Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, yesterday, claimed that Governor Godwin Obaseki withheld his allocation for six months owing to the rift between them.
He added that he made many sacrifices and suffered oppression for the growth and development of the state, which endeared him to many in his struggles for a better society.
Shaibu stated this while delivering his goodwill message at the unveiling of the new secretariat office and end of year party of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council.
The deputy governor said he ventured into politics to pursue egalitarian society.
He said: “You know there is tension between the governor and I. For six months, no allocation to my office. I will continue to be strong because for me, Edo should be one, Edo at every time should be paramount in our minds.
“I came into politics because I feel that we should have an egalitarian society, make institutions strong because that is the only way you can have that society of our dreams.
“When institutions are strong, you deal with those guys that think they are powerful, moderate their excesses, and also promote and help the weak in the society.”
He maintained that his duties are to the people of the state, noting that his loyalty to the people is genuine.
MEANWHILE, Obaseki has said that with the development of a tier 4 data centre in the state and other interventions in the technology sector, the state is now well positioned to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve government processes and facilitate service delivery to Edo people.
Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Obaseki said the government would explore every opportunity to expand the state’s technology space in the state to spur more investment in Edo’s economy.
He said: “In the outgoing year, Edo State Government went fully digital, simplifying work processes and assuring better services for investors and other key stakeholders in government, setting the pace in Nigeria as the first government entity to go full paperless.
“We are proud to have set this record and are determined to sustain the gains made so far. We expect that with the investment made in building a tier 4 data centre and other interventions, we should be well positioned to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance in the near future.”
