Obaseki and Shaibu’s conflict intensifies

Following weeks of rumours that the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, would move his office outside the Government House in Benin due to the conflict between him and the Governor Godwin Obaseki, it was confirmed yesterday that the deputy governor has been given a new office that is currently being renovated.

It was previously the Edo State Public Procurement Office, which former governor Adams Oshiomhole established on December 16, 2014, and is located at No. 7 Dennis Osadebey Avenue, adjacent to the Government House.

At the building’s entrance, a signboard bearing the words Office of the Deputy Governor has been placed. On a visit, workmen could be seen making repairs to the compound and structure.

According to one of the personnel in charge of the renovation project, the work is anticipated to be finished tomorrow.

The employee who wished to remain anonymous stated that he was unaware of the intended usage of the structure.

“I am employed by the firm in charge of this building’s refurbishment. Delivering the project on Monday as planned is our responsibility. I have no idea how the sign board got to the building’s entrance, nor do I know what the building will be used for’, he stated.

The Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, responded that he was in his village taking part in local government elections when he was questioned about whether the deputy governor’s office had indeed moved from the Government House.

But he said, “If a government signboard says it, then it must be true.”

However, in response, the Deputy Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Musa Ebomhiana, stated that the rumour of the deputy governor’s relocation was still untrue because the deputy governor had not received any formal correspondence to that effect.