Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo is a man of integrity with strong moral principles who will not spare anyone however influential, found wanting in his administration across the state.
He is also in a hurry to make Edo the envy of other states and will not tolerate any obstacles on his path to transform the state.
It was therefore not surprising to political analysts when Okpebholo recently suspended the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Hon. Samson Osagie, and The Chairman of Edo State Local Government Service Commission, Hon Damian Lawani, over alleged financial infractions.
According to Hon Paul Ohonbamu, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, the decision to suspend the duo can be applied to everyone, irrespective of who they are and where they come from.
The statement to mark the governor’s first 100 days in office read in part,
“They have been suspended to allow the panel to do their work, and if they are not culpable, they will return to their office.
“For the information of Edo People, the Governor is a no nonsense leader who is no respecter of anybody who runs foul of the law, and it should be clarified that he is not against anybody or any particular senatorial district in the state.
“The governor will take action against anybody even if the culprit is his brother, relation, or political party loyalist, therefore I can state categorically that the governor believes in conventional means of resolving issues, not self-help, because he will not allow any wrongdoing to go unpunished.
“From the action taken on the suspended government appointees, the governor is sending the message to all government appointees to be transparent, shun corruption, be committed to the work towards developing the state, and any one that cannot cope should leave the office.
“The governor believes that any government appointee is into an enterprise of honorable dangerous consequences, therefore they should not fall foul of the oath of their office because the appointment goes with responsibilities.
“In the last one hundred days in office, the governor has taken some milestone decisions to change the narratives, which has placed the state on a new pedestal for socio-economic growth.
“The appointment of a retired Commissioner of Police to head the Edo security Network has paved the way for improved and organized security outfit in the state, unlike in the past when it was not regulated and the ban on market unions is stabilizing the prices of foodstuffs.
“The governor saw the need for the Ramat Park flyover to reinvent commerce and businesses to boom beyond the ease of vehicular movement in that area. There is no doubt that the state has experienced a lot of developmental strides so far”.