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  • Obaseki: Transforming Edo with Production Centre initiative

    The call to industrialise and create jobs, especially for the youth, is gaining momentum in Edo State where Governor Godwin Obaseki has established a multi-purpose production centre, reports Ambrose Nnaji

    The ever-pressing need to break the ground in fast-tracking industrialisation and economic diversification has led many state governments to tinker with diverse industrial models, with a number of them recording negligible successes.

    This trial and error approach has led to the creation of industrial clusters or zones that dot the country, all of which, analysts say, are facing numerous challenges ranging from ill-thought out policy measures, decaying infrastructure, little or no incentives for investment or in-fighting among initiators.

    Policy flip flops and other man-made errors have made it difficult for these clusters to provide conducive environment for innovation and production to foster the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This is cast against the backdrop of what obtains in other climes, where deliberate government policies have resulted in the creation of industries as evedenced in countries like India, the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

    In Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki has pooled resources to set up the Edo Production Centre, an industrial cluster for over 200 SMEs in the Sapele Road axis of Benin City, fitted with 24hour electricity, as an incentive to boost productivity.

    The governor is focused on repositioning the state as an industrial hub in Nigeria by creating the environment to stimulate manufacturing, expand the space for youths to be engaged in productive activity and promote inclusive development.

     

    Over 200 MSMEs berth

    The Production Centre is an initiative of Obaseki to provide a multipurpose production facility with conducive environment for manufacturers to work in clusters. The multipurpose production cluster will serve as hub for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

    According to the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Jobs Creation and Skills Development, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, at the one-stop-shop and production Centre to be located across the three Senatorial Districts of the state, MSMEs will enjoy economies of scale and low cost of production.

    Some of the major attractions include constant electricity, good road network, security, solar powered street lights and other business support services so as to boost capacity to produce at scale, create more jobs and deepen industrialisation. The cluster is also expected to aggregate different manufacturers with sections for welders, metal and fabrication, polythene cut, printers, woodwork, recyclers, shoemakers, among others.

    The site of the Production Centre in Edo South Senatorial District is located along the Sapele Road-axis of Benin, in a formerly abandoned government warehouse refurbished by the Obaseki-led administration. The facility of four blocks has been described as the future of production, to accommodate local manufacturers.

    When the Centre eventually opens for business in June, it will host over 200 SMEs involved in fabrication, furniture making, printing and polythene production and a number of other interested small business owners.

    Mrs. Dare explained that through the Production Centre initiative, Obaseki is focus on encouraging the growth of small-scale businesses to spur economic growth and create jobs and wealth for the people, as it only makes more sense to groom local manpower as step to attract big investors, by creating the enabling environment for everyone to work harmoniously with the right policy framework. Mrs Dare added that the initiative is being set-up by the state government with support from the Bank of Industry (BoI), MEND and Benson Idahosa University.

    Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Hon. Edorodion Oye Erimona, noted that aside being a one-stop-shop for MSMEs to enjoy economics of scale and low cost of production, “the Centre will accommodate MSMEs clusters while the Benin Industrial park will host big industries. The electricity that will be at the hub will be drawn from the Ossiomo Power Purchase arrangement. Pollution in the environment will be minimal at the businesses will be MSMEs.”

    Another key factor in favour of the initiative is that it would provide conducive environment for the development of other business clusters which will serve as incubation centres for new businesses in the state. The Centre is also expected to bring many small businesses together that will cooperate with each other in an attempt to efficiently share resources such as electricity, information, materials, water, energy, infrastructure, and other resources, and help achieve sustainable development, with the intention of increasing economic gains and improving the quality of lives for Edo people.

    The production cluster would feature facilities designed to drastically reduce cost usually incur during production, increase income for small business owners, while at the same time reducing the price of goods and services in local economy, and growing foreign exchange earnings for the state and country.

    For Obaseki, the Production Centre will enable his administration assists entrepreneurs into small scale production cut down on cost of production and grow their businesses with ease in accessing finance and funding from financial institutions. This is in fulfilment of his promise to ensure a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and improve the quality of lives of the people. This will also complement the Obaseki-led administration goal in driving industrialisation of the state and undeniably revolutionise the state’s economy.

