Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 took over as governor of Edo State after he was sworn-in by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Daniel Okungbowa at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.
Okpebholo polled a total of 291,667 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo who garnered 247,274 votes in the Saturday, September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election. Labour Party's Olumide Akpata came a distant third with 22,763 votes.
After the pomp and pageantry of the swearing-in ceremony, it is time for work. Okpebholo should take off his suit, fold his sleeves and get down to work because there is so much to do to improve the lot of the people of Edo State.
The first thing to do is to immediately assemble the team that will work with him to deliver the dividends of democracy. The new governor will be better advised to set up a team of technocrats and experts rather than falling into the temptation of using his cabinet appointments for political patronage.
There is the problem of flooding whenever it rains. This is occasioned by poor, or non-existent drainages. The governor will need to take a look at this so as to give the people some reprieve. Dilapidated roads is another concern the governor may have to pay attention to. Virtually everywhere one turns, there is a bad road with long stretches of failed portion.
Federal roads criss-crossing the state are not spared as they are in very deplorable condition, making them impassable, especially when it rains. Some of these roads include the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi Road, Benin-Sapele road and the Benin-Asaba road. The Federal Government had sometimes in the past said any state government that rehabilitated its roads in such states will not get a refund but Okpebholo needs to re-open that conversation with the federal government because of the state's hefty chunk of deplorable federal roads.
Most of the public primary and secondary schools in the state are in very bad condition. The governor will have to embark on massive rehabilitation of schools and provide chairs and tables. There is also an acute shortage of teachers so the governor should be looking at recruiting teachers.
There is also the issue of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University branch being owed salaries. Another problem bogging the University is former governor Godwin Obaseki's slashing of the institution's subvention from N300 million monthly to a paltry N41 million. This figure cannot pay staff salaries. One therefore wonders how Obaseki expected the University to function. These two issues have to be revisited by Okpebholo.
The incidence of kidnapping is on the increase in Edo State. Governor Okpebholo would need to re-jig and equip the Edo Security Network (ESN), to combat kidnapping, cultism and other crimes, and also attract investors as well as guarantee safety of farmers in their farms to ensure food security.
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that will be waiting for Okpebholo is the domestic debt profile of over N72.4 billion as of March 31, 2024, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO) while external debt is $258 million as of June 30. The state's external debt is the third highest in the country, next only to Lagos and Kaduna. The new governor has to look for a way to reduce the debt portfolio.
These are just some of the challenges that will be requiring Senator Monday Okpebholo's attention as he settles down as the fifth civilian governor of Edo State.
Thankfully, Governor Okpebholo alluded to some of these challenges in his five-point agenda, reeled out during his inauguration on Tuesday. In his speech, he pledged to prioritise security, infrastructure, healthcare, food sufficiency, and education. Hopefully, the challenges above will find solution in the governor's five-point agenda.
