Benin – By Ola Airenakho
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has tasked the state Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) to spend 80% of its resources on the provision of lasting infrastructure.
He gave the charge on Thursday at the inauguration of the Board of the Commission at the Government House, Benin City.
According to him, government will continue to encourage the Commission to identify projects that will have more impact in the lives of the people.
“The beauty of concentrating more on road infrastructure should be clear to all of us. There can be no question that road infrastructure is more critical and central to long term development strategy.”
Comrade Oshiomhole said that any policy, designed to address rural poverty cannot go far if the communities are not connected with good roads.
“The need to open up our rural communities cannot be overemphasized, so I will encourage you even now to devote much more resources, up to 80% of your resources to these kinds of infrastructure because it does not discriminate.”
According to the Governor, the reappointment of the Chairman of the commission translated to a vote of confidence because “I had advised him that the Commission must move away from the culture and tradition of token projects that people cannot see overtime.”
“Even though there might be quick ways, but the Commission should work on projects that will have lasting impacts on the socio-economic life of the oil producing communities.”
He noted that for the first time in the history of the Commission, there have been meaningful projects, which according to him, include very beautiful roads under construction in Orhionmwon Local Government, Ikpoba Okha Local Government and Ovia North East Local Government.
The Governor attributed the project initiative to the efforts of the commission’s chairman and his colleagues.
He however said Government will take a closer look at the costing of the Commission’s projects in view of dwindling resources.
“This time, we have to pay more attention to costing because the country is in dire financial crisis but as they say, tough times don’t last, but tough people do.
I am going to find time to scrutinize what you do so you do not depart from the objective of the Commission but such monitoring is designed to ensure that you are assisted not to succumb to temptation so that in the end, you will have credit for what you have done.”
Responding on behalf of team, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Vincent Uwadia thanked the Governor for the implicit confidence reposed in them, assuring that such confidence would be translated to work.
He said the lives of people living in the oil producing communities will not be the same again as the Commission will consolidate on the gains of the previous years.
Members of the Commission include, Prince Ehioze Erediauwa, Victor Ekhator, Wellighton Okoh, Abbas Yakubu, Osaretin Edoma and Promise Akpetu.
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