    A unique attraction at the Centre according to Obaseki, is the provision of uninterrupted power supply to the facility, as the state government has made arrangement for provision of 24/7 electricity to assist owners of small-scale businesses eliminate initial setup cost on electricity.

    As entrepreneurs are set to commence operation at the Centre, three 500KV transformers have been installed at the facility to demonstrate the governor’s promise to provide 24-hour electricity at the center.

    The Head, Energising Edo, Mr. Paul Okungbowa, said: “The 500KV transformers will be connected to the 33KV line in the area. The plan is to have at the onset 1.2Mw of power, which we intend to expand to 4Mw in the near future. We want to ensure that the heavy machines to be run at the facility have 24-hour electricity to work optimally. Essentially, there will be no downtime, if the occupiers wish.”

    In addition to provision of 24/7, the Centre is fitted with factory space, security and office space. It will provide spaces for live-in desks for relevant government agencies to engage, support and provide services to the small businesses at the Centre. The agencies to be hosted at the Centre according to the governor’s aide, are BoI, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Edo Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), among others. These supports will make owners of MEMEs more productive.

    A representative of fabricators and welders to be hosted at the Production Centre in Benin, Rev. Lugard Ekhosuehi Michael, said the arrangements for working space and constant electricity supply will help them eliminate the major problem they are faced with. “The state government has provided space for us and promised 24 hours electricity supply as these are the problems we are faced with as welders and fabricators in the state,” Michael said.

     

    Edo’s economic transformation

    With the Production Centre in Benin about to be open for business, the state’s economy stands to gain immensely with complete turn-around in terms of quality of what will be produce at the Centre. Mrs Dare who heads Governor Obaseki’s jobs creation and skills development agency, EdoJobs, said: “As we are looking forward to the commissioning of this project, in the very near future, we will see a complete transformation in terms of the quality of what we produce, capacity to produce and the number of jobs created by this Production Centre.”

    According to the governor’s aide, the hub will boost his promise to create a minimum of 200,000 jobs before the end of his first four years in office, as his administration planned to create more jobs from industries through providing opportunities for industrialisation driven through private sector participation.

    Mrs. Dare said the hub is also expected to affect the growth of local capacity and support the state government’s skills acquisition programmes expected to create lasting impact and provide viable paths to prosperity for youths in the state. With the Centre in place, skills acquisition will be delivered alongside entrepreneurship and business management, start-up acceleration, digital marketing and branding programmes.

    The Obaseki led-administration is also not relenting in formulating the necessary policies and programmes that would empower youths to fit into the emerging economy which his administration is creating. Obaseki said: “We want to create several job incubation centres/hubs, where job seekers will be trained and employed by the entrepreneurs in the state. We have the potential to create all we want as we have the base materials, so we have to prepare our youths to fit into these new jobs we intend to create via training.”

    Read Also: I am not a weakling, says Obaseki

    The direct and indirect jobs to be created at the hub will contribute significantly to Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.

     

    Access to finance, funding for MSMEs

    The production Centre initiative pursued by the Edo State Government is quite grand and offers a wide range of benefits to local investors who are being strategically organised as a cluster to improve access to funding and other financial instruments.

    During a visit to the hub, the Governor of Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele while lauding Governor Obaseki’s initiative in setting up the Production Hub, said the Centre will enable financial institutions like the apex bank easily reach SMEs and assist them tackle the problem in accessing finance and other support.

    With the cluster, it becomes easy for the CBN and other financial institutions, to meet with entrepreneurs who are doing business at the hub. According to Emefiele the creation of the hub is a timely intervention by the Edo State Government as the CBN is making plans to deal with issues affecting financing for SMEs.

    According to him, the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee have set-up the National Micro Finance Bank to assist deposit money banks and SMEs access fund easily. “We have set up over 20 centers for the National Micro Finance Bank (NMFB) across the country and I am sure Edo State will have a share,” the apex bank governor said.

    Mrs. Dare explained that the state government is also collaborating with BoI for funding as the Obaseki-led administration will leverage on the BoI’s expertise in industrialisation and production to attract funding for the MSMEs at the Production Centre.

