One Year After ... Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi Remains The Toast Of Etsako East People

By Suleiman Ugbokhe

Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi,
Former Executive Chairman,
Etsako East Local Government Area

It is one year now since Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi left office as the Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area, a position she stepped into when the then helmsman, Aremiyau Momoh (Mbakwe), under whom she was the vice chairman, was removed from office by the state government two years into the three-year tenure.

On assuming office as Executive Chairman, Princess Benedicta left no one in doubt that she was coming into office to serve the people of Etsako East local government area, and not to canonise, imperialise herself as was the case before her.

One of the first things she did to demonstrate her people-oriented policy was the purchase and installation of a transformer at Awuyemi (Ward 5), to end years of darkness in that part of Okpella.

It is very easy to gloss over this achievement but when the socioeconomic ripple effects of restoring power supply to these people is considered, it is not surprising that the people have not ceased to appreciate Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi, but are actually clamouring for her return to office as a full fledged Executive Chairman of the council area for a full first term of three years.

Hon. Ebuehi does not thrive on political rhetorics. When she said she was running an open-door administration, she meant and demonstrated every word of it. In her short stint as Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area, she was accessible to all classes of people, whether during or after office hours.

She listened with rapt attention to people who came to her with issues either as individuals or groups. Even if you did not get what you came for, you would be satisfied that this down-to-earth lady laid her cards on the table for all to see.

It is very easy to compare different administrations based on execution of projects and salary issues, but conveniently forgetting the different conditions under which the different administrations operated.

A case in point is the payment of salaries and other emoluments. As it is well known, the three tiers of government in Nigeria depend largely on monthly allocations as disbursed by the revenue mobilization allocation and fiscal commission (RMAFC) based on oil revenue derived from the international market.

So, if administration A that got more allocations because oil price was high, say, $100 per barrel, in addition to receiving Paris Club Refund, and was able to pay salaries conveniently. And administration B whose tenure witnessed a sharp drop in oil price to as low as $20 and zero earning from Paris Club refund and consequently unable to pay full salaries but still managed to execute people-oriented projects.

Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi's one year in office fell into the latter category where allocation dropped sharply due to the fall in crude oil price in the international market. To worsen matters, her administration did not enjoy Paris Club refunds, as enjoyed by her predecessor.

The people's Chairman: Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi is always there with and for the people

Notwithstanding this gross disadvantage, Hon. Ebuehi put her managerial acumen and interactive capability into use in order to ensure that the local government workers did not suffer unduly and that they understand that the crippling finances of the council was not the making of her administration.

It is to her credit that she was able to engage the local government union (NULGE) constructively in meetings attended not just by the NULGE executives but by all the workers where she gave details only limited by the Official Secrets Act to the admiration of all.

Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi at the temporary location of Agenebode market in April 2020 to identify with the traders on account of the difficulties brought upon them by COVID-19 pandemic

It is also noteworthy that the then number one citizen of Etsako East local government area ran an all-inclusive administration where no person or group was neglected.

Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi would drive from her office in Agenebode to Okpella to meet with persons with disabilities and listen to their challenges as enumerated by them, after which she would patiently addressed the points raised one by one, and there and then solved some of them financially and materially, in addition to empowering some of them who are artisans with the needed tools to carry on their trades.

Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi would step out of her office and trek to Agenebode market to see for herself how the women mostly were coping with their trades in the temporary location during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, where she also left the traders smiling with token sums to boost their trades.

Not one to sit in her office to give directives, Hon. Benedicta Ebuehi(backing camera) is seen here in the room of the oldest woman in Imiakebu(Ward9) in the course of distributing food items to the elderlies across the local government area in April 2020

The elderlies across the length and breadth of Etsako East local government area also felt the positive impact of the great-heartedness of the Princess and her administration, when she had to go from house to house meeting them and doling out essential commodities she bought with her personal money to augment what came from the government during the very difficult period of the coronavirus.

On project execution, Hon. Ebuehi performed brilliantly notwithstanding the paucity of funds.

On inspection tour of the Ultramodern Trailer Park under construction in Okpella (2020)

What better way to address this than to use the quintessential former Executive Chairman's own valedictory words:

"I am leaving the council having set a foundation for economic recovery and a boost in the IGR. Here are some of the things we were able to do:

"We set up the Etsako East Economic Team comprising Economists of International repute to help redirect the economic affairs of the LGA.

"We midwifed the signing of the CDA/MOU between BUA and Okpella Community, a feat that could not be achieved prior to my time. The dividends will now begin to show now Okpella people have agreed to its implementation.

"We have reached advanced stages of talks with our funders for the Ultramodern Trailer Park in Okpella. This will significantly boost the Council's IGR.

"We provided a brand new transformer for the people in Awuyemi, Ward 5.

"We equipped the renovated Primary HealthCare Centre in Iviukwe, Ward 3. The Health Centre is running on Solar for maximum output.

"In Agenebode market, Ward 1, we rehabilitated one borehole and public toilets and provided a generator for regular pumping of water.

"In Okpekpe, Ward 10, we provided a functional borehole plus logistics support for metering of the community.

"In Imiegba, Ward nine, we provided a functional borehole.

"We supported some of our youths to gain employment with Edo state Government and to be self employed.

"On a personal note, I was able to distribute foodstuff to the elderly and vulnerable people to reduce the effects of covid-19 pandemic. In my immediate community of Okpekpe, I also constructed school chairs and desks in 4 classrooms and graded one road from my personal resources not to mention the personal help rendered to hundreds across the LGA.

"These are truths and they are constant. They cannot be changed no matter what happens."

The intellectual sagacity of Princess Benedicta Ebuehi is unequalled. In the annals of the administration of Etsako - yes, Etsako - no chairman, in or out of office, ever authored a book, and not just a book, a biography, not just a biography, an autobiography, print and online, a feat that has just been accomplished by the irrepressible Hon. Princess (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi - I stand to be corrected.

If you have not gotten a copy of ÓMÓNÉ, the latest book trending internationally, you need not be told you are missing a hot cake. Go and grab your copy NOW!

When a torchbearer divinely guided leads the way as we have in the indefatigable Hon. Princess Benedicta Ebuehi, the foremost chairmanship aspirant in Etsako East local government area, be rest assured of getting to the Promised Land.