I don’t expect Okpebholo to reverse my reforms — Obaseki

Mr Obaseki’s tenure will end on 11 November.

The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has expressed optimism that some of his administration’s reforms will outlive the incoming government of the Governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo.

Mr Obaseki, whose second and last tenure would expire on 11 November, expressed the optimism in an interview with journalists in Lagos.

Speaking on concerns about the continuity of some of his reforms after his administration, Mr Obaseki said his government had made efforts to institutionalise some of them.

Mr Obaseki said: “The people are very aware of our reforms and legacies we are leaving behind. I don’t think because there is a change in government, they will change some of these reforms.

“Even if the government that is coming doesn’t support or encourage them as we used to, they (reforms) will not disappear.

“Beyond this, in the reforms we have undertaken, we have institutionalised or started the process of institutionalising some of them.

“The people know, and I doubt if they will keep quiet for long, allowing things to go back to what it used to be without complaining or shouting.

“I’m optimistic that they (reforms) will last,” he said.

He said that workers and parents whose children were enjoying EdoBEST, e-learning education, and other initiatives would not allow the incoming All Progressives Congress-led administration to interfere with them.

He said that his administration had restored respect for civil service, revolutionalised education, and improved electricity, internet connectivity, and road infrastructure, among other things.

According to him, the role of government is to provide infrastructure and to create an enabling environment for citizens to do what they need to do.

“What are the critical infrastructures we need today? Fundamentally, in Nigeria, people need electricity, connectivity, and roads,” he said.

‘Edo, cheapest point to generate electricity’

Governor Obaseki said that with robust partnerships with the private sector, the state government had succeeded in encouraging electricity generation by attracting firms like Azura and Ossiomo Power.

He said that this was to create state-owned electricity markets and to encourage investments in power distribution within the state.

Mr Obaseki said that his administration had ensured stable electricity to power public institutions and infrastructure in metropolitan Benin City.

“We are lucky in a way in Edo because of our location, we are a core, a hub for electricity.

“Edo is the cheapest point to generate electricity because it costs about a million dollars for a kilometre gas pipeline.

“And it also costs about a million dollars for a kilometre of transmission. Edo is that point where electricity transmission meets gas transmission.

“So, if you generate electricity in Edo today, you can upload and sell it into the grid.

“Edo also has the largest onshore reserves of gas. Most of our gas is either deep offshore or in the swamp,” he said.

According to him, Edo remains one of the few states that can have their electricity market.

Mr Obaseki said that his administration also prioritised fibre optics infrastructure for connectivity across the state’s 18 local government areas.

He said, “In today’s world, without connectivity, no country can go anywhere in the world. So, we have also invested heavily in this to give access.

“We built networks across all the 18 local government (areas) in the state.”

Mr Obaseki will hand over to Mr Okpebholo of the APC following the latter’s victory in the 21 September governorship election in the state.

(NAN)