Edo government accuses FG of limiting state development progress

The Edo State government has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration at the federal level of opposing the progress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki in the development of the state.

The state government, which made the accusation on Tuesday, lamented that many of its programmes and policies that could have improved the lives of the people of Edo State have been overshadowed by the APC-led federal government, due to the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidy and what it described as a “poorly thought-out exchange rate unification policy” as well as its inability to manage the economy in the past nine years since the APC was in power at the centre.

The Edo State Commissioner for Communications and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, who stated this at a press conference held on Tuesday, lamented that the Edo State chapter of the APC had further compounded the problem through the style of opposition politics it has adopted in the state.

Nehikhare in the text of the press conference titled “State of the Nation Address” lamented that “despite our best efforts to alleviate the suffering that the APC government has put the Edo people and Nigerians into through the increase in minimum wage, free wifi in different parts of the state, free transport scheme that has benefited over six million Edo residents since its launch in September 2023, food assistance to millions of Edo people, free registration of pensioners into the state health insurance scheme and others, we wish to reiterate that the people are still facing untold hardships and this is as a result of the serious mismanagement of the economy by the APC as the central government in the last nine years.

“It is on record how the chaotic withdrawal of subsidies by the APC government on May 29, 2023, threw the economy into chaos and pushed our people to the brink of famine,” he further lamented, adding that the federal government’s policies are stifling economic growth in the country, while Nigeria is “slowly slipping back into terrorism with the increase in suicide and other attacks.”

The Commissioner noted that what was most painful was the fact that the Edo APC seemed to be unaware of the devastation that had been caused by the APC Federal Government, as the party in Edo State “like an ostrich has buried its heads in the sand and continues to spread lies and propaganda, hoping to deceive our people and stifle their desire to break free from the grip that the APC has had on them for the past nine years.”

He said the APC was trying to deceive the people of Edo State ahead of the governorship election “in the same way it fabricated court documents which it used to misinform and mislead the people of Edo about the candidacy of the PDP candidate; in the same way it fabricated the palace crisis, all in a desperate bid to deceive the people and reawaken the completely sleeping party in Edo State.

“But our Edo people are wiser. We know who our friends are and who our oppressors are, and we cannot surrender to them again, to inflict the pain and suffering of the last few years on our people a second time.”

The press conference was called in response to allegations made by the Edo APC that some senior officials in the Edo State government were involved in serious financial irregularities, calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the matter.

The full text of the statement reads:

“For us, as representatives of our people in the state government, it has become imperative to draw the attention of the authorities and the public to the plight of the Edo people and, more broadly, the Nigerian nation.

“Despite our efforts to alleviate the suffering that the APC government has put the people of Edo and Nigerians into through the increase in minimum wage, free wifi in different parts of the state, free transport scheme that has benefited over six million Edo residents since its launch in September 2023, food assistance to millions of Edo residents, free registration of pensioners into the state health insurance scheme and others, we wish to reiterate that the people are still facing untold hardships and this is as a result of the serious mismanagement of the economy by the APC as central government in the last nine years.

“It has been recorded how the chaotic withdrawal of subsidies by the APC government on May 29, 2023, threw the economy into chaos and brought our nation to the brink of famine.

“Furthermore, Nigerians have noticed that the ill-considered policy of currency unification has led to the collapse of our currency, rendering it almost worthless, which has had a negative impact on inflation and the overall economic situation.

“As if that were not enough, they are constantly restricting the development of entrepreneurship in the country by increasing taxes and doubling the burden on small businesses.

“The nation is slowly returning to terrorism, partly due to the increase in the number of suicide bombings.

“In the face of this devastation that the APC government has caused, the Party in Edo State seems surprisingly unaware of this dire situation. Like an ostrich, they have buried their heads in the sand and continue to spew lies and propaganda, hoping to deceive our people and stifle their desire to break free from the grip that the APC has had on them for the past nine years.

“It is truly shameful to see them sitting before journalists and waving worthless documents as evidence to prove non-existent allegations of fraud against the state government that has established transparency and accountability in the management of state resources.

“As a party whose foundations were built on a web of lies and deceit, no doubt, in the same way they produced this worthless paper, they produced the court documents which they used to misinform and mislead the people of Edo on the candidacy of the PDP candidate; in the same way they manufactured the palace crisis, all in a desperate attempt to deceive the people and reawaken their completely sleeping party in Edo State.

“The Edo State governorship election is fast approaching. Just as they deceived and enslaved the entire nation, they want to repeat it in Edo State by fielding a candidate who cannot read and write, has difficulty expressing himself in public forums and has no desire to share his vision with the people.

“But you, our Edo people, are wiser. We know who our friends are and who our oppressors are, and we cannot surrender to them again, to inflict the pain and suffering of the last few years on our people a second time.

“Our people are determined to break free from this bondage on September 21, 2024, by retaining the leadership of the PDP at the state level. They know that the PDP is the best choice for the continued progress and prosperity of the state and they will not allow the lies and propaganda of their oppressors to cloud their judgment and stop them from making informed decisions for a better future for themselves and their unborn children.

“On September 21, it’s either the PDP or nothing, and the APC can’t do anything about it,” Nehikhare boasted.

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