The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government has taken deliberate steps to retool politics in the state to build public trust and engender sustainable growth and development.
The governor, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, reassured that his government will sustain reforms and programmes to improve the livelihoods of the majority of Edo people and ensure economic prosperity for the state.
He noted that though his administration inherited a state that was essentially under the control of various non-state actors, the state government under his leadership has been able to open up the political space to a broad range of players to the chagrin of the godfathers.
Obaseki said, “In Edo, we had to take deliberate and intentional steps to retool our politics to engender development. This has led to the introduction of people-centric policies and programmes which have won our administration significant public trust.”
He further stated, “Following this, we were able to open up the political space to a broad range of players to the chagrin of the godfathers. These patrons of the old order thrived in the exclusion of the majority from participating in the political process. For them, the fewer the actors in the system, the more relevant they were and the more they were able to take the process hostage.
“With the opening up of the political system, we embarked on institutional reforms to enhance the capacity of the government to deliver public services. This was done by enhancing the work environment, ensuring regular payment of salaries and pensions, improving compensation packages, and creating better conditions of service for workers.”
The governor continued: “We also revamped the public service to cut back on waste and with this, we were able to deliver more projects with less resources than would have been required.
“Having built public trust, we had to open up the business environment which led to robust partnership with the private sector and international development organisations. With their support, we have been able to substantially curb the menace of human trafficking and irregular migration, which once pillaged our most valuable resources – our young people.
“We rolled out infrastructure projects in a fair and equitable manner that engenders a sense of inclusion among the people across the various sections of the state.”
“We were able to win the trust of the electorate in Edo State because we had focused on ideals that have come to define our politics and through which we have made the most impact in their lives,” Obaseki added.