    Small-scale businesses who will operate their businesses at the Benin cluster will now have easy access to funding, with the opportunity to take loan as a cluster.  With the ease to access loan at about nine per cent interest rate and provision of constant electricity, the Production Centre has provided solutions to challenges faced by SMEs, which according to Emefiele will enable owners of small-scale businesses to cut cost of production, even as they are better prepared to compete effectively and create employment for themselves and others, while supporting the government to also grow the economy.

  • You cannot harass me with election, Obaseki tells detractors

    The internal wrangling in the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) might go for the worse as Governor Godwin Obaseki has insisted that he would not be harassed with second term election.

    Some party members are spoiling to stop Obaseki from securing a second term ticket. Governor Obaseki, who spoke at a meeting with new executive members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said he would remain focused and never be distracted.

    The governor vowed not to return the state to the era of thuggery when traders and workers lived in fear of the activities of miscreants under the guise of collecting revenue for government.

    He said: “We will never go back to where we are coming from. Oredo’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was N7 million when I came in, but today, working with the union and by digitalising the process, we now earn N70 million and we can do more.

    “This is why we can now pay salaries and pensions. If I allow people on the streets to collect revenue, how will I pay salaries? I am being threatened and harassed with election, but I will ever remain focused and as I continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

    “As a state, we have all the resources but need to manage these resources well to serve the people’s interest rather than serving the interest of a few. That is what I am doing; I am putting the people first.”

    NLC chairman Comrade Sunny Osayande appealed to Obaskei to extend the healthy working relationship established with the former executive to the new council.

  • Obaseki will not sacrifice Edo’s collective patrimony for a few persons’ insatiable greed –Edo govt

    The Edo State government has said the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration would  never sacrifice the state’s collective patrimony to gratify the insatiable greed of a handful of individuals who have constituted themselves into mischief makers in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to blackmail the government and the party.

    In a statement, Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., said no amount of divisive politics and falsehood  employed by a few persons in the state chapter of the APC, will discourage the Obaseki-led administration from delivering dividends of good governance to the people. Ogie said “only a handful of individuals whose insatiable greed the governor has refused to entertain at the expense of the peoples’ collective patrimony have decided to employ malfeasant tactics to blackmail him, the government and the party.

    They have since been advised to accept the fact that the peoples’ interest takes precedence over their avarice and that is our final word to them.” Ogie noted that the state gubernatorial election is almost a year and half away and “Governor  Obaseki’s focus is to work for Edo people who gave him the mandate and no form of distraction will dissuade him. There is no gainsaying that there is a general acceptance of Governor Obaseki and his approach to governance. He urged the dissenting persons to sample public opinion to measure how Governor Obaseki’s policies and programmes impact on the lives of Edo people, noting, “All that is needed to gauge public opinion is to walk through the streets in any part of the state.

    The revolution in basic education, transparency in governance and huge infrastructural projects are sufficient to erode the effect of any fake news or contrived controversy. “Edo people restated their faith in Governor  Obaseki  when they voted en masse for the APC in the last House of Assembly election in the state, with the APC coasting to glory in all 24 state constituencies, a feat, never be fore achieved in our recent political history.

    The message was clear: Edo people want an APC-controlled Assembly to support the governor’s vision for the state.”  Ogie urged Edo people to disregard detractors and their planted stories and hogwash, adding that more than ever, the Obaseki’s administration is committed to their wellbeing.  “Our aspiration to create a state where all Edo people and residents can realise their dreams and place Edo State where it rightly belongs as a center of development is now within reach. So, for us as a government, we will continue to emphasise development, peace and unity to ensure a secured, prosperous future,” he noted.

  • Obaseki dismisses rift with Oshiomhole

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has dismissed any rift with his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    Obaseki, who spoke to reporters at the Benin airport after arriving from his annual vacation, described the alleged rift as fake news.

    Oshiomhole has been mute on the alleged rift and has said nothing about next year’s governorship polls

    The governor, who was accompanied by his wife Betsy, arrived at the airport at exactly 11.30am and was received by a large crowd led by Acting Governor Comrade Philip Shaibu.

    Read also: How Obaseki revived public education in Edo

    He waved the 4+4 sign to the crowd, an indication of his intention to run for a second term.

    Obaseki told the people to expect more wake and see projects, saying he is back refreshed and feeling good to continue to deliver good governance to them.

