Who can stop Obaseki?

DURING the past four years, Edo State has made enormous economic progress. This can be seen most clearly in the rising trend for income and consumption: Between 2016 when Godwin Obaseki took over as the governor of the state and 2020, consumption capital in the state went up by almost 20 per cent. Broader measures of well-being confirm this picture as life expectancy, job and wealth creation and educational attainment have all improved remarkably.

Viewed from either perspective, from income and consumption on the one hand, or broad social indicators on the other, apart from Lagos State, Edo is advancing much faster than most of its contemporaries, when measured at a comparable stage.

Against this background of achievement, it is all the more staggering and shameful that a percentage of his former party leaders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in cruel indignation, have queried that the total economic activities of the state ought to have been in their hands and used to satisfy their whims and caprices.

Ironically, the state development report 2020, estimates that virtually all the sectors of the economy have been touched by the Obaseki administration.

Complaints on the style of Obaseki’s administration, however welcomed, must not distract attention from the massive and continuing burden of underdevelopment in the state, which he has come to arrest.

Edo State development report today states that the poor masses, artisans, market men, women and the poorest of the poor are happy and at peace with the state of development, especially, with the elimination of double taxation, “Agberoism” touts and other means of extortions.

The state and the local governments can now pay salaries as and when due. Before 2016, local governments, like the cosmopolitan Oredo Local Government Area, that could hardly realise 10 million naira monthly from their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), now gets about 100 million naira on the average every month from the same source.

This has shown that the change revolution of previous administrations were nothing but small fractures and tissues in the dry crust of Edo society. Like what his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, said, “All positive and progressive changes in human endeavour go with pains and perhaps stepping on toes.” Obaseki vowed to put his life on the line for the development of Edo and to build his administration on a tripod of urban renewal, agricultural infrastructure and industrial template.

To this end, Obaseki has so far done well in his implementation and execution of this will. Within the first three years of his administration, he took the mantra of urban renewal and environmental discipline to the doorsteps of the ordinary Edo citizen. He outlawed the representatives of crass insubordination and hooliganism otherwise called, “Agberos” from the state revenue collection process, and replaced them with humane, friendly and modern technology-driven models. He gave the land transfer transaction a human face with a deliberate policy that crashed the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from over one million naira to fifty thousand naira. These actions, no doubt, may have made him to step on the toes of some privileged powerful few, but the people are happy with their governor.

On infrastructural development, Governor Obaseki embarked on the complete reconstruction of the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, rehabilitated schools and established three other technical colleges, one in each Senatorial District to complement the newly built Government Science and Technical College, among many others too numerous to mention.

If Obaseki is to be commended for these giant strides, his passion for the future of Edo State will write his name in gold and for redirecting us to our natural and human resources based on the understanding that crude oil and the not-too-consistent federal allocation will not be with us forever and that we must start thinking of technology and agriculture as a fallback position for an Edo State without crude oil. Contrary to uninformed critics, it’s with the support of the Presidency, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Dangote Refineries, that the Obaseki administration embarked on the construction of Edo Seaport, a project which is aimed at decongesting the Lagos, Warri and the Port-Harcourt seaports and making the Bight of Benin a cargo ship-berthing destination.

On agriculture, he has facilitated the return of the Michelin Rubber Estate to Urhonigbe Rubber Plantation Reserve, revitalised the Ikpeshi Rice Farm and flagged-off the over five billion naira palm plantation investment in the state. These gestures have brought and ushered into the economy the associated benefits of employment opportunities for our youths and women.

In contrast, some seemingly powerful members of his former party (APC), felt the developmental strides, though noble, ought to have been executed differently where majority of them would have been on the driver’s seat. No matter how you dislike a messenger; it is good to accept the good message. It’s on the side of wisdom for all to accept the message of the good tidings in the overall interest of Edo people.

Today, this same Obaseki is seeking a second term ticket to complete his unfinished business and the question arises ‘who can stop Obaseki?’

• Ihimekpen sent this from Benin City, Edo State.

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