Gov Okpebholo acknowledges achievements within 100 days in office
Tracy Ohovwore, Benin City
The Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reeled out the admirable achievements of his administration in his first 100 days in office during an event held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City to commemorate the administration’s first 100 days in office.
The governor remarked that he has laid a strong foundation for the realisation of progress across critical sectors in the state, noting that his administration’s focus is “to restore hope in leadership, create opportunities, and set Edo on the path of lasting progress.”
Governor Okpebholo acknowledged that there was a lot of work to be done. Still, his administration would ensure success in security, infrastructure, natural resources, agriculture, and education. He assured the people that more benefits were in the offing.
“We have taken significant steps in strengthening our economy by increasing our Internally Generated Revenue IGR by N10 billion as we took our drive to corporate bodies.
“We have done away with wasteful consultants and invested resources in strengthening public efficiency and our commitment to job creation is evident in the growth of the public service, our talent development programme where best minds contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of Edo State.
“Our administration understands that SMEs are the bedrock of our economy and so, we launched interests-free loans scheme for market women, farmers and artisans which will benefit over 5,000 people in collaboration with the World Bank.
“We have disbursed grants to over 400 small business owners ensuring resilience in the face of economic challenges,” he said.
While reeling out achievements in the areas of food, security, and agriculture, the governor noted that his administration has banned market unions, which were responsible for price inflation in all the markets, to make food readily available for people.
He said: “Healthcare remains a top priority within the last 100 days in office as we have established the first VVF center in the South-South, ensuring women receive specialized maternal care, run free malaria testing and free treatment across government hospitals for the next two years, upgraded health facilities across the State, ensuring quality healthcare services for Edo citizens.
“For my administration, security is not negotiable as we took bold steps by amending the anti-cultism and kidnapping laws with stiffer penalties which has led to significant reduction in cult-related violence.
“We reorganized the Edo State Security Corps and recovered over 3,500 illegal fire arms, procured 75 Toyota Hilux vehicles and 350 motorbikes to match the criminals in line with our promise to smoke them out.
“My administration is constructing major roads across the State with the historic Ramat Park flyover project which is set to ease traffic congestion in Benin City.
“Looking ahead, the future of Edo State under my leadership is bright as evidenced in the progress we have made together. With our economic development plan, we will prioritize agricultural infrastructure and investment in youths skills development as the State becomes the 5th largest economy in Nigeria.”
Okpebholo revealed that his administration’s plan is to drive economic growth in the next four years.
Also, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Dr Umar Ganduje, commended the governor for his developmental strides in the State, saying Okpebholo is a progressive, a performer and a working Governor.
While Unveiling the project – SHINE – the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor, mentioned that SHINE is an acronym that stands for Security, infrastructure, Natural Resources and Agriculture, and Education, which is a reflective framework that drives the actions of Governor Okpebholo.