    Other persons who welcomed Obaseki included Secretary to the State Government Osarodion Ogie, Speaker of the House of Assembly Kabiru Adjoto, Chief of Staff to the governor, Taiwo Akerele and the 18 council chairmen.

  • Obaseki: Thriving with politics of good nature

    Given his calm and reticent persona, many politicians and non-politicians alike in Edo State are still perplexed about the manner of politician, which the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is.

    Every step Obaseki takes as a politician seems to baffle the traditional politicians within and outside the state.

    In the election that brought him to power in 2016, he lost in the Edo Central Senatorial district of the state in a fairly spectacular manner.

    Following this rejection by many Esan people therefore, what a typical Nigerian politician will do is to completely abandon that section of the state.

    Yes, the typical Nigeria politician will quickly toss Esan people away, after all, they are the region with the smallest population in Edo State.

    Edo South where Obaseki hails from has over 50 percent of the state’s population; Edo North, the home of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has just above 20 per cent; while Edo Central has less than 20 per cent of the population.

    So, with Edo South and Edo North showing up strongly for Obaseki and bringing him to power, the convenient way to carry on would have been to abandon the Esan people of Edo Central. Bearing in mind that with one section of the state out of the equation, there will be more to share in the regular ‘chop, I chop’ politics which has become common in Nigeria. But not Obaseki. He does not dwell on hate, bitterness and the ‘do me, I do you’ principle which politics in Nigeria is unfortunately now mostly renowned for.

    The Esan people were hostile at the beginning. Youths from there at a time pelted the governor’s convoy with stones. Thereafter, the people in Esan North East, around Ugboha and Uromi area prevented him from accessing the community in respect of a water project he was championing for Esan land.

    Obaseki was however unfazed, he kept courting Esan people like a bloke seeking the affection of a damsel playing hard to get.

    He picked up one of their heros, Prof. Ambrose Alli, who was indeed a hero of not only the entire Edo State but also a hero of the then Bendel State and Nigeria in general, but had been seemingly forgotten and his labour as a past hero profaned.

    Obaseki re-enacted Ambrose Alli’s greatness in a sublime event to mark the 29th anniversary of the death of the Esan and Edo political hero, who set the stage for what gave the then Bendel State the edge to compete with the then Western region of Nigeria as one of the most educationally advanced parts in the country.

    All of Edo, Delta and Nigeria on Obaseki’s prompting, stood still on September 22, 2018 and paid tributes to this hero that had been treated as a villain for decades.

    Not long after, Chief Anthony Akhakon Anenih, another Edo political hero of Esan extraction, went to be with his maker. Love Chief Anenih or hate him, there is no controversy over the fact that at a time in our history as a nation, this man from a minority tribe in a minority state in a minority region of Nigeria bestrode the nation’s political space like a colossus.

    Obaseki ensured that he was buried like a political hero that he was despite being the leader of the main opposition political party in the state.

    In exchange for their hostility at the time, Obaseki embarked on massive infrastructural development in Esan land. Across Ekpoma, Irrua, Uromi, Ubiaja, Ewu, Ibore and several others, the people will attest that no recent government in Edo State has paid so much attention to Esan land. Schools renovated, rural and sub-urban roads revamped, erosion threats and challenges checked, age long water scarcity confronted.

    Mesmerized by the good-natured politics which has become synonymous with Obaseki, many in the state struggle to find an adequate definition for the governor of Edo State within the context of Nigerian politics mostly characterised by distrust, vile insults, bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness.

    First, some see the governor as a technocrat, rather than a politician. They hinge their position on the fact that before 2016, Governor Obaseki was a financial and business expert. He was the Chairman of Edo State Economic Team during the administration of Comrade Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. He contributed greatly to the improvement of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). As Governor of Edo State, Obaseki has been able to use his expert knowledge and wealth of experience to improve on the state’s economy, diversify the economic base of the state and manage the scarce resources from the federation account.

    Secondly, some regard the governor as a quiet man whose actions speak for him. These set of people made comparison between the former Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki, and concluded that while the former is very verbally expressive about everything he does, the latter simply and quietly executes projects without any fun-fare attached to it. This approach of Godwin Obaseki has earned him the nick name “Wake and see Governor.”

