In a report by THE NEWS, the previous administration of the former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has been indicted by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry over defiance of the state’s Public Procurement Law in the construction, and supply of equipment at the Edo Specialist Hospital—a 200 bed multi specialist hospital located at Plot 1. Sapele road Benin city, Edo State.


At a meeting held at the Government house, the attention of the current Governor of the State, Governor Godwin Obaseki was drawn to the commission’s findings by the Chairman of the Commission, Justice James Oyomire (rtd), on Thursday.

The chairman stated that Oshiomhole’s administration contravened the state procurement laws by paying 75 percent of the contract sum upfront as against 25 percent stipulated by the law.


According to the Chairman of the commission, in his words:


The immediate past administration paid 75 percent of the contract sum upfront for the project to Vamed Engineering,


In view of the commission’s 8-point recommendation, the chairman charged the Ministry of Justice to institute civil and criminal actions against those liable in the breach of state’s Public Procurement Law as this will help to strengthen and ensure strict adherence of the law.


Governor Obaseki, addressing the situation assured that anyone found liable regardless of status will be held accountable


In his words:


We have been putting the right measures in place and if there are resources of government that need to be returned back, we will not hesitate to ask for it.


Since I came into office, you cannot find this type of breach you have mentioned. If people have to face prosecution, whether civil or criminal, they will have to be prosecuted.


When you are given a public trust, so much is expected from you and there is a responsibility to maintain that public trust. We want to build institutions and not individuals because individuals will come and go, but institutions will remain.


The people who have the opportunity of rebuilding the system took further steps in destroying the already weakened system. We shall sit down and thoroughly review this report.


When a spokesman of the former Governor Adams Oshiomhole was contacted, and he said that he hadn’t seen any report and for this reason he could not respond to it.

In his words:


I’ve not seen the report, so I cannot respond to it. One cannot respond to what he has not seen. It is when we have seen it that we can react,