BENIN CITY: Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki said his administration is ready to re-orientate the citizens of the state and also entrench trust between the government and the people.
He made this known when he received Executive Members of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Edo State Directorate led by the Acting State Director of the Agency Mrs. Grace Ewere Eseka on a courtesy visit to government house in Benin City Edo State.
Obaseki said there is nothing new about relating and interacting with the people but rather the emphases should be on entrenching trust between the government and the Edo people.
“When we design our programmes and leave them at the level we are today without really domesticating and localising them in such a way that people can relate directly with them, then we will be missing out the point”.
He said the issue is beyond sloganeering and nice songs on television but rather strive to find a way to affect the people on a daily bases. “We want to move beyond sloganeering. We have the Ministry of Orientation and Communication because we believe in the progressive steps we are taking to get our people to think, how we lead and run our society”
He said his administration has decided to go beyond talking and acting but rather make the people to see government action and create room for them to judgement government action.
“In every aspect of life there has to be a change and orientation for the society to work. So it is not about restructuring at the top but it is about restructuring at the base.”
The governor said change should begin with us as individuals saying it is time for hard work. “Change begins with me but how, what do we do everyday to make it happens? This is the time for hard work and that is what we want you to do with us”.
Earlier, the Acting State Director of the National Orientation Agency Mrs. Grace Ewere Eseka said they are in government house to intimate the governor of the programme lined up for implementation of the Agency and seek for the state government’s support in facilitating the adoption and delivery of the programmes for the over all benefits of the people.
She said NOA is charge to work with State Ministry of Communication and Orientation, to actualize these progressive initiatives for the benefit of the people. “The task is onerous, but worth working together for, to ensure that government engages the people through meaningful and consistent dialogue, as it is appropriate. This will go a long way in bridging the information-gap between the government and the public”.
Mrs. Eseka said the Agency is working hard at ensuring that the people come closer to their elected officials through mutual and inclusive confidence-building, openness, and improved public-government relationship.
