Obaseki Frets over Poor Execution of Projects

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has expressed dissatisfaction with the poor handling of projects executed by the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) in the last six years.

Obaseki expressed his dissatisfaction when he received the Engineering Audit of EDSOPADEC’s projects from 2011 to 2017, noting that it was discouraging that the commission failed in its mandate to utilise funds to ameliorate developmental challenges in oil producing communities.

“I am not happy that of the funds for projects made available to the commission only 30 per cent was put to use, while similar commission at the regional level had only expended 10 per cent of funds for project execution,” Obaseki said.

He explained, “These commissions that were supposed to build alternative economiesandassistoil and gas producing communities to prepare for a time when crude oil resources would be exhausted, have not done enough for the communities. “This is unacceptable. Hence, we will not constitute new board for EDSOPADEC until we clean up the system. We will invite contractors who abandoned projects and where there is need for the contractors to return funds meant for projects we will not relent until such funds are fully recovered.”

Obaseki mandated the permanent secretaries in the state’s ministries of Infrastructure and Urban & Regional Planning, to review the audit report submitted by the Development Engineering Konsult Limited and develop a white paper thereafter.