    Furthermore, many people have referred to Governor Obaseki as a true democrat and a progressive minded person. They base their argument on the fact that Obaseki always respects the rule of law in whatever he does, unlike in the past when things were done with impunity.

    For instance, Governor Obaseki fully transmitted power to his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu to act as the State Governor while he was on vacation. The letter to that effect was forwarded to the State House of Assembly and read on the floor of the House. This has not been the case in previous governments.

    In the execution of projects, Obaseki has been rated very high by the people, especially in the area of road construction. It is very visible in Benin and other towns across the state that major roads and adjourning streets are being asphalted and reconstructed. This is helping to give the state a facelift, resolving the problem of traffic congestion and giving people easier access to their homes, businesses, and other locations of socio-economic importance.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki has broken the jinx surrounding the uncompleted and neglected Secretariat/Palm House building on Sapele Road in Benin City, abandoned for over 40 years. He is working hard on the completion of the project as well as embarking on the construction of new buildings within the Palm House and High Court premises on Sapele Road.

    A visit to this centre of government business reveals that work is ongoing night and day to ensure early completion of the projects. The uncompleted buildings used to be home to destitute and a hide out for all categories of criminals. But today, the story has changed.

    Another area where Obaseki is doing extremely well is the payment of workers salaries, as well as the payment of pension and gratuity to retired civil servants. Gone are the days when pensioners used to stage protest to demand for the payment of their entitlements. Indeed, Edo State workers are paid their salaries latest on the 26th of every month, while the pensioners are paid a day earlier.

    Another remarkable achievement of Governor Obaseki is that he has been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Edo State can work without the services of area boys otherwise known as “Agberos,” who in the past unleashed terror and mayhem on commercial bus drivers, taxi drivers, market women and other traders in Benin City, in the name of collecting revenue for the State Government.

    Today, both state and local governments collect their revenue using their own staff. The state government is working on how to take revenue collection to the next level, where people will have to pay their taxes and levies electronically through the use of cards. This will not only help in bringing decency to revenue collection, but it will also ensure that all leakages are completely blocked, thereby ensuring that every tax payer’s contribution gets to government coffer and is used judiciously to meet the needs of the people.

    Anyone who visits the former Benin Technical College would see that the school is undergoing massive transformation, courtesy of Governor Godwin Obaseki. The school when completed would be able to train youths on technical skills in carpentry, electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering, among others. Obaseki says he looks forward to the school becoming a training ground for youths who want to acquire vocational and technical skills that will make them not only self-reliant, but also employers of labour.

    Also, the Edo State Innovation Hub, at I.C.E. Road, Benin City, is another fantastic initiative by Governor Obaseki to assist youths to develop their innate abilities and acquire useful Information technology skills. The Edo Innovation Hub also helps to train prospective youths on how to develop business plans, write business proposals and how to source for fund to start small and medium scale businesses.

    The state government under the leadership of Obaseki has introduced the most transparent and credible way of appointing qualified candidates into the state civil service through its Edo Job Portal. Every graduates of Edo State can upload their credentials and application, using the website link:(www.edojobs.edostate.gov.ng).

    The Edojobs is an initiative of the Edo State Government under Obaseki to create over 200,000 jobs for Edo State people through partnership with both private and public sector operators. Almost 90,000 jobs have been so far created under the initiative. Since its inception, Edo jobs has become a household name and a pool for sourcing qualified personnel for the best job matching and recruitment process.

    So, if you ask me what manner of man Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is, I will say that he is a leader to be trusted both in words and action. He is a true democrat, a technocrat, an administrator par excellence, and a detribalised and good-natured politician. For me, Obaseki has been able to change the narrative when it comes to road construction, job creation, infrastructure development as well as political and social re-engineering in Edo State. Today, he has earned the respect and support of well-meaning Edo people and other residents in the state. Other politicians may not like to hear this, but for a fact, as at today, among the ordinary voting population, Obaseki is the most loved and most popular politician in Edo State.

    There is therefore no doubt whatsoever that the people of the state are ready to go with Obaseki in 2020 to ensure that transparency in governance and enthronement of the best interest of the people are sustained.

     

    • Oribhabor, a social commentator and immediate past Chairman, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Edo State, writes from Benin City.

