Tag: Mr Godwin Obaseki

…laments deplorable state of Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi road

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Friday inspected about 10 on-going road projects in Edo Central Senatorial District of the state as well as the failed portions of the Benin- Ehor -Ekpoma- Auchi expressway.

Obaseki, who was accompanied by top government officials including the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Osahon Amiolemen, in the tour that lasted till around 9 pm, said his administration was determined to complete the projects in Edo Central immediately after the rains.

“We have about 10 ongoing road projects in Edo Central Senatorial District and we are here to see how much progress has been made by the contractors because their payment is being organised.

“We are worried about the state of these roads and will ensure that they are completed in the shortest time possible. The anticipated progress was hindered by the heavy rainfall, which is unfortunate. We will make sure that the roads are completed this season,” Obaseki assured

He lamented that despite the fact that Edo State has produced two ministers of works in the recent past, the Edo axis of the Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi expressway, was in a scandalous state as the two former ministers of works from the area could not use their influence to draw federal government’s attention to dualise the road.

“It is a tragedy that Edo State had the rare opportunity to produce two ministers of works, who are from this area, but they failed to dualise the road, which is the main artery connecting Edo State with the northern and other parts of the country.

“It is really unfortunate. We will do our best and will continue to appeal to those who are in charge to come to our aid,” he said.

Some of the on-going road projects inspected were the Idumebo-Ihumudumu-Royal Market Road and the Uselu -Ewohimi road.

The governor promised to visit the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to mobilise the contractors handling the Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma Expressway project back to site.

The governor had to go through Okwo and Okha Villages in Uhunmwode Local Government Area to avoid the failed portions along the Benin-Ehor axis of the Benin -Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi Expressway.

Mr Joel Egbon,  project Engineer, handling the Idumebo-Ihumudumu-Royal Market road, said discussions were ongoing to complete work on the road after the rains.

During the tour, Obaseki stopped at Ehor Fruit Juice company,  which used to be a state government asset but now in a state of receivership.

The governor regretted that the company after being set up and commissioned by the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party-led administration never functioned, before it was sold to a private investor.

He said his administration would not allow any state-owned assets to rot, and will rehabilitate them for the economic benefits of the state.

 “It is the goal of my administration to avoid wastes and we are determined to bring economic life to communities in Ehor and Edo State at large” the governor said.

 “Ehor fruit juice factory was set up as a processing facility to add value to pineapples for which farmers within Ehor locality in Uhunmwode Local Government Council are known,” he added.

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has tasked global leaders and other players in the democratic space to translate democracy to tangible pro-people policies and programmes that will lift the poor masses from poverty.

Obaseki threw the challenge at international and domestic political actors on Friday, as the world commemorates the International Day of Democracy.

According to the governor, “the essence of democracy and all its support institutions must be to protect the weak, distribute resources and wealth equitably, and mobilise every stratum of society to participate in the decisions that mould our lives.”

He stressed that “until a strong nexus between democracy and the good of the masses is established, democracy as a political theory or philosophy will remain an elite past time.”

 Obaseki said the choice of this year’s theme: “Democracy and Conflict Prevention,” was timely, considering the developments across the globe.

Obaseki recommended that: “A proactive approach that can scientifically pre-empt conflict from feelings of discontent, displeasure and prompt resolution of the issues, have proven to be the best way to conflict management, than a reactive approach that waits for conflicts to occur before attending to them.”

He explained that “conflicts do not just happen, irrespective of the part of world we find them. Leaders must be alive to expressions of disaffection even from the worst critics, as democracy is about people’s participation in conversations that will ultimately enrich governance.”

He emphasised that global peace is possible, if world leaders would do more in connecting with the electorates.

 “An international day of democracy is a day for all those elected on the platform of democracy to reflect on how good we are doing in implementing the mandate given to us by the electorates. It is a day to account for the trust and faith the people have invested in us,” he added.”

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged development actors within the South-South Cooperation (SSC) framework to strengthen the existing team spirit among member states in the pursuit of market-led, knowledge-based economies that will engender sustainable development.

The governor said this in a statement to mark the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, observed every September 12.

The SSC is an alliance of countries in the Global South – countries lying South of the Equator — for the promotion of trade and development models in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains.

Noting that while the modest achievements of the body are laudable, Obaseki stressed that “there is an increasing need to reinvigorate the team spirit among member states in the face of the common developmental challenges we all face – political, economic, social, environmental – in the bid to improve our human development index as countries of the global south.”

He urged leaders of third world countries “to be more enthusiastic about fast-tracking efforts at joining the club of developed countries through peer review of developmental efforts, transparency and accountability, technical and other partnerships.”

Such partnership according to the governor “is crucial as cooperation among developing countries and agencies in the Global South ensures that players share and build on experiences in healthcare, agriculture, education, urbanisation, security and scientific and technological innovations.”

This conviction he said, “informed our visits to the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute in Medan, recently, to secure a partnership deal for the development of the oil palm sector in Edo State, in our resolve to make Edo State the oil palm capital of the country. “

Similarly, the Edo State government paid a visit to Singapore to woo foreign investors and partners to bolster the state’s industrialisation drive in agricultural sector, trade and investment, technology, construction as well as key players in the environmental sector.

Over ten actors in the organised private sector of Singapore as well as state-owned enterprises, met with the Edo State delegation.

“We believe that their experiences are not so different from ours, as they have grown to where they are today, by tackling the same issues we now face in Nigeria, such as unemployment, rural-urban migration, and economic integration,” Obaseki said.

The South-South Co-operation has grown to become a rallying point for developing countries, providing the platform for sharing developmental ideas.

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is currently in Indonesia to deepen his administration’s partnership with the Asian country, in a bid to revamp the agricultural sector and reposition the state as the oil palm capital of Nigeria.

Speaking at the 101-year-old Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute in Medan, Indonesia, Obaseki said his administration was keen on diversifying the economy of Edo State by taking advantage of its oil palm industry.

He stated that “with the present pace of research in the agricultural sector, oil palm can replace crude oil as a major source of food, industrial materials and energy.”

Obaseki said already, discussions are in progress to develop a business case to reinvigorate the oil palm sector in Edo State at a commercial level, after the Edo State delegation was taken through the entire integrated process of oil palm production and processing.

The Indonesian research institute is made up of an oil palm plantation, processing plant, laboratories, nursery and oil palm refining facility.

The governor, who is accompanied by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kadiri Bashiru, said the visit would explore the possibility of reaching agreements with the Indonesian government to support the development of the oil palm sector in Edo State.

Indonesia is currently the largest exporter of palm oil in the world and agricultural sector is the country’s most valuable export sector.

The agricultural sector of Indonesia accounted for 32 per cent of the total labor force in 2016 and in 2013, the sector’s contribution to national Gross Domestic Product was 14.43 percent.

In 2014, Indonesia’s production figure for palm oil was 33.5 million tonnes and the product accounts for 11 per cent of export earnings of $5.7billion.

The choice of Indonesia for the strategic partnership, according to Obaseki, was informed by these statistics, including the fact that Indonesia is a global leader in palm oil export and is followed closely by Malaysia which came to Benin City to collect oil palm seedlings several years ago, precisely from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR).

He assured that the visit would yield results that the Edo State agricultural sector requires to create jobs, raw materials for local industries, produce for export and time-tested research approaches to strengthen institutes like NIFOR and the College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi, which is being repositioned to support the agricultural sector.