The Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent admonition to governors on prudent management of public resources had vindicated its opposition to what it described as “wasteful government spending” in the state.
This was just as the coalition also raised fresh concerns in a statement it issued on Friday over Governor Monday Okpebholo’s on-going investment trip to the United Kingdom.
According to the statement signed by Dr Samson Isibor, the national chairman, and Nkama Waribe, the national secretary, the organisation said the president’s call for fiscal discipline reinforced its earlier criticism of the proposed overhead flyover project in Edo State.
It insisted that governments should channel scarce resources towards projects and programmes that directly improve the lives of citizens.
The CRPP said Tinubu’s advice was particularly relevant to Edo State at a time when residents were grappling with economic hardship, unemployment, poor infrastructure and declining purchasing power.
The group, however, expressed reservations over Governor Okpebholo’s ongoing UK visit, declaring that the trip raised questions about the administration’s spending priorities and the expected benefits to the people of the state.
”Edo people deserved to know the objectives of the mission, the specific investment opportunities being pursued and the measurable economic gains expected from the visit,” It added.
The CRPP further alleged that the composition of the UK delegation reflected poor planning, claiming that individuals with no apparent relevance to the investment mission were included, while commissioners supervising ministries central to the state’s economic and investment agenda were initially left behind.
It further alleged that some of the commissioners were reportedly contacted only after the governor had arrived in the United Kingdom and directed to urgently process their
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, however, defended the number of personnel on the UK trip, adding that 90 per cent of the people self-sponsored the trip.He said the London meeting, organised by the London Professional Training Centre, was to enable the governor to interact with Edo people in the Diaspora and inform them about what is happening in the state.