The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at the weekend, teed off the 2023 Alaghodaro Golf Tournament at the Benin Club Golf Course, Benin City, the Edo State capital, as part of activities lined up for this year’s Alaghodaro.
The Alaghodaro Summit is organised annually by the Edo State Government, in partnership with the private sector, to mark the anniversary of Governor Godwin Obaseki in office and showcase the progress being recorded in transforming the State into an investment haven.
In its seventh edition, the Summit is taking place in Benin City, between November 8 and 12, 2023, with the theme, “The Edo Story: Creating Shared Opportunities into the Future.”
The governor was joined at the golf course by his Delta State counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori, among other dignitaries.
Obaseki, at the event, reeled out gains of his administration’s reforms in the sports sector, noting that the reforms have increased participation in sports in the State.
He said, “Our administration has done much in sports, ensuring more citizens participate by not making sports an exclusive government agenda. We set up various associations and ensured that people participate in the governance of sports of their interest, with government support and acknowledgment which makes it a turning point for sports in the State.
“We took out sports and created an inclusive governance arrangement for sports by creating a Sports Commission. The Sports Commission is the only government agency charged with sports as no other government institution has that mandate.”
Speaking on the achievements of the Alaghodaro Summit over the past seven years, Obaseki noted, “First, it marks the institutionalization of a process of planning and building consensus around issues, which has come to stay. It’s the basis for how the government should run.
“The second part of this Alaghodaro for me is more like a vindication of the things we say we would do seven years ago and when you verify, there is nothing we talked about or proposed that we did not do. It’s a process of confidence building. This has changed the narrative as we can have people in government who keep to their promises.”
“Thirdly, it’s the very strong feedback from the citizens. The citizens have acknowledged today that we have made progress as a government and there is a consensus that really we should all support Alaghodaro because it’s on how we progress in our society and State. We have made remarkable progress in Edo.”
On his part, the Delta State Governor, represented by his deputy, Monday Oyeme, noted, “I have learnt a lot in Edo State, and with the permission of His Excellency, I will import some of the things I learnt back to my State. “With this tournament, I have been convinced to become a golfer as I took my first shot today as a golfer and I will come back to the State and properly join the club. I am impressed and thank the governor of Edo State for giving us the opportunity to witness the celebration.”
