When successes which are meant to be celebrated are being attacked not on any constructive metric but on the basis of malice, strife and sheer hate, it is only sane to call the public attention to the ill-fated stunt, so that they are wary of such enemies of progress and development.
In a most recent inconsequential hogwash, another desperate and duplicitous fly-by-night pen pusher, Oluwabamidele Elempe, a supposed Public Affairs Commentator for an unknown online news medium in Abuja, attempted to ridicule and disparage the globally-acclaimed successes of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki in the State’s education sector which has continued to earn him global recognition.
In his self-seeking attack on the governor, the faceless writer made his lack of character, coherence and intellect bare, making a desperate effort to trivialize the governor’s outing in Tanzania where he was invited as the only subnational leader amongst African Heads of State to share insights on how his government expertly utilized public funds to transform the education sector to drive productivity and economic growth on the Continent.
The author’s attempt to undermine the importance of in-person participation in such high-level events only highlighted their lack of understanding of international diplomacy. It was a chance for Governor Obaseki to advocate for Edo State on the global stage, attract investors, and forge partnerships that would benefit the state’s economy and its people.
The writer displayed his crass ineptitude in appreciating the multifaceted approach to governance, penning falsehoods and fabrications, all in a desperate bid to denigrate the Governor’s performance and put him in bad light.
But Edo people and those well-acquainted with the governor’s leadership style know better than to be swayed by such malicious narratives and already see through the façade, recognizing it for what it truly is –a failed attempt by a desperate fly-by-night penpusher to spread lies for instant gratification from the opposition and enemies of the Governor Obaseki-led administration.
Governor Obaseki is not just a leader; he is a global icon with a vision and foresight which has continued to earn him global recognition in education, agriculture, health, among others and the writer’s failed attacks and those of his sponsors cannot change the progress recorded in the reforms of the state’s education sector and other sectors across the State.
It is undeniable that the governor has transformed the state’s education sector, tackling learning poverty and restoring education in Edo back to its former glory through its world-celebrated Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) Programme launched in April 2018. The EdoBEST leverages the transformative power of cutting-edge technology to deliver outstanding learning outcomes to primary school children across Edo State by better supporting their teachers.
Today, over 380,000 children in public schools across the State have benefited from the EdoBEST programme with over 16,000 teachers trained in digital skills and classroom management. In Edo, basic education is free and compulsory for children as they are equipped with various digital skills.
The Edo State Government has distributed 12,000 tablets; 7 million exam materials and 1.5 million textbooks across various EdoBEST schools in Edo State as parents have access to their children’s results. The EdoBEST Programme has been able to rebrand all schools, even those schools in the rural and riverine areas.
The governor’s achievements in the agriculture sector are transformative. In the past six years, the governor’s strategic approach to governance has created a conducive climate that has attracted over $1.5bn worth of investment into Edo State, including the $500 million Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP); the commencement of the injection of over $250 million Saro Africa Integrated Farm with two ethanol processing facilities. It is unarguable that Edo currently has the largest oil palm plantation programme in Africa.
Edo State is today the most connected state digitally in Nigeria and operates the most digitized civil and public service in the Country, with all local governments connected to fibre optics. The State runs an e-governance system and is on the verge of becoming the first State in the country to have entirely shifted to a digital mode of administration.
Edo State has continued to record a boom in its tourism receipts and recently sealed a deal with Radisson Hotels, an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States for the construction of a 172-room hotel in Benin City. That project is in progress to the amazement of naysayers.
The governor has set a new benchmark for accountability and transparency in public procurement in the country, elevating the state’s procurement system and processes to unprecedented levels of efficiency, fairness, and compliance, with different countries and over 19 Nigerian States coming to understudy the transformational changes.
Governor Godwin Obaseki continues to lead with conviction, undeterred by the desperate attempts of naysayers to tarnish his image in the public eye. His actions through his people-oriented policies and projects will continue to speak for him, deafening and silencing those consumed by hatred, strife and animosity.
Nwachukwu, a Public Affairs Commentator writes from Benin City
