Obaseki Raises the Alarm, Says Nigeria in Trouble Economically

*Declares FG’s irresponsibility, bad governance country’s biggest challenge 

*Boosts learning outcomes with distribution of teaching tablets

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on citizens of the State to help themselves in developing the State, alleging that the federal government had thrown the nation into economic crisis.
According to a statement yesterday, Obaseki made the call when he met with stakeholders during a workshop to discuss the implementation of the State’s new Land Use Charge Law, with the theme: “Joint Implementation of Land Use Charge by State and local governments,” in Benin City.

He said his administration was working round the clock to ensure the state’s economic development, noting: “As a State, we can’t fold our hands and make excuses. We have to do something for our people.  We will do all to ensure our people are very comfortable.
“We can do so much in Edo State.  The country is in crisis economically. We can’t continue to fold our hands and wait for a country that can’t help us.  Rather, we will do all we can to help ourselves and our State.”

He continued: “From our revenue, we have decided to take money from our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to look after those that can’t feed – the poorest of the poor. We are doing our best as an administration to make things easy in Edo State for our citizens who have trust in this government.”
On the need for self-reliance, he said: “If we are a truly thriving country, states will survive on their own, without relying on Abuja.
“Whether they give us or not, we would survive as a State. We have been surviving before now. Our administration is transparent and accountable, that is why the World Bank trusts us.”

Noting that the State was working on a 30-year Regional Master Plan, he said the plan focuses on how to bring development to Edo State, linking the rural areas to the urban centres.
In a related development, Obaseki, yesterday, linked the aggravating socio-economic challenges bedeviling the nation to the failure of the federal government to live up to its responsibilities.
The governor, decried the bad state of federal roads in the State, calling for urgent action to salvage the situation and reduce the sufferings of the commuters and other citizens.

The governor, who described the condition of the roads as appalling said he travelled through the federal roads linking Uromi in Esan South East to Agbor in Delta State and saw over 1,000 trailers stuck with goods as a result of bad roads.
He said, “I went to Esan land a few days ago and I passed through Uromi in Edo State to Agbor in Delta State and saw almost 1,000 trailers stuck on that bad Federal Government road. But it took a few minutes to traverse our State roads when we entered from Igueben, Ujogba to Ugoneki in Edo State.”
Obaseki added, “The problem today is the failure of the Central Government. The road network in Edo that ought to be a blessing to us is not. The Federal Government roads in Edo are connecting several locations across the Country but the roads are bad.

“You can’t go from the West to the East from the North to the South without passing through Edo State. That is why we have many federal roads here but none are motorable as all are bad because of the failure of the Central Government.”
Meanwhile, in its unwavering dedication to modernising education and elevating learning outcomes, Obaseki, had continued to extend the e-learning initiatives of his administration to encompass secondary and technical schools.

This expansion involved providing educational tablets to a cohort of 414 educators from technical and secondary schools across the state.
By the end of September 2023, a total of 1000 tablets would have been distributed.
During the commencement event in Benin City, capital of the state, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Oviawe, underscored the State government’s commitment to sustaining the technology-driven transformation in education.
She said, “By September, educational tablets will reach teachers and students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, as well as secondary schools throughout the State.

“The focal point of this endeavor is to train educators who can effectively disseminate their knowledge to their peers, fostering a self-sustaining cycle of innovation and advancement within the education ecosystem.”

Oviawe, who accentuated the pivotal roles that teachers play in propelling the transformative influence of technology in education, also noted: “Your role here is to become trainers; I want to extend my congratulations to you for volunteering to be trainers and for being selected out of the many who applied.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for any committed professional. It’s not a one-time event; our training efforts will persist. Being part of this programme means you are now within our sphere of influence,” she added.

She assured the educators of the state government’s unwavering support in fulfilling their responsibilities.

“We are fully dedicated to providing you with all the necessary tools for excelling in your roles as trainers,” she pledged, and urged the teachers to open channels of communication and provide constructive feedback as they navigate the new technological landscape.

Addressing the EDOSTAR fellows, who comprised nearly half of the trainees, the Commissioner stated, “Your current activities can be seen as a probationary period. We aspire to employ a new generation of teachers who are deeply committed to their profession.

“The State government cannot continue investing in teachers’ salaries if our children are not reaping the benefits of quality education.”