Edo Senatorial Hopeful, Owie, Commences LG Consultations

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Ahead of the primaries slated for May 2022, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial Aspirant in Edo South Senatorial District, Dr. Ese Owie, has commenced consultation with leaders of the zone across the seven local government areas with a view to securing their support.

Owie, a former Executive Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, and son of former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Roland Owie, began the tour with a visit to the party’s leadership in Oredo Local Government Area where his team was hosted by the chairman and members of the LGA executive, 12 wards chairmen, women leaders, youth leaders and other leaders from across the local government.

Speaking at the expanded leadership meeting, which had over 50 statutory delegates in attendance, Owie stated that his decision to kick start the LGA consultations from Oredo is because Oredo remained the epicenter of Edo South and ancestral home of the Benin nation.

He said; “As capital of Edo State and the political headquarters of Edo South Senatorial District, it is absolutely proper to commence our engagement with the leadership of our great party at the LGA level in Oredo, the land of our forbears and capital of the Great Benin Empire.

“I thank all the leaders gathered here today for finding time to converge on this historic venue in Ogbe Quarters to share ideas on the most efficient ways of leapfrogging Edo South into its next developmental epoch.

“In line with our legislative agenda, we shall, by the Grace of the Almighty, channel our efforts on Five Thematic Pillars, around which we intend to focus our developmental interventions.

“As stated during our engagement with the leadership of the Senatorial Caucus a few days ago, these pillars are education, infrastructure, health, agriculture and wealth creation.

“Given the peculiarity of Oredo as the spiritual and cultural home of the Benin Kingdom, developing its infrastructure remains a key priority of all tiers of Government. To that extent, therefore, we shall ensure that the Federal Government prioritises the completion of Phase 2 of the Benin By-Pass which runs from Sapele Road back to Oluku, so as to open up the outskirts of the city, and ease traffic flow.

“We shall use the instrumentality of legislative oversight to ensure that the NNPC’s exploration and production arm – the NPDC – fulfils its host community obligations to Oredo LGA and the wider Edo South.”

In the agriculture sector, beyond optimising the operations of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN), Iyanomo and the Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORBDA), the senatorial hopeful, said: “We shall facilitate the establishment of Produce Grading Centres in Edo South. This will stem the trend of taking produce outside for grading; and our local farmers can have their produce graded and the production volume tracked for produce aggregation, while simultaneously ramping up processing capabilities.” 

Responding, the Chairman of the PDP in Oredo, Mr. Oduwa Igbinosun, thanked Owie for his visit and assured him of their support. Other leaders present at the event included Leader of Oredo PDP, Hon. Martin Osakue, and Senatorial Woman Leader (Edo South) Mrs. West Irabor, amongst other dignitaries.

Similarly, in Iguobazuwa, headquarters of Ovia South West LGA, Dr. Owie shared his legislative agenda for Edo South, emphasizing the imperative of developing the local government by escalating the deplorable state of infrastructure, especially in the coastal, oil producing areas, in Siluko, Ofunama, and Okomu.

Decrying the poverty and squalor in those communities, he insisted that the NPDC, Oil Majors, and the NDDC shall be engaged to fulfill their obligations to the indigenes of these communities so as to engender sustainable development.