they are doing. They want to maybe use 100, 200 million to do the inauguration and they claim 5 to 10 billion from the state government as their first resort,” Nehikhare said.

The Commissioner for Information continued, “Because there is no reason or anywhere in the country where EFCC dares to go and stop the state government from carrying out normal government duties.

“I don’t know where it’s done. And then EFCC will come out and say they are trying to save the state. If they want to arrest anybody, when the next government comes in, they investigate.

“They put up a probe. Not this pre-emptive strike at civil servants doing their normal course of duties. And it’s condemnable, it’s unconstitutional and it’s a disgrace to EFCC.”