Our attention has been drawn to the misguided campaign by some faceless youth in the name of Edo Youth Vanguard (EYV) which alleged that over thirty-two bill boards, radio and television advertisements estimated at N300 million have been placed all over Edo state capital and environs denouncing political godfathers while another N1 billion naira have also been expended on political activities including decamping rallies, lobbying of opposition politicians, monthly honorarium to local party leaders, etc. They also attempted to put the different groups in the state asunder by their resort to bane and cheap ethnic card.

Signed by one Barrister Cletus Iredia, the group descended into deliberate falsehood and innuendoes which hardly deserve little response, except that we owe it a duty to properly inform our dear people of Edo State that this government remain focused on delivering on its electoral pact and will not be deterred by the rantings of some hirelings fronting for some godfather who have resolved in their own little corner to make the state ungovernable. We need to restate that the government’s vision is largely anchored on fiscal discipline and transparency It is on record that because of its frugal management of the state resources, the government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole saved more than N13 billion last year which has now been added to the huge sum set aside for the massive ongoing road projects in the three senatorial zones of the state and other development effort in the area of electricity, health care, provision of water and renovation of schools.

Apart from reversing the ratio between capital and recurrent expenditure from its abysmal 30/70 per cent in over 20 years to 60/40 per cent in 2009 and 61/39 per cent in 2010, the Oshiomhole government has drastically reduced the cost of running government including that of the governor’s office by more than 40 per cent.

It explains why the government has invested more than N60 billion on roads in different parts of the state which has transformed Edo into a huge construction site.

From the 30.3 km Ekperi-Anegbete road in Etsako Central which criss cross some of the state’s most difficult terrain to the 62 km Evboeghae-Ugo-Urhonigbe road in Orhiomwon, which will pass through 200 communities, to the 18km Otuo-Ihievbe-Ogben road in Owan East which will benefit communities producing more than 60 per cent of the cocoa in Edo State and other ongoing roads targeted at opening up the 18 local government areas, Oshiomhole has demonstrated strong political will that his government is resolved to radically transform the state and put it on a higher pedestal.

The massive urban renewal and beautification programme in Benin which includes the facelift of King’s Square, the dualisation of Airport road, Akpapkpava road, Oba Market road, Sapelele road, Five Junction, Uselu-Lagos road and the reconstruction of Costain-Isonorho road, Siluko road, 2nd West Circular road and others within Benin City, are enough testimony to the deft political brinksmanship of a government committed to developing Edo and retrieving it from a doldrum of more than 26 years.

Haven been idle for 10 years and offering the people only a dinner of scorpions, the chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party and their hirelings can hardly come to terms with a people that have been sold the tale of the paucity of resourses as an alibi for non performance. Little wonder they are at loss where Oshiomhole is garnering the huge resources from.

While we appreciate their worry, we cannot be distracted by their antics. Those who have persistently told a lie that all this government is doing is planting flowers have now been plunged into some foolery to which they are finding it hard to extricate themselves.