Governor Obaseki’s Words On 2021 LG Election As Anointing Oil On Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi

 By Suleiman Ugbokhe

Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi, Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area

The recent pronouncement at a one-day workshop on “Igniting the Economic Development and Viability of Local Government Areas in Edo,” by Governor Godwin Obaseki that “only People with proven integrity would be elected as chairmen and councilors” in the local government election coming up in 2021 is not just explicit on the qualities expected of potential candidates, it is an Anointing Oil on Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi, the Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area.

The words of His Excellency the Governor of Edo state though not directed at any individual, any analytical mind conversant with the personality and office of Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi since she became the Executive Chairman just over a year ago will agree that all things being equal, those words of the Wake and See Governor are tailor-made for the Etsako East Boss because of her track records.

Governor Godwin Obaseki standing with the Amazon of Edo North politics as they engage in serious political discussion

In her eventful short tenure so far, she has left no one in doubt that she is a round peg in a round hole.

The calamity brought upon the world this year by the coronavirus pandemic is well known and indubitable. Many a leader were at their wits end as to how to handle and manage the mysterious deadly illness that the world is still battling to find a solution to.

But a visionary and an articulate leader that Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi is, she took on the situation and ensured that the people of Etsako East were well informed on the steps to take and adhere to in order to keep the disease at bay.

The Executive Chairman presents COVID-19 medical supplies to the Health department of the local government area

She was not just delegating duties but was in the forefront in the fight to ensure that the medications identified as limiting the spread of COVID-19 were evenly and effectively distributed across the entire local government area.

Aside from also equitably distributing the government palliative food items, Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi dug deep into her ‘piggy bank,’ bought loads of bags of beans, garri, maize, rice and cooking ingredients that she personally distributed across the three geopolitical zones of Etsako East – targeting most especially the aged, weak and infirm people.

The old and the infirm were traced to their rooms by the caring 'Mother-of-all' to give them food items

Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi is not a lone ranger as she operates a people-oriented government. This is why one of the first major projects she did when she became the helmswoman of the local government was to hear the cry of the people of Awoyemi-Okpella who had been without light for over one year. She promptly bought and installed a brand new transformer for them and equally defrayed part of their accumulated electricity bills.

Apart from the very relieved people of Awoyemi enjoying last year’s Christmas and New Year with light, the economic ripple effects on small scale businesses there cannot be quantified in monetary terms.

One of the most contentious issues in local government administration across the nation as a whole is payment of salaries to local government workers.

Because of the dwindling revenue allocation from the federation account as a result of sharp decline in crude oil price in the international market, prompt and full payment of salaries have become a big challenge to local government bosses.

This salary problem has become a fertile ground for chronic critics who deliberately distort information about salary issues to suit their evil purposes capable of creating disharmony between the workers and the management.

However, the prevailing industrial harmony in Etsako East local government area is down to nothing else but the managerial skill and prudent and transparent application of the little funds available by Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi.

“I am a wife and mother too. At our level here because of the paucity of funds occasioned by the fall in oil prices and COVID-19 world pandemic, we have had reasons to owe our staff about six weeks salaries,” the down-to-earth Executive Chairman stated at an interactive meeting with the Council workers recently.

“This actually breaks my heart because I am an exposed person, I am experienced. I know that the least we can do is to pay staff their salaries as at when due. If we can do nothing else, we should be able to pay salaries.

“Etsako East was actually number one in Edo North in terms of remittance of deductions to staff and we are actually number two in Edo state. For me, that is a very enviable position. We can do better than that given the opportunity because even if we owe staff one day, just one day of salary, it is still not good enough. Even that one day is not good enough to be owed. I know by the grace of God we can do better.”

“I have received maximum cooperation from the senior staff as well as the junior staff. We have had a very robust relationship where we have been able to address issues without necessarily fighting or locking our gates and preventing people from entering the council.”

Despite these well known financial challenges, the indefatigable Council Boss is not resting on her oars, as she has continued to execute projects that are dear to the people. In just a short period of less than a fortnight, she commissioned two water borehole projects executed by her administration in Okpekpe and Imiegba, as well as reactivating the borehole at Agenebode Market in addition to constructing modern toilet facility at the market.

Borehole commissioned at Okpekpe

She also equipped the Health Center at Iviukwe and the Wake and See Governor of Edo state, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki was on hand to commission the health facility in August this year to the delight of the people of Iviukwe and surrounding villages who no longer have to go far to receive medical attention.

