The decision by Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State to gift the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, a federal government-owned tertiary healthcare facility a whopping N2.5 billion has stirred controversy and opprobrium with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describing it as a reckless misadventure, and the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment (ARD EDGE) saying charity must begin at home as the state’s health facilities are in dire need of similar attention and funding especially at a time the body is in an industrial dispute with the government over issues of welfare and infrastructure.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Governor Okpebholo had on Monday, approved the sum of N2.5 billion for the UBTH to build a world-class paediatric centre.
The governor made the announcement in Benin during a courtesy visit by the new Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, who assumed office August 18 as the first female CMD in the hospital’s 52 years history.
First to kick against the largesse was the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment (ARD EDGE which just returned to work after a five-day warning strike over welfare and facility issues.
The Association had on Wednesday August 20, announced a five-day warning strike which began Thursday, August 21, 2025.
The doctors accused the Governor Okpebholo administration of dragging its feet on critical welfare issues that directly affect healthcare delivery across the state.
Among their pressing demands were the provision of temporary accommodation for doctors pending renovation of official residences; settlement of outstanding CONMESS/CONHESS arrears; payment of promotion arrears owed to doctors for over six years; a firm timeline for the completion of the Doctors’ Residence project; and correct calculation of arrears for members under the Hospitals Management Agency.
It was given this circumstance that they described the donation to the UBTH as “misplaced priority”.
In its reaction, the major opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) expressing indignation, described the governor’s action as “reckless waste” and “desperate eye-service politics”.
A statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Caretaker Committee of the party, Chris Osa Nehikhare, listed some state-owned hospitals “that are in ruins”, where the “staggering N2.5 billion” could have made a difference.
The statement reads:
“The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State Chapter, condemns in the strongest terms the decision of the Edo State Government under Senator Monday Okpebholo to allocate a staggering ₦2.5 billion to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), a federal institution, at a time when state-owned hospitals are in ruins according to him.
“This misadventure is not only reckless but a glaring example of the 2027 election fixation and desperate eye-service politics that has defined Okpebholo’s almost one year in office. Edo people are being made to suffer while their resources are squandered on federal facilities that are not the primary responsibility of the state.
“We align with the position of the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment (ARD EDGE), who have openly decried this misplaced priority. Their statement exposes what Edo people already know—our hospitals are collapsing, yet the Governor prefers to chase cheap popularity. Let us be clear:
“Stella Obasanjo Hospital, rebuilt with state funds, remains under lock and key, with less than a tenth in use. Why is ₦2.5 billion not channelled here?
“Edo Specialist Hospital continues to cry for expansion and adequate support, but has been ignored by a government obsessed with pleasing political benefactors and seeking headlines.
“The General Hospital in Abudu is no more than a mere patent medicine store and yet, ₦2.5 billion, that belongs to Odogwu is being given to Caesar!
“Meanwhile, Edo doctors, who only recently suspended their strike, still have their legitimate demands unmet. Rather than engage with them and strengthen Edo’s health system, the Governor is busy dashing billions to a federal hospital, in a display of sycophancy and ill-thought politicking.
“Edo people obviously did not elect a Governor to act as a philanthropist to federal institutions. They elected a leader to fix our hospitals, build capacity, and ensure access to healthcare for all. By neglecting this sacred duty, Okpebholo has shown that he is unprepared, unserious, and out of touch with the realities of Edo citizens.
“We in the PDP demand that this decision be reversed and that urgent attention be given to Edo-owned hospitals which directly serve our people. Edo deserves working hospitals, not political monuments built with eyes on 2027 elections.
“This is not leadership. This is reckless waste. And Edo people will not forget”.
Criticising the approval, ARD EDGE, in a statement signed by its president and secretary-general, Peter Evbuomwan, and Ernest Hills Oamen respectively, stated that that channeling similar resources towards state-owned hospitals would not only improve access to quality healthcare for Edo people but also strengthen the overall health system for the benefit of all and therefore demanded similar level of and commitment and funding for its own health facilities.
Cataloguing the inadequacies in the state-owned health facilities which they noted remained in dire need of attention, both in terms of infrastructure and the welfare of healthcare workers, the doctors said, “It is important to note that Stella Obasanjo Hospital, which was extensively renovated by the previous administration, is yet to be fully operational. At present, only the former COVID-19 isolation centre, barely a fraction of the facility, is in use, while the rest of the structure remains idle.
“In addition, the Central Hospital Benin, previously displaced and fragmented by previous administration(s), is yet to receive the investment it deserves. Rather than restoring it to its rightful capacity, services are being moved to Oredo Primary Health Centre, which is grossly inadequate for the needs and patient load of a general hospital of that calibre.
“The Edo Specialist Hospital, which should serve as a flagship healthcare institution, continues to seek expansion and improvement but has yet to receive the necessary support to achieve its full potential.
“We also recall that despite the recently suspended industrial action by ARD EDGE, the key welfare and structural issues presented to the government remain unresolved.
“This new allocation to a federal institution reinforces our belief that the Edo State Government has the capacity to address these pressing concerns affecting state-owned facilities and healthcare workers under its employment.
“Charity, as the saying goes, begins at home. While we support the growth of UBTH, we firmly believe that the people of Edo State will gain even greater value when our primary and secondary health facilities are revitalised and our workforce is adequately supported”.
The association therefore urged Governor Okpebholo to take immediate steps to replicate such bold investments within the state health system.