Obaseki: Campaign for Sept 19 Governorship Election Won't Affect Governance

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday said electioneering activities for this year’s governorship election in the state slated for September 19 would not affect governance, as he promised to continue  to render services to the people of the state.

 

The governor stated this when he handed over cheque of various sums to beneficiaries as compensation to facilitate the N16billion Ogiso-Osunde gully erosion control at the Third East Circular Road area of Benin-city through the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).

 

Obaseki, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele, said his administration would continue to partner any group or individual that can enhance the development of the state.

 

According to the governor, “This is a very busy year for us as a government, but we are not leaving governance unattended, and our government will continue to be citizen-centred in the sense that whatever step we take, we will involve the citizen, and that is why we have invited all of you here today.

“There is transparency in the process; there are accountability mechanisms that have been put in place and there is no opaqueness in the execution of the project, and I want to assure you that those who are at the helm of affairs in NEWMAP are well tested and dedicated with years of experience on project execution with vast training both locally and internationally, so you can always rely on them.”

 

Obaseki said the contractors are known to the government and have executed a lot of projects and emerged through a transparent process, “therefore, we expect a high quality project execution from them. We will not hesitate as a state government to terminate the contract if we observe any shoddiness in the execution of the project.”

 

Besides, he said a Community Oversight Committee would be set up to assist as third party assessors that would draw the attention of the authorities if there are areas of deficiencies in the execution of the job

Earlier, the state Project Coordinator of NEWMAP, Tom Obaseki, said the gully erosion control would span over two kilometres.

 

He said the gully has left a lot of people in the area homeless and has negatively affected the livelihood of the community, adding that the project would help give a permanent solution to the challenge posed by the gully erosion in the area.