Our attention has been drawn to comments made by Chairman of Edo chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Daniel Orbih, in Abuja where he, as usual, comically advertised his poor understanding of issues and a rabid aversion to the progress of Edo State ahead of the expected approval of the National Assembly to enable the State Government access the second tranche of a World Bank facility.
Ordinarily, we would not have dignified yet another farrago of despicable verbiage of Mr. Orbih with a response but for the sake of the gullible who may be conned by his smooth-talking.
In the said statement, without shame, Orbih and his co-travelers told a litany of lies about the situation in Edo, all in their wicked desperation to poison the minds of the federal lawmakers against approving the bill presented by President Muhammadu Buhari: from the transparent lie that Edo State is owing workers to the idiotic claim that the Edo State Government took a N35b bond yet unaccounted for.
While Orbih and his wrecking crew in PDP are free to indulge in self-deceit perhaps to relieve the trauma of the crushing defeat they suffered in the last general elections, every knowledgeable person in Nigeria today will attest that Edo under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole never owed workers wages or salaries; a feat for which the governor has been praised for being exemplary. In fact, whereas many states are owing workers backlog of salaries in view dwindling oil revenue, not only has Edo been up to date in its obligation to workers, we are also able to keep all our contractors busy at various sites across the state.
Again, to cure Orbih of his congenital poor memory, Edo took N25b bond, not N35b he feverishly parroted. Again, contrary to his false claim that Edo is today weighed down by debt overhang, the truth is that Edo has continued to service the bond taken in 2010 faithfully with the sum of N520m paid back monthly ever since under an ISPON (Irrevocable Standing Payment Order). In fact, the good news is that the State Government is nearing the liquidation of the loan.
As again Orbih’s poor conception of corporate governance, World Bank is a responsible organization that gives financial support to any state or entity only after carrying out due diligence. Of the $225m DPO (Development Policy Operation), the State Government had already accessed the first tranche of $75m under the 2012-2014 framework. In the first place, granting Edo the DPO among other competing states was informed by the World Bank’s investigation and conviction that the state under Comrade Oshiomhole had developed a capacity for prudence, probity and accountability. This time, having ascertained and verified the bouquet of projects the first tranche was meant for and satisfied with the quality of work carried out, the World Bank board had no hesitation before approving that the State Government receive the second tranche.
As objective and right-thinking patriots, we have no doubt that the federal lawmakers will support the Edo State government to continue to improve the lives of our people by granting the approval to access the second tranche of the World Bank facility.
If Orbih is truly an Edo citizen and sincerely loves his homeland, the least we expect of him this time is to, for once, stop playing politics with an issue that affects the wellbeing of our people.
