Benin City Stormwater Scandal: How Obaseki Wasted ₦225 Billion Trying to Bury Oshiomhole’s Legacy

Benin City Stormwater Scandal: How Obaseki Wasted ₦225 Billion Trying to Bury Oshiomhole’s Legacy

There are floods — and then there are political floods. In Benin City, the storm is not just natural, it’s man-made. And at the center of it all lies a sabotaged legacy, a bloated lie, and a city still gasping for drainage.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

When Comrade Adams Oshiomhole conceived the Benin City Stormwater Project, the goal was clear: build a city that could withstand the rains, channel the waters, and rescue residents from the annual agony of flooded homes, submerged streets, and economic paralysis.

With a budget of ₦30 billion, the Oshiomhole-led administration rolled out a bold, science-backed masterplan. From Textile Mill Road to Uselu, Adolor College, Five Junction, and beyond, Edo witnessed the installation of retention basins, concrete-lined water tunnels, sub-surface drainage systems, and reinforced culverts — built to international standards. It was no paper project. It was real, visible, and already over 70% completed before he left office.

And guess who was there through it all?
Godwin Obaseki — not as a bystander, but as a key player through his consultancy firm, Afrinvest, hired to manage and supervise aspects of the infrastructure financing and implementation.

But the moment Obaseki became governor, something changed — not with the project, but with political ego.

Determined to erase Oshiomhole’s fingerprints, Obaseki halted the Stormwater Project and launched an aggressive propaganda campaign, branding the project a scam. His media hirelings went into overdrive, flooding social media with claims that the entire drainage effort was faulty, non-existent, or corruptly executed.

Yet ironically — and shamefully — Obaseki would later declare that he spent $150 million (₦225 billion) on “flood control” in the same Benin City.

But where are the results?

No new visible drainage systems.
No upgraded culverts.
No coordinated water flow channels.
Flooding now reaches areas never previously affected under Oshiomhole’s era — like Okhoro, Upper Mission, and some parts of Ekenwan Road.

The only flood we can clearly trace is the flood of wasteful spending, a river of deceit flowing through Obaseki’s failed stewardship. The same man who once managed the project, called it a scam, then claims to have spent more than seven times the original budget on a “ghost upgrade”.

It begs one question:
Where did ₦225 billion go?
Into drains or into drama?

This is not just a betrayal of governance — it is a betrayal of history, infrastructure, and most painfully, the people of Edo State who are now paying for political bitterness with their rooftops underwater.

Obaseki must be held to account.

He must face a panel of inquiry on the stormwater project — not just to answer where the money went, but why he allowed pride to drown progress.

But more importantly, Edo cannot afford to keep sinking.

The current administration, under Governor Monday Okpebholo, must boldly revisit the original stormwater blueprint initiated by Oshiomhole. He must summon the political courage to resurrect the original drainage design, audit the billions spent, and complete the work for the sake of Edo lives and Edo land.

This is no longer about APC or PDP — this is about streets that should be dry, homes that deserve safety, and a city that once stood a chance.

Oshiomhole laid the foundation. It’s time to finish the job.

Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah
Political Analyst & Principal, Bush Radio Academy
“Holding leaders accountable. Telling the stories that matter.”

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