Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State ordered an immediate freeze on all state-owned bank accounts on Thursday, effective until further notice. The directive mandates strict compliance from commercial banks and heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, disclosed the order in a statement, emphasizing that anyone, including MDA heads or civil servants, who disregards the directive will face severe consequences. "All bank accounts in commercial banks are frozen. Banks must comply with this order to ensure that not a single penny is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice," the statement reads.
The governor is conducting an investigation and reconciliation process and will decide on future actions for the accounts based on these findings.
Additionally, Itua announced that Governor Okpebholo has ordered the reversal of the "Ministry of Roads and Bridges" to its original name, "Ministry of Works." This change undoes a renaming initiated by the previous administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki. Governor Okpebholo noted the irony of the name given that no significant road or bridge projects were completed by Obaseki’s administration.
“We will continue reviewing the actions taken by the previous administration and make further decisions that serve the state’s best interests,” the statement concluded.
