One Year After: A Sure and Steady Stride
By Odigwe Jilams
“A person’s actions tells you everything you need to know” – Anonymous.
This quote can be used to aptly describe the indefatigable Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki as he marks one year in office on November 12TH, 2017. A man of passion, pursuer of excellence and a decisive leader, Governor Obaseki’s actions since he took office has shown a man that has the best interest of the state at heart and his one year in office is a testament of this fact. A leader with a knack for carefully analyzing complex problems and creating foolproof solutions, it is no wonder that he has been able to distinguish himself both in the private and the public sectors of the country.
Governor Obaseki’s first foray into public office was as the Chairman of the Edo State Government’s Economic and Strategy Team (EST) under former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole and so when he made his intentions known to run for the highest office in the state, not many took him serious but Godwin Obaseki came on top against all odds and thus the mantle passed “from Moses to Joshua who will lead them to the promised land”.
After his inauguration, Governor Obaseki swung into action, canvassing the length and breadth of the state for appropriate support and blessings of relevant authorities and like “Elijah went in strength of that food forty days and forty nights”(1 Kings 19:8), so also Governor Obaseki has gone in strength of that support and surpassed every one’s imaginations that even though his detractors and critics have taken to throwing cheap shots at him, they cannot refute the fact that his achievements and progressive strides just one year in office beats the achievements of past administrations.
Despite the prevailing economic situations in the country, Governor Obaseki has been able to utilize the available resources effectively and his under his guidance, the state has been able to generate its highest Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) till date with over N4billion reducing drastically the influence of corrupt and incompetent “middlemen”. The irony of it is that people now pay less to the government, while Government has generated more revenue than before. This is beyond human comprehension.
His promise of creating jobs for the people especially its youths, the Governor had employed over 4,200 youths under the Edo state public works programme from July 1ST , trained 50 civil engineers to supervise the public works programme and also with a promise to engage another set of 4,200 youths. This is just the beginning of the eradication of unemployment in the state. Also, his plan for the diversification of the state’s economy has made to massively invest in agriculture with the prospects looking bright.
Also, with the unending support of his ever illustrious wife, Betsy Obaseki, investors have been massively persuaded to come into the state and hitherto redundant public projects have been given new life line. Also, the financial expertise of the first Lady of the state has enabled thousands of women in the state to have access to interest-free loans for their businesses. It is a daunting task to positively affect the life of an individual, but to successfully do it on grand scale is beyond description. The never-ending motivation from his wife and family has seen the Governor undertake and achieve projects which were hitherto thought to be impossible.
The Governor’s investment plans had seen various and massive investments not only in the agricultural sector, but also in manufacturing, science and technology, innovative governance, etc. These investments are so welcome by the people of Edo state, that the long-term plans are eagerly awaited by the people. Every sector of the state has felt his impact and most notable is the decongestion of the Ring road and with it, the corresponding reduction of crime in the area. The place, once an eyesore is now the cynosure of all eyes. It is commonly said that Governor was the “Brain behind Oshiomhole’s economic policies”, but now I see him as the “Face of Edo state’s Uncommon transformation”.
Finally on a personal note, People would always want to criticize his style of leadership, but they forget that like an entrepreneur, he is responsible for the successes and losses incurred by the state, therefore he must act on his instinct and what he thinks will be beneficial in the long run. It is probably this kind of leadership style that is needed to transform the state. Therefore, even though he is not above making mistakes, he is the one the state has turned to because we believe he can lead us from the darkest night to the brightest dawn.
Odigwe Jilams
Ji68946@gmail.com, 08160274120
