STAKEHOLDERS in Governor Adams Oshiomhole primary constituency in Etsako west local government area of Edo state have accused his government of giving preferential treatment in terms of infrastructural development projects to his section in the locality.
The All Peoples’ Congress, APC, member representing the constituency at the state assembly, Hon Abdulrazak Momoh who disclosed this in a
governor has since assuming office in 2008, systematically and cleverly supervised the diversion of funds meant for developing his constituency without any explanation.
“Etsako west is one local government with two constituencies, I and II. Auchi which is Constituency I is the headquarters of the local government; the headquarters of the Etsako federal constituency and the headquarters of Edo North senatorial district. There is a deliberate attempt to relegate constituency one to the background with marginalisation and oppression in terms of infrastructural development.”
He said Auchi community or Etsako West I state constituency in Edo North Senatorial district, twice in 2009 and 2011, got the sum of N2.9billion and N1.5billion respectively in the state budget to deal with the menace of ecological disaster; but the governor who has gained commendation for his infrastructural strides diverted the funds to road construction in Uzairue; the governor’s immediate constituency.
Momoh added that this development is disturbing as Auchi is worst hit in terms of ecological disasters in Edo, and whereas the state government says erosion is an ecological disaster and is the burden of the Federal Government, it went to the capital market, took a loan and has spent the sum of N20billion on erosion control in Benin City, the state capital.
Informed that the state government claims to have focused on roads as it is the major problem of the locality, the lawmaker who lampooned such an explanation said, “Auchi did not benefit from the roads,” because the funds were expended on roads in constituency II.
He said in fiscal 2013, out of the seven roads in constituency I, for which N1.3billion was budgeted, the government only agreed to complete
the N700million Iyeke-Ayuele road while the 12 roads in Uzairue for which N2.1billion was budgeted, the same government has completed all.
The affected roads abandoned in constituency I, Momoh said are old Ewu-Agbede road (N50million), Jagbe- Agbede-Awain road (N200million), Etsako West roads (N50million), Iyereku-Emana-Eko-Ubiane-Aghiere- Ughiole roads (N20million), Auchi- Warrake road(N700million) and the Warrake-Egono road (N50million).
For constituency II, he listed completed roads as Atte-Iyuku (N300million), Ayogwiri-Okpella (N800million), Jattu-Ayogwiri (50million), Jattu-Ayuara (N100million), Jattu- Ogieneni (N50million), Ijio-Jattu-Auchi (N800million), Iyanmho-Iyora (N500million), Ogbido-Ayoghena (N100million), Apana – Iraokho (N50million) Ikholor –Ogbido (N100million) and Afowa- Elele (N10million).
“You can see the kind of oppression Auchi is facing. Even the dualisation of the 6km N800million Ijio-Jattu- Auchi Polytechnic road has 5km in Uzairue and 1km Auchi, while the 5km Auchi-Ugheole-Ayuele road has 1.5km in Auchi and 3.5km in Uzairue”.
He said repeated pilgrimages by traditional rulers from constituency I to the governor’s office in Benin City and his country palace at Iyamho has been in vain adding that it is worrisome since the governor promised during the last gubernatorial campaigns, as he could not access many communities by road used helicopters and promised to reverse the trend.
However, reacting to the lawmaker’s submission, a media aide to the governor, Mr. Kassim Afegbua said, the “governor did not select or discriminate against any local government or constituency in the provision of social amenities,” adding that, “the governor takes all parts of the state as his own constituency.”
NigerianPilot
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