UNDER Okpebholo, Edo has become a very productive ground for criminals, these guys are leaving the bushes and forests, to take positions in town—Okpebholo’s reign has given a level of comfort and confidence to criminals who now operate with unmatched courage.
Just a few days ago, kidnappers strolled into a bank in the City centre to pick ransom to free their captives to their loved ones—that is how precarious it has become.
Meanwhile, a supposed governor, supposedly elected to provide leadership is sleeping his life away in UK.
Nearly a month running, Okpebholo has been out of Edo, no official communication to the House of Assembly of his whereabout—his destination unknown, no pictures, no videos, no correspondence of him engaged in any meaningful or official duty on behalf of the State.
Edo has remained undergoverned in the last ten months—as residents of the State continue to battle the ravaging fangs of insecurity, poor infrastructure and economic decadence.
With kidnapping, robbery and shootings ravaging the State, Okpebholo remains aloof, obviously ignorant of happenings in a State he is supposed to be governor.
Businesses are crumbling, investment drive is on an all-time low, there is nothing promising in Edo and nothing significant is going for the State—other than struggling to pay workers’ salaries, there are no major developmental programmes going in Edo today, meanwhile State governors are reported to be getting more funding under the Tinubu regime.
What is Okpebholo doing with all the monies he gets?
I cannot tell of one landmark programme that is ongoing in Edo today—no programme for youth, no programme for women, no programme for the aged, no economic plan, no education policy, plan, no infrastructure plan, no deliberate efforts to improve lives of residents of the State, no nothing—what exactly is Okpebholo doing as governor?
How can a supposedly-elected governor abandone his official duty, fly overseas on tax payers’ monies, without due accountability to the people he is supposedly elected to serve.
This is not how government is run—it is not a personal venture where you just wake up and take decisions—what is the Edo State House of Assembly doing about the misgovernance in Edo?
Could our lawmakers have become another round of rubber stamps, who cares only about their emoluments without engaging a non-performing administration on its obvious failures.
Yesterday, a guy by the name Derrick a.k.a Denco, was robbed of his belongings, shot and killed in Igun, same yesterday, Bobshoe was robbed of his personal effects by gunmen wielding AK47s around Airport road, in a related development, a radio host, Ohi narrowly escaped being lynched and robbed in Benin, all happening in quick successions—these are just few of the numerous crimes, including kidnapping, shootings, killings that has become prominent in Benin City and by extension, Edo State, unchallenged, yet Okpebholo sleeps away in UK clearly unbordered.
This is unfortunate, it is disastrous and places Edo on a very backward trajectory—The number of lives lost to kidnapping and associated crimes, under the Okpebholo-led 10-month old government, may have surpassed the whole lives lost in Igbinedion, Oshiomhole and Obaseki’s cumulative 24-year administration.
The absence of policy to fight insecurity and provide robust leadership in Edo places the State in a precarious situation.
Nothing is working—the instruments of governance are all crippled—our governor is just gallivanting around town in the most directionless and visionless manner, squandering tax payers’ monies on unproductive ventures—traveling and buying vehicles, developments that adds nothing to the State’s economy.
Edo is bleeding, the State is fast sinking, Okpebholo should rise above inanities and provide quality leadership, you can’t be feeling comfortable in foreign land, while the State you are supposedly elected to govern wallows in insecurity and economic decadence, please wake up, Okpebholo, wake up.
