EDO State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday ordered the freezing of all government bank accounts.
Also, Oshiomhole yesterday met with President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua at the Presidential Villa Abuja to solicit the president’s support.
However, the order freezing accounts was contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Orientation, Mrs. Betty Igbehi.
It further warned government ministers, agencies and establishments not to flout the directive.
In the same vein, the governor has dissolved the state executive council and board of companies and parastatals in the state put in place by his predecessor, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor.
He spoke while swearing in the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Pally Iriase.
The newly appointed SSG, 55, who was a former deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly and ex-chairman of Owan East local government area of the state, is a chartered accountant and administrator who was frustrated out of the local government chairmanship race by the then ruling PDP last year.
Governor Oshiomhole declared that his administration was in a hurry to deliver on his electoral promises because the state has lost 19 months.
He urged the new SSG not to operate according to what he called the old tradition, just as he enjoined him to fashion out his own system of operation which, he said, must be in the overall interest of the state.
According to him, the appointment of Iriase as the SSG was based on merit, pointing out that the new SSG apart from being an administrator and an accountant of high repute, had made immense contribution to the development of his people in the past.
“I have looked at the contributions you made when you had the opportunity to serve as council chairman. Everyone was saying that Pally Iriase is a wonderful chairman of his time,” the Edo governor said.
Oshiomhole further disclosed that no one would be appointed into his administration to perpetrate the old culture, adding “I do not want to hear that this is how we do it.” He further urged the SSG not to allow himself to be deceived by praise-singers who go on the pages of newspapers to send congratulatory messages.
In his response, the visibly elated Mr. Iriase said he was aware that the task ahead of him was enormous and promised not to let the Governor and the people of the state down.
Other appointment announced by the governor include that of Mr. Osarodion Ogie as the Government House Chief of Staff, and Mr. Eric Osagie as the Director of Public Affairs and Strategy.
Meanwhile, the governor, in addition to the dissolution of boards and committees of agencies and parastatals, also has ordered the freezing of all Edo State government accounts.
A statement conveying the order, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Orientation, Mrs. Betty Igbehi, warned government ministries, agencies and establishments not to flout the directive.
The statement also called on banks and other financial institutions not transact business with or in the name of the government’s accounts until further directive was given.
Government House yesterday witnessed influx of people and specifically members of the Action Congress (AC) who had turned out to lobby the governor for one political office of the other.
Source at the Gapiona residence of the governor said controlling crowd of office seekers is now the major problem confronting the aides of the governor.
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole’s resolves to tackle developmental challenges facing the state yesterday received a boost with President Yar’Adua assuring him of his.
A visibly elated Oshiomhole after a brief meeting with President Yar’Adua said that the president has made his day, given the high level assurances that “Mr. President gave to me and the good people of Edo State “.
According to him, though he had a personal relationship with President Yar’Adua before his recent victory at the Court of Appeal, his meeting with the president “has given me a blank cheque and I am the most joyful man today”
“And before now I have had a very privilege relationship with Mr. President even before I was formal declared the winner. And I am very pleased to say that Mr. President has given me what I will describe as a blank cheque that in anyway that Edo State needs support, in any way we need federal intervention, I can count on the president’s support with any precondition”.
“I am sure Edo people will be very glad to be reassured that President Yar’Adua will just be as kind and generous to them as he can possibly be to any other state and that in fact they are likely to get a far better deal from him because somehow before now I have had this very privilege relationship and I am very proud of it and we will do everything possible to service these privilege relationship,” he said.
While pledging his unalloyed loyalty to the President, Mr. Oshiomhole stated that “I am overwhelmed with joy that the president is very anxious to see how the federal government can contribute to help to arrest the drift and to restore the glory of Edo State, I am very excited”.