Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, on Tuesday, inaugurated a 300KVA transformer substation valued at over N40 million in Ogbekpen Community of Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state.
Constructed and donated to the community by PRESCO PLC, the project was one of the company’s corporate social responsibilities to provide better living conditions for people in the community.
The governor commended the company’s gesture, noting that partnership between the private sector and rural communities was necessary to drive development in the state, while also commending members of the community for actualising the project, urging them to protect it from vandalism.
He said: “As government is bringing the needed infrastructure, communities should also provide peaceful atmosphere for companies to do business and employ people in the community. Ogbekpen is now a priority community for us because we want to reposition Edo as the Rubber hub in Africa”.
Obaseki commended the 3.5km road opened up by PRESCO in the community, promising to begin construction of the road and build a primary school in the community, as well as train 20 selected people to teach in the school before the commencement of the next academic session in September.
Earlier, the Managing Director of PRESCO plc, Mr Felix Nwabuko, said that the electrification project included the extension of high-tension line from Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) to the community, the 300kva transformer substation at the community centre square and opening up a 3.5 km road for the community.
Meanwhile, the leader of the community, Mr Alex Odigie, commended the company, RRIN and the Edo State government for bringing development to them, revealing that the project would boost economic activities in the locality as well as reduce rural-urban drift.
He commended the developmental strides of the Governor Obaseki-led administration, but appealed for government primary and secondary schools to be erected at the site already earmarked by the government for that purpose.
