From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Barely nine months after his victory in the September 21, 2024 governorship election of Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo has left no one in doubt about his resolve to fulfilling his electoral campaign promises to the people of the state.
He had campaigned on a five-point agenda- Security, Health, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Food Sufficiency and Education which now goes with the acronym SHINE agenda.
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He hit the ground running by announcing and almost immediately, commencing the execution of the Ramat Park-Auchi-Agbor-Ikpoba-Hill Roads signature flyover bridge project intended to address the perennial chaotic road traffic jam of that axis in addition to his physical inspection of ongoing roads projects, including the state intervention on the Ekpoma axis of the Benin-Auchi Federal Highway to quicken construction work on the road which was a nightmare to commuters and motorists.
Apart from approving the construction of a second flyover bridge at Sapele Road by Adesuwa junction, the government has initiated many new roads construction projects across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Only recently, Okpebholo flagged-off emergency construction work on Federal Government roads in Edo North in a bid to check incessant kidnappings on those deplorable roads and to also boost economic activities in the affected areas. The roads include Auchi-Igarra-Aiyetoro-Unemu-Nekhua-Aiyegunle-Ikpeshi-Ibillo-Ekor-Ikiran-Oke.
Shortly after, he visited the erosion-ravaged sites in Auchi and environs, promising to initiate action to tame the devastating menace threatening lives and property in the area.
Okpebholo, obviously in a hurry to display practical governance, earlier restored Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, to its past glory by increasing its monthly subvention which the immediate past administration of Mr. Godwin Obaseki had pegged at N40 million to N500 million. Besides, the governor quickly intervened to ensure that backlogs of medical graduates of the University who could not do their Housemanship after their graduation because of contending issues, were called to partake in this vital aspect of their professional journey.
Similarly, backlogs staff salaries of Usen Polytechnic were cleared with construction work ongoing on the internal roads of the State-own institution to give it a face-lift.
The Primary/Secondary levels of education in the state are not left out as the Okpebholo administration has taken practical steps to revamp these levels of education through massive classrooms construction, renovation, provisions of learning infrastructure and perimeter fencing of the schools to secure them from land grabbers who have invaded many of the schools across the state and illegally acquiring their lands.
To assist students of tertiary institutions of Edo State origin, the governor recently approved the sum of one billion Naira bursary payments for them, just as he also approved one billion Naira interest-free loan for market women across the state to help boost their businesses. Besides, the government has announced the rebuilding of the long abandoned burnt Oba Market, the biggest market in Edo State.
Not overlooking the primacy of good transport system in the movement of goods and services and in the process boosting economy activities, the Okpebholo administration recently launched over 100 fleet of brand new buses for the State Transport Company, New Edo Line. The initiative has been hailed by many who see it as restoration of the state’s pride in the transport business, where it counted as one of the foremost in the past.
One of the five cardinal programmes of Okpebholo during his electoral campaign, was agriculture which he promised to give priority attention to ensure food security and check the ever increasing prices of farm produce, such yams, plantains, rice and garri amongst others. To achieve the objective, the State Government is reviving farm settlements in the three senatorial districts of the State.
Already, the programme has been launched in Edo South where 250 farmers were allocated several hectares of land for farming, just as the programme has similarly been replicated in Edo Central. In the meantime, the administration is awaiting the delivery of agricultural tractors to drive its promised mechanized farming programme intended to boost food production for consumption, export and for industrial purposes.
The imperative of a healthy population is not lost on the Okpebholo’s administration. In this regard, the state government is vigorously updating its Primary Healthcare Centres in every Ward of the 18 Local Government Areas of the State with the required personnel and medical supplies to meet the needs of the grassroots. Vaccination programmes are also being vigorously carried out to check diseases such Dengue Fever and Diphtheria which broke out recently in the state.
Recall that Okpebholo recently approved the establishment of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Technology at Udomi in Esan Central local government area of the state, in a bid to improve health facilities and provide adequate healthcare for the people who do not have to travel far to access such healthcare services.
Besides, the state government has procured three brand new bulldozers for each of the three senatorial districts of the state to enable the State Waste Management Board carry out its duty of waste management effectively. The Government has also embarked on the rehabilitation of the Ugboha Water Supply Scheme abandoned for decades by successive administrations in the state in order to provide portable water for the people of the rural communities.
Aware that security is key to peace and development, Okpebholo, on assumption of duty, took practical steps to amend some laws as well as enact new stricter security law to deal with cultism and kidnappings which assumed frightening dimensions in the state. He followed up by setting up a special taskforce to combat the twin-evil of cultism and kidnaping.
The administration had earlier equipped the security agencies in the State with motor vehicles and motorbikes to enhance their mobility in fight against crimes. So far, the efforts of the government are yielding tangible results, as many suspected criminals are being taken off the streets to ensure peace which is imperative to restore investors’ confidence in the State’s economy.
Sure that he has done well in the last nine months, Okpebholo said recently that his administration would soon embark on a month-long commissioning of projects as recently carried out by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Edo people eagerly await to see these projects to appreciate his effort and rate his performance in less than a year of his four-year tenure.
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