Inside Edo
Edo assembly probe heats up as arrest warrants loom for Obaseki over MOWAA funding scandal
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
04 Dec 2025 06:46 PM
Benin, Edo – Tensions boiled over in the Edo State House of Assembly today as lawmakers threatened to unleash arrest warrants on former Governor Godwin Obaseki and a cadre of his top aides, accusing them of dodging a high-stakes investigation into millions of naira poured into controversial cultural and hospitality projects.
The Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Esan West lawmaker Addeh Isibor, convened for a resumed public hearing into the funding and ownership of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), a flagship initiative meant to showcase repatriated Benin Bronzes and West African artifacts and the Radisson Hotel development in Benin City.
At the heart of the probe is the allegations that the state government under Obaseki invested a whopping ₦3.8 billion in MOWAA and ₦28 billion in the hotel, with questions swirling over transparency, conflicts of interest, and potential mismanagement.
The session turned explosive when eight key figures, including Obaseki himself snubbed the summons, opting instead to fire off legal letters claiming protection from ongoing court cases.
The no-shows included former Finance Commissioner Joseph Eboigbe, ex-Attorney General Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, Tilbury House Nigeria Limited's Managing Director Pramod Thorat, Hospitality Investment and Management Company's Project Manager Ugochukwu Anigbogu, and heads of Afrinvest Capital Limited, Meristem Trustees Limited, and Emerging Africa Trustees Ltd.
Isibor, visibly incensed, tore into the absentees during the hearing, branding their excuses "empty letters" and a midnight rush to the courts in a bid to derail the probe.
"These gentlemen have unilaterally chosen to absent themselves... We are constitutionally mandated to carry out an investigation," he thundered, invoking Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the Assembly to scrutinize public funds.
He dismissed claims of judicial interference, noting, "No judge can stop our sitting because the House is not a party to any suit," and warned that the committee holds the authority to direct police to haul in the reluctant witnesses.
The probe was greenlit by current Governor Monday Okpebholo shortly after his November 2024 inauguration, signaling a sharp pivot from Obaseki's eight-year tenure marked by ambitious infrastructure pushes but dogged by fiscal scrutiny.
MOWAA, envisioned as a global beacon for African heritage amid the Benin Artefacts repatriation drive, has become a lightning rod praised by cultural advocates but lambasted by critics for opaque dealings and ballooning costs.
Obaseki's allies, still influential in the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), have decried the investigation as "political witch-hunting" by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-dominated Assembly, aimed at smearing the ex-governor ahead of looming electoral battles. Yet, with no breakthroughs today and the committee vowing swift action, the standoff risks escalating into a full-blown constitutional clash.
Will Obaseki and his team show up next time, or will handcuffs follow the gavel?
The Assembly promises a report soon, potentially teeing up referrals to anti-graft watchdogs like the EFCC.
The Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Esan West lawmaker Addeh Isibor, convened for a resumed public hearing into the funding and ownership of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), a flagship initiative meant to showcase repatriated Benin Bronzes and West African artifacts and the Radisson Hotel development in Benin City.
At the heart of the probe is the allegations that the state government under Obaseki invested a whopping ₦3.8 billion in MOWAA and ₦28 billion in the hotel, with questions swirling over transparency, conflicts of interest, and potential mismanagement.
The session turned explosive when eight key figures, including Obaseki himself snubbed the summons, opting instead to fire off legal letters claiming protection from ongoing court cases.
The no-shows included former Finance Commissioner Joseph Eboigbe, ex-Attorney General Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, Tilbury House Nigeria Limited's Managing Director Pramod Thorat, Hospitality Investment and Management Company's Project Manager Ugochukwu Anigbogu, and heads of Afrinvest Capital Limited, Meristem Trustees Limited, and Emerging Africa Trustees Ltd.
Isibor, visibly incensed, tore into the absentees during the hearing, branding their excuses "empty letters" and a midnight rush to the courts in a bid to derail the probe.
"These gentlemen have unilaterally chosen to absent themselves... We are constitutionally mandated to carry out an investigation," he thundered, invoking Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the Assembly to scrutinize public funds.
He dismissed claims of judicial interference, noting, "No judge can stop our sitting because the House is not a party to any suit," and warned that the committee holds the authority to direct police to haul in the reluctant witnesses.
The probe was greenlit by current Governor Monday Okpebholo shortly after his November 2024 inauguration, signaling a sharp pivot from Obaseki's eight-year tenure marked by ambitious infrastructure pushes but dogged by fiscal scrutiny.
MOWAA, envisioned as a global beacon for African heritage amid the Benin Artefacts repatriation drive, has become a lightning rod praised by cultural advocates but lambasted by critics for opaque dealings and ballooning costs.
Obaseki's allies, still influential in the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), have decried the investigation as "political witch-hunting" by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-dominated Assembly, aimed at smearing the ex-governor ahead of looming electoral battles. Yet, with no breakthroughs today and the committee vowing swift action, the standoff risks escalating into a full-blown constitutional clash.
Will Obaseki and his team show up next time, or will handcuffs follow the gavel?
The Assembly promises a report soon, potentially teeing up referrals to anti-graft watchdogs like the EFCC.
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