Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, says the federal government
can learn from the state on how to fix the problem of power supply in the
country.
The Edo governor spoke on Tuesday at the Nigerian Institute
of International Affairs (NIIA) distinguished lecture series titled: ‘Making
Politics Work for Citizens, Governance and Development: The Edo State
Experience’, held in Lagos.
Obaseki, whose comments come amid complaints of epileptic
power supply across the country, said Edo has stable electricity in its public
facilities.
“Edo presents a very striking example of how Nigeria can fix
its intractable electricity problem, which has plagued the country since
independence,” he said.
“With robust
partnership with the private sector, the state government has succeeded in
encouraging generation by attracting firms like Azura (450MW); Ossiomo Power
(95MW) is now proceeding to create its own electricity markets to encourage
investments in distribution of power within the state.
“Currently, there is stable electricity to power public
institutions and infrastructure in metropolitan Benin city.”
Obaseki also said Nigerians can learn from the Edo 2020
governorship election on how to ensure credible polls.
“Edo state, with all
its features, is very representative of the larger Nigerian nation. We have
demonstrated in Edo state that the political firmament can be altered for the
benefit of majority of its citizens,” he said.
“Edo state reversed the political norm in Nigeria. Voter
consciousness and voter turnout reached an enviable level. Citizen
participation (including Edos in the diaspora) in the elections shocked
bookmakers. The issues for campaign were clear and reduced to few key
overarching subjects affecting our people.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stood
its ground and insisted on free and fair elections. Voter results were
transmitted directly from the polling units to a central portal and the results
matched those we were collating in our situation room. It is possible to scale
this template to a national level.
“Insistence on good governance has helped us in building
public trust with citizens. By rebuilding the culture of transparency and
accountability, we have reduced the level of resistance to our reform agenda.”
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