From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, condemned the planned demolition of the Central Hospital, Benin City by the Peoples democracy Party (PDP) government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki allegedly scheduled for November 1.
The party, in statement by its the state Assistant Publicity Secretary, Victor Osehobo, said “the plot is to convert this over 100-year old legacy asset of all Edo people into a motor park.”
It added: “Whereas the government thinks it has this evil plot under wraps, the disgusting plan is already in the court of public opinion.”
It said it saw no wisdom in this move and is therefore urging the government to immediately put a stop to it.
However, government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Communications and Orientation, Andrew Adaze Emwanta, said the hospital is being relocated to the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, contrary to the claim by of the APC.
“The government is not demolishing but relocating the Hospital. The Central Hospital has been in existence for over 100 years and most of the facilities are now very old and do not support modern-day medical service delivery.
“The hospital is now being relocated to the Stella Obasanjo Hospital which is being expanded and improved to deliver quality health services to Edo people while the old Central Hospital will be transformed.
“The general public is hereby urged to disregard the propaganda by the opposition in the state that is rudderless and aimed at creating an issue where none exists.”
But the APC faulted the reason as weird, evil and unacceptable.
“This is because no right thinking government will prefer to replace a viable health facility, which it should equip and staff, to better cater for the well-being of the people, with a motor park.”
The party recalled Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s effort to modernise the hospital and undertook the task of remodeling and reconstructing a large segment of the centre and equipping it with world class facilities during his tenure.
The APC said rather than following through by putting the facility to use for the benefit of the public, Governor Obaseki upon assumption of duties began a rigmarole of locking up the place, alleging that it was bereft of equipments.
“Later he threatened to probe the construction of the facility and thereafter privatized and renamed it ‘Edo Specialist Hospital’, against public outcry; making it very expensive and unaffordable to the majority of the people of Edo State.
“From obvious indications, the governor has developed a very large appetite fed by an inordinate urge to either sell off or mortgage choice public assets of Edo people. Probably unknown to him, these legacy assets hold memories which form part of the history of the State. His government began by secretly leasing the premises of the Edo Property Development Authority complex in Benin City for a supermarket.
“Unchallenged, the government very recently, also leased or sold the multi-million Naira edifice housing the Edo Library Complex and the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also in the state capital, for another supermarket.
“Is it that the governor is uninformed that these assets under consideration do not belong exclusively to the State Government and are not his personal properties or that of his officials and cronies, who are now masquerading as investors and for whom he is stripping the State bare of its legacies?. These assets belong to unborn generations of Edo people in the 18 local governments. The current plot, to demolish the Central Hospital negates all rationale.”