Edevbie Faces Backlash After Exposing Okowa’s N382M Monthly Wage Bill For 2,203 Political Appointees

The Commissioner for Finance in Delta State, Olorogun David Edevbie is now in a centre of a backlash emanating from an embarrassing policy statement credited to him which has been shrouded in secrecy by the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

BigPen Online learnt that Edevbie has been on the receiving end since he blew the whistle on the over bloated aides appointed by Governor Okowa.

Dependable Government House source said that Governor Okowa has been angry over the backlash which the statement made by Edevbie had generated in the social media.

BigPen Online recalls that Edevbie had on Tuesday said the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has 2,203 political aides who receive N382 million as salary monthly.

He reportedly made the disclosure in a bid to quell widespread insinuation that political appointees were more than civil servants in the state, but the exposure of the number of political appointees which had been kept in wrap has embarrassed the governor, the source said.

Speaking at a press briefing for the break-down of the 2018 budget proposal which was recently sent to the state House of Assembly by the governor, Edevbie had said the state government has 2, 203 political appointees with the sum of N382 million as salary while the state has 45, 000 civil servants that gulps N4.5 billion salary monthly.

According to him, “I find it funny when some persons would say political appointees are more than civil servants in the state. We are running an open-door policy; the state has 2, 203 political appointees and 45, 000 civil servants, the number of public servants are not included.”

On the debt profile of the state government, Edevbie said: “About N100 billion are owed contractors. Although no one is happy about the situation, Okowa has approved that contractors, especially those whose money are not much, should be paid”.

He also answered questions concerning contractors whose jobs were terminated because of their incompetence, stating that “we are aware that it is not enough to determine a contract and re-award same to a more competent contractor; such contractor deserves to be prosecuted and blacklisted, but you know in Nigeria, people will always intervene when such happens; we must give the governor’s administration credit for insisting that the right thing should be done. If you are not competent as a contractor, the contract will be given to a more competent one and you know it takes a lot for decisions for such to be taken, this is my own personal opinion.”