2024 Budget: Obaseki Has Vowed To Punish And Ridicule Shaibu Financially – Source

Some lawmakers loyal to the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, reportedly opposed the approval of the 2024 State budget.

Naija News recalls that the Appropriation Bill was signed into law in the evening of Friday, December 15, 2023 by Governor Godwin Obaseki at the Government House in Benin.

The budget shows that the the sum of N19, 148, 177, 584 was allocated to the office of the Governor while the office of the deputy governor was allocated paltry sum of N345, 522,729.

Similarly, while the office of the Secretary to State Government (SSG) has an allocation of ₦8, 847, 647, 676, the office of the Head of Service (HoS), was allocated N968, 000, 000 while the House of Assembly has the sum of N13, 074, 500, 000 allocated to it.

Sources, who spoke to The Sun, revealed that some members of the state House Assembly opposed the decision to pass the budget as presented by the governor which they described as “unfair appropriation” but that they were overruled by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Blessing Agbebaku and others.

It was further gathered that the slash in the allocation to the deputy governor’s office was because of his ambition to succeed his boss as governor of the state.

A politician close to the governor said Obaseki vowed to ridicule and punish Shaibu financially in a bid to frustrate his governorship aspiration.

“The governor believes he is having a field day now but may end up the worst for it. The Speaker may be the first victim in all of these”, an insider said the budget has divided the lawmakers.

Meanwhile, a principal member of the House of Assembly denied any division in the House.

“The sum allocated to the office of the deputy governor is not small. The deputy governor is contesting election and you know what it takes to contest, he will have no time for official duties so the governor decided that since he will not do those official work, you cannot allocate such money to the office”, he said.