The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State on Sunday accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of budget padding.
In a statement issued by its Assistant Publicity Secretary in the state, Victor Ofure Osehobo, the APC claimed that the projects listed by the governor for execution in the 2022 budget proposal were duplicated.
The party described the appropriation bill as unrealistic.
Obaseki presented the Edo State 2022 budget proposal of N214.2b to the Assembly on December 1.
APC said: “On a closer look, the 2022 Obaseki budget proposal, is completely unrealistic and duplicitously embellished with impractical predictions, a development that confirms fears by many Edo people that this administration is obviously still trying unsuccessfully to lay a foundation for governance as Obaseki himself declared five years on!
The proposal again illustrates that Governor Obaseki has perfected the art of wasting Edo State’s funds on frivolities. How does he explain the allocation of N21 billion for government buildings and another N15 billion to enhance the work environment?
As expected, the Obaseki 2022 estimates are padded and this can be deduced from such spurious allocations as providing social and youth development, N5billion; technology enhancement, N7.6billion and effective fiscal and business-friendly regulatory policies, N4.5billion.
“The proposal includes water, which is non-existent and which the government has never attempted to provide anywhere in the state, for N1.2billion. This is as ridiculous as the provision of N1.5billion for citizen re-orientation and social protection, and N9.2billion for public safety and security, which are suspicious and questionable, and call for answers.”
