Why Public Expectations From Obaseki Second Term Is High
By Benjamin Atu
The festive atmosphere in Nigeria and Edo State that greeted the second term re-election victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the September 19th Governorship election has been filled with intense conversation and high expectations.
The victory has gone a long way to prove that no group or group of individuals can grown any of it’s members to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Edo State. The victory was not one of those kinds of hollow victory without honour and integrity. Apart from the plans of the opposition to produce CEO of Edo State they were also determined to translate their diabolical promises into action by moving against all forms of dissent maniacally.
They failed to realize that their public rating was at it’s lowest ebb with doubtful acceptability across the State.
That was why former President Goodluck Jonathan ones wrote that “Politics in Nigeria is conducted like a primitive war. All are deployed, both fair and foul means. Politics have a way of letting you know the inner recess of the human mind. What promotes a healthy economy is a stable political system. But the battle for the control of political power has lead to political instability, lack of good governance and stunted development. Our political system is so Machiavellian that the end justifies the means.”
Politics is not an end, but a means. It is not a product, but a process. It’s the art of government. Like other values it has counterfeits. So much emphasis has been placed upon the false that the significance of the truth has been obscured and politics has come to convey the meaning of crafty and cunning selfishness, instead of candid and sincere service as was witnessed in the first tenure of Governor Godwin Obaseki. The person who can give a sense of hope is the one who knows the human condition and can encourage us to face the realities of life.
Edo State is the Heart Beat of the Nation, known as a Rich State endowed with natural and productive human resources but inhabited by poor people due to maladministration by successive leadership. That was the narrative of the State when Godwin Obaseki took over the affairs of the State in November 2016 when both human and productive human resources were untapped and unexploited for the benefit of the State.
Before he emerged as Governor, there was a lack of confidence in government arising from previous deceit and misappropriation of the commonwealth of the people. The government was constantly found wanting and pronouncement by the government were in contradiction with their actions and conduct. The Government forfeit the trust and confidence of the people due to lack of accountability and transparency.
Soon as Obaseki’s administration was inaugurated in his first term, he hit the ground running and one quick step taken by the government was the restoration of confidence in the affairs of government through honesty, transparency and accountability. It took a night, a very dark night for the Governor to regain the public confidence that was traded away by the previous administration; Today, Obaseki has given the people a worthy reason to reawaken their faith in government.
Since the creation of Edo State from the old Bendel State, one crucial cry of the masses, have been the need for effective and responsible leadership due to their suffocating administrative experience with unequal distribution of wealth and infrastructure among the people. The common Edo indigenes have borne the burden of these bad policies and mismanagement of the State resources. Plans were conceived and lorded upon the people with little or no thought for their wellbeing.
On assumption of office, Godwin Obaseki reversed such system of elite control government that was in existence where the masses were merely onlookers. He made the people the centre of every developmental plan of his administration.
“I will be doing a disservice to this great State if I deny you good governance”….Godwin Obaseki.
One resolution that has paid off for the administration in the last four years was the resolve to stamp out corruption from the system. Noting that corruption is an all out war and the administration’s determination to eradicate corruption in its service to humanity and God, rendering an account for every kobo generated by the government because it’s the people’s government and he owes them the explanation.” Such an uncommon resolution by Obaseki has enabled him to win public confidence of the masses which no alienation can reverse.
One key plan of the Obaseki’s administration was to re-engineer attitudinal change which has exposed the dignity of labour and the importance of integrity and honesty in public life. This became necessary in order to restore the confidence of the people in governance. One of the strategies adopted by the government was to make governance participatory, creating developmental plans in line with the uniqueness of the area.
Developmental plans of the Obaseki administration have succeeded because they were not conceived above the heads of the people. All his programs and policies in the past four years have fully taken account of the values of the people, their choices of projects as well as their active involvement in the implementation of such projects. This high level of engagement and participation in government endeared the government to the people. This was manifested in the September 19th, 2020, Edo Governorship election when the people voted and guided their vote in order to sustain democracy for their own interest.
