Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has ordered the freezing of all bank accounts held by the Edo State government.
Announced in a statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, this directive is part of Governor Okpebholo’s initial steps to reorganize the state’s financial management and administration. The freeze on government accounts, effective immediately, will remain until further notice.
According to the statement, all commercial banks, as well as government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), are required to fully comply with this order. Okpebholo warned that any organization failing to follow the directive would face serious consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
