Governor Godwin Obaseki: Our debt to future generations in Edo State

Osaze Osawe looks at the forthcoming electoral battle ahead of Mr. Godwin Obaseki, technocrat banker and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC , for Edo State in the forthcoming guber elections, scheduled for September the 10th, 2016.

Godwin, perhaps, is a name that many mothers will want to name their wards after, for, all things being equal, this is the name of the man who will be the next governor of Edo State. This is the verdict of the people of Edo who have tasted the difference between light and darkness and have vowed never to return to the past where governance was ran by buccaneer-like people, who want to return to perpetuate the evils of our forgotten past.

For Obaseki, this journey has been kind of tortuous, as I can imagine drafting a known technocrat from the comfort zone where he has to craft solutions facing the people of Edo to the alleged murky world of politics, where logic and reason do not seem to prevail as they should in the technocrat’s world. Surprisingly, from the word go, the technocrat in Obaseki showed that he could also be dogged in his pursuit and determination to consolidate on the good works of the current governor, Adams Oshiomole. Such doggedness ought to be commended as others may have chickened out and fled for that illusionary safety they believe is outside politics, but forgetting that at the end of it all, they will still be swamped in by the failures of the so-called politicians. No, Obaseki trudged on, one can imagine his fears then but at least he braved it.

And so the journey began, with a number of concerned citizens broaching his name to Governor Oshiomole, who must have had some form of headache in getting a befitting successor for the people of Edo State, this is despite the fact that certain political hoodlums now in the opposition party had long left their pretence to be democrats and resumed their old behaviours. It still did not put Obaseki as the sole person worthy of carrying the development agenda of Oshiomole into the next four years. Truth be told, the man Obaseki had paid his dues, having put the state on a positive financial and economic footing as the Chairman of the Edo State Government’s Economic and Strategy Team (EST), a position he has held since March 17, 2009 Pro bono public, achieving wonders in a number of sectors of Edo State such as the Azura power project in Uhunowode, the rubber plantation in Sakponba, the cement factory in Okpella and the urbanization of a number of towns in Edo State in order to attract investments.

Obaseki still had to deal with many obstacles, compete for the ticket and win the heart of party faithful for many saw him as an Oshiomole lackey. Scores of petitions were written against a man who had served his state for free for the past seven years without blemish all in the name of stopping him, party bigwigs not comfortable with his performance and credentials wanted to pull a string or two. The battle for the ticket paraded known big wigs, men of timber and caliber, men who had been in politics for years now. The race to the primaries even threatened to destroy the APC at the state level, the campaign of calumny against Obaseki did not help matters, the war of attrition like a storm blew then blew over leaving the party structures rather strengthened.

A look at Obaseki’s manifesto will show that the man is the most prepared to govern Edo State. In it one can see his level of experience manifesting. It is issues-based and is quite in tandem with present day reality. It talks job creation, industrialization, governance, youth empowerment, women empowerment, infrastructure and security. No doubt one will agree that the ripple effect of his agenda will massively impact on the people of Edo. Also, a survey amongst the people of Edo will show that the electorate are ready to buy into the Obaseki agenda.

Obaseki also has campaigned in a manner that is devoid of our ugly past. Naturally, one would have expected that his party, the APC would muscle the opposition like they the PDP often did in the time past. No, the APC has campaigned on issues and achievements of the party in the state. Even the language of the aspirant in the state has been laced with civility.

When he talks, he shows that although the people of Edo have been able to make some gains in the past seven years, yet the people cannot afford to go back to an age where workers were owed salaries, and hospitals were places where you went to contract diseases rather than get cured; where Schools had no roof or quality furniture, and the infrastructure of the state appearing to be like a war zone. He preaches the need for the gains to be consolidated, he speaks the language that the gains of the common people should not be aborted, he speaks truth!

Godwin Obaseki, come September 10th, 2016 will be elected as Governor of Edo State. This is what we owe our future generations, the very bedrock of development built on the gains of democracy.

Osawe writes from Isihor, Benin City