A PASSIONATE APPEAL AGAINST THE PROPOSED SALE OF EDO HOUSE, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS.
Your Excellency,
Senator Monday Okpebholo
Governor of Edo State.
Your Excellency,
I write this open letter with a deep sense of responsibility, patriotism, concern, and emotional attachment to the heritage and collective assets of our dear State. I am constrained to write publicly because I do not have direct access to Your Excellency, and I fear that many of your aides and political gatekeepers may not allow this sincere protest letter to reach your table. Even if I decide to send it through courier services such as DHL, I am not certain it would get to your personal attention. Therefore, I have chosen the path of an open appeal so that my voice, alongside the voices of many concerned sons and daughters of Edo State, may reach your conscience and sense of history.
Your Excellency, I humbly and passionately appeal to you in the name of God Almighty, not to approve or encourage the sale of Edo House located on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos. The building is not an ordinary structure. It is not merely a piece of real estate standing on prime land in Lagos. Edo House is a historic property belonging to the people of Edo State. It is a legacy from asset sharing when Edo State was carved out of old Bendel State. It is a symbol of our collective identity, governmental presence, economic relevance, and historical continuity outside our geographical boundaries. I pray sincerely that the information circulating across Edo State and beyond concerning the purported sale of Edo House is false, misleading, or merely speculative. However, because silence in moments like this may later become regret, I consider it necessary to speak now before irreversible decisions are taken.
Your Excellency, leadership is not only about governing the present generation. True leadership is also about preserving the inheritance of future generations. Great leaders are remembered not merely for the projects they initiated but for the legacy they protected and preserved. A governor occupies office temporarily, but the heritage of a people belongs permanently to generations unborn.
Edo House in Victoria Island represents one of the most valuable and strategic assets ever acquired by Edo State. Located in one of the most prestigious commercial districts in Nigeria, the property symbolizes foresight, vision, and long-term investment by past leaders of our State. At a time when many States struggle to establish institutional presence in Lagos, Edo State already possesses a prime property that commands prestige, respect, and economic value. Selling such a property would amount to sacrificing tomorrow for today.
Your Excellency, history teaches painful lessons. Across Nigeria, many government assets that were sold under the excuse of restructuring, privatization, or financial pressure eventually became objects of regret. Once government properties in strategic locations are sold, they are almost impossible to recover or replace. Future administrations often spend enormous public funds trying to acquire new properties that can never compare to what was lost.
The question therefore becomes: why should Edo State sell what generations worked hard to build? Even more importantly, what pressing necessity justifies disposing of such a prime and historic property? If the building requires renovation, let it be renovated. If it requires restructuring, let it be restructured. If it requires commercial optimization, let competent professionals manage it profitably. If it requires modernization, let investors be invited under transparent arrangements that preserve ownership. But ownership itself must never be surrendered.
Your Excellency, many former governors allegedly attempted to sell Edo House in the past, but they failed because of public resistance and the realization that such a sale would not stand well before history. Today, those who resisted those attempts are remembered with respect because they stood on the side of preservation rather than liquidation. A government property is different from personal property. A private citizen may choose to sell inherited land because it belongs to him personally, but public assets belong to millions of people, including unborn generations who have no voice in present decisions. Leaders are custodians, not owners, of State assets.
This protest therefore is not rooted in politics, hostility, bitterness, or personal attack. Mine is an appeal, not a threat. My appeal is not borne out of weakness, but my conviction to speak truth to power. I have no intention of insulting Your Excellency or questioning your authority as governor. Rather, I speak as a concerned Edo son who believes strongly that certain State assets are too important to be sold under any circumstance.
There are emotional, economic, historical, and strategic reasons why Edo House must remain the property of the State.
Economically, the property sits in Victoria Island, one of the most commercially valuable locations in Nigeria. Property value in that axis appreciates continuously. What may appear financially attractive today may become a monumental loss tomorrow. Future generations may wonder why leaders of this time disposed of such a valuable asset instead of preserving it as a long-term and profitable investment.
Strategically, Lagos remains Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre. Every serious State desires visibility and institutional presence in Lagos. Edo House provides Edo State with prestige, administrative convenience, and economic opportunity in the nation’s commercial capital.
Historically, the building carries symbolic significance. It represents the legacy of governance and continuity in Edo State. Destroying such heritage weakens the emotional connection people have with governmental history and state identity.
Morally, the sale of public assets often creates suspicion among citizens because many Nigerians have witnessed situations where valuable government properties were sold cheaply to politically connected individuals or private interests. Even where intentions are genuine, public perception matters greatly in governance.
Your Excellency, the people of Edo State deserve transparency and consultation on matters of this magnitude. Before any consideration of sale, there should be public hearings, involving citizens on the desirability of such an undertaking. Public trust grows when leaders carry citizens along.
I respectfully urge Your Excellency to consider emotional reactions already emerging among Edo citizens. Many are worried. Many are disturbed. Many fear that Edo State may permanently lose a landmark asset that can never be replaced.
Sir, history is watching. The decisions leaders make today eventually become chapters in history books tomorrow. Some decisions become monuments of wisdom, while others become permanent regrets. I believe Your Excellency still has the opportunity to reassure Edo people by publicly clarifying the true status of Edo House, Lagos, and assuring citizens that the property will not be sold. Such reassurance would calm fears and strengthen public confidence in your administration.
Your Excellency, political power is temporary, but legacy is permanent. At the end of every administration, what remains are memories, records, and the judgment of history. Long after official convoys disappear and political offices change hands, people remember whether leaders protected or depleted public inheritance. I therefore appeal to your conscience, your sense of history, and your responsibility to future generations. Do not allow Edo House to disappear into private ownership. Do not permit future Edo children to ask why their fathers sold what they should have preserved. There are some assets whose value cannot merely be measured in money. Edo House is one of them.
As a leader, Your Excellency has the opportunity to rise above temporary pressures and stand on the side of preservation, wisdom, and posterity. The applause from those encouraging privatization today may fade tomorrow, but the gratitude of generations who benefit from preserved heritage will endure forever.
Permit me to repeat respectfully that this letter is not written in anger, hatred, or confrontation. It is written in sincere concern and patriotic appeal. I believe strongly that democratic governance allows citizens to express concerns peacefully on issues affecting collective heritage. I also believe that Your Excellency, as a listening governor, will reflect deeply on this appeal.
May God guide you with wisdom. May God help you make decisions that will bring lasting honour to your administration.
And may Edo State continue to progress in peace, unity, and prosperity.
Yours faithfully,
Senator Ehigie Edobor Uzamere
The Senate Committee Chairman
Local & Foreign Dept
2007-2015