  • Obaseki: Leader who foresees the tuture

    One would be mistaken to think that courteousness, finesse and stellar performance in governance cannot all be imbued in one man, especially one from Nigeria. It smacks of a seared brute mind therefore to declare that civility and thoughtful calmness has no place in Nigeria’s polity.

    That line of thought has severe fault lines that has been pared open and made unmeaning in the performance of Governor Godwin Obaseki in just three years as he didn’t fail to deliver the much-needed dividends of democracy so rapidly and more so with a levelheadedness barren of any air of pride or overconfidence.

    The good people of Edo State have stated intrepidly that the good things taking place in their state today deserve continuity and wish to see the polity tending towards the interest of the entire people of the state and not the interest and bellies of few individuals in the political scene. Such a paradigm shift, the good people of Edo reckon, is the way great economies are grown.

    It wasn’t that her daughter had just arrived from Italy that made Mrs. Janet Omorogbe , a senior citizen in her 80’s, to leap for joy while almost discarding her wrappers in front of her house to testify to all who cared to listen that the road leading to her house was being tarred almost in the nick of time. The road to her house is never motorable whenever it rained. It was fast becoming impassable even by foot when she heard that the road was one of the many to be tarred by Mr. Wake and See, a sobriquet for Governor Godwin Obaseki. She expressed sheer incredulity, as she thought she wasn’t that lucky. Well, not that day. She woke up to hear the vibrations of the massive earth movers and proceeded to see for herself. Mr. Wake and See had come to the rescue.

    It is not unusual for great leaders to be nicknamed. For such monikers are the ways their people connect with them. John Adams, one of America’s greatest Presidents was nicknamed ‘Old Sink or Swim’ for his famous patriotic speech: “Sink or swim, survive or perish with my country, is my unalterable determination.” Nelson Mandela was nicknamed ‘Khulu’ because of his fatherly disposition to the people of South Africa. Abraham Lincoln’s nickname was ‘The Great Liberator’ for he saw to the emancipation of slaves in America.

    Governor Obaseki’s case wasn’t different. He was nicknamed the “Wake and See Governor” only months after being inaugurated for the fact that he pleasantly surprises people every day with developmental projects.

    With the construction of over 300 roads in the state, one can attest to the fact that the government of Godwin Obaseki is truly one that God has used to bless the good people of Edo State.

    The lips of the market women never cease to sing the praise of Mr. Wake and See. These women had had their fair share of the malady of ‘agberos’ who had taken the city hostage. Some had been physically assaulted by young lads whose mouths reeked of early morning ogogoro, all in a bid to collect money for tickets. The hardworking mothers of our lands have Governor Obaseki to thank for the reform and sanity now seen in the market places today.

    Was it that the people had no modicum of hope in the people that led them that made them subservient to indolent feudal lords branded as community youths? So, it was until the ‘Wake and See Governor’ came to the rescue. Not many were lucky to purchase a landed property and still be able to lay legitimate claim to such asset weeks after because of the so-called Community Development Association (CDA) leaders. Our Governor who truly hears our pains have since proscribed them.

    When we say that sanity has returned to our state, words are not been minced. It would amount to being economical with the truth to state the diametrical.

    Workers in the state civil service have never had it this good. They have seen building contractors returning to site in their famed institutional edifices. It wasn’t uneasy for them to join in Governor Obaseki’s exultation.

    The thinking faculty of Mr. Governor is light years ahead of his time. He foresees and envisages the future. This quality of his is one of his strengths. He foresaw that there was a need to recreate what is obtainable in other cities in our dear state by creating an estate replete with modern housing layout and architecture. This he has done with the Emotan Gardens Estate, built in collaboration with MIXTA Africa, renowned property developers.

    The education sector has also had a touch of the wake and see phenomenon, as several thousands of teachers have been digitally trained in the Information Technology (IT). This innovation is under the Edo – Basic Education Sector Transformation program, popularly called Edo-BEST.  This program has been wholly successful to the extent that delegates from the Rwanda Ministry of Education were in Edo State recently to understudy the program for replication in their country. Also, there is currently an ongoing revamp and reconstruction in about 500 public primary and secondary schools in the State with thousands of indigenes in the employ of the contractors.

