For years, Governor Godwin Obaseki presented himself as the philosopher-king of Edo State, self-assured, assertively intellectual, and ever so convinced of his administrative and financial acumen. To many, he was the technocrat savior, heralded for his vision and perceived managerial genius. But beneath the sheen of PowerPoint presentations, numerous Memorandum of Understanding, endless policy talk, and public posturing, lay a tenure defined more by rhetoric, more motion cum less movement and drama than by delivery.
Obaseki’s administration was more of a one-man circus show. His relationship with his party the very platform that brought him to power was marred by ceaseless unnecessary feuds. Allies became enemies; party structures were undermined, and internal conflicts were elevated to state crises. The governor’s inability to work collaboratively, either with political stakeholders or even civil servants, exposed a deep flaw: a fundamental aversion to dissent and constructive criticism.
Policy wise, Obaseki may have made grand pronouncements and signed groundbreaking MoUs, but implementation often faltered. Signature initiatives, such as the EdoBEST education reform or the touted industrialization drive, Ikpoba Okha industrial park, Gelegele port were celebrated in Abuja and international donor circles but lacked visible, measurable impact on the ground in Edo communities.
Even though press releases praised perceived reforms, actual roads remained impassable, markets suffered neglect, and industries remained in the realm of aspiration rather than reality.
Fast forward to the present, and a refreshing contrast has emerged in Governor Monday Okpebholo. Written off by some as “unrefined” or lacking Obaseki’s elite polish.
Okpebholo has, in less than six months, achieved what his predecessor could not in eight years: his decisive action, grassroots engagement, and tangible development has erased whatever achievement Obaseki had to his name from the minds of Edo people.
Governor Okpebholo has shown that leadership is not about speaking the language of Harvard case studies but about understanding the heartbeat of your people. He has tackled infrastructure decay with the needed urgency as roads long abandoned are receiving attention, and rural communities are beginning to see the dividends of democracy once promised but never delivered. Cultural festivals are being revived, not as vanity projects but as economic and social revitalization tools. Government offices are becoming service-driven rather than PR machines.
While Obaseki preached vision, Okpebholo delivers action. Where the Obaseki alienated institutions, Okpebholo collaborates and consults. The difference is stark and it reveals a hard truth: Edo was governed for years by a man who mistook theoretical brilliance for leadership, and now it is being led by one who may not have all the right words but clearly has the right instincts and genuine concerns.
The narratives has not only changed, the standard has changed also as Governor Monday Okpebholo is not dwelling on the failures of the past, he is actually fixing them as he continues to delivers real infrastructure, enforcing accountability, and demanding quality at every turn.
Apart from his silent agricultural revolution policy and the road rehabilitation evolution currently ongoing in Benin city the State capital and Edo Central that has been abandoned by successive administrations. The infrastructural transformation in the heart of Benin City with the building of the Ramat Park Flyover, a first of its kind in the State, marks a bold testament to Okpebholo’s people centric governance style which was completely absent in the eight years of the reign of King Obaseki.
Just recently at the State Executive Council meeting, the Governor approved yet again the payment 25% advance payment for the construction of a Second Flyover at Sapele Road by Adesuwa intersection.
Also approved was a total renovation of the famous Oba Market including the burnt sections, after years of abandonment by King Obaseki.
To show that Governor Okpebholo has risen above petty politics, the road that Obaseki failed to construct to his village (Uhunmwonde) in his eight years in office has also been approved for construction based on community appeal from the community, as their son ended up being a curse instead of being a blessing to them.
A new Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) office building is also to be constructed in Sapele Road to boost traffic management in the State, while a Fertilizer Warehouses will be built by the State Government across the three Senatorial Zone particularly in Benin, Irrua & Auchi, to make fertilizer accessible to the farmers and enhance food security.
Edo State is gradually turning into a massive construction site as the construction of a 100-Bed Hospital to complement the ongoing construction of Nursing School is also underway in Uwessan while Uhie road, off Sapele Road will soon see contractors being mobilized to commence work as the commencement of furniture, fixtures & equipment for renovated Ministries, Department and Agencies is underway.
On insecurity, the State Government recently organized an all inclusive stakeholders meeting (first of its kind in the history of the state) in Edo North with traditional, religious, political, cultural, social, student leaders and civil society in attendance to discuss the insecurity issues and challenges facing the state and the gathering also recommended various ways to dealing effectively with the situation.
This has led to the recruitment exercise for qualified, competent, and passionate individuals into the re-organized and re-structured Edo State Security Corps by a committee tasked to make it more effective and efficient.
The Committee has commenced recruitment and training of qualified candidates whom are drawn from all the Local Government Area of the State including Local Hunters, Vigilantes, Retired Military and Police Personnel and other interested citizens both indigenes and non-indigenes who have lived in the Community long enough and are interested and eligible.
One of the recommendations from the security parly is the demolition of properties used as hideouts for warehousing kidnapped victims and this move recently drew the attention of the Punch Editorial when they urged Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to emulate Okpebholo by confiscating and demolishing properties associated with kidnappings and cult related activities to crush the menace of cultism in Lagos State.
Like a friend recently described it, “my brother, to govern is not about Dy Dx , it is about the sincere application of funds whether from federal allocation or internally generated revenue.
It is called the straight line method of governance not about plenty of phonetics and baritone English”
While Okpeholo might be working, there’s still a lot that needs to be done in the State, including lighting up most of the streets in the Benin metropolis and even though the morning usually tells the day, it is believed in some quarters and I hoped he proves us wrong, that it’s still too early to eulogize him, as some even referred to these projects as what they call in local parlance “IGG initial gra gra”
I however hopes he will not follow in the footsteps of most of his colleagues Governors, who usually starts so well in their first term, only to extinguish the zeal with which they started after getting a second tenure. But I am sure if he continues at this rate, soon he will exposed Obaseki tenure as a “bubuyaya” government with his practical and hands on the job governance. Otherwise if he drops the ball, he should be rest assured that he would have us to contend with not only with our votes, but our stones also, figuratively.
Whilst I wish him wisdom, patience and strength to navigate the complexity of governance and the demands of party faithfuls for a slice of the cake, he should always remember that, like Professor Ambrose Folorunso Alli (the first civilian Governor of old Bendel State now Edo and Delta State and his kinsman) he can write his name in gold in the sand of time not through the mouth of praise singers around him, but the constructive criticism he listens to and his ability to write the wrong and align with the yarnings and aspirations of the people through public oriented duly executed programs and infrastructural development and policies.
A word they say goes into the wise and becomes a whole.
May a new Edo truly arise.
@Dr. Liborous Oshoma
Gatekeepers News is not liable for opinions expressed in this article, they’re strictly the writer’s
