Leaked Memo Shows Gov Obaseki Allocates Shaibu’s Office In Govt House To Alaghodar

Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki has allocated the office of his Deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu, in Government House, Benin, to be used as a secretariat for Alaghodaro, an annual investment drive initiative by the Edo State Government.

VerseNews reports that this allocation contradicts Obaseki’s previous claim that the one-story building was being renovated.

Alaghodaro, which means progress or moving forward in Benin, is Governor Obaseki’s initiative aimed at promoting investment in Edo State.

A leaked memo dated September 18, 2023, from Governor Obaseki instructed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, to allocate the deputy governor’s office building to the trustees of the Alaghodaro summit for use as their secretariat.

The chairman of Alaghodaro had requested a permanent secretariat building to facilitate planning and logistics for the 2023 summit scheduled for the second week of November.

According to the leaked memo, the office space closest to the venue of the summit, the New Festival Hall of Government House, previously occupied by Shaibu, was to be allocated to the board of trustees of the Alaghodaro summit, which is expected to attract potential investors from different parts of Nigeria.

Comrade Philip Shaibu was moved out of Government House and assigned a new office at No. 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin.

Shaibu’s new office location is not far from the Government House, and it has a clear inscription: “Office of the Deputy Governor, No. 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin City.”

An inauguration plaque at the entrance of the one-story building reveals that it was commissioned by former Edo State Governor Adams Aliu Oshiomhole in December 2014 for the Edo State Public Procurement Agency.

Shaibu’s aides and civil servants attached to his office were relocated two weeks prior as per the directive of Edo Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa.