They Lied, I Didn’t Leave N600bn Debt..Ex Gov Obaseki

Immediate past Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki has denied leaving the state with a debt of N600bn.

Obaseki was reacting to allegations by Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua.

Besides the N600bn debt allegations, Kassim said there were many questions about legacy projects of Obaseki especially the Radisson Hotel and the Museum for West African Arts (MOWAA).

But Obaseki, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, said lies being spewed by the Okpebholo’s administration were giving the country a bad image.

He urged Governor Monday Okpebholo to cross check with the Debt Management Office on whether Edo drew a debt of N600bn.

Obaseki noted that no government at whatever level whether local government, state government or federal government, has capacity to draw loans or enter into any debt arrangement without the knowledge and approval of the DMO.

He stated that certain statement from the Edo State government gave impression that the state was being governed by people who don’t understand what it meant to run a government.

Obaseki stated that comments by Afegbua were false and out of place.

He said every record about the transaction between Radisson Hotel and the Edo State Government were contained in the transition report.

On the planned probe of Radisson Hotel, Obaseki noted that Radisson Hotel remained a international brand that entered into a business agreement with Edo State with all T’s crossed and all I’s dotted.

According to him: “The Museum for West African Arts is an international investment drawing funds from German government, United Kingdom’s government, French government for its development. You think such an investment will be put on a land that was not ceded to that organization by the state.

“These people just come out there and toss all kinds of irresponsible information out there. At the end of the day what happens is that all of these turn around to form the intelligence that gathered out of Nigeria by the international community.

“It makes these countries think that the country is a failed state and the place is not being governed.

“So when comments like this begin to come out of a state like Edo also governed by the All Progressive Congress, it gives credence to the, attitude that we are receiving from foreign nations.

“Can you people kindly ask where that N600bn he is speaking about is recorded in the DMO office.

“If Obasaki took such loans or had such indebtedness at least you can find it there in the DMO office. So he j comes out and spews these lies and makes this statement.

“It gives the impression that the state is being governed by touts. It gives impression that the state is being governed by people who don’t understand what it means to run government.”