The Edo at 33 celebrations tagged “The Glory Of The New Edo Nation” has been a week-long event with several activities that have been held to commemorate the new age.
The week-long celebration started with a thanksgiving service held on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Tennis Court, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Speaking at the thanksgiving service, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, prayed for sustained peace, unity, progress, development and smooth transition in government in the state.
The governor alongside his wife, Betsy; the Edo State Deputy Governor, Engr. Godwins Marvellous Omobayo, his wife, Sandra, and other top government functionaries joined Christians across the state to celebrate the state’s 33rd anniversary.
The governor urged the incoming administration to build on progress his administration has made in the last eight years, ensuring continuity.
He said, “We have amazing prospects ahead with the foundation we have laid. We have never been this united. When we came into office eight years ago, we were the joke of all in terms of the menace of human trafficking. All fingers pointed to Edo State as people who wanted to leave Nigeria by all and every means.
“However, today, people are coming back, driving up property values. This is because there is something to do here. When we talk of the prospects, we are just beginning. We have laid the bases for growth and development in Edo State with the infrastructure we have built.”
Noting that a lot of new developments are being unveiled, he said: “Last week, we got the authority to set up our electricity market. This is what we have been working on for the last eight years. With the gas reserve we have, we are likely to become the electricity powerhouse in Nigeria. We will attract a lot of industries to the state.
“In terms of fiber optic investment, no State has invested as Edo State in digital infra- structure. With electricity and connectivity, our access to the world is limitless. We have been able to take charge of security and we have been able to.”
Bishop Oriname Oyonnude Kure, who led the prayers for the governor and his cabinet, commended the governor for all he has done in almost eight years in office.
The week-long celebration event to mark Edo at 33 continued on Monday, August 26, with an event tagged “Education: Our Children, Our Treasure” held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub.
Speaking at the event, Governor Obaseki said the Edo masterplan, which has now been launched, is not a political document but aimed at ensuring continuity.
In her welcome address, the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, expressed delight in carrying along the education sector into the Edo State master plan.
She said the education sector is privileged to be given the opportunity to showcase how to incorporate the 15 sections of the Edo State Master Plan into the school curriculum.
“Today, our children will showcase how the master plan will fit into the school curriculum. We are here to make sure everybody in the education ecosystem understands the masterplan”.
Also, on Tuesday, August 27, the official launch of the 30-year Benin City and Edo Regional Development Masterplans took place at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and the Governor’s Ball/Award Night was held at Horatio Marquee, Okada Avenue.
Governor Obaseki was joined at the official launch by two former governors of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and Prof. Osarienmen Osunbor, among others.
Other guests at the event include the Edo State First Lady, Betsy Obaseki; Deputy Governor of Edo State, Marvellous Godwins Omobayo and his wife, Sandra; former Deputy Governors of the State, Peter Obadan and Mike Ogiadome; Edo State Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa; the PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo and his wife, Ifeyinwa; his running mate, Osarodion Ogie, serving commissioners, captains of industries, traditional and religious leaders, among others.
Speaking at the event, the governor said: “I welcome all of you today, as we launch Edo State Regional Development and the Benin City Master Plans. These are two critical documents that would help us tidy up our administration and summarise what we have been trying to do in the last 8 years. It will also guide and establish a trajectory for where our State is heading in the next 30 years.
“These plans have been carefully put together and we have consulted widely across the state to ensure participation of our citizens. Our people have been involved in this process and will continue to be involved because it’s a living document, and not static.
“They are subject to review every five years and there will be six reviews in the life span of these documents. Today, we are glad that we have been able to make a significant departure from what we met.
“When we did our first flyover across the State in 2017, it became clear to us that beyond issuing titled documents, we needed to plan for the State following what we saw. We saw a disordered mode of development, particularly in Benin City.
“We were also concerned about the growing trend where almost 50 per cent of the population was migrating to Benin City and the lopsided development needed to be addressed and dealt with.”
Similarly, the Edo at 33 celebration continued on Wednesday, August 28, with the groundbreaking of the Edo Arena, held at the Garrick Memorial Field, Ekenwan Road in Benin City.
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and Afrobeats sensation, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Edo Arena, a state-of-the-art conference hall and event centre.
The Edo Arena, which is to be called ‘The Dome’, is situated at former Garrick Memorial School Ground, Ekenwan Road, in Benin City, the state capital.
Obaseki and Rema were joined by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Asue Ighodalo and the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Diaspora Affairs, Uyi Oduwa Malaka, among other top government functionaries.
The elated music sensation thanked the people of the state for their relentless love and support, commending Governor Obaseki for his bold reforms and projects that have improved the lives of the people and transformed the state in the last eight years.
“I am happy to be here. I thank Edo people for their prayers and support. I am proud of the state, especially the growth recorded so far. I am proud of the togetherness, passion and zeal to make it greater.”
Commending the governor for the project, Rema said, “I am proud of the youths and ready to take part in anything that will give a drive to the youths, strengthen and motivate them. This is a blessing and I will see to it that this project is finished well.”
On the idea behind the development of the project, Governor Obaseki stated, “When we came into government in 2016, we didn’t have a venue for events but rather we were hiring canopies for events and renting places for large events, especially when we invite people out of the State. It became clear that we needed to have a venue where we could host large events.
“In the course of our planning, we realized that Edo has a unique advantage. They don’t call us the heartbeat of Nigeria for nothing. Edo enjoys tremendous traffic as most Nigerians move through Edo State and we noticed that it’s a huge economic advantage for us.
“We have the capacity to host national events and attract all Nigerians here. We made strategic plans as we began to sell our culture and position ourselves to attract more people to our state.”
The week-long celebration event to mark Edo at 33 continued on Thursday, August 29, with a Street Carnival that started from the Kings Square, popularly known as Ring Road, and moved across major streets in Benin City, the state capital. Thursday also saw the opening ceremony of the ENINA Theatre Festival, which was held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub. Thursday’s events saw notable entertainers such Nollywood icon Joke Silva and other big wigs in the entertainment industry in Nigeria and Edo State gracing the occasion.
Today, Friday, August 30, the Rema Homecoming Concert will be held at the Main Bowl of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium by 8pm.
The much talked about Rema homecoming concert will see Rema, his friends and other notable artists across the country and Edo State thrilling Edo people in an event that is expected to last all through the night.
The event is expected to have Governor Godwin Obaseki, key government functionaries, political leaders across the state, stakeholders, media personnel, as well as thousands of Edo people will be in attendance in the highly anticipated show.
Finally, the week-long celebration to mark the Edo at 33 will climax on Saturday, August 31, with the commissioning of the Benin City Mall, located at Sapele Road and an After Party that will take place at Magic City, Benin City Mall.
