…As Obaseki laments distortions, says previous govts went to sleep
By Aichienede Akhabue Goodluck
As the Edo State Government intensifies engagements with stakeholders to restore sanity and order in parts of Benin City as provided in the Benin Master Plan, the Edo State Government has held a meeting with property owners, operators of businesses and other stakeholders on the busy Ihama, Boundary and Country Home roads in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) of the city.
The meeting which was organised by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, at the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy, was aimed at reviewing trends on Ihama, Boundary and Country Home roads that have distorted the original plan for the areas and proffer enduring solutions.
Lamenting the distortions of the Benin Master Plan, particularly in the GRA area, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said previous governments “went to sleep and things degenerated so badly,” leading to massive illegal conversion of residential buildings to commercial buildings with the attendant noise, drug peddling, traffic congestion and other anti-social behaviours in areas that were reserved exclusively for residential purposes.
The Governor added: “Planning is not new to us in our history as Edo people, but a lot has changed in the last 30 years. We are used to living in a certain type of way as a people, so that when the colonial masters came, they met a place that was planned.
“The good thing about Edo and Benin City is that for over six hundred years we have lived in an orderly society that was planned by us and this has been commented on by explorers and people that have visited us over the last century.
“We had areas that were demarcated for certain activities dating back 600 years ago. You could say in this area this is what we do, but what happened in our history happened, the government broke down and for many years people started doing things anyhow. It is like the government went to sleep and the lions and tigers took over. People did not feel safe coming to Edo State, there was anarchy and there was no progress.”
He however assured that his administration would correct the errors of the past through a series of engagements with the people that re-elected him for a second term in office to ensure a win-win situation is achieved for all the stakeholders.
“In the last six years we have deliberately taken steps at great cost to us to make sure that we now begin to repair things and that the government runs as it ought to run, providing for its citizens as government does not exist for itself, rather government is supposed to work for the people.
“That is why our fight is that whatever money comes to the government is not for the people in government to spend the way they like, it is to be used to serve the people, so that we can have a more prosperous life. In doing so, everybody must be respected, everybody should benefit,” Obaseki said.
He stressed that the exercise on the Ihama, Boundary and Country Home roads was just the beginning of the process aimed at ensuring that there is a master plan for future generations.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, Ms. Isoken Omo, thanked Governor Obaseki and his Deputy Comrade Philip Shaibu for their support for the ministry and its activities.
In her presentation, Omo emphasized that traffic congestion, noise pollution, drug peddling and other anti-social activities were rife in the Ihama, Boundary and Country Home areas of the city, with the illegal conversion of residential property to hotels, night clubs and brothels.
During the interactive session, some stakeholders commended the State Government for initiating the engagement session which they said gave the opportunity to make input into government policies.
The well attended event had representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues, Ministry of Roads and Bridges, EDOJOBS, the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Police Force amongst others.
