Obaseki, Shaibu receive royal blessings from traditional rulers

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, took his reelection campaign to Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the state with a promise to sustain the developmental strides being recorded by his administration when reelected.

The governor led his deputy and running mate, Philip Shaibu