    For many years, students at the University of Benin were made slaughter animals whenever they attempted to cross the busy federal highway due to the absence of a pedestrian bridge. Governor Obaseki quickly came to the rescue and built a sturdy concrete one and not the rickety- rusty iron one that once was in its place. The fast pace with which this pedestrian bridge was constructed beats the imagination of the road users and pedestrians. And such pace can only be attributed to the loving nature of Mr. Governor who noted that the accidents and deaths caused by its absence had become one too many.

    As if the payment of Edo State workers salaries as and when due and tarring of the roads in Edo State wasn’t enough dividends of democracy, Governor Obaseki launched the State Security Trust Fund that saw him committing huge tranche of funds to ensure the security of the people who entrusted him with power. He didn’t stop at setting up of a trust fund, he went ahead to purchase scores of police patrol vehicles, motorcycles and high-end Police communication gadgets to the Police Force in an architecture called the ‘Wabazigan,’ which translates to ‘eliminating crime’ in English. The people of Edo who were enjoying a civil and sane community now sleep with their two eyes closed at night as well.

    Local Government Councils were in previous times an entity only found in books and not practicable on ground. It would take Governor Obaseki only months to realize that the third tier of government that is much closer to the people deserved a comeback. An election was conducted and the people who had not had local government chairpersons in years were seen happy to elect people they wanted to work with the Wake and See Governor to bring developments even closer to them.

    Governor Obaseki has also ensured that these local government councils join in implementing his government’s master plan for the state. This has resulted in the council chairpersons delivering with steadfastness the needed succor in their council areas. The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from these councils has seen an unprecedented high, and the people have Mr. Wake and See to thank for that. The self-sufficiency of these councils is fast becoming a reality with a progressive governor like Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

    More than 80,000 people have been gainfully employed since Governor Obaseki was elected. The teeming population of youth has been matched with ready employers in various ministries of government as well as the private sectors. Many have also been made employers of labour themselves. This has been made possible through the learning of various crafts and professions, including photography and video production, web designing, culinary services, tiling, fashion design e.t.c. There has also been an attendant empowerment of such individuals to set up shop. The Edojobs portal is by far one of the most interactive online manpower recruitment platforms in the country. The portal is the tool for matching employees to employers. This digitalized recruitment process has since been emulated by other State governments and organizations.

    With a digital governor that is in tandem with the happenings and developments in the fast-paced technological world, Edolites are rest assured that such developments would be domesticated in the state and in our time. We were not disappointed by Governor Obaseki. Digitalization has also been successfully employed in the procurement of Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O).

    The ease of obtaining the C-of-O as well as the drastic reduction of its cost from more than N300, 000 to as low as N50, 000 have indeed made the people of Edo the luckiest people in the country. No more would you be beaten by the fainéant and shady feudal lords masquerading as CDA leaders, and no more would you pay through your nose to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy.

    Also, the Geographical Information Service (GIS) is a treatise of its own. But I need quickly say here that Governor Obaseki is delivering on a mandate to serve the people in all spheres of life. God bless him.

    It can be said that a man who respects his elders shall surely receive their blessings and live long. Godwin Obaseki indeed respects the elders in our land and wants what’s in their best interest. Our fathers and mothers now happily receive bank alerts in their phones just before the month ends without having to protest at King Square while cursing the day they chose to work for the state government; and never has Mr. Governor defaulted in the payment of their pensions or emoluments. It would amount to spitting on their faces and all the good people of Edo if this God-sent Governor is not re-elected without much ado.

     

    • Ikponmwosa Kingsley Osamede, 400-level medical student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and winner of the 2017 Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Annual Oil & Gas Undergraduate Essay Competition, wrote from Benin City, Edo State.

  • Why Obaseki is embarking on luxury apartments devt in Benin, by EDPA

    The Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA) has said its foray into luxury apartment development in Benin City, the Edo State Capital is a response to the changing dynamics in the business community in the city ushered in by the booming private sector presence.

    Executive Chairperson, EDPA, Isoken Omo, in a chat with journalists, said that the state government is backing the project because it aligns with its vision to open up the state for development and provide a conducive environment for investors to do business.

    Recall that the agency recently signed an agreement with Iron Projects Limited for development of 18-unit luxury apartment in Central Road, Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin City, being the first of such project in the state.

