Benin City: Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Honourable Comrade Philip Shaibu has called on the state’s Directorate of National Orientation Agency, NOA, to propagate the programme and policies of the Obaseki administration. He said the administration has done so much providing dividends of democracy. According to the Deputy Governor, ” we need a powerful information organ like NOA to tell the outside world what we are doing here in Edo so that other states government in the country can emulate the good governance being propagated by the Obaseki administration.”

Shaibu stated this when the leadership of the Edo State Directorate of NOA led by the new Director, Mr Austin Odile, paid him a courtesy and familiarisation visit, Tuesday

The Deputy Governor noted that as an agency responsible for advocacy and enlightenment of government policies and programs in all the tiers of government, it was imperative it explains Edo Government’s impressive score cards so far provided in the areas of Employment, Security, Health , infrastructure and Basic education, such that the basic foundation for elementary education laid by the state has been successfull to the extend that the children at that level can read and write

According to the Deputy Governor, so much has been done by the state which are impactful on the people , like the basic health delivery , the primary healthcare which now caters for more rural people, security, resetting the economy, dealing with unemployment and most importantly, educating the people on their political rights, which NOA, must begin to engage and do alot of public enlightenment on proper campaign discipline as we approach another election year

” You have more work to do as Director.As Director, you need to do alot of public campaign to bring in discipline during campaigns. We want to do programs that are impactful, to deal with bad things, reset the economy and secure lives and property.”

“The implications is that you need to exercise and be mentally stable. For you, you have a major work to ensure things are done properly. Study what we are doing here, to reduce unemployment, transform basic education. Our Children can read and write at elementary stage. We are building an informed society to make governance and society easy” Comrade Shaibu also explained

The Deputy Governor further noted that the state government was non discriminatory in dealing with agencies of the other tiers of government, assuring that it would assist NOA to deliver on its statutory mandate

For instance, he listed support so far given to health institutions,like the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and Irrua Specialist Hospitals ,where it provided medical equipment and built isolation centres during the COVID 19 pandemic which earned the state an enviable scorecard as a reference point for other states to emulate.

According to Hon. Shaibu, its resolve to collaborate with other government agencies, wether federal or otherwise, was for the reason that the those agencies are in the service of Edo people which is sancrosanct to the service delivery aspiration of the current administration under their leadership.

Earlier in his introductory remarks , the Edo NOA boss, Mr Odile requested for collaboration from the state to be able to effectively carry out its mandate

Odile noted that funding for the agency to carry out its advocacy, enlightenment roles for both the states, federal and local governments ought to be a tripartite arrangement , but lamented that it was not so presently.

He called on the state to support NOA and include it in its protocol lists , so that it can effectively propagate the policies, plans, programmes and actions of the Edo state.