By Odeon Kodalo

In terms of governance, political evolution, strategic and critical thinking, these are not certainly the best of times for Edo State. It is very difficult to predict right now, where the state is heading.

In the most recent times, Edo State has literally come to represent the general belief in Africa which suggests that when yesterday’s condition of a patient is far better than that of today, the destination of such patient is obvious, irrespective of the proficiency of the physician.

When such a belief is related to governance, we find a situation where the people who typify the patient in the above analogy, will be lost in negative impulse and very far from improvement, development and visionary legacy which good governance ultimately bequeaths.

In Edo State as we speak, particularly since the inception of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s 2nd term in office, nothing but crisis, conflict and antagonistic policies have been the Hallmark of the system.

In the period under review, since the 2020 electioneering, the age long and enlivened Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Edo State has been systematically dismantled, as well as methodologically and deceitfully displaced; all at the peril of the Edo State people for the singular interest of Governor Godwin Obasek’s second tenure, and that of his Deputy, the SSG and even the Chief of Staff all in one swoop.

Surprisingly, frantic attempts are being made to undo the structure that brought them to office such that it is being brazenly dissolved and disbanded in utter disregard for mutuality devoid of conflict.

In the education sector under Governor Godwin Obaseki, the greatest victims have been the Colleges of Education, Ekiadolor and Igueben; College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi and now, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. These tertiary institutions in the state have experienced serious dislocation and in extreme cases, annihilation.

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The Edo State Civil Service has been worse off as it continues to experience turmoil, the way it has been turned inside-out by Governor Obaseki.

Under Obaseki’s watch, very inexperienced and cosmetic consultants have been engaged to disorganise the civil service. The extant rules, principles, norms , methods and statutory order of the Service have been seriously undermined and compromised . The experiences , Seniority and importance of Cadres which used to be the hallmark of the Service are being jettisoned.

The Consultants have designed strange and phoney Cadres that are obviously at variance with the Civil Service and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria such that there is now total disrespect for Seniority. Juniors now brazenly Lord it over Seniors with reckless abandon.

At the behest of the Governor, his administration loudly told the world that e-governance is running in Edo State. To this end, sometime this year, the entire senior category of the Civil Service were mandated to undergo a promotional examination in the State. This they were told was necessary for the purpose of competence, capacity and the much needed reform.

Behold, while many institutions are using CBT as e-tool of participation and engagement, the very Senior civil servants in Edo State were made to write with biro and paper. Several months after the examination, no single candidate or civil servant that participated in that examination can tell the result as scores in the examination have been shrouded in mystery. This is antithetic to digital and e-governance as well as against the transparent utilisation of tax-payers money.

Rather than recognise the so-called competence, capacity and much valued experience of the time-tested Edo State Civil Service that necessitated the exams, it was speculated that, some staff of the Consultants traded and are still trading the scores of the exams, manipulating figures, positions and members of the Edo State Civil Service for self-interest.

What is more, the Edo State Specialist Hospital has been decapitated by Governor Godwin Obaseki. Rather than utilise the space and central location of the facility, at Sapele Road as designed by our forebears, the governor decided to decentralise its location rather than its services. This it was revealed by some residents that the expanse of land available for the Hospital is the interest of the Governor for private grabbing.

If you look around the hospital’s abandoned space right now, particularly on the Ezoti Road axis of the hospital, wild animals and criminals have turned the environment into a place of abode, with no serious intention of the Edo State Government concerning the land.

On the issue of land, Governor Godwin Obaseki is always quick to destroy and in a hurry to grab and acquire land with little or no convincing reasons for such attitude of Government.

Residents around Okoroma, Obazagbon, Evbuekpen and Obayantor are in a serious dilemma to see government acquiring their parcels of land with impunity, without serious consideration for their infrastructure deficit.

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To this end, they have rhetorically asked to know what Governor Obaseki really wants.

“Obaseki wants to grab and acquire Garrick Secondary School layout. He wants to acquire and grab the entire Ezoti residential areas. He is intimidating the people Evbuekpen, Okoroma, Obazagbon and many more. What does he really want?”, the residents are asking.

Residents of Ezoti have severally cried out to the Government of Governor Godwin Obaseki to stay away from their heritage and ancestral land bequeathed to them by their forefathers. This is as a result of the fact that Governor Obaseki is considered desperate to acquire their ancestral lands in addition to his desire to destroy all that former Doctors Quarters at Ezoti Street, presently housing several ministries and government functionaries in the State.

According to many residents in the State, “if Governor cannot improve on our lives and facilities he met as Governor, he should leave us the way he met us, rather than destroy the entire place and build empty halls without aesthetic designs, convenience and vision and start to call them Hub”.

“He is busy telling everybody that EMOWAA is a must for his Government, even when he has not done anything to preserve several tourist and common heritage sites in the State. Go to Ramat Park for instance, it is like a village inside a city. Ramat Park is so bushy and irritating.

Several heritages such as the Central Specialist Hospital that was a beehive of activities and attractive to visitors and tourists, The Edo State Library, Edo Broadcasting Service, (EBS) and Bendel Newspapers Corporation, publishers of The OBSERVER titles, Ethiope Publishing, Edo Line, Edo State Library which collectively form part of our common patrimony and heritage have been strangely destroyed by Governor Godwin Obaseki for no convincing reasons and better alternative.

“In short, Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has become so impulsive, prodigious and destructive not only to infrastructure, but also very caustic to the entire Government ecosystem and apparatus in the State.

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“We had Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia in this State. He built the likes of The Nigerian Observer as the mouth piece of government and the voice of the people and several other facilities. We had Prof. Ambrose Alli who built the University that Obaseki is frustrating today; and many more. These past Govenors neither destroyed nor displaced citizens and the system. The Secretariat that was renovated by Governor Godwin Obaseki recently was designed and built over forty (40) years ago. Yet it is still serving the purpose it was initially met to serve. The ICE building was built several years ago. It was renovated and is currently in use. Why the destructive tendencies and displacement of people and the system by this present administration?

The earlier a stop is put to these dangerous trends the better for Edo people.

-Odeon Kodalo writes from Abudu, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Edo State.