A member of the All Progressives Congress Transition Committee in Edo State, Prince Kassim Afegbua, has leveled accusations against Governor Godwin Obaseki, alleging that the governor has converted his political aides into permanent civil service employees.
In a statement released in Benin on Wednesday, Afegbua claimed that Governor Obaseki appointed 186 aides, specifically Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants, in September.
According to Afegbua, these appointees have now been absorbed as full-time civil service staff, an action he deems detrimental to the incoming administration.
“Governor Obaseki, for eight years refused to recruit civil servants to fill up vacant positions and energize the civil service,” Afegbua said. He further alleged that, “He also refused to set up the Civil Service Commission until two weeks ago, in the twilight of his failed administration.”
Afegbua expressed concern over the timing of these appointments, stating, “We are alerting the public to be aware of Governor Obaseki’s deliberate engagement to stifle the resources of the state and pass on huge salaries and overhead to the incoming administration. This is not only a wicked act but a huge disservice to the incoming administration of Senator Monday Okpebholo.”
He added, “Recruitment into the Civil Service must not only follow due process, there has to be a NEED for such persons who are so recruited.”
In response, the Edo State Government defended its actions, emphasizing that employment in the public sector has been geared toward serving the state’s residents.
The Special Adviser on Media Projects for the state government, Crusoe Osagie, issued a statement criticizing the APC’s approach even before assuming office.
“We are unfortunately seeing a disturbing trend from the APC even before they assume government position,” Osagie said. “They have started making spurious claims that the state is overburdened by debt and are now threatening that they will sack workers.”
He also accused Afegbua of prioritizing personal gain over the interests of Edo State, stating, “In his recent statement, Kassim Afegbua, a member of the transition committee, threatened that they are ready to cut down the number of workers engaged in Edo State because they need more money for themselves. This is evidently a sign of the level of thinking in the APC, where all they care about is what gets into their pocket and not what is best for Edo State.”
The state government further clarified that the hiring process had been ongoing for over six years, countering the claim that recent employment decisions were intended to burden the new administration.
“So it is disingenuous to start claiming at this last minute that the government is now just only employing new workers to set traps for the new government,” the statement added, noting that the employment efforts were spread across various sectors and were verifiable by civil servants within the state.
