During the formal flag-off of his gubernatorial campaign at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in July last year, Mr. Godwin Obaseki pledged to create two hundred thousand (200,000) jobs if elected governor.
At the occasion, he assured that the focus of his administration, if elected, would be job creation, entrepreneurship and industrialization. Mr. Godwin Obaseki also explained on that day that most of the jobs would be created through agriculture and skills acquisition, and that agriculture would be moved from subsistence to commercial agriculture. He further pledged that his administration would make Edo the agriculture hub of the country.
Good enough, he won the election and true to his promise and as a gentleman that he is, the governor since he was sworn-in has been busy crafting an enabling environment for the creation of the promised jobs. The State Government recently announced that it was ready to give jobs to the unemployed in Edo and has advised all job seekers to go and register at their local government of residence. The areas rolled out for job seekers for now covers the following programmes: Revenue Collection, Waste Management, Agriculture and Traffic Management.
It is obvious that the administration’s progressive agenda is people oriented and is relentlessly pursuing policies that will help improve the lives of the populace. From the explanations of government operatives on the new job openings thus far, there would be opportunities for Revenue Collection Officers as the government is set for the introduction of electronic revenue collection across the state. The new system targets the elimination of cash as a means of revenue collection. It is obvious that government revenue will be massively enhanced by collection through Point Of Sale(POS) terminals and revenue scratch cards for those without ATM cards.
Another area that job seekers are required is Waste Management. The Godwin Obaseki’s administration is keen on turning the waste generated in the state into wealth. He has met with a number of investors in this regard since assumption of office. Opportunity for Edo state to begin to adopt international best practices in the management of waste is now open for harnessing as government has unlocked the untapped potentials. Edo people are convinced that the Waste To Wealth programme has the likelihood of enhancing the waste recycling industry as well as raise awareness on the benefits in the state.
The other area promised by the governor which he is keeping faith with his electoral promise for job creation is Agriculture: The introduction of friendly policies aimed at attracting more investors to do agriculture-related business in the state has been on-going and is yielding the right dividends. The Osaro-Idah led committee has been on top of their task providing the needed plans for the smooth take off of the various agricultural initiatives . This sector alone has the capability of yielding over 100,000 jobs along the entire value chain from cultivation to final packaging of market-ready products.
The last area covered by the government advertisement is Traffic Management: The Prioritization of traffic management is purely borne out of the need to create an atmosphere for sustainable social and economic growth in the state. The planned employment of modern traffic management techniques to reduce injuries, deaths and economic losses caused by road traffic accidents and congestions is welcomed.
Dedicated residents of the state required to pioneer the management of traffic, consequently providing the necessary environment needed to encourage a prosperous state. The plan is also to avoid the pitfalls of the past where traffic control personnel who were not properly recruited or hired reigned terror on the populace. It is expected that there will be decorum and decency of traffic officials this time around, hence the need for them to be properly groomed and trained to face a civil populace.
When the governor made the promise to employ 200,000 people when elected, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state, leading a pack of doubting Thomas’s mocked Obaseki in their campaign rallies and television as well as newspaper commentaries. But today, the man is quietly coasting home triumphantly in keeping his electoral promises to the people of Edo State and Mr. Obaseki has left no one in doubt that he is sure to surpass the 200,000 jobs promised in his first four years in office. Trust me. Obaseki will surpass his promise from the little effort he has made thus far.
Edo people must recall that Governor Obaseki embarked on a special trip to China with a sole aim of wooing investors to the state. While in China, he reportedly held several meetings with potential investors and told them to come and co-invest in the state in the area of building industrial and agricultural parks in line with the vision of his administration in creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths of the state.
Governor Obaseki also wooed some other investors to see how they can come to co-invest with the state in the area of power plant in Gelegele where he is planning to establish a sea port that would open the state up for import and export businesses. A power plant in Gelegele is targeted at complementing the Azura plant which the state government has actively supported to bolster power supply in the entire state.
The Governor also met with some Japanese investors in Abuja not long ago and he told them that “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. ” So far, over 70 investors in agriculture have met with the governor perfecting plans for agricultural revolution in the state. He has also met with several others working in the area of solid minerals and the government has positioned itself to tap from the influx of private investors that have continued to throng the state for massive co-investments with the Godwin Obaseki-led government.
It is important, therefore, for the unemployed in the state to take advantage of this golden opportunity presented by the present administration to key into Governor Godwin Obaseki’s 200,000 jobs just announced which will last for the next 30 working days. Registration, according to the announcement will be at the local government secretariat across the eighteen (18) local government areas of Edo state.
It is, therefore an imperative for all Edos both at home and in Diaspora to lend their support to the Government of the day. He needs every form of support from traditional institutions, religious organisations, Civil Society, media and indeed, every citizen of the State to enable the Obaseki administration achieve these extraordinary ideas it has rolled out.
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• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
