The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration, in the past six past, has focused on reforming all sectors of the state, sustaining the investment in education, infrastructure, technology, agriculture, security, among others to improve the livelihoods of the people and achieve economic prosperity for the state.

Obaseki, in a state-wide broadcast, said his administration has built several kilometres of roads to open more areas in the state for economic activities, ensured a conducive environment for businesses and invested hugely in infrastructure and other sectors to attract investors and boost the economy of the state.

According to him, “Since you elected me as your governor in 2016, I, with my team, have totally dedicated ourselves to the service of Edo State. We have built hundreds of kilometres of roads across the three Senatorial Districts of the state. We have invested significantly in education, particularly in basic education through our EdoBEST programme and are beginning to reap the fruit of this investment in our children.

“Through EdoJobs, we have created over 200,000 jobs in agriculture, production, technology and entertainment.

“Because of the importance of electricity to our development, we were able to attract investors to the Azura 450MW project and the OssiomoIPP. With available electricity, we are lighting up our cities and attracting manufacturing companies into Edo.”

“The Edo State Oil Palm Programme, where we have attracted several large-scale international and domestic companies to estate farming, is now the reference in agriculture in Africa. More Edo citizens are now investing in agriculture,” he added.

Obaseki further noted, “We have attracted global retail chains, with sprawling new malls opening in the state; this is in addition to several top-class hospitality and entertainment businesses. Benin Airport has become the third busiest in the country in terms of passenger traffic and consequently, our hotels have occupancy rate averaging not less than 80 per cent daily.  

“In the area of security, working closely with our communities, we have been able to make Edo a much safer place to live.”