In a bold move to tackle infrastructure decay and insecurity in Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo has flagged off emergency palliative work on several failed portions of Federal roads in Edo North Senatorial District.
The 9.61 km stretch includes key routes such as Auchi-Igarra-Aiyetoro-Unemu-Nekhua-Aiyegunle-Ikpeshi-Ibillo-Ekor-Ikiran-Oke, all located within Edo North.
During the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to the development of Edo State, noting that the people must continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
The Governor reassured the public about his determination to eradicate kidnapping from the state:
“Today, we are flagging off these roads to ensure we have good highways in Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South Senatorial Districts.
I was with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja last week and he asked me to ensure that pot holes on roads across the State, either Federal or State, are rehabilitated.”
He highlighted the President’s genuine concern for the wellbeing of Edo people, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, security, and infrastructure:
“We will continue to bring development to Edo people because we care about our people and we want to improve their lives for the best.”
Governor Okpebholo didn’t hold back his resolve to confront insecurity head-on:
“I assure you that the business of kidnapping will never thrive here. We must take a decisive action as these criminal elements must leave our forests. I assure you that in the next few days, they will be out from our forests.
I will relocate to Edo North if that is what it will cost me to flush out criminal elements from the area as I will not leave this to security agencies alone. Together, we will smoke them out from this area.”
On the issue of erosion threatening communities like Auchi, the Governor promised timely intervention following proper procedure:
“On the erosion issue ravaging the area, we need to follow due procurement process to achieve results. Just be patient with my administration.
I will go and see the gully erosion site for myself and I will later send engineers to assess it and put a final stop to the erosion devastation.”
Hon. Oloruntoba Bamidele expressed gratitude for the Governor’s commitment to repairing roads, especially federal roads which had been neglected by the previous administration. He noted that these repairs will help curb criminal activities in the region.
Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, pledged the full support of the legislative arm to ensure the Governor’s developmental agenda is fully realized.
As part of his visit, Governor Okpebholo and his team also inspected the gully erosion site at Water Tanker Road in Auchi, Ughiogwa, and Ayogwiri-Uzairue in Etsako West LGA.
Source: Fred Itua, The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State.
Thursday, 31 July, 2025.
