Philip Shaibu, the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, has reaffirmed his commitment to working with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
On Monday, Shaibu inspected several ongoing projects in Benin, including the Raddison Blu Hotel, Museum of West Africa Art (MOWAA), Sepele Road, and various road construction sites.
Shaibu expressed satisfaction with the progress of MOWAA, which is 80% complete, but noted his reservations about the Central Hospital not being built on the land.
“Work is about 80 percent completed at MOWAA. It’s fine, but I have my reservation because the Central Hospital should have been on that land,” he said.
Shaibu emphasized the need to move past the reinstatement issue, stating, “I have since resumed since my reinstatement. The issue of reinstatement should be a thing of the past. Judgment has been given. We should move forward.”
He clarified his working relationship with Obaseki, saying, “I can work with him, but he cannot work with me. The office of the Deputy Governor is not under Obaseki; it’s an office created by the Constitution.”
Shaibu announced plans to tour Edo South, Central, and North to review completed projects. “I have two certificates of return. I will be going round in the next two weeks, starting with Edo South, then Central and then North, to check what we have done.”
The Edo State Government cautioned Shaibu against breaching existing laws. Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, stated, “Shaibu should be patient and wait for the Appeal Court to hear his matter; he needs to learn to subject himself to the authority of the law.”