    Omo said that the state government’s contribution to the project is just the landed property and provision of necessary support for the realization of the project, as there was no funding commitment on the side of government.

    According to her, “The project will meet part of the housing requirements by providing shelter but more importantly, it will create economic activities which will drive employment and encourage people to come and live, work and enjoy Benin. Businesses in the state will also benefit hugely from this investment. New lines of businesses will open up as a result of this project.”

    She continued, “We have hotels in Benin, like Protea Hotels and Best Western Hotel, which cater for high value individuals that come to do business in the state, but they are not sufficient because of the numbers of such visitors.

    “Our development will be completely furnished and serviced to provide a home away from home for visitors. Its proximity to the Edo State Government House, Benin Airport and the Golf Course, coupled with the serenity of the location, will make it a must-have for frequent visitors to the State. We already have interested buyers for the units.”

  • Human trafficking: Swedish govt backs Obaseki’s call for more action

    Coordinator for Migration and Refugee Issues at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nicola Clase, has said European countries, which are destinations for victims of human trafficking and illegal migration, need to do more to discourage the practice by implementing laws to prohibit sex trade.

    Clase, who works with the Department of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, made the submission during a courtesy visit by the Swedish delegation, to Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, at Government House, in Benin City.

    She said in 1999 the Swedish Government came up with a legislation prohibiting purchase of sexual gratification, and noted that the law has helped the country combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

    According to her, “We take trafficking in persons very seriously. We are celebrating 20 years of the legislation passed to prohibit the purchase of sexual favours. There should not be a market in Europe for trafficking and we want more countries to follow suit and have this kind of legislation.”

    Clase commended the Edo State Government’s approach to combating human trafficking, adding that the visit by the Swedish delegation will enable both governments share information and strengthen cooperation in combating the ills of illegal migration.

    Responding, the Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, said the Obaseki-led administration enacted a law as part of efforts to combat human trafficking, leading to the establishment of the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking (ETAHT) to enable the state government deal with cartels involved in the illicit trade.

    Shaibu said the state government is doing more to create empowerment and employment opportunities for the youth to discourage them from embarking on irregular migration.

    He said the Governor Obaseki-led administration was ready to strengthen collaborations with Sweden and the European Union on economic advancement, noting, “We are creating a vibrant economy so that our youths can learn technical skills and become productive. This will ensure that irregular migration will be addressed and young people will be encouraged to undertake legal migration as well as exchange programmes.”

  • Obaseki appoints Yusufu Ojeifo III as Amir-Hajj for 2019 Pilgrimage

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the appointment of the Onojie of Ewu, in Esan Central Local Government Area, His Royal Highness, Razak Yusufu Ojeifo III, as the state’s Amir-Hajj for the 2019 Muslim Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

    In a letter addressed to Ojeifo III and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., the state government said, “His Excellency, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, has approved your appointment as the Amir-Hajj for the 2019 Muslim Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.”

    Read Also; Obaseki commiserates with Ohiwerei over wife’s passing

    As Amir-Hajj, Ojeifo III will lead Muslim pilgrims from Edo State to the annual Hajj, the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which all Muslims are expected to make at least once during their lifetime if they can afford to do so.

  • Obaseki’s ‘4+4 loading’

    LAST Saturday, Sentry reported on the battle of wits going on in Edo State as the quiet but bruising war for the governorship seat of the state assumed a treacherous dimension. An advert headlined ‘4+4 Loading,’ published by the governor’s camp in The Nation newspaper penultimate Tuesday, is causing serious waves and giving would-be opposition to Governor Godwin Obaseki’s second term ambition sleepless nights.

    But the governor’s camp, which had thrown down the gauntlet as we reported last Saturday, is said to be energised by the development. Observers believe that the current development is only an indication of the shape of things to come.

    The governor’s chances of reelection are said to be getting brighter by the day as everyone in his cabinet is said to be rooting for it. Contrary to the expectations in some very high quarters, the cabinet members are said to have vowed to stand solidly behind their boss.

    However, Obaseki’s foes in the zone, among them APC members who held top positions in the comrade Adams Oshiomhole government, are poised for a fight. Some of them contested the governorship primaries in 2016 against Obaseki and still nurse grudges against him.

    What Sentry cannot say categorically is where Oshiomhole stands in all of this.