BENIN CITY – Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu has pleaded with communcation giant, Airtel to partner with the state government so as to be part of the unfolding success story of Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin.
The Deputy Governor made the plea Monday, when he received in his office the Regional Operations Director of Airtel, Mr Oladapo Dosunmu who led other top officials of the company on a courtesy visit to Government House, Benin.According to the Deputy Governor, “Bendel Insurance was in relegation for 11 years.
The huge expenditure on it by previous government could not make meaningful impact on the club.
We came in and with little resources coupled with hardwork, we were able to bring the club back to the premiership division” He told his guests that government does not really have business in business, even running a football club, given the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with governance with civil servants as the engine room.
” As a government, all we need do is to provide the enabling environment for private sector to thrive.
Given the private sector background of Governor Obaseki, government is out to make sure Edo becomes the desired business destination of corporate giants like Airtel”.
He said the state government is ready to partner with Airtel and avail it the Bendel Insurance platform to market it’s products.
He further emphasised saying that ” we are doing a massive renovation of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium with a view to making it a world class standard.
You can have your permanent panel there to advise your products. The team’s jersey are also there for you to brand if you so desire.
” He disclosed that the long term idea of government is to make the club self sustaining like what is obtained in some advanced countries of the world, adding that the governor has provided a permanent site for the club where intends to build a club house, two training pitches, a five aside, camp ground, quarters for the support staff etc.
In his response, leader of the visiting delegation from Airtel, Oladapo Dosunmu said all the issues raised by the Deputy Governor will be looked into by the appropriate quarters.
He said the team was in the state for the formal launch of it’s Fourth Generation Network (4G) in Edo, adding that it has already launched it in three major cities across the country, Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan.
