The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has said that Governor Adams Oshiomhole lied when he took the credit of paying the 50 percent counterpart funds which enabled Edo state to access the Universal Basic Education Funds in 2008.
He said rather it was former Edo state governor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor who actually paid the funds that attracted the balance 50 percent from the PDP Federal government led by the late President Umaru Musa Yar Adua.
Ize-Iyamu who disclosed this information at Igueben in continuation of his campaign tour of Edo Central district, also told teeming supporters that based on this revelation, governor Oshiomhole’s claim to funding, “red roof’ schools in the state is a lie.
“The forty percent that was paid as counterpart funds for the Universal Basic Education Commission funds was paid by Professor Osunbor, who could not access it because there was a case in court”.
Ize-Iyamu said whereas the funds were meant to complement the state government’s efforts in the rehabilitation of primary schools with provision of conducive learning environment and the employment of teachers, for Oshiomhole it ended with red roofs for a few schools.
Speaking on the video being aired in broadcast stations showing him praising the governor in 2012, the Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor said that the film was shot during the governor’s first term in the hope that he would perform better in his second term.
“He is showing a tape of me promoting him in his first term. Ask him what he has done in his second term. On it, everything you can point to are the things he did in his first term”.
On the status of the College of Education, Igueben which he said has suffered neglect under Governor Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu said the government has pretended in the last seven and a half years like the institution is non-existent.
“There is nothing done that was done there by the state government. All the projects that you see there were done by the Federal government using the tertiary education trust fund, Tetfund. Left for the governor he would close the place down”.
Clearing the air on why Edo was once referred to as a civil service state, the PDP governorship hopeful said it was because at a time there was no home in the state which did not have a government worker.
“There was a time Edo had over 30, 000 civil servants. Since Oshiomhole came he has not employed no civil servant instead he has reduced their number to less than 2, 000. If the state cannot employ who can?”.
Promising to develop Amahor, Ebelle, Igueben and adjourning communities if elected, Ize-Iyamu argued that the reason why Chief Tom Ikimi left the APC was because the Governor did not keep any of the promises he made during the campaign for his re-election.
“Ikimi is not looking for appointments or contracts. He left the APC because his local government was neglected by Oshiomhole”, asking the people not to make the mistake of voting for APC in the September 10, 2016 governorship elections.
