The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has promised to make the state the business and economic hub of the country, if he is re-elected as governor in the September 19 polls.
He gave this assurance at the launch of his re-election campaign as well as that of his deputy, Philip Shaibu at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the state capital on Saturday.
The governor said it was part of his plan to Make Edo Greater Again, which he said is the theme of his campaign.
“The last time, I said let us go further and we have reached where we are today.
“In a post COVID world, a world that is now defined by social distancing by COVID, where everybody has to now maintain their place, we are saying that we will, by working with you, make Edo greater again,” he said.
“Our message is one of hope and one for the future. The MEGA theme which we have adopted will focus on how to improve governance”.
“We are going to be introducing a lot of technology. We are going to make sure that programmes we are starting particularly with agriculture, youth employment, we are going to insist that we are going to continue in that path.
“Edo will be the business and economic hub of the country.
“We will be because we believe that God has given us everything to become one of the greatest states in this country,” Obaseki said.
Also top on the list of the governor is the restoration of electricity in the state.
According to him, a new plan is underway to revive the power project which had failed earlier.
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“I’m sure you are seeing what we are doing with electricity. We invested in Azura, 450 megawatts, that power was put into the grid and now we are darkness in Edo State.
“I have now gone again to look for another set of investors. We invested in another plan and by next month by the grace of God, it would have been completed and we will have electricity in this city.
“I want to assure you that with me and my Deputy, you have two people who are ready to put their lives on the line for you,” he said.
Obaseki is campaigning for a second term in office on the platform of a new party, the Peoples Democratic Party following his defection from the All Progressives Congress, with which he won his first term.
According to the party, his re-election bid is on the strength of the work he has done in the last three years.
The governor thanked the PDP for accepting him into the party.
“When I was thrown out in the rain, and the political storm you gave me the umbrella to shield me, they gave us that umbrella to shield us,” he said.
“To these gallant, trustworthy, members of our National Working Committee, on behalf of the Edo people, I say thank you.
“Now that we have been given the official mandate, we will see what we will do.
“Four years ago, we made a promise to you that we are going to transform Edo State that Edo is the heartbeat of Nigeria and the transformation of the state will lead to the transformation of Nigeria and by the grace of God, that is beginning to happen and it will happen in this election.
“This mandate that has been given to us is simple. What you are saying is, you like what you have seen in the last four years, please go back and continue with what you have done.
“In the last four years, we put our people first and nothing else mattered more than our people. And because we were working for our people, God Almighty has supported us”.
