Barrister Andrew Emwanta needs little or no introduction in Nigerian polity. The former member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Transition Committee in Edo State and twice a Commissioner in the state is currently a member of the Edo State Assets Verification Committee.
In an interview with journalists recently, the erstwhile information commissioner disclosed that most lecturers in the state-owned university were owed as much as 20 month salaries, saying this is the reason the State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, raised the monthly allocations of the varsity to six billion naira in next year’s budget Christened, “Edo Rising: Rebuilding For A Prosperous Future.”
ANDY ASEMOTA brings you excerpts of the interview:
The 2025 Budget
“The campaign promise of the Governor, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo, or his pact with Edo people, is a new Edo is Rising in a five – point – agenda.Top on that, we have security, road infrastructure development, affordable healthcare, agricultural and food sufficiency and value driven education.”
Ongoing Projects
“I am grateful that some of the projects that the former governor, Godwin Obaseki, could not complete, for instance in the area of health, the new commissioner for health, has said they will be completed within a record time.”
Ambrose Ali University
“The past government budgeted N41m (monthly allocation) but that money was not paid regularly to the university.
The university has a lot of issues including arrears of salaries but this government voted N500m as monthly subvention to that institution, that is to say in 2025 Appropriation, the university will get six billion naira to clear arrears of salaries, issues of check-off dues and all other payments that were big problems for that particular university.
And of course, the governor has the intention of setting up governing council (of the varsity) because what it had was a Special Intervention Team that did not take the issue of workers’ welfare seriously.”
Budget Implementation
“Beyond these issues I have mentioned, is the political will.
This is one governor that has the political will, not just promise but the political will, to realize every aspect of his budget and a new Edo is real under this governor.”
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