Dear Chris, drop the theatrics, Edo’s children are not “federal patients”
Once again, Chris Nehikhare has shamelessly opened his mouth, spewing baseless criticisms against the administration of His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo. It is rather unfortunate that a man who spent the better part of his political career defending failure and misrule now thinks Edo people have forgotten the ruins left behind by the immediate past government. Edo people have not forgotten.
For years, Nehikhare served as the megaphone of an administration that mismanaged the people’s trust, dismantled state institutions, sold off Edo assets, plunged families into hardship, and left Edo workers, students, and businesses in pain.
Today, Edo breathes again because there is a governor who values lives, especially the most vulnerable among us: our children. The ₦2.5 billion released by Senator Monday Okpebholo for the construction of a world-class Paediatric Specialist Clinic at UBTH is more than just another project; it is a loud declaration that this government values the lives of Edo children. It is the symbol of a new era in Edo, where hospitals are built, not demolished; where health is prioritized, not commercialized; and where governance means compassion, not arrogance.
This is exactly the difference between yesterday’s rulers and today’s leadership. Under Obaseki, which Chris so shamelessly defended, Edo’s 100-year-old Central Hospital was demolished to make way for a vanity museum project. Stella Obasanjo Hospital was reduced to an empty shell. The Edo Specialist Hospital, built with taxpayer money, was privatized to cronies. That administration turned healthcare into a private business while Edo people died in their thousands.
Let it be said loud and clear: UBTH’s doors are open to our children, our mothers, our fathers, our families. UBTH may carry a federal tag, but its wards are filled with Edo people. When a child in Uromi, Ekpoma, or Agenebode is rushed in emergency, they are not treated as “federal children.” They are Edo sons and daughters. To dismiss this ₦2.5 billion investment as unnecessary is to dismiss the lives of those children. Only a man completely out of touch with the pains of his people could talk this way.
The same logic applies to roads and security. Yes, they may be owned by the federal government, but who suffers when they fail? Edo people. When federal roads collapse, it is Edo traders and commuters that are trapped. When insecurity rises, it is Edo families that bury their loved ones. And when hospitals lack facilities, it is Edo children that die. Senator Okpebholo understands this reality, and that is why he has not hidden behind excuses. Instead, he is fixing federal roads, partnering with UBTH, supporting security agencies with equipment, and building institutions that work for Edo people. That is leadership. That is responsibility. That is what Nehikhare and the past administration never gave us.
This is why Okpebholo’s government is already delivering Edo’s first-ever flyover at Ramat Park while Obaseki couldn’t build one in 8 years; in fact, another has been approved at Adesuwa Junction. Amongst others, he has revived the moribund New Edo Line Transport Company, a project that directly impact Edo lives and restore pride in the state.
What moral standing does Chris Nehikhare have to speak today? The same man who defended the reckless sale of Edo Specialist Hospital to cronies. The same man who justified the destruction of the Central Hospital- Edo’s oldest health institution, leaving our people stranded. The same man who cheered as education, healthcare, and security collapsed under his watch. Edo people know the truth: Nehikhare is not speaking for them; he is only struggling to stay relevant after presiding over years of failure.
Under Senator Monday Okpebholo, Edo is on a new path. He is restoring dignity to governance, bringing back development with a human face, and ensuring that no Edo person is left behind. His government has shown compassion where the last government showed arrogance, results where they delivered excuses, and hope where they left despair.
The ₦2.5 billion Paediatric Clinic at UBTH is not just a project; it is a symbol of Edo’s rebirth. It is proof that the era of reckless propaganda is over, and the era of people-centered governance has begun.
Chris Nehikhare belongs to the past. Edo people are focused on the future and that future is being built today by Senator Monday Okpebholo.
Efosa Uhunamure writes from Oredo
