Petitioners Query Obaseki’s Silence On Multi-billion Naira Edo Investments

As the Transition Committee in Edo State awaits the clarification of the stake owned by the Edo State Government in the ownership of some properties, palpable fear has enveloped the Government House over the out-going Governor’s silence on Ossiomo Power Plant, Edo Modular Refinery and the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) Committees held a joint session to discuss facts about the three companies.

During the meeting, the PDP team promised to discuss the matter with Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The APC team, which requested documents on the ownership and stake of the Edo state government in the projects, were stunned when the government officials feigned ignorance in such mega projects that cost taxpayers several billions of naira.

A petition addressed to the Transition Committee and copied to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is said to be unsettling Governor Obaseki, who will hand over to Senator Monday Okpebholo in less than two weeks.

The petition, signed by Comrade Samuel Osawaru of the Edo Integrity Group, is believed to be working from the Obaseki team.

The group stated that Quadrant Consolidated Systems Engineering Limited, allegedly owned by Uwagboe Igiehon and Mark Igiehon, was being used for financial transactions, including “receiving of revenues for themselves and on behalf of Ossiomo Power Project” from Edo state government coffers.

The group named Chinese Clean Energy and Telecom Company (CCETC) as the technical partners of the Ossiomo Power Project and also disclosed that both CCETC and Ossiomo were holding companies for the plant’s owners.

It added that most Edo State Government agencies pay their tariff to the Ossiomo Power Plant through estimated billing. Still, the company has quickly resorted to metering the government agencies since 21 September 2024, when PDP lost the election.

The Edo Integrity Group, which stated that it was fighting corruption in Edo State, appealed to the Transition Committee and the EFCC “to beam searchlight on the activities of Ossiomo Power Plant as a lot has happened there” in the past few years.

In a related development, an anonymous letter addressed to security agencies indicted Governor Obaseki over acquiring Edo Modular Refinery and Radisson Blu Hotels, funded with taxpayers’ money but converted to private ownership.

The letter urged the security agencies to investigate the funding of both companies, which were from the Edo state government “but not included as assets of Edo state in the ongoing handover notes for the incoming administration.”

The petition writers also revealed that they were staff of the Edo State Government and members of the PDP Transition Committee “but were not allowed to function as all documents and directives were from Governor Obaseki, mostly through telephone calls.”

They called for a thorough investigation, stating they “resolve to disclose information because of their allegiance to the state and not to any individual.”

The owners of the American-Dutch-based Radisson Blu were said to be uncomfortable with their brand being drawn into corruption allegations. They have written several letters to the governor indicating a willingness to pull out of the partnership and franchise for integrity’s sake.

Radisson Blu hotels are mainly located in major cities across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They are owned by Choice Hotels, Jinjiang International, and Radisson Hotel Group, headquartered in the USA and Belgium.

The Deputy Governor of Edo state, Philip Shuaibu, inspected the Radisson Blu hotel site last month, indicating that the Edo state government was funding the project.

However, a new twist emerged: The government did not declare it the state’s property or capture it in the handover notes to the transition committee.