Obaseki: FG wants to gag me

Governor Godwin Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused the Federal Government of preventing him from intervening in some decisions made by the government.

Obaseki said the Federal Government has concluded plans to gag him and Nigerians from speaking truth to power and expressing themselves amidst the challenges bewildering the country.

The Federal Government had lashed out at Obaseki over his comments on Nigeria’s economy.

Obaseki had earlier said the country’s situation was taking a turn for the worse due to bad policies by the Federal Government.

The governor lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying the latter’s administration failed to plan and effectively respond to the fuel subsidy removal, which he said inflicted hardship and suffering on Nigerians.

He further described the Federal Government’s palliative concept as fraudulent.

However, Obaseki, while reacting via a statement issued by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Osa Nehikhare, on Sunday, August 27, 2023, said: “It is unfortunate and sad that the Federal Government now wants to gag citizens and even a popularly elected governor from speaking truth to power and expressing himself in the light of the perilous times we have fallen into.

“This action of the Minister is reminiscent of what happened in 2021 when Governor Obaseki raised the alarm over the irregular and illegal printing of money by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“The claim that Governor Godwin Obaseki failed to attend the National Economic Council (NEC) meetings is blatantly false. The governor has attended all NEC meetings since the onset of this administration and records are there to prove this fact.

“Records of Edo State Government’s performance are also available for Nigerians to verify. Our reforms in the education sector, especially the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme has been hailed globally; in the agriculture sector the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP) Programme is currently one of Africa’s largest agricultural programs; our radical reforms in the civil and public service with the government’s e-government and capacity enhancement initiatives, as well as the development of a valid and effective Social Register, to mention but a few.

“The area where the Minister may be referring to as non-performance should be the condition of the extensive Federal Roads running through the state, which the Federal Government has abandoned and even prevented us from intervening to repair claiming that contracts for their repairs have been awarded.

“Isn’t it rather unfortunate that the Honourable Minister in his first outing has taken this untoward route when he ought to be reconciliatory and seek to synergise ideas and opinions on how best to carry the country along in this difficult and trying times that we have found ourselves?”

The Star