Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State Chapter, yesterday condemned, in the strongest terms, the decision of the Edo State Government under Senator Monday Okpebholo to allocate a staggering N2.5 billion to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), a federal institution, at a time when state-owned hospitals are in ruins, according to him.

Governor Okpebholo had during a courtesy visit to his office by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UBTH, Prof. Idia Niboku Ize-Iyamu,  announced the allocation of N2.5 billion to the teaching hospital.

In a statement in Benin City by the Publicity Secretary, Edo State chapter of  the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, described Okpebholo’s gesture as not only a misadventure and reckless, but a glaring example of the 2027 election fixation and desperate eye-service politics that has defined his administration almost one year in office.

According to the statement, 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 (ARD EDGE), who  has 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.

“Let us be clear: Stella Obasanjo Hospital, rebuilt with state funds, remains under lock and key, with less than a tenth in use. Why is N2.5 billion not channelled here?

“Edo Specialist Hospital continues to cry for expansion and adequate support, but has been ignored by a government obsessed with pleasing political benefactors and seeking headlines.

 General Hospital in Abudu is no more than a mere patent medicine store and yet, N2.5 billion, that belongs to Odogwu is been given to Caesar,” the statement declared.

The party observed that Edo doctors, who only recently suspended their strike, still have their legitimate demands unmet, but rather than engage with them and strengthen the state health system, the governor is busy dashing billions to a federal hospital, in a display of sycophancy and ill-thought politicking.

The statement further read: “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 2027 elections.

“This is not leadership. This is reckless waste. And Edo people will not forget.”

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