Politics
Engr. Obhakhan Made Promises To Edo Indigenes
Engr. Obhakhan Made Promises To Edo Indigenes
By Elvis Omoregie
Engr. Gideon Obhakhan, who is gunning to be the governor of Edo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2024, has assured that his emergence as governor would put an end to the long suffering of the people of the state as he has the wherewithal to change the fortune of the state positively.
He asserted that his government would look towards revenue generation by way of taxation in its desire to embark on meaningful projects that will change the living condition of the people but that the taxation will not be organised in a way that it will inconvenience the people.
On agriculture, Obhakhan asserted that agriculture holds the key to the source of wealth and as such he will concentrate on large scale agriculture and engage, the youth and women in agriculture for local consumption and even exportation. He promised to give youth empowerment the attention it deserves.
He disclosed that Edo State is blessed with a large expanse of land adequate for agriculture which can multiply into creation of employment for the women and the youths.
Speaking on the call for rotation of the Edo State Governorship position among politicians spread across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Obhakhan affirmed that it is in order for governorship hopefuls of Edo Central extraction to embark on consultation and support across the state as the Esans lack enough population to go it alone in this aspect.
The governorship hopeful said: “For fairness and equity, we are lobbying and reaching out to other districts that for equity and fairness, they should support Esan extraction to produce the next governor after governor Obaseki
“If you look at it very well, from 1999 till date, Edo Central has not produced governor. Edo South will be having 16 years with the completion of Obaseki’s tenure, while Edo north has had 8 years, which makes it 24 years, that means Edo central has none. So for fairness and equity, it should been given to the Edo Central.”
Justifying why the governorship slot should be zone to Edo central, the governorship aspirant argued that since 1999 till date, the zone has not produce governor neither has it produce deputy nor Secretary to the State Government.
“So, for fairness and equity, we are lobbying and reaching out to other districts that for equity and fairness, they should support Esan extraction to produce the next governor after governor Obaseki
“If you look at it very well, from 1999 till date, Edo Central has not produced governor. Edo south will be having 16 years with the completion of Obaseki’s tenure, while Edo north has had 8 years, which makes it 24 years, that means Edo central has none. So for fairness and equity, it should be given to the Edo Central.”
He gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu thumbs up for his decision to do away with fuel subsidy
The former Commissioner who said his quest to be the next governor of the state is not a do-or-die approach, adding that his desire is to revamp the agricultural sector, infrastructure and ensuring that access roads to farms are well taken care of to boost food production in the state.
Obhakhan promised to give agriculture, women and youth empowerment a priority if given the opportunity to govern the state.
According to Engr. Obhakhan, Edo has a large expanse of land good for agricultural use which according to him will creat employment for the teaming Edo youths and women.
He also said that he is going to make sure that education is given adequate attention should he becomes the governor of the state
While speaking on the removal of fuel subsidy, he commended President Bola Tinubu for mustering the courage to have removed the long talked about subsidy.
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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