By Ifekwe Joy
The Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Chris Nehikhare, has revealed the State Government’s plans to celebrate the State’s 33rd anniversary in grand style.
Nehikhare revealed this during a press briefing at the Ministry’s premises in Benin City. The celebration which has as its theme, ‘Glory of the New Edo Nation’, has diverse activities lined up, being the last to be witnessed by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration.
The Commissioner disclosed that the program of events would kick off August 25th, 2024, with a thanksgiving service, followed by an education-based program, tagged, ‘Our Children, Our treasure’, and followed by the official launch of the Edo State Urban Development Master Plan.
According to Nehikhare, “This administration has been very deliberate in everything it has done for the State, not just for now but for the future. Edo State has completed one generation; it is only fair to hand over to the next generation, the Master Plan which they can follow to guide them to work in the footsteps of their predecessor”.
Nehikhare emphasized the need for an Urban Development Master Plan which would serve as a guide for regional development as a way of ensuring proper organization, like other great cities in the world. He added that a well-designed master plan would prevent properties from being built in the right of way or on drainage points, asserting that the Master Plan which has been in the works for two years, was well publicized through sensitization programmes organized to reach out to the 18 local government areas, civil societies, religious bodies, NGOs and remote communities.
Speaking earlier, the Edo State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development, Ms. Isoken Omo, explained that the press briefing was to intimate the people of the State on the series of events lined up for 25th through 31st August, 2024.
According to her, a well-designed Master Plan would be launched at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on the 27th of August, 2024. She assured that the event would showcase the achievements of the present administration alongside other activities like interactive sessions and award night, which would recognize outstanding personalities who have contributed immensely to the growth of the State.
Also speaking was the Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, who noted that the Obaseki-led administration has achieved remarkable progress in the Education Sector through the EdoBEST programme, adding that the 33rd anniversary celebration would showcase the academic prowess of the Edo student through quizzes and essay writing competitions, focused on the history and culture of the State.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uyi Oduwa Malaka, disclosed that her Ministry would be having a ground-breaking ceremony of a gallery, during the anniversary ceremony on 28th August, 2024, which would be followed by a street carnival on the 29th, a youth program which would be held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on 30th, and the official opening of the Edo Mall, on 31st August, 2024.
