Edo Celebrates 
Published on August 30, 2010 by TheNEWS · No Comments
BENIN: If a politician does not blow his trumpet, nobody would do so for him. Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who claims he is “an agent of change”, has gone to town with a trumpet, blowing it loud and clear that at 19, the state can be proud of its achievements.
Going down memory lane to recount that Midwest Region –– the precursor of Bendel State from which Edo was carved –– was created in 1963 through a plebiscite, Mr. Tony Iyare, Special Adviser to Governor Oshiomhole on Media, said that Edo State, which was created on 27 August 1991, has been a pacesetter in all ramifications.
In the last 13 years, however, he noted that the state deteriorated in the area of education. That is, until the coming into power of the Comrade Governor two years ago. One of the administration’s achievements has been in the construction and rehabilitation of roads. As at June this year, 33 intra-city roads in Benin were under construction, with primary and secondary drains, walkways and street lights. They include Sakpoba, Akpakpava and Benin-Sapele roads, Siluko Street, Second West Circular, Aruosagbe, the six-lane Airport Road, Stadium Road and Lagos New Road.
And in June, five junctions and associated streets in the Costain area were completed, including Isonor Street which has been renamed Chief Gani Fawehinmi Layout, in honour of the late human rights activist.
Governor Oshiomhole is also building inter-city roads to link Benin City with the food producing areas of the state. About 18 of such roads are ongoing, among them the 62-km Evboegbae-Ugo-Urhonigbe road; the 25-km Guobazuwa-Umaza-Siluko road, and the 29.7-km Irrua-Usugbenu-Ugbegun Ujogba road.
In the education sector, the government has renovated institutions like Niger College, St. John’s Secondary School, Fugar in Edo North; Idia College, Benin City; Edo Boys High School; St. Maria Gorretti Girls Grammar School at Upper Sakpoba and Benin Ohiva Primary School.
The Governor said in an interview: “When you visit the schools, you will see my idea of what a public school should be. I don’t accept that children of the poor should be taught under conditions that are less favourable, compared to those of the rich, because they grow up with that inferiority complex of”. He added: “Coming from a poor background myself, poverty is something we must fight and defeat.”
However, staff of tertiary institutions in the state, including colleges of Education, and of Agriculture, are still displeased with Oshiomhole for not improving their welfare. Their students are still at home due to the staff strike.
Also, medical staff recently suspended their strike pending further negotiation over salary increase demand.
– Reported by Yomi Obaditan.