Governor Godwin Obaseki, accompanied by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi and other government functionaries at Iviukwe Health Center to commission it

The open door policy of the amiable, easy-going and sociable number one citizen of Etsako East is second to none. It is not artificial. When in the office, she receives both young and old, male and female, the rich and poor, the famous and the ordinary folks – whether on appointment or not. The situation is not quite different when she is at home.

It is not for nothing that she is known and famously addressed as the Digital Chairman. Her phone number is a public property. Call her on phone, she will answer you. If for any reason she cannot pick your call, be sure to hear from her much later. The social media is also her fortress where she attends to people both day and night.

The Amazon of Edo North politics is accountability personified. She does not mouth it, she demonstrates accountability to the satisfaction of all: “I also told my staff, I said to them I know that things have been very challenging and I am really, really try to squeezing to the best of my ability. The NULGE Chairman is here. There is no salary we have paid without consulting with NULGE and HoGA to say this is what has come; this is what we have. Please, advise. How do we pay this? But in agreement we have been able to put away a very small amount that we will use to pay claims when the next allocation comes so that my staff can have a beautiful Christmas,” the Council Boss disclosed recently when the Local Government Service Commission visited workers of Etsako East Council.

“I am a mother and a wife. I feel the pains that my staff feel, especially those of them that are women. I always say the blessing God has given women in Etsako East we cannot quantify it because when a woman cries to me that this is her situation with her children or with the home, I feel it double because I am a woman. I have been in their shoes. I did not fall from heaven to become a local government chairman. I was born into poverty. And what a lot of them experience today, I also experienced it. That is why I always do my best to make sure that we do the needful.

“I want to assure you that I will continue to do my best for my people. It is by the grace of God that I ascended to this position; not by my power. It is not because of my brilliance. If you say that this is the ticket, it is available for purchase, I would not have been able to buy it. So, God alone is the One who has promoted me there. And I owe God. The thanks I owe my God is to make sure that people who work with me and those who work under me actually enjoy the time that I spend with them.

"It is challenging sometimes when things are hard. People don’t remember the buck stops on my table. ‘I no get salary, I never get… Na chairman. Everything na chairman.’ I take full responsibility. I want to assure you that as things improve at the state and local government levels, by the grace of God things will also improve for us. Your welfare is my concern. I feel what you feel. We are all in this together. Don’t see Benedicta as the one that is enjoying and that she has abandoned us. No. we are together if the ship sinks, we all sink; if it sails we all sail. But by the grace of God we will not sink. We will continue to sail.”

Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi on an inspection visit to the site of the trailer park under construction at Okpella

Long before this workshop on “Igniting the Economic Development and Viability of Local Government Areas in Edo,” Hon. (Mrs) Ebuehi who believes so much in empowerment and self-sustenance, had taken steps to make sure that Etsako East local government area does not depend majorly on monthly allocation from the federation account, by looking at viable ways of improving the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the local government.

One of such projects is the ongoing construction of an ultra modern Trailer Park in Okpella to cater for the numerous trailers patronizing both BUA and Dangote cement companies in Okpella, as well as trailers conveying food items and cows and other essential items from the Northern part of Nigeria to the Southern parts and vice versa. When completed this park is expected to create jobs for several youths from the local government as well as improving the IGR of the local government area. A fish market is also in the offing in Agenebode to serve as a Fish Hub in Edo North.

Peace is central to having a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive for the mutual benefit of all. This was the reason why the workaholic Boss of Etsako East spared nothing to ensure that a CDA was signed between the Youths of Okpella and BUA Cement so that everybody would go about their businesses unmolested.

Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi is for all the people of Etsako East. She does not look down on any class or group of people. She treats all with equal attention and kindness. It is for this reason that last month she took time out to visit the physically challenged in Okpella; sat with them and interacted with them so as to know their needs first hand.

The ever caring Executive Chairman of Etsako East in a group photograph with the physically challenged at Okpella

Before she left them, she presented food items ranging from bags of garri and corn to cartons of indomie noodles as well as fifty thousand Naira (N50,000.00) to them, in addition to a pledge to stock the shop of one them before Christmas.

“I want to appeal to those of you who may not receive direct assistance from me now to be patient. We have to be doing this one after the other because there is no enough money to be able to attend to you all at once,” Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi told the visibly happy aged and young physically challenged people.

It is therefore, not a surprise that since she mounted the saddle of leadership in Etsako East local government area, our visionary and dynamic Executive Chairman has been receiving awards from all over the places – the latest being from the Nigerian Local Government Chairmen Merit Award (LOGMA) for “Quality Leadership and Accountability through service delivery.”

The Executive Chairman displays the LOGMA Merit Award

Come 2021 local government election, by God’s grace, Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi is the people’s candidate for Chairman of Etsako East local government area.