The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party has blasted the allocation of ₦2.5 billion to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital by Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Recall that the Governor announced the approval on Tuesday when the new Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Idia Ize-Iyamu, paid a courtesy visit to the Government House, Benin.
Idia had asked the state government for assistance in constructing a world-class Paediatric Centre worth N2.5 billion, which the governor approved.
Reacting via a press statement, PDP Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, revealed that the governor should have invested the money on state-owned hospitals rather than a federal institution.
According to him, the spending is just not reckless; it further proves the desperate eye-service politics that have defined Okpebholo’s tenure thus far.
“This misadventure is not only reckless but a glaring example of the 2027 election fixation and desperate eye-service politics that has defined Okpebholo’s almost one year in office.
“Edo people are being made to suffer while their resources are squandered on federal facilities that are not the primary responsibility of the state.
“We align with the position of the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment, who have openly decried this misplaced priority. Their statement exposes what Edo people already know, our hospitals are collapsing, yet the Governor prefers to chase cheap popularity,” it read.
Warning Monday to be wiser with his spending, Chris emphasised that Governor Okpebholo was not elected to serve as a philanthropist to federal institutions.
He concluded by saying that Edo deserves working hospitals, not political structures built to influence the 2027 elections.
“Edo people obviously did not elect a Governor to act as a philanthropist to federal institutions. They elected a leader to fix our hospitals, build capacity, and ensure access to healthcare for all. By neglecting this sacred duty, Okpebholo has shown that he is unprepared, unserious, and out of touch with the realities of Edo citizens.
We in the PDP demand that this decision be reversed and that urgent attention be given to Edo-owned hospitals which directly serve our people. Edo deserves working hospitals, not political monuments built with eyes on the 2027 elections.
This is not leadership. This is a reckless waste. And Edo people will not forget,” it added.
