My meeting with Edo people in Lagos not political but accountability ― Obaseki

The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has described his meeting with the Edo people in Lagos State as a form of accountability and not a political move.

Obaseki noted that there was misinformation about his administration as a result of contestation and it was important to get them corrected.

The governor stated this while fielding questions from the newsmen after A Town Hall Meeting Of Edo people in Lagos themed: Edo Okpa’ no (the Edo people are one), held yesterday in Lagos.

“My meeting with the Edo people in Lagos State is just about accountability. They have the right to know what is happening in their state.

“As we approach election, there is a lot of misinformation as a result of the contestation.

“So, it is important to let them know, put out the facts, engage them, get their concerns and indeed their feedbacks were profitable,” Obaseki said.

The governor expounded that the fight against his administration was as a result of his penchant on eradicating corruption in the state.

Obaseki observed that there was a misperception of him awarding contracts to people from Lagos State, noting that his contracts are being executed by the Edo State people.

“A situation where I refuse to build one kilometre of road for over $3 million is not acceptable when I can build three roads for that amount.

“Then they accuse me of bringing contractors from Lagos. That is not true.  The truth is that in Edo,  under my administration my road contracts are priced such that the profit is very good, but not outrageous.

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“My profit margins are tight.  I do not have contracts that you collect and then sell to another person.  If you are not the one building the road yourself,  you can’t collect a contract from me.

“That is why they are fighting me. The boys who are executing the contracts have always been in the system, but they did not have political access.

“I have not hired any new contractor since I came to office.  All the contracts are executed by Edo indigenes. They are the same ones I met on ground,  but we have reviewed the way we relate with them because there is no money to throw around. We have interrogated the system, that is the difference.”

Meanwhile, he said his administration’s blueprint would transform the state and make it more economically viable than Lagos State.

Obaseki noted that he is focused on taking the state to the next level and not bothered about his re-election.

“We are thinking of the next generation, where will Edo be in year 2050? How would we reposition by 2050, how do we overtake Lagos by 2050? And it is possible.

“If Lagos can why not, it’s not about competition, we are sister states and will cooperate. All we need to do is to plan because those who fail to plan are equally planning to fail. It’s about rigorous planning,” Obaseki noted.

Governor Obaseki stated that economic development has been the focus of his administration since 2016, by adopting a strategic approach in promoting private enterprise, improving business environment, encouraging investments and rebuilding critical infrastructure.

Obaseki explained that the government has succeeded in improving the quality of education in the state by getting it right at the basic level.

He said the place of quality education cannot be overemphasised, saying the state is getting the quality education that would make people useful to society.

“The priority is basic education, the first six-nine years a child should learn.

“Because if a child has not been taught to spell properly, the child will not be able to develop other skills.

“I have been able to improve the productivity of workers through training of workers and creation of positive work environment through refurbished of workspace,” he said.

The governor added efforts are being exerted to revamp the health sector in the state with a focus on primary health care, human capital and infrastructure development in the health institutions.