Mary Onyia
The newly sworn in governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the suspension of all state-owned bank accounts.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Fred Itua, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Thursday.
In the statement, Governor Okpeholo demanded the freezing of all state owned accounts with immediate effect and instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply or face severe consequences.
“All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice,” the statement read.
It further added:“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.