Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, in this interview with journalists, described the killing of some northern travellers in Edo as an act of criminality that has no place in the state. Besides bringing perpetrators to justice, he outlines measures for improved security and welfare in the state. AZIMAZI MOMOH JIMOH was there.
Following the killings of some travellers, who were stopped and burnt alive in a mob action that took place in the Uromi area of Edo state last week, what does this imply for your administration?
It was an unfortunate incident in Uromi where some persons purporting to be members of a vigilance team, took the laws into their hands and murdered some people who were travelling home for the festivities. It was a very distressing incident, which tended to cast a blight on what we are doing to ensure security in the state.
I visited the area and also spoke with the Governors of Kano and Katsina states and before then, we had even apprehended 14 persons who are currently under interrogation. Further necessary actions will be taken. In Edo state, there is no room for savagery. There is no room for jungle justice or mob attacks. We will never condone such crime. I won’t want to talk more on that so as not to jeopardise security investigations.
We have reorganised the Security Corps of the State. As soon as I came in, I purchased security vehicles equipped with modern gadgets. The challenges in the area of insecurity you see in Edo State are being addressed. I have also signed some bills into law to strengthen the security of our state. Kidnappers and cultists are on the run. When we took over the government, cultism was a common crime in Edo State but we have addressed that now. Other security challenges we face will be addressed soon, I assure you.
As a government, our responsibility is to provide the people of the State with security. During my campaign, I placed security above all, and it is an area of focus and priority for my administration because it is important. The issue of cultism is not acceptable in Edo State. We do not want to lose anybody, and we will be firm about this. We have ordered the security agencies to collaborate and ensure Edo is safe for all, but not safe for criminals. We charged them to smoke criminals out of the State from wherever they are hiding and ensure the state is safe for all.
But travelling through Edo State remains a nightmare because of the poor state of roads. Don’t you think this can reverse whatever you have achieved in the area of security?
Before I came in, the state was totally cut off due to the bad roads. We didn’t waste time to turn Edo into a construction site and we are ready to partner with reputable organisations. We promised our people that we would fix and construct the roads. Edo people should expect good things to happen. We will fix our roads and ensure that our people enjoy the dividends of democracy. The failed portion at Upper Mission Extension Road was terrible when we took over.
My administration is determined to solve the problem and put smiles on the faces of our citizens. When I took over, President Bola Tinubu was not happy with the state of infrastructure in the state. But you can see that we are already transforming the state. The Ramat Flyover, for instance, will transform the economy and social fortunes of our capital city and indeed Edo state. Ramat Park is a gateway to Benin City and other parts of the country. This is the first flyover we are constructing, and we are going to construct more. There will be one by Dawson Road junction and another one by Sapele Road/Adesuwa Road junction. Ramat Park Flyover will provide a new lease of life for motorists in Benin and communities along these two corridors. We have instructed the contractors working on the Benin-Auchi Expressway and the Benin-Asaba Expressway to work day and night to ensure the road is completed on time. My job is not to sit in the office, I promise Edo people practical and good governance, and sitting in the office will not allow me to achieve that.
So, I have to monitor every project embarked on by this administration to ensure quality of work and also ensure the work is delivered on time and to specification.
You are blessed with the presence of many federal roads in the State but what are the real issues with the state of those roads?
We are working to fix the failed portions of federal roads. We have fixed Obadan Junction and Benin-Auchi Road. This road is a gateway between the South-East and northern part of the country. People from Edo State, eastern, and northern parts of the country use this road. Fixing this road (Obadan junction) will boost the credibility of the All Progressives Congress-led (APC) administration. I am very honoured and very happy seeing the remedial work on the Benin/Ekpoma/Auchi Expressway. The President promised to fix this road and now has matched words with actions, and people and Edo people in general are happy with this development of this road, which is now passable. You can see what my administration has done in terms of fixing federal roads in the state.
Initially, the road was not passable as several accidents were recorded on the Benin-Iruekpen federal road, both small and big vehicles, and lives were lost as well.
Once upon a time, we had a government in Edo State that was used to placing sign boards across all federal roads with the inscription, ‘This is a federal road, bear with us’ but today, we know Edo people used these roads. We will continue to move forward to see that our people enjoy good roads across the State. Reducing the time of travel along this road is our achievement. A journey that will take up to four hours now takes about 45 minutes.
Education seems to be a sector that has not been appropriately given the needed attention in the state. What is the problem?
Do you remember when we went to one abandoned Ebomisi Secondary School in Ugbogiobo Ovia North East Local Governments Area during my campaign? I had imagined that my immediate predecessor would have rebuilt the school, but nothing happened there. For me, this is not acceptable. The state of Edo schools is terrible, and children attend these so-called EdoBest schools. For me, this is not acceptable. My administration will fix these schools. My administration will correct the wrong, make, and change the narratives of our schools in Edo State. Our job is to make Edo people happy and our children educated in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
Education is the bedrock of development. For instance, take a look at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), it holds a special place in Edo State as the institution has produced some of the finest minds in Nigeria, but it is our responsibility to restore its lost glory and ensure its continuous existence. One of the first steps my administration took in restoring the lost glory of the institution was to increase the monthly subvention from N41 million to N500 million. This is a bold step that reflects our commitment to the revival of AAU and also introduced special intervention to accelerate infrastructural development, ensuring that students and staff have the needed resources to strive. You can see the massive work ongoing across schools in Edo State.
I have visited several schools and you can see for yourself the massive renovations, reconstructions and remodeling of the schools. By the time we would be one or two years in office, Edo State and its people would have experienced a lot of transformation across the State in the education and other sectors.
What steps have you taken to revamp the economy of Edo since you came into office?
We are ready to provide an enabling environment for businesses in the state to strive. We urge investors to bring more investments to the State. My agenda is to develop Edo State and make it a better place than we met it. Key decisions have been taken, and more good decisions will still be taken to improve the lives of Edo people. We shall begin to provide interest-free loans to Edo traders. Our traders are the backbone of our economy, and we must support them with enough capital to help boost their businesses and improve the economy. The interest-free loans will help empower our traders, enhance growth, development, and stability, and improve the livelihoods of the people.
How would you describe the health sector in the state and have you done far to improve on it?
We really need to work hard, face the challenges, and move the Ministry of Health forward in the state. Moving the healthcare sector forward is a challenge we must face and ensure our people receive quality healthcare services. After inspecting the facilities at Stella Obasanjo Hospital, it was glaring that the last administration did nothing in that institution. It just painted the building and put air conditioners to create an impression of construction when former Governor Godwin Obaseki commissioned the building but that was a deceit. It is unfair and also cheating.
What are you doing about agriculture?
There are plans to revolutionise the agricultural sector through mechanised farming. We have started massive mechanised farming in Edo State. We are poised to ensure that food is available to all. My administration will provide the people with equipment, fertilizers, and support with resources to farm and produce food for the nation. We will have farms across the three senatorial districts of the State. I am talking to the governor of Niger State to see if we can partner to develop Edo State through agricultural activities.
My administration has also increased the agricultural budget from about N5 billion to N70 billion. This is to create the enabling environment for the people to go back to farms. We have cleared large hectares of land for people to farm and we are ready to clear more. We will clear about 3,000 hectares as we have embarked on the first stage. We still have similar farm settlements in Edo Central and Edo North.
