I strongly believe that Edo people are in for the best time ever in the history of the creation of one of the most homogenous states in the country. From all indications, the achievements of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, Professor Ambrose Folorunso Alli and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole may jolly well be a child’s play if Mr. Godwin Obaseki executes all the plans and good intentions he has for the state in the next eight years.
The latest of such plans came out clearly over the weekend when the Governor disclosed in Abuja that his government would partner with the government of Japan in the areas of manufacturing, transportation, and vocational training for the youths as part of moves to make the state a manufacturing hub in the county.
The governor held that the synergy would also be in the area of technological training which was a major aspect of his strategic plan to empower the people of the state, affirming that his government would revamp the fruit processing company in Ehor, the fertilizer company in Auchi this first quarter of the year and at the same time, focus on the area of solid minerals.
The governor’s meeting with the Japanese is clearly in continuation of his efforts at wooing investors to the state. While in Abuja, he held talks with the First Secretary Economic-Development co- operation of the Embassy of Japan, Gaku Sato at the Abuja Liaison office of Edo state. He used to occasion to re-state his plans to revive technical colleges in Edo State to help in the vocational training of the youths.
The governor certainly is not resting on his oars to turn Edo State into an industrial and manufacturing hub of Nigeria and it is equally obvious that he is avidly determined to leave no one in doubt and no stone unturned in ensuring that his lofty plans pull through as quickly as possible. Obaseki’s engagement with the Japanese, therefore is aimed at turning the fortunes of Edo State that is hitherto known across the country as a civil servant state into an enviable one. The grand plan as it were is to place Edo state in the world map as one of, if not the most developed state in Nigeria.
According to Obaseki himself while discussing with the Japanese in Edo House in Abuja, his administration has a key strategy for empowerment Programme centered around building capacity of young people, informing that one of the things currently being done in collaboration with the Japanese government was to improve the technical colleges and other training facilities in the state. The whole idea here is to provide our young children the right education and knowledge for them to be employable given that most young graduates do not have the relevant skills to fit into the industrial and manufacturing sector. Without the relevant skills and technical knowhow many unemployed in our society can’t be engaged to work.
In Nigeria, expectations are that government would just open up its doors and employ all university, polytechnic and monotechnic graduates. But everywhere in the world, it doesn’t work like that. Most Nigerian graduates just cannot immediately find jobs, not just because the jobs are not there, but because most of the products are theory- rich in knowledge but lack in the practicability of the knowledge they have acquired. Having to revive the technical colleges in Edo State to also produce quality technicians as well as the development of infrastructure across the state would definitely set Edo State ahead of many states in Nigeria
The governor desires to also focus on solid mineral sector in order to attract other investors to the state in the production of Ceramics as well as in the area of Agriculture, is most welcomed. In the exact words of the governor: “Japan has a lot of experience in growing rice and since we have a large rice belt in the state , we have looked at how to co-operate with them. This weekend in Benin, we have over 70 investors in agriculture who would be meeting with me”. This is a crucial time for the government as it sets out to lay the right foundation and make the necessary contacts for developing the state.
Edo is blessed with abundant natural resources for all of this big plans to sail through. From the Kukuruku hills in Akoko-Edo to the swamps of the riverine areas of the state, Edo State is blessed with good soil for agriculture, several mineral deposits and historical sites for the tourism sector.
In the agricultural sector, over 90 percent of Edo State land are fertile. A large part of land in Edo South does not require fertilizer. It is because of such huge potentials in agric business in the state and the successes of other farms like Okomu Oil, Presco, Ojeimai in the state that made business mogul, Captain Hosa Okunbo to set up a $750m farm on a 9200 hectares in the state.
There are several mineral deposits in Edo State. Already, Dangote Group has been granted license for the Obu Limestone Deposit in Okpella while the BUA Cement factory has commenced production. In Benin City, Time Ceramics have commenced production of floor tiles because of abundance of clay deposit in the state. Other mineral deposits are gold, copper, marble, crude oil, gas, clay, granite amongst others.
One of the untapped goldmine in the state is its tourism potential. Its ancient capital, Benin, has historical sites that would fetch million of dollars if proper marketing were done. There is Ughoton, a place where the dead believed to walk through to heaven, Okomu National Park is the only park in the world where you can find the white-throated monkey. There is Crocodile lake at Lampese, Oba Palace, Igun Bronze caster guild, Igbesamwan wood carvers, Ogiamien Palace, the only building that remained standing after the British burnt the city in 1897, statue of Aruhan in Udo, and the river where Aruhan fell that does not flow neither does it dry, Benin Moat and several others.
Obaseki is traversing the length and breath of this country and other important nations of the world to help in transforming Edo into the Nigerian version of Japan. He definitely needs the prayers and blessings of all Edo sons and daughters both at home and in Diaspora to be able to meet this worthy aspiration.
The government of Mr. Godwin Obaseki has started well by putting some square pegs in square holes from all appointments made so far. He has also taken a good step of keeping agberos at bay and letting them know that they cannot go around intimidating innocent citizens in the state which was the biggest albatross of the immediate past government. The Benin Monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare 11 is also complementing the efforts of government in this regard by banning community youth associations and so-called Community Development Associations that were involved in scaring developers and investors alike from the state with their nefarious activities. All of these good efforts of both government and the revered Benin Monarch is certainly paving the way to take Edo State to its Eldorado in the next couple of years to come. They both need our unalloyed loyalty and prayers.
Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