The actions of the Governor has set new standards of public conduct which has redefined the ethics of public affairs management. A government that brought to bear, a new moral order and displayed high level commitment to fairness and justice in dealing with public issues. In a clime where public officials appeared to have forgotten the true meaning of selfless service, Governor Godwin Obaseki has remained focus and true to his oath of office.
Governor Godwin Obaseki couldn’t have proceeded to build new structures on the wrong foundation. The singular fact that his administration was not beholden to any group or individual made the political godfathers uncomfortable. Obaseki has written his name in Gold as the first Governor who owes his accountability directly to the public and not to any individual or group of people. This is indeed a better time to be alive in witnessing the rebirthing of a prosperous Edo State.
As the second tenure of Godwin Obaseki commences, we are aware of further effort and ongoing interaction with development partners who are determined to invest in the State and expand by the industrial frontiers and benefits from the peaceful atmosphere created by the administration for private investors to succeed. The re-election of Godwin Obaseki is a conscious decision by the Edo people in order to keep the State on the path of development which has already begun. The greatest reward for doing this is an opportunity to do more which has been handed to him by the people.
Obaseki did say it that, a better life has to be provided for the people with renewed vision and vigour. This has been demonstrated by placing high premium on rapid and sustained economic growth and development.
Governor Godwin Obaseki seeks the second term in office in order to midwife the rebirthing of a prosperous and people-centric Edo State. The unfinished rebirth process which the Obaseki’s administration has begun would have been in vain if he had lost the last governorship election but because his government was people-oriented the same people stood with him to resist his traducers.
Never before in the history of Edo State has the public spoken so loud and clear in any election and turned out in their numbers to decide their faith as seen in the September 19th governorship election in the State.
The burden of leadership surely will be higher in this second term on Governor Godwin Obaseki because he has no alternative than to meet public expectations in order to justify the confidence that the Edo public invested on him.
The trust of the Edo people on Governor Godwin Obaseki, is a collateral which the Governor is expected to trade with in order to make gains for the general welfare of the people in terms of developmental milestones in infrastructure, economic and social development of the State.
Usually in Nigeria, the first tenure of Governors are usually their working tenure while the second tenure is usually about consolidation. But this can’t happen in the forthcoming second term of Godwin Obaseki because the Governor has vowed to assume duty with double determination to exceed expectations due to the massive resolve of the people to ensure his return as Governor despite all effort to undermine the will of the people.
He did said it in his first term that he was elected to serve the people and indeed his conduct in office as one incorruptible Governor in Nigeria gave the people of Edo State renewed hope and vigour in Government. He had shown the people the stuff he is made of as the former Chairman of the State Economic team and brainbox of the previous administration.
Ordinarily, it was expected that the Governor would have been financially reckless given the Sharp increase in the IGR of the State but Obaseki has remained firm and true to the people. Every earnings of Government has been deployed to serve the need of those who needed Government services and attention the most. This administration has reduced the cost of governance through stringent financial management which ha helped to expose the extent of damage done to the State by the immediate past administration. Now like never before, we stand at the threshold of a new Edo, we should all commit ourselves to a common obligation that will evokes the best hopes among our people in our collective efforts to Making Edo Great Again.
It’s in line with this mission that Governor Godwin Obaseki took it as a duty to constantly remind the people of their obligation to a common destiny in order to collaborate together in taking the best route to achieving the collective destiny of the State.
A brief analysis of some sectors of the State will reveal at a glance the level of impact and achievement recorded by the Obaseki’s administration in just four years. If this below height could be recorded in his first tenure, just imagine another four years.
Culture and Tourism
Culture and Tourism. Little is known about the massive impact recorded by the Obaseki’s administration in the area of Culture and Tourism.
Since Obaseki became Governor, the investment climate in Edo State has witnessed a breath of fresh air with bright atmosphere. The once clouded coast has become clear for investors both within and outside Nigeria through effective use of culture and Tourism. The negative public perception that Edo was a pedestrian State has naturally been wipe away my marketing the vast investment opportunities available in the State.
