By Chris Udochukwu
Benin City (Precise Post) – Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said that as a people propelled by a common zeal in pursuit of progress and advancement, what is needed is a unity template with which to overcome our challenges.
He stated this on Thursday during his second term inauguration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Edo State.
Obaseki said his re-election represents a new hope and that he sees himself as a vessel in the redefinition of democracy in Nigeria and as such, not unaware that this places enormous responsibility on him..
Stressing that their victory also offers an opportunity for thm to bridge the gap between a challenged past and a promising future.
The statement reads in full:.
That I can stand before you today as the re-elected Governor of Edo State is a testimony to the awesome power of God Almighty and the indomitable will and determination of the great people of #EdoState.
The good people of #EdoState spoke unequivocally through the ballot on September 19th and have entrusted us with the task of steering our state for another four years.
I am encouraged by the trust you have bestowed on us and grateful for your belief in my leadership and my capacity to continue piloting the affairs of this great state.
The world is currently going through unprecedented challenges, which is taking its toll on our collective wellbeing and demanding so much from the socio-economic and political structures that hold us together.
We are battling a rampaging pandemic, #COVID19 , which has claimed more than 1 million lives globally. It has shut down the economies of world super powers, overwhelmed some of the best healthcare systems and has redefined the way we work, live and relate as human beings.
On the other hand, democracy and participatory government, is facing a crisis of confidence locally and globally.
We are compelled, now and again, to reassess our choices in the light of the unfolding intrigues, paradoxes and conflicts that have come to characterize our political reality as people in the free world.
As a result, the liberties, which democracy offers and which generations have taken for granted, are now being questioned.
These have caused many to reevaluate the capacity of democracy to regulate the affairs of men and deliver freedom, equality and good governance.
It is therefore gratifying that Edo is taking the lead in this onerous task of restoring faith in democracy in Nigeria and the entire globe.
What you, my dear people of #EdoState, achieved with the September 19 governorship election is the restoration of confidence in democracy and its institutions, and we have become a point.
My re-election represents a new hope and I see myself as a vessel in the redefinition of democracy in Nigeria and I am not unaware that this places enormous responsibility on me.
It is pertinent to state that there are many sides to the victory we are relishing today.
Aside from the fact that it restores hope in democracy as a form of participatory government, our victory also offers an opportunity for us to bridge the gap between a challenged past and a promising future.
The unfortunate crisis we have had to endure as a people over the decades has led to deep divisions, which has resulted in inequality, injustice, underdevelopment, poverty, insecurity and unequal distribution of opportunities.
However, this is the time to heal. We are kith and kin with a common destiny. Let us now stop dwelling on the past. It is now time to take our collectives destinies in our own hands as Edo people and commence the arduous task of Making Edo Great Again (#MEGA ).
As a people, our history is replete with evidence of greatness, courage, innovation and creativity.
For centuries, as Edo people, we trod on uncharted paths, built empires, conquered territories far and near and deployed a rare knack for creativity, innovation and enterprise to attain global prominence.
Together, as a people propelled by a common zeal in pursuit of progress and advancement, there is nothing that we cannot overcome if we have a consensus on how to move our state forward. What we need is what I call a unity template, with which to overcome our challenges.
The unity template has the ability to help us respond to the economic consequences of the pandemic, to deal with our challenges of insecurity and underdevelopment and to put us on a path to Making Edo Great Again (#MEGA ).
In the last four years, we have shown that there are superior ways of running government. We have utilized core values such as transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, prudence and co-governance.
Today, we are acclaimed to be a success story in good governance in Nigeria.
Because of our antecedents in managing resources and redefining and deepening the social contract between government and Edo people, we believe that despite the problems and challenges we currently face, we shall overcome.
This social contract between government and the people, which you the people of #EdoState redefined in the last election, calls for trust and reciprocity. We do not claim to have the solutions to all our problems.
