Edo State’s former governor, Godwin Obaseki, has strongly criticized his successor, Monday Okpebholo, over the shutdown of the state’s e-governance platform.
In a public statement on Monday, Okpebholo’s administration, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Ikhilor, announced that the e-governance system would undergo a review.
Okpebholo claimed that the platform was being controlled from the backend by unknown individuals outside the state government, leaving no state official with full administrative authority. Despite the review, he directed government workers to continue using the system temporarily.
Responding on Tuesday, Obaseki labeled these actions as misguided and damaging to Edo State’s progress. Through his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, the former governor argued that the e-governance platform is not only secure but also managed by the Edo ICT Agency under the Ministry of Digital Economy with the assistance of professional consultants. He expressed dismay at the decision to revert operations back to paper-based processes, describing it as “regressive and shameful.”
Obaseki stated, “We read with surprise and deep disappointment the utterly ridiculous statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilor, where he laboriously attempted to justify the illogical shutdown of the Edo e-governance platform and the decision to revert the state’s civil service operations back to paper files to run the government.
“This irrational decision is not only shameful and regressive but also an insult to the sensibilities of Edo workers and the people of the state. It further exposes the government’s cluelessness and lack of the depth and knowledge required for effective governance and administration in the 21st century.
“To be clear, the platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with the support of expert consultants, ensuring a digital and efficient system for government processes and operations.
“However, the unprepared and clueless government of Senator Monday Okpebholo, having come into power through one of the most flawed electoral processes in the country, has since sacked most of the senior civil servants in the agency. As a result, the government is now hamstrung and unable to run the e-gov system effectively.
“Had the government not embarked on the ongoing indiscriminate sack of civil and public servants in the state, the officials and workers responsible for this system would have been available to explain and train them on the process and functionality of the digital system. But what else can we expect from a governor who came to power through the backdoor? He is unprepared for office, in short supply of ideas, and lacks a clear vision to drive the development and progress of the state.”
“We also want to clarify that the allegations by the government that there is no institutional memory are completely false. All government memory and data are stored in the state-owned Data Centre, which was built and commissioned by the immediate past administration of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. The Data Centre is situated within the Government House compound, from where the Secretary to the State Government is dishing out his jaundiced statements, filled with lies and half-truths.
“For eight years, the immediate past governor, HE Godwin Obaseki, focused on nuanced policies and programmes to lay a solid foundation for the State, placing it on the path of progress and prosperity.
“We advise Okpebholo to follow this path if he doesn’t have a vision or plan for the state rather than erode the progress that has been made over these past few years with his illogical and poorly thought-out decisions and policies.”
