Fire Guts Edo Council After Lawmakers Exposes Alleged Fraud Against Chairman
By Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Part of Esan North East local Government secretariat housing sensitive documents relating to contracts and payments was in the wee hours of Friday consumed by fire.
The council was said to have been set ablaze by unknown arsonists a few hours after 10 councillors in the local government met and passed a vote of no confidence on the chairman, Sam Oboh.
Oboh was said to have ignored several invitations by the lawmakers who have asked him to appear before them to explain alleged financial recklessness and flagrant abuse of due process in the running of the secretariat.
It was further gathered that among the Chairman’s alleged offences were collection of severance/gratuity while still in office, collection of IGR up front to 2020, diversion of compensation meant for traders whose shops were burnt and the collection of over-draft from banks without legislative approval.
A resolution signed by the entire members of the house dated 26th May, 2016 with ref No: ENE/C/168 obtained by our correspondent and addressed to the Executive Chairman reads: “It would be recalled that the house watch your activities for some time now and how you have continually manipulated the internally generated revenue of the council for your personal aggrandizment and as a result hereby passes a vote of no confidence on you and frozen the accounts of local government.
” A letter to this effect would be sent to all the banks being operated by government.”
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