Former Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has demanded an apology from his successor, Monday Okpebholo, over his remarks on the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) project.

Naijaonpoint reports that Okpebholo faulted what he described as a “gross lack of transparency” in the handling of the project by the immediate-past administration.

However, Obaseki, in a statement through his Media Adviser, Crusoe Osagie, labelled Okpebholo’s statements as entirely false, stressing that everything concerning MOWAA and its relationship with the Edo State Government was clearly spelt out.

Obaseki noted that everything regarding the MOWAA project was contained in the Transition Committee Report handed over to Okpebholo.

The former Governor also faulted Okpebholo over his statement that MOWAA was used to replace “a functioning hospital,” stressing that he should desist from the unnecessary distortion of historical facts regarding this and other issues.

The statement read, “We read with total disbelief and disappointment the comments credited to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in various news publications, where he made several statements that are completely false. In the interest of truth and for the sake of keeping factual records for posterity, it is imperative that we provide the accurate account.

“On Governor Okpebholo’s claim that the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) project was handled with a “gross lack of transparency,” this assertion is entirely false. Everything concerning MOWAA and its relationship with the Edo State Government was clearly spelt out, just like every other initiative of the H.E. Godwin Obaseki-led administration, in the over 800-page Transition Committee Report prepared at the end of the Obaseki administration and handed to Okpebholo and his team in both soft and hard copies.

“Okpebholo and his transition team were invited to a Joint Transition Committee conference, but they withdrew after the inaugural sitting, insisting that they must first be paid sitting allowances before continuing with the meetings.

“The Transition Committee Report, if Okpebholo ever bothered to read it, contains all the details of the Edo State Government’s engagement with the MOWAA project.

“Another claim by Senator Okpebholo that we want to set straight is his statement that MOWAA was used to replace “a functioning hospital.” We find this claim both misleading and amusing. All Edo citizens are aware of the derelict condition of that hospital which prompted the preceding administration of Adams Oshiomhole to build a new facility, on the same grounds. This hospital was completed, fully equipped, and opened to the public by the Obaseki-led administration.

“Under the new Benin City master plan which was legislated into law by the Edo State House of Assembly, with the new hospital operational and the Stella Obasanjo Hospital reconstructed into a sprawling, modern medical hub, the defunct portions of the old Central Hospital were decommissioned, and the land was planned as a cultural district to accommodate spaces for more befitting public use, such as culture and entertainment.

“It was H.E. Obaseki’s well-considered belief that a facility such as MOWAA, the National Museum, the Royal Museum, the 1897 memorial arcade, the Rain Forest Gallery etc, should be situated in Benin city centre to promote tourism and attract visitors to the state.

“We urge Okpebholo to desist from the unnecessary distortion of historical facts regarding this and other issues. Instead, he should tender unreserved and honest apology for his negligence and the resultant security breach which has now created diplomatic problems for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

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