Okpebholo wants to leave a lasting legacy in Edo- Afegbua ----- By Eubaldus Enahoro

 

When history looks back at Edo State a couple of years from today, the administration of Senator Monday Okpebholo will be remembered for one thing: it restored confidence.

Confidence for the worker, confidence for the investor, and confidence for the ordinary Edo man who just wants to sleep with two eyes closed.

According to Okpebholo in his reflections on one year of building Edo together, titled, "My Path, Our Progress," when he became Governor he was determined to ensure that Edo must be safe again.

He had listened to too many stories of families torn apart by Kidnappers, of young people lost to cult wars, and of villages living in fear because criminals had found comfort in the forests.

The Governor was conscious of the fact that no matter what else was achieved by his administration, none of it would matter if the people could not live and work in peace

In less than two years, Governor Okpebholo has moved from campaign promises to lasting structures and what seemed like quick interventions are becoming lasting legacies.

Before now, Edo was notorious on the news for kidnappings on the Benin-Auchi road, cult clashes in Benin, and forest hideouts and Governor Okpebholo declared a zero-tolerance stance.

There are significant departures from what it was in the past obviously due to the practical approach towards combating the menace and not theoretical

For the Governor, security was personal, considering the pain of losing his own police aide, Inspector Akor Onu to one of the armed thugs who had been recruited in the past under the guise of "security operatives."

That moment was a turning point and it reminded the Governor how badly the system had been compromised and how urgently it needed cleansing 

The Edo State Security  Corps, ESSC was reorganized and retrained to make them more professional, disciplined and motivated and the security agencies were promptly mobilized 

The ESSC are spread across the eighteen local government areas and placed on payroll, giving dignity to community policing.

State-wide surveillance on all major corridors: Benin-Auchi, Ekpoma-Uromi, Benin Bypass and all business premises have been encouraged to install a CCTV in their premises to assist in curbing crime in the state.

Meanwhile, the result has been that farmers are returning to farms. drivers ply Ekpoma road without fear and as the former Commissioner of Police, who is now the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Monday  Agbonika said, it is a "new dawn" for Edo security. 

Security is the foundation of all development, and Okpebholo laid that foundation in concrete.

Also, a government's greatness is measured by how it treats its workers and pensioners and for  eight years, civil servants employed before January 2017 lived in pension confusion. 

However, Governor Okpebholo has ended that anxiety with one humane directive: return all pre-2017 workers to the Defined Benefits Scheme. It was not the cheapest option, but it was the right option. It tells the civil servant who started in 2005: "Your 20 years count."

There has been prompt payment of salaries and clearance of arrears. This is a governor who understands that a motivated civil service delivers a greater Edo.

Okpebholo did not just equip security; he strengthened the law. The amendment of the anti-cultism and anti-kidnapping laws with stiffer penalties, and the request for special courts for speedy trial has broken the cycle of "arrest and bail" that fueled cultism in Benin. 

There is no doubt that cult-related violence has dropped significantly and that is a legacy that will outlive this administration.

We all know that no investor goes to a state where they are  not safe. By securing the highways and the communities, Okpebholo has unlocked Edo's economy. His Project SHINE - Security, Health, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Education is already attracting attention. 

There is no doubt that there has been tremendous improvement in the security of lives and properties across the state because of the huge investment and focus in that area that  is number one in the agenda of the state government. This shows a state reclaiming its monopoly on safety.

It is becoming clearer that the Governor has  Chosen to make  security and welfare of the People a top priority and not to Politicise such important issues.

Governor Monday Okpebholo may not be loud, but his legacies are loud and he needs everyone to join him to actualise his policies and programmes and not to be a distraction 

In the words of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua during his visit to the Nigerian Observer on Wednesday, Governor Monday Okpebholo has a very positive mind to do things right because he wants to leave a lasting legacy in the hearts of Edo people.

The Governor is building the first fly over bridges at Ramat Park and Adesuwa in the state, fixing  32 kilometres of the Sapele Road and other roads across the state. Investment in health care infrastructure, Agriculture, Education and mineral resources 

According to some political analysts, Okpebholo is not building bridges alone; he is rebuilding trust. Trust between government and worker, between state and investor, between leader and people.

Edo people may not remember how many Hilux were bought, but they will remember that there was a time when they could travel from Benin to Auchi without fear, when pensioners were paid, and when criminals were told: "Leave Edo."  by Governor Okpebholo.

Eubaldus Enahoro was former Editor of the Nigerian Observer