Obaseki repurposes EDSOGPADEC for human devt, modular refinery, gas projects

…inaugurates SUBEB, commission’s board

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have been repurposed to drive critical human capital development and industrialisation projects in the state.

The governor said this at the inauguration of the seven-man board of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) as well as the four-man Edo State Universal Basic Board (SUBEB), in Government House, Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Obaseki said the state government took out time to restructure the EDSOGPADEC and rethink its operations, assuring that the commission will continue with its traditional responsibility of meeting the needs of communities that are directly and indirectly impacted by oil production in the state.

“We have set up investments to get greater value from our oil and gas assets. We have set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), where funds will be moved into and a portion of the revenue from the commission will be moved there for investment,” he said.

The governor said the investment will include Modular refinery, Gas Recovery projects, and human capital development initiatives.

Obaseki said he hoped that by the expiration of the new board’s term in office, all host communities would record improvement in primary and secondary schools as well as in the healthcare sector.

“Primary schools in oil and gas producing areas will be part of the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme. We have commenced the pilot phase of 20 Primary healthcare centres in the state and EDSOGPADEC will handle that of the oil-producing areas.”

Obaseki said a surgical clean-up has been carried out in the commission to ensure credibility, charging the board to discharge its responsibilities transparently.

He said his administration is keen on basic education, which is why it is implementing the Edo-BEST programme, as the initiative will drive tech-based education.

He said the programme has some innovative features which include schools’ governance structures, which ensures that teachers are in class, facilities are protected and continuous training is guaranteed.

On strategies to manage the schools, he said, “This administration has not and will not sack any teacher. Rather, we will train them for optimal performance. We have trained 7000 teachers in the Edo-BEST programme already.

“We are revamping over 300 schools. This includes both the structure and furniture in the schools. Our focus is to make Edo State a reference point in terms of education.”

Chairman, EDSOGPADEC, Pastor Kennedy Osifo, commended the governor for finding them fit and proper to pilot the affairs of the commission, pledging to bring human and infrastructural development to the three oil and gas producing local government areas in the state.

Chairman, Edo SUBEB, Dr.  Joan Osa Oviawe, said the board is mindful of the huge responsibility to develop human capital to drive development in the state, especially as over 500,000 children are under its care.