The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has said the state’s monthly wage bill has risen above N7.8 billion.
Okpebholo attributed the increase in the monthly salary bill, as well as the ongoing development projects in the state, to increased revenue from the Federation Account.
He noted that the payment of salaries would have been difficult without the increased revenue resulting from reforms by the Federal Government.
The governor disclosed this in Benin City during a one-million-youth march organised by the City Boy Movement in support of his administration and President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He said the practice of ‘one man, one vote’ would enable President Tinubu to secure 2.5 million votes from Edo State in the 2027 presidential election.
The governor said Edo residents were aware of what he described as the benefits of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms to the state.
‘ We are paying so much on salaries and at the same time, development is ongoing, projects are ongoing. Look at our flyover; if not for the reforms of the president, where will we get money for all this?’ he said.
‘You can see how many primary healthcare centres we have built since we came into office, over a hundred and eight across the state.
‘Our administration has renovated more than 87 primary and secondary schools across the state and increased subvention to higher institutions from N41 million to more than N700 million.
‘How could we have gotten this money, if not the man, President Bola Tinubu, who is courageous enough to have removed the fuel subsidy?’ he queried.
Okpebholo also cited Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, saying the president had introduced reforms there that, in his view, improved the administration of the state.
He, however, criticised unnamed political opponents whom he accused of being responsible for the past mismanagement of public resources and of promising to restore fuel subsidy for their own benefit.
‘Those people that believe they can steal Nigeria’s money are telling you they will restore subsidy, because it is from that subsidy they make their money from.
‘People that sold our assets in this country without proper accountability, are they the ones that want to rule Nigeria? Those with supermarkets, let them continue to do their commodity business,’ he added.