…Danjuma, other indigenes endorse gov for second term
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has rolled out the impact of his administration’s reforms in basic education, primary healthcare, infrastructural development and other sectors of the state’s economy to Edo indigenes resident in Lagos.
The governor spoke during a Townhall meeting themed, ‘Edo Okpa No’ organised by Unuedo Renaissance for indigenes of Edo State resident in Lagos State.
The governor said pupils in secondary schools now learn three times more than they do in the old system while primary healthcare centers have been revamped to be better equipped, responsive and accessible.
Speaking on behalf of the indigenes of Edo State resident in Lagos, former Senator, Edo South Senatorial District, Dr. Daisy Danjuma, said the governor has the support of the Edos in Lagos, commending him for prioritising the development of the state.
Noting that her support for the governor remains despite the fact that she is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), she said, “I am a Board of Trustee (BoT) member of the PDP, but I support the governor and his policies. I support him for a second term. I am for development. Let us forget politics; Let’s develop.”
Speaking on the focus of his government in developing Edo people to lead productive lives, the governor said, “We decided to focus on the fundamentals. We focused on people and on education, healthcare, security and jobs. Our development efforts are focused on developing our people, building infrastructure, and creating the space for economic prosperity.
“We have strengthened the education system, which is what the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme is about. If one doesn’t have literacy and numeracy skills, such a person won’t be able to survive in the world. That is why we implemented the Edo-BEST programme. We thank God that the world has acknowledged that we have gotten it right.
“Today, we have about 300,000 pupils in our public primary school system. I can tell you when a teacher or pupil is in class or when they have completed their lessons, from my office through technology.”
On reforms in the agricultural sector, he said the state government has recorded immense success with its agripreneur programme, which has impacted a lot of youths in the state.
“We are rebuilding the schools of agriculture. We have asked Okomu Plc, Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Presco Plc and others to sit on the board of our schools of agriculture. This is so that they can teach the people they need to employ,” he added.
Continuing on why the Edos are successful, the governor said the success of Edo people is ingrained in their makeup as evidenced in the exploits of the Benin Kingdom, which attained sophisticated civilization and has thrived for thousands of years.
According to him, “We have a rich colonial heritage; we know who we are. We are Edo people. We have built infrastructure for thousands of years. Without bulldozers, we built the world’s largest earthwork known as the Benin moat. Without modern cutting tools, we created artworks that adorn museums across the world.
He said the reason why Edo people have excelled over thousands of years is because they possess natural endowment that others didn’t. some of them are existent in us today. one of the them is location. It is responsible for the influential empire.
“We are focused on primary healthcare. We have built the facilities. They have water, electricity and security,” he added.
On security, the governor said the state government has gotten the Nigerian Police to provide a helicopter in the state, which makes 3-hour strategic patrol of the airspace.
“There have been a number of reports in the area on kidnappings. With the help of the helicopter, we have been able to rescue some of those kidnapped. We hope to do more,” he said.
