The opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, on Wednesday, took on Governor Monday Okpebholo and his Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Adam Oshiomhole, for claiming that the immediate-past governor, Godwin Obaseki, did a shoddy job on the recently-inaugurated Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on November 6, 2024, at the twilight of Obaseki’s administration, inaugurated the 270-bed hospital amid fanfare.
The hospital, named after the wife of the former president, Stella, sited on the Country Home Road, Off Sapele Road, Benin City, was rebuilt and expanded by the Obaseki administration.
Following his inauguration as Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Adam Oshiomhole inspected the hospital and uncovered “construction errors.”
On Tuesday evening, the governor visited and described the inauguration of the hospital by the past administration as a sham.
He said construction work at the facility was ongoing, and equipment had yet to be procured.
He pledged to correct the structural defects to reposition the hospital to serve the people better.
Obaseki, however, kicked, lamenting the continuous resort to baseless allegations, falsehoods, and lies to discredit and tarnish his image.
He described the efforts by the new administration as diversionary tactics to deflect attention from its cluelessness and lack of plans for the development of the state.
Okpebhole, speaking when he inspected the facilities alongside the Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa; and Dr Oshiomhole, noted: “After inspecting the facilities, it is clear that nothing was done here by the Obaseki-led administration as they just painted the building and fixed air conditioners to deceive the people to think the building was completed.
“This is a sham. Construction was ongoing when he inaugurated the building. This is unacceptable. It is unfair. It is cheating on Edo people.
“We will come back again to talk with the contractor and see how to commission it for the use of Edo people.”
Dr Oshiomhole, who took the governor around the facilities, said the contractor had a lot of explanations to make regarding the project.
“The governor has gone round to see the work and we have a lot of talking to do with the consultant and contractor because we thought that by now, the work would have been almost ready.
“This building was inaugurated by the last administration politically, but coming here, it is like an abandoned building on the other side. A lot of explanations need to be made at this point.
“I came here with a team of doctors, surgeons and other medical experts so that they will have their input and there were some structural defects we saw. We alerted the contractor and he promised to correct those errors.”
But defending Obaseki, the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party said Okpebholo and Oshiomhole lacked the moral grounds to speak on standards of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital or any other hospital in the state.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, the party said it was ironic and laughable that Cyril, whose father, Adams Oshiomhole, had overseen the flawed construction of the specialist hospital as governor — a project in which a section collapsed due to structural defects, killing two innocent citizens — would speak on the standards of any hospital.
“We are appalled and utterly disappointed by the petty, infantile and ignoble behaviour of the Monday Okpebholo-led administration in attempting to diminish the undeniable impact of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital on the state’s healthcare system.
“It is widely acknowledged by anyone who has visited or used the hospital that it ranks as one of the best in the South-South region, if not the entire country and this was made possible by the huge investment made by the immediate-past government of Godwin Obaseki, in upgrading and equipping the hospital to world-class standards.
“We are not surprised by the childish criticism coming from a clueless and incompetent government.
“Had they been discerning, they would have known that it is to the credit of the state and its government that a hospital of such significance and impact is located in the state and would not have desperately sought to diminish this for petty political reasons.”
Also reacting on Obaseki’s behalf, his media adviser, Crusoe Osagie, said no amount of lies, blackmail, and propaganda by Governor Okpebholo and his media hirelings could blemish the former governor’s legacies.
He said Obaseki, in eight years, successfully transformed the fortunes of the people and placed the state on the path of accelerated growth and prosperity.
In a statement on Wednesday, Osagie said, “The vacuity and cluelessness of the Monday Okpebholo-led government was laid bare in its most recent polemic, where it fruitlessly sought to denigrate the immediate-past governor of the state, whose illustrious legacy of service to Edo State transformed the fortunes of the people and placed the state on the path of progress and prosperity.
“If anything, Godwin Obaseki has firmly etched his name in gold in the annals of Edo State’s history through the big, bold, transformative, and impactful projects that dot the nooks and crannies of the state, and no matter the lies or blackmail, these legacies cannot be blemished.
“We urge the clueless government of Monday Okpebholo to refrain from their divisive tactics and resort to lies and propaganda, and instead focus on governance and delivering developmental projects for the benefit of the state and its people if indeed they have any clear vision or agenda to offer,” Osagie added.