"One Year in Office: Gov. Okpebholo Commits to Meaningful Governance and Development for Edo People"

The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday said he is in government to develop the state and make governance meaningful to the people.

Okpebholo spoke during the inspection of some ongoing road projects in Oredo, Ikpoba Okha, and Uhunmwode in the Edo South Senatorial District ahead of the celebration of his 365 days in office.

He added that on a daily basis, he dreams and thinks of how best to develop the state with infrastructures geared towards boosting its economy.

According to him, “As you can see, we are working with the State Government’s share from the monthly Federation Allocation Account. We are using the money for our infrastructural projects on roads, schools, hospitals, among others.

“We are using the money to beautify our roads, to turn our communities into modern cities to be habitable for our people.

“That is the essence, and that is why you are seeing us day and night working. When we are sleeping, we are dreaming about Edo, and during the day, we are thinking about it.

“I have no other business here than to develop the city and build new roads for our people to enjoy, and that is what you are seeing today,” he said.

The governor, who also spoke at the reconstructed Army Day Secondary School, Ikpoba Okha, assured the students of his administration’s commitment to provide a real “Edobest” policy of education rather than the “unrealistic” one provided by his predecessor, former Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He said the rehabilitated school has been equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and air conditioning, while promising to install solar lights in all the classrooms and across the entire premises.

He noted that once the solar lights are installed, students can take advantage of the facility to read at night.

He assured that more schools would be reconstructed and equipped with state-of-the-art learning facilities.

Addressing the governor at the site of the flyover construction at Adesuwa Road Junction along Sapele Road, Lorenzin Mrurizio, the project manager of the construction firm, said the job would be completed in 18 months, as against the 24 months earlier slated for its completion.

On her part, Special Adviser on Project Monitoring, Phoebe Williams-Bello, said compensation would be paid to affected landlords at the Adesuwa Junction.

Some of the projects inspected by the governor include the Adesuwa Junction flyover, the 32-kilometre Benin-Sapele Highway, the completed Army Day Secondary School, internal roads in Ogheghe Community, the 23-kilometre old Benin-Sapele Highway, construction of Oba Erediauwa Road, and construction of Ekiuwa-University of Benin Road.

Others are Temboga Road extensions, Oba Erediauwa Road, and off Upper Mission Road, Benin City.