A civic accountability organisation, the Monitoring Initiative for Transparency in Governance (MonITNG), has expressed outrage over the continued closure of the Edo State Civil Service Club and Recreational Centre in Benin City, several years after its completion by the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In a detailed report released on Tuesday November 4th, MonITNG confirmed that the multimillion-naira project, located in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), was built as a “state-of-the-art” facility for the welfare and leisure of Edo civil servants but has remained under lock and key since its completion.
“We tracked and observed the construction of the Edo State Civil Service Club and Recreational Centre — a major investment initiated and completed under Governor Obaseki for the benefit of Edo workers,” the organisation stated.
MonITNG questioned the rationale behind the continued closure by the current administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, warning that the inaccessibility of the centre amounts to depriving Edo civil servants of a welfare project built with taxpayers’ money.
“This continuous closure is not punishing the former governor; rather, it is unfairly depriving civil servants of a facility meant to improve their morale and wellbeing,” the group said.
The organisation stressed that public infrastructure should never be treated as political property, urging Governor Okpebholo to immediately commission and open the facility for public use.
“Governance is a continuous process,” MonITNG added. “Every day the gates remain shut, taxpayers’ money lies idle and the purpose of the project is defeated.”
