Okpebholo’s 30 Days of Retrogression

The deeply embarrassing, shameful, and disappointing display by Edo State Governor-select, Monday Okpebholo, where he stuttered and faltered while delivering the State’s 2025 budget, not only exposed his gross incompetence, incoherence, and lack of capacity for the revered office of Governor but also speaks volumes about the poor quality of governance and leadership that has plagued Edo State over the last 30 days.

As Okpebholo inadvertently remarked in the viral video circulating on social media and reported by major traditional and online news platforms, “It is confusing me.” He is clearly overwhelmed by the complexities of the governor’s office, which obviously exceed his capacity and competence.

In the last 30 days, under his apparently clueless leadership, the State has been running around in circles.

This is, however, unsurprising for a man who came into government unprepared, without an agenda, and through an electoral process that is adjudged as one of the most flawed and manipulated in the history of Nigeria

Apart from the ignoble worldwide recognition he got from his inability to coherently read his own budget figures at the hallowed chambers of the Edo State House of Assembly, his government has been marked by failures in continuous succession, each more despicable than the last.

Governance by Press Releases

Beyond hiding behind jaundiced press releases to mask his incompetence and incoherence, since he assumed office on November 12, Okpebholo has done nothing except hop from one project of his predecessor to another to pose for selfies and photo ops.

White elephant projects over impact

From commissioning a boutique owned by a known thug, to flagging off the construction of Temboga Road and other projects initiated and completed during his predecessor’s tenure, to ravenously chasing after white elephant projects like the laughable and ill-conceived aircraft assembly project in Benin, the water fountain at Ring Road, and the ’emergency’ overhead bridge project at Ramat Park, which bypassed all standard procurement procedures, among others, the Governor-select has repeatedly demonstrated his utter cluelessness about governance and administration, putting the State and its people on the path of stunted development and untold suffering.

How can a governor with a clear plan, vision, or agenda begin by sacking workers within the first 24 hours of being sworn in? For some of the dismissed workers, he gave less than 12 hours’ notice to vacate their work premises, inflicting more pain and hardship on the workers and their families.

Desperate search of slush funds to pay political godfathers

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In the first week as governor, Okpebholo was said to have lavished over N5bn from the state’s coffers to acquire a new fleet of ultra-modern armoured SUVs, while gifting the ones procured for his government by his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki to the Acting Chairman of his party, Jarret Tenebe. Yes, the same Tenebe who, on X (formerly Twitter) recently threatened to have a young man, Pharez, killed if he refused to leave Edo State as he (Tenebe) ordered.

Meanwhile, Okpebholo dismissed workers who could barely make ends meet as a result of the current economic challenges caused by the gross mismanagement of the national economy by his party at the centre. What insensitivity to the plight of the people.

While we are aware that his onslaught on workers is in desperate search of slush funds to settle political godfathers who rigged him into office, we also know that the car gift to Jarret Tenebe is part of his own reward for the role he played during the poll. No wonder Tenebe damned all consequences to justify Okpebholo’s incompetence and incoherence with a nonsensical narrative over the shameful and disgraceful budget presentation saga.
His relentless efforts at settling the political class and the ‘lions and tigers’ is unsurprising, as they seem to be the major campaign promise he is fulfilling.

No direction for economy

Sadly, Okpebholo is gradually running the State aground and shrinking its economy. His gross mismanagement of the State’s economy is already negatively impacting businesses and ordinary citizens, who are finding it increasingly difficult to survive on a daily basis.

ALSO READ: Nigerian Economy 2025: Forlorn Hope and Uncertain Terrain

Already, there is an impending financial crisis in the State as its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is set to nosedive from N8 billion to N2 billion monthly, as a result of the financial paralysis caused by turf wars over revenue collection by thugs he hired and empowered during the last governorship election.

Edo now a haven of darkness, insecurity with no functional streetlights

It is no longer news that once it is 7 pm, the entire Edo State plunges into darkness. From Akpakpava, Ekenwan Road, Mission Road, Sapele Road, Airport Road, and Third East Circular Road, among others, the overwhelming darkness remains consistent across the state.

The State’s booming night economy is no more. Crime and criminality are at an all-time high, fueled by this persistent cover of darkness as a result of the neglect of the street lighting project of the immediate past government of Godwin Obaseki.

This could just be his strategy to fulfilling his promise of providing Edo people “with insecurity,” as he said during his electioneering campaign.

While the State is thrown into widespread darkness and rising insecurity, the same man who is responsible for this neglect has been posing for photos with claims of plans to revive the water fountain at Ring Road within the Benin metropolis, a project that serves purely aesthetic purposes. What a misplaced priority!

Edo Health Insurance Scheme gone

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There is also a huge reverse to the significant progress made in healthcare delivery under the previous administration of Obaseki, with pensioners, civil servants, market women, and many other residents of Edo State who took advantage of the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EdoHIS) are now faced with dislodgement from the service as hospitals have began to withdraw their services due to refusal of Okpebholo to continue to remit the period premium to pay service providers and keep the programme functioning.

At least four hospitals have opted out of the scheme, with the programme’s biggest provider issuing an ultimatum to exit if the situation persists, putting in jeopardy the health and medical needs of half a million Edo residents, who rely entirely on the scheme to access affordable, quality medical services.

For Edo people, in just 30 days, they have now come to the full realisation of the worst fears that all men of good conscience warned about. The economy is crumbling; the lions and tigers are back and thriving; streetlights are off; there’s a return to cash-based transactions at government facilities and there’s a general feeling of despondence.

It is indeed a sad turn of events and it is time for eternal vigilance among Edo people to ensure that their complacence does not make the short dream become their reality for the next four years.

Osagie, is Media Adviser to the Immediate past Edo State Governor, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki