By DADA AYOKHAI
The newly sworn-in Governor of Edo State, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the freezing of all state government accounts held in commercial banks throughout the state.
Meanwhile Borderlinenews24 gathered that the detained Edo State Accountant General, Mr Julius Anelu, along with other detainees who are signatories to the state accounts are said to have been brought to Benin from Abuja prior to their eventual release from the EFCC custody.
News of their prio release reached the state capital just as the governor’s directive to freeze the state government accounts in commercial banks was gaining momentum.
Last month, the state Accountant General and other signatories to the state government accounts were invited for questioning and subsequently detained by the EFCC.
Political observers believe that the timing of their arrest and detention was suspicious.
The then Obaseki’s administration said the actions were a deliberate attempt to cripple the government.
Mr Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, announced that the directive to freeze accounts is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice.
The Governor has also warned commercial banks, as well as heads of ministries and departments (MDAs), to comply with this order without delay. Anyone who disobeys the order, including heads of MDAs and civil servants, will face severe penalties.
“All bank accounts in commercial banks are frozen. Banks must ensure full compliance with this order without any further delays. Once the necessary investigations and reconciliations are completed, the Governor will determine the next steps. For now, this order remains in effect,” the statement read.
Additionally, the Governor has instructed the relevant government agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Works and Bridges to the Ministry of Works. This name change was implemented during the previous Obaseki administration.
Governor Okpebholo believes it is inappropriate to keep the name “Ministry of Works and Bridges” when there are no completed roads or bridges to show for it. Therefore, he has directed an immediate return to the old name.
“It is paradoxical to refer to a government institution as the Ministry of Works and Bridges when not a single bridge has been constructed by the previous administration—not even a pedestrian bridge,” he stated.
“In the coming days, we will review additional actions taken by the previous administration, and further decisions will be made in the best interest of the state,” the statement concluded.
