Edo: Okpebholo knocks lawmakers over unexecuted constituency projects

Edo state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has knocked lawmakers over their failures to execute constituency projects, alleging that no such project has been carried out since September 2025 despite funds being appropriated for them.

The governor made the allegation while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Esan South East Local Government Area, led by the Onojie of Ubiaja, His Royal Highness Curtis Iredia Eidinojie I, at the Government House in Benin City.

Okpebholo said the situation informed the recent amendment of the Financial Autonomy Law of the Edo State House of Assembly and the Judicial Autonomy Law, which he said were intended to promote transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public funds.

He maintained that the House of Assembly was constitutionally responsible for appropriating funds and should not assume the functions of the executive by directly implementing government projects.

“We have three independent arms of government, and the House is to appropriate funds and not to carry out the functions of the executive by executing projects.

“Since last year, a lot of money was going there, but even the members were not seeing it. Since September last year, they have not carried out any constituency project, and money was going there,” the governor said.

He added that the new arrangement would provide the necessary checks and balances in the handling of funds meant for constituency projects.

According to him, the projects would now be domiciled in the appropriate ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), which would be responsible for their execution and monitoring.

“Now, their constituency projects will be domiciled in various MDAs and, once they appropriate funds for projects, they are able to track them through the ministries and ensure the projects are done according to specification, not one person determining what should be done,” he said.

The governor stressed that lawmakers would continue to appropriate funds for projects in their constituencies, but the execution would be handled by the relevant MDAs in line with approved specifications.

He said the measure was part of efforts to prevent public funds from being mismanaged and ensure that resources meant for development reached the people.