By Kassim Afegbua.
Opposition politics in Edo State clearly carries the unfortunate burden of hate, bad blood and undue provocations. Since after the gubernatorial elections of 21 September 2024 which returned Senator Monday Okpebholo as the winner, members of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party–PDP, obviously stultified, have decided to invest heavily in scurrilous and false propaganda. They churn out press statements which subject matters and analyses define their intent and lay bare their idiocy; their reportage constantly weaves together their burdens of naked hate, agony and pain. They never mistakenly praise the governor for his good deeds before pointing out the figments of their own imagination which they have attributed to him and his “failings”. They still can’t reconcile yesterday with the reality of today. Okpebholo has turned himself into an “Economic Panel Beater” in town, trying to fix the economic decay that was thrust upon him in no manner that can be assumed to be wishy-washy. It indeed will be deserved that he be named the poster boy for good governance. Working hard on a state that was grounded by sheer greed, exploitation, financial malfeasance amid a concatenation of dubious economic predatory exploits to undo the state, Governor Monday is showing himself to be intentional in his cogitations and actions, regardless.
When he created the Edo Diaspora Agency, the first of its kind, chaired by the irrepressible Dr. Lorreta Oduwa-Ogbokor from London, he was intentional. It was not just to leverage the huge potentials of Edos in the diaspora, but also to constantly reassure them of their belonging to Edo State, and challenge them to do their bit towards the progress of their homeland, around the clock. That way, he reasoned that they will be galvanized to participate in what obtains back home, and bring to Edo more economic growth even for their own current and future gains.
The Diaspora Agency decided to host an Economic Summit in Glasgow, Scotland; the first of its kind, to create a platform for robust engagement, with a view to pursuing and actualizing the Governor’s dream. He attended in person, and met face to face with his kinsmen and women and discussed extensively with them; having ample time for questions and answers about the future of Edo. On day one, the Governor did not only dazzle his audience with his vision and mission, he simplified his governance style with illustrations that signposted his destination. They dubbed his style “Pragmatic Governance” (and not MoUs), anchored on sufficient and appropriate evidence. He shared several examples of his achievements in the state, since assuming office, and called on them to leverage their skills, connections and other resources to contribute to the development of Edo state assuring them that they will be rewarded vastly, in no small measure.
The huge population of Edos in Scotland was somewhat an eye-opener for some of us, who came to a eureka moment of what the government had seen long before we could appreciate it. Other Nigerians from other states who are doing big things in the Scottish economy were in attendance, also. Regrettably, after day one of the summit, the usual politics of opposition driven by belle-face-road social media urchins, attempted to denigrate the event, by questioning the choice of Glasgow. I bet by their reckoning, Governor Okpebholo should have ordered all the attendees to come to Benin to hear what he had to say as part of efficiency in “Value For Money.”Unknown to these stomach-infrastructure critics, as they wondered why Glasgow should be a place for an economic summit, Governor Okpebholo carefully arrived at that destination because Glasgow is the second largest city in the UK with a rich and practical history in ship-building, fin-tech, digital ecosystem, banking, culture and tourism and human capital development, all of which can benefit our people, and is now home for a meaningful number of Edo’s in the UK. That city would be written off by only vendible lickspittle of the PDP’s ilk that is still bitter over its thrashing.
By way of feedback, it was another great opportunity to showcase the huge potentials of Edo State while pleading with Edo sons and daughters to look homeward and plan to invest back home; and it was successful. By the end of the summit, the state government was able to land a deal of $250m investment with the European-African Chamber of Commerce and Industries chaired by a proud son of Edo State, Dr Kingsley Obasohan. This investment will span across mining, agriculture, health and infrastructural development in Edo State for a period of three to five years. Other commitments from Dr. H.C Lady Astrid Arens, Senator for Sustainability in Business Practice, and Foreign Trade Advisor from Germany, and Hon. Hareter Babatunde Oralusi of the Nigerian Capital Development Fund Group were put in the kitty also.
It will be most propitious if Edo State citizens key into the present initiatives of Governor Okpebholo for moving the state forward. It is not all the time that the bitter songs of adversarial politics should occupy their sensibilities. Edo must move forward. Coming up with the narrative that the Governor did not attend the event in Glasgow is the quintessence of their cynicism, and is poignant in identifying the abyss in which they lie. Criticism for the sake of criticism is injurious to the growth of any community, state and or nation. Leadership by pragmatic governance provides opportunity for stakeholder participation in the process and art of governance. For Governor Okpebholo, his transparent leadership style, coupled with his commitment to making Edo work for all, is more than an incentive for all to join in, in his mission. He insists that “Edo must work.” He said, “Edo must rise beyond the ashes of poor governance and decayed infrastructure, because future generations will not forgive us if we are unable to rise above petty politics and deliver democracy dividends to our people.” Okpebholo is working; PDP, make una dey play!
