.Akoko-Edo Forums wants improved government presence
By Ozioruva Aliu
BENIN CITY – THE Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu on Tuesday said the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki was reforming the local government administration in the state to perform optimally like the state government.
Besides, he said the government is currently profiling personnel of the state vigilante groups who are complementing the efforts of the conventional security apparatus to ensure arms do not get into wrong hands.
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Shaibu spoke when he received the leadership of Akoko-Edo Forum (AEF) that visited the deputy governor to raise issues of development as they affect the area.
Shaibu also assured the delegation led by Dr. Charles Jagun that the Obaseki administration remain committed to leaving lasting legacies behind as governor of the state with the strengthening of governance structure like the bureaucracy that could function on its own.
He said: “Governance has been in recess in the sense that we have as a situation whereby a governor does things as “the spirit leads” because there are no structures like the bureaucracy that will run the system through the civil service.
“We audited the 18 local government areas from 1999 and what we saw was shocking. The local governments are very rich but the level of wastage is alarming so we want to bring in a system that works for all, we want to bring the local governments to the level of the state. We want people.”
On security, Shaibu said “We are profiling our personnel in the vigilante so that arms will not get into the wrong hands. We are putting our strategies in place so that we will not be caught unprepared because soon the federal government will know that the issue of community police or state police is inevitable.”
Earlier, Jagun expressed the worry of the people of Akoko-Edo about its seeming abandonment lamenting that the area was left out in the recent decentralization of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma appealing to government to revisit the decision and consider bringing one of the campuses to the local government area to boost its socio-economic and infrastructural development.
He also drew the attention of the state government to the dilapidated Ojirami dam which has the capacity to provide pipe borne water to the entire Edo North Senatorial District and the poor state of the general hospitals in Igarra, Ososo and Ibillo that lack infrastructure and personnel.
He said “Akoko-Edo has been in existence since 1954 and the only local government that has not been split. It looked like we had been abandoned. The AAU multi campus policy has been rolled out but we appeal to the government to look in the possibility of extending it to Akoko-Edo local government area.
“The Akoko-Edo Forum which is made of professionals from all fields and enthusiasts who are passionate about the development of the area is ready to collaborate with the state government to meet our goals.
“Mining activities are going in several parts of the local government area but the people are not feeling the impact, this we think can be improved.”
Jagun also appealed to the deputy governor to ensure that the next local government chairman of the council would be visionary to redefine the development and administration of the local government area.
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