Obaseki Reacts As Okpebholo Shuts Down State’s E-governance Platform

The immediate past Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has criticized his successor, Monday Okpebholo, for shutting down the state’s e-governance platform.

Okpebholo had claimed that the platform was being managed by unknown non-state actors from the backend, and that no one within the state’s public service had administrative control over it.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Ikhilor, Okpebholo called for an immediate review of the platform.

He also directed that all officials and staff of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies continue to use the platform while the review is ongoing.

However, Obaseki, in a statement released on Tuesday through his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, condemned Okpebholo’s actions, describing the reasons for shutting down the platform as shameful and regressive.

The former governor labeled Okpebholo’s decision as a reflection of a clueless government, which he argued was an insult to the people of Edo State and its workers.

Read Also: Real Reason Okpebholo Wants To Probe Obaseki’s Government – Aide

Obaseki clarified that the e-governance platform is operated by the Edo ICT Agency, a parastatal under the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, with support from expert consultants.

The statement read, “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.