Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, has taken it up against the Federal government by asking residents to hold the Government responsible for the deplorable state of federal roads in the state and the continued hardship faced by the people in consequence of fuel subsidy removal.
Osagie stated this when a group of protesters in Benin City, made up of civil society organisations and activists, were at the Government House to lament the high cost of petroleum products, which has affected the cost of living, inflicting hardship and suffering on the people.
The media aide said Governor Godwin Obaseki cannot change the price of fuel or fix federal roads when such monies would not be repaid to the state to execute its road projects, urging the protesters to channel their energies to calling on the Federal Government to be awake to its responsibilities.
According to him, “We have challenges with the Edo roads, that is why it will be difficult for us to take Edo people’s money to fix federal roads. Federal Government collects 54 per cent of FAAC and local governments and states share the rest 46 per cent. Federal Government is just one entity while states are 36.
“The Edo State government can’t take its money to fix federal roads when we know that such money will not come back to the state. We have state roads to be fixed like the Ekehuan Road, among others. We can’t leave state roads to fix federal roads.
“Governor Obaseki has been calling on the Federal Government to help fix the federal roads in the state, including Benin-Abraka Road and the Benin Auchi Road, where our lawmaker almost died, as well as the Benin-Sapele Road and the Benin-Lagos Road at the Ovia River bridge but the calls fell on deaf ears as the Federal Government has not listened and there is no guarantee that they will act.”
On the pump price increase, Osagie said the governor can’t singlehandedly change the fuel price as demanded by the protesters but would help channel their grievances in a letter to the appropriate quarters for action.
On the increased federal allocation to the state, the governor’s media aide said: “The issue of allocation increment is not correct and has not happened. My advice to you is never to throw allegations around and misinform the people because the information about an increment of state allocation is not correct but also misleading. I urge you to make a statement with facts.”