By Osahon Osahon
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said that anxiety over the likelihood of abandonment of all the reforms his administration has put in place by his successor is his greatest challenge.
He made this known on Sunday, while speaking with journalists after the thanksgiving service for 87th birthday celebration of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, held at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, Sapele Road, Benin City.
The Governor disclosed that people are already asking questions if the reforms and changes he has made and implementing will continue after his tenure in office.
He said: “My biggest challenge is what happens when I leave office. People are saying how are we sure that the reforms and changes we have made and are implementing will continue when I leave office. The only guarantee is that we begin to strengthen the institutions.
“We are rebuilding the public and civil service before bringing in political actors into the scene as they will leave in three years when I am leaving but the structures and institutions that we are building will certainly remain and continue to sustain our developmental strides.”
Obaseki noted that his administration has done so much to strengthen and re-enact the quality of education in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the State.
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According to him, “In the last five years, we have been strengthening and re-enacting quality education in the state across all tiers; basic, secondary and tertiary education and re-investing in them.
“In the area of media, we are rebuilding the Observer brand, as well as the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) Radio and Television brand; we are strengthening them as institutions and equipping them with world-class technology. We are doing so much in the state and can’t explain within few minutes.”
According to him, the recent induction of 300 newly recruited civil and public servants, is part of effort to reposition the state civil service.
“We have on-boarded the first batch of the new recruited 300 civil and public servants; we are employing 2,000 in the next three years to strengthen the service and provide services to people of Edo State.
“We were voted into office for the second term on September 19, 2020, to serve the people and in order to do that, we need to define the structure and plan properly, breaking away from the past. The commissioners will not be able to do anything if the civil service is not functioning properly,” he said.
Commenting on the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Obaseki described him as a generational gift to the state, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
He noted: “We thank God for the life of our father, Chief Igbinedion, as he celebrates his 87-year birthday. We pray that God preserves him. He is a generational gift; he has seen and done it all. We thank God for his life of giving, hard work and generosity.
