My quarrel with Oshiomhole over cost of roads

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, who is seeking for re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was in Lagos, on Sunday, where he shared his thoughts with reporters on his achievements, chances, and why the September 19 governorship election must be free and fair.

Your opponent, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, said in 2016 you did not have a programme, four years after you still do not have unlike him that has the SIMPLE Agenda…


Sometimes the political space is interesting because someone can just open his mouth and say nonsense and thinks he is saying something. Okay, you said you have a programme, when you were in government, what did you achieve?

In campaigning for office, you need to say what you will do? That is what he calls his so called simple agenda. He doesn’t know that government is not that simple.

I’m saying what I have done. We worked on a six-point programme. First, building and rebuilding institutions; strengthening governance because without the institutions, without the civil service, without the bureaucracy no matter how beautiful your programmes are there will be no basis to implement them. So, strengthening institutions, including the Judiciary, training and re-training your civil servants. The other plan is social development-the people. Focusing on education and health of the people. So, it is not about coming out to say I will do this, it is about what have you done.

You can see what we have done in education. We went to the core of the problem-basic education, retrained teachers, gave and trained them how to use technology. So, today, our children are learning. Parents are moving their children from private schools back into public schools because I can tell you when a teacher is in school or not. I have a portal and every teacher must log in when he gets into school every day. Those teachers must complete their lesson notes. If they don’t, I can tell that and I can see it. They must take attendance of every child that comes to school. So, we know which child has dropped off school. It is a system that is working. So, it is not “I will do.” You have 12,000 teachers who have been going through this.


You have 300,000 kids who are in the system. So, you can go and check it. The same thing we have done in healthcare- build the primary healthcare centre, focus on the base, introduce technology, when these women go in there, take their records, try understand their health conditions at the beginning not when the thing is serious you begin to treat the chronic conditions. Make sure your community health workers, community nurses are trained to attend to people and get that information upfront.

We also focus on the vulnerable particularly the older people and making sure pensions are paid. We cared about our people before talking about infrastructure.

Today, go and ask Main One, Benin City is the most connected city. There is 400km of fibre around Benin City. No other city has it in this country. We did it in less than a year. People are using it. Talk about roads.

What is the quarrel with Oshiomhole? I cannot build a kilometre of road for a million dollars. Why should I do that? What is there to build in a road? Is it not the graders? Is not the cement? What is there? So, I said no I won’t do that. I used the same contractors, I halved my cost. So, instead of one road, I build two now for the same amount. I mean in most cities how many roads are more than a kilometre? I don’t construct road but I construct communities. So, in terms of infrastructure, we have done much more

What about electricity? We worked and built our zonal power plant. We partnered with a Chinese company (CCECC). We are talking less and building more and that is what they are not used to in Nigerian politics. You build one toilet, you say it is VIP toilet. The amount you use for commissioning will be more than the cost of the toilet. We don’t do that.

What about our environment? In the last four years, they cut off most of the trees and nobody cared. Edo that is rainforest is now looking like savannah. Now, working with the Federal Government, we just started with 25 million trees having protected areas.

What about agriculture? We collected the money from the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN). We have resuscitated most of the farms-Agbede, Auchiwarake farms and so many others. Go there today and you will see they are all working. We are in partnership with the CBN. I have taken 100,000 hectares and we have now finished the survey. In fact, Central Bank has now approved five companies. Most of them are planting there including Flour Mills; Dufil, people who make noodles, etc, they are all there.

On why best candidates should win elections and his chances

The Nigerian kind of politics is one that is created. Today, in Edo, this is what is on ground: Edo is dearly a PDP state. It has always been. The PDP has won every national election and the APC only won local elections. So, in terms of the political configuration of the state, at best you can say it was 50-50. Who is APC? I am the state governor. (Adams) Oshiomhole does not have control of the APC structure. But, I have it – All the local government chairmen, members of the House and all the councillors. So, in terms of political structure, I believe I have at least 75 per cent of it. So, it is now 75 per cent of APC and 50 per cent of PDP in the new configuration.


So, does it mean the parents of the 300,000 children don’t matter? They see a connection with the government and they are getting something now. So, would they just allow it walk away? Would they now not participate? I tell them that If I am not there, those children will not get these services any more because they will take the money.

What about the pensioners? What about the civil servants who knew what their situation was before now? You think they will just keep quiet and allow? Look, in Edo today, I have what is called Ward Development Committees, where in every ward, there are 17 or more men and women who live there and consider themselves as a committee.

Edo people, una dey try gan oo

Why una con get so many enu n jawaya ( Basketmouth)?

helinues:
Edo people, una dey try gan oo

Why una con get so many enu n jawaya ( Basketmouth)?

Can you drive a F- 50 Ferrari? No, What is not yours, is not yours, Pdp will return the stolen mandate come September 19, Ize Iyamu is Mr Pdp, as well as Mr APC Edo State.

favor914:
Can you drive a F- 50 Ferrari? No, What is not yours, is not yours, Pdp will return the stolen mandate come September 19, Ize Iyamu is Mr Pdp, as well as Mr APC Edo State.

If I have one, why can't I?

Obaseke doesn't know how to Talk

victorDanladi:
Obaseke doesn't know how to Talk

Your uncle fa

Say that again without tears

The roads comrade built were with side walks,drainage, street lights and are still new 10years after. Obaseki roads by comparison are less than 3years most washed away and without drainage or street lights. This is after paying his boys as consultants to advice. It may interest Nigerians to know he brought his friends from the same Lagos as consultants to train those teachers at the cost of 1.5m per teacher. The schools do not have computers yet he runs his mouth. The man is shameless honestly.

Just like that
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