Obaseki conceives that tourism could be deployed as a panacea in tackling Socio-economic challenges confronting the State. As a cultural State Edo is blessed with diverse culture, tradition, festivals and artefacts investors from time immemorial. These Natural Resources were never exploited for the advantage of the State until the emergence of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Edo State has several tourist attractions like the Emotan Statue in Benin City, Ise lake and River Niger beach in Agenebode Etsako East Local Government, the Somorika hills in Akoko Edo among others.
Through Culture and Tourism, Governor Obaseki has been able to move wealth from various nations to Edo State. Tourism serves as a vehicle in the transfer of Socio-economic activities and wealth from one State to the Other. This has made Edo State Government to galvanized the huge potential in the State for its comparative advantage.
The administration has successfully harnessed these Natural endowments in order to reposition and preserve the rich cultural heritage of Edo People as an ancient city.
Agriculture
Governor Godwin Obaseki has made Agriculture and Agro business to be attractive to both local and foreign investors. After several years of frustrations where farmers produce without a ready market to buy their product, the Governor introduce an Agricultural policy that removes farmers from their lamentation. Governor Obaseki has told Edo Farmers. “Produce and I will buy them” Today, like never before in the history of Edo State, there is now a ready market for every farmer.
In its drive to attain self- sufficiency in basic food production, storage and consumption the Governor has reinvigorated hailing Agricultural industries across the State. This was accompany by the construction of farm roads and water supply to encourage farming across the State. In order to ease transportation of farm produces the Government constructed about 800 kilometres of the farm access path. More than 33,000 jobs have been created from only the Agricultural sector
Health Sector
Record breaking achievement has been recorded in the Health Sector in the last in four years. When Obaseki took over the leadership of the State, Hospitals were mere shadows of themselves with the best among them looking like a consulting room. But today the story is no longer the same in the Health Sector.
The administration immediately embarked upon the renovation of 20 pilot primary Health care centres spread across the State with 180 new Health Centres under construction across the 18 local Government in the State. These health centres are well equipped with working tools as well as train professionals. This holistic approach to public health sector is aimed at the transformation of the health sector as well as providing responsive, affordable and accessible.
Infrastructure
Roads in Edo State are indeed reflecting the true dividend of democracy.
Communities that were previously cut off from town due to bad roads have been reintegrated through good network of roads. The effort of Government in linking the urban to and rural communities together for rapid economic growth. Many roads projects are constructed across the State and this has enhanced the pace of industrial revolution by leveraging on the available infrastructural development.
Educational Development
Never before in the history of Edo State has any Government impacted the educational sector like the Obaseki’s administration. Through the Edo- Basic Education Sector Transformation ( Edo -BEST) initiative that was launched 19th April 2008, primary and junior secondary education in the State has been well impacted with 300,000 pupils, who are taught with information and communication technology facilities in both urban and remote rural areas. Under this program, more than 234 Schools have been reconstructed in line with the revolution that is ongoing in the sector. Edo BEST is an educational model in Nigeria and many States are coming to Edo to learn from what the Obaseki’s administration is doing in the educational sector.
The program has also trained more than 11,000 teachers and headteachers who have been equipped with computer Tablets loaded with all the curricular that the teachers need to teach their pupils. The ICT system is controlled in a way that enables the Governor to monitor school attendance and performance of pupils from his office. Secondary and higher institutions in the State are not left out of the educational reform. For example, the massive rehabilitation of Government Science and Technical College has turned the to Technical College into a mini production industrial factory. It’s a public knowledge that it was the Benin Technical College that produces some of the Chairs that have been supplied to Primary Schools in the State from their technical Workshop. The same level of high power human capital development is also ongoing across the State own Polytechnic and University.
Job Creation
Unemployment is the mother of all other Social problem facing humanity. This has created ripples in various sectors.
On assumption of office as the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki consciously declared war against high-level poverty that was obvious across the State. The prevalence of poverty due to the sharing of state resources among the few elites that was the hallmark of the previous administration deepened the level of poverty and hardship.
The establishment of data Bank for unemployed Youths in Edo State created the much needed opportunity for the State Government in creating openings in various sectors that can accommodate the base of the working-class youth on available data. The creation of the Edo production centre is a testimony to the fact that Governor Godwin Obaseki has walked his talk in the area of job creation and opportunities in the State. To expand the employment net in the state the Government created good and Agricultural clusters and innovation hubs across the State in order to engage the youths productively.
3,434 jobs were created only from its job matching initiative apart from many other laudable employment schemes which includes the internship and apprenticeship schemes. With 167,000 jobs and several others apart from the various Agricultural engagement and Central Bank Agricultural program where the majority of the youths are currently self-employed in their private enterprises.
Entrepreneurs were trained through the State government Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Agency. More than 22,000 entrepreneurs have been trained in various areas like technology, Agriculture, Artisan services, paint production, natural skincare formulation, bee-keeping and several others in collaboration with development partners.
Industrialization is not left out. The strategic development plan of the administration in establishing the Benin Enterprise Park, with almost 200 companies already prepared to invest. This will help in facilitating industrialization and create massive employment for Edo Youths.
As part of an effort in preparing job seekers for employment and productive engagement, the government took it as a responsibility in preparing job seekers for employment through the training program in various field of endeavours. Over 150,000 Edo Youths from various parts of the State benefited from the program.
With a good train pool of workforce and human resources managers, the State Government have successfully created placement for over 4000 of the train youths. This was achieved by the government active participation in assisting both public and private sector in recruiting job seekers in the State from the pool of train workforce with comprehensive data.
One clear evidence to show that more than 200,000 Edo Youths were employed by the Obaseki’s administration in his first three years in office, was high level reduction in thuggery, daylight robbery as well as car snatching that was a daily occurrence in the past. But now, like never before, these youths are no longer on the street due to high level industrialization that the administration has introduced to engage idle hands.
Industrial Relations
The popular Ring road in Benin was usually a beehive of human and vehicular traffic due to regular protest by Pensioners, public and Civil Servant who are either sack unlawfully or own months of salary and allowances. But since the inception of the Obaseki’s administration, the story is no longer the same. Protest over unpaid salaries and allowances have become a thing of the past. The government in the last four years has put in place Viable Industrial Relations and they have never been any form of conflict between the Government and the workers. The decision of the State Government in maintaining Harmon with the public workforce is because labour dispute constitutes major threat to the political environment. The working environment of the bureaucrats is breathtaking. The conducive working atmosphere has been created by the Obaseki’s administration and the pride of place of the public service has been fully restored. Pensioners are no more seen all over the street begin to survive. The integrity of service and dignity in labour has been given their pride of place. Never again will a worker in the Edo State Government be seen struggling for their entitlement.
Ease of Doing Business
Obaseki has introduced a fast track approach to Governance. This is evidence in the ease of doing business in the State. Contract awarding process that usually takes many months is now done within days. This deliberate decision of Government has made Edo State a preferred destination for more investments.
Conclusion
The Six Major Pillars that has sustained the Obaseki’s administration in the past four years are his policies on Economic Revolution, Institutional Reform, Enhance Environmental Sustainability, Arts Culture, and Tourism, Social welfare enhancement, as well as Infrastructural development.
For the second term in office, the Pillars that are expected to sustain the second term has been summarised into his MEGA agenda. 12 points agenda crystalized into the MEGA manifesto. It’s a development oriented program of progress on key sectors like Social Sector Like Education, Health Care System, Pension and Social Security, Housing, Lands and Survey. Other key areas of the administration in this second tenure include.
Critical infrastructure and Energy, Economy and industrialisation, Trade and Investment, Environment and Public Utilities, peace and security, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Public Service and Sports, Law, Judiciary and Legal Reform, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Arts and Culture as well as Transportation.
The Vision and Mission of the Obaseki’s administration in this second term is to build a modern and progressive state where every citizen is empowered with the opportunity to live life in its fullness as well as achieve economic prosperity for Edo State. Based on this second term mission and vision it’s obvious that much await the expected public of Edo because expectations are indeed high. To whom much is given much is also expected. But since the Governor could achieve such a great height in his first four years in office. Just Imagine another Four years !!!
Benjamin Atu, is the Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Edo State on Media
