We Are in a Hurry to Develop Edo – Deputy Gov
Agency Report
The Godwin Obaseki-led APC government in Edo, says it is in a hurry to bring all round development to nooks and crannies of the State.
Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu of Edo gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Wednesday.
“We are actually in a hurry to develop every aspect of Edo economy. This is because the shoes that Adams Oshiomhole left behind are very big for us to fit into.
“We therefore need to redouble our efforts and that is what the governor is doing. We promised Edo people that we are going to beat the records of Adams Oshiomhole.
“And the only way we can conveniently fit into those big shoes he left behind is to double our efforts.
“That is why we christened the 2017 budget a Budget of Consolidation and Prosperity.
“What we are consolidating on is the infrastructural development that the last administration left behind.
“The prosperity in it is that we are taking advantage of the infrastructure and the one we are building to open up the economy of Edo State.
“We will generate employment and that employment is what will bring about prosperity’’, Shuaibu said.
He also told NAN that the State Government would explore “Edo’s natural habitat to drive the economy. We have decided to take advantage of our geographical location’’, he said.
Shaibu said the state government was poised to reduce unemployment to a minimal level, adding that the
administration had started the employment-generation process with the establishment of the Edo Job Registration.
“Very soon, we are rolling out a major first set. Already, employment has been on.
“But we want to have the one we call a bang and from our statistics, we are already working toward achieving the minimum of 200,000 jobs that we promised Edo people.’’
Shaibu added that the state government would revolutionise agriculture.
“We want to bring Edo state back to the limelight that it used to be in the area of agriculture’’, he said.
He disclosed the state government was already partnering experts and had established companies to develop the rubber plantation and the processed palm oil sub-sector.
“We are bringing back our natural endowment; the untapped limestone and other minerals because we are in a hurry to get them back to contribute to our gross domestic product and infrastructure.
Shaibu stressed that the state government would rather go about its developmental efforts quietly than resort to what he called noise making in the media.
“We said everything we needed to do during the campaign. Now is time to work and you do the talk. That is what we are doing presently’’, he said.
NAN
