Gov. Okpebholo to Investigate Obaseki Over $10 Million Spent on Edo-Owned Newspaper

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has announced plans to probe the reported $10 million expenditure on the state-owned newspaper, The Nigerian Observer, by the previous administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Governor Okpebholo made the announcement after leading key officials from his administration on an unscheduled visit to the newspaper’s premises to assess the facilities. The governor and his team were reportedly shocked to find that they could not gain access to the buildings where machinery allegedly purchased by the former administration was said to be stored.

A statement from Governor Okpebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, shared on Tuesday, revealed that Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, along with Chris Osa Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of the Edo State PDP Caretaker Committee and former Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, were named as the “foot soldiers” involved in the project.

“The once vibrant newspaper organization was shut down by Obaseki under the guise of revamping it and positioning it to compete with other national dailies. However, instead of achieving this goal, the media house is now in a worse state,” the statement read.

Governor Okpebholo expressed dissatisfaction with the visit, stating that he could not inspect the facilities due to restricted access. He vowed to return for a thorough inspection and promised to personally verify the presence of the equipment Obaseki claimed to have purchased using taxpayer money.

“I was at The Observer Newspaper premises to see for myself the money claimed to have been spent by the former governor, Godwin Obaseki, on revamping the state-owned media outlet,” Okpebholo explained. “Obaseki claimed to have spent $10 million on the newspaper just before the election. However, the premises were locked, and I couldn’t find any sign of the supposed equipment, nor did I see any staff working there. The place was empty, and the few people we met were not employees of the organization.”

He continued, “I will need to visit again to inspect the buildings and see whether the equipment Obaseki mentioned is really there. For now, I can’t confirm if the machines exist because I was unable to go inside. If the facility were operational, there would be people working there, especially given the resources that were supposedly spent.”

Okpebholo emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “Edo people deserve to know what happened to the money spent on revamping The Observer. As their governor, I am committed to providing answers, which is why this visit to the facility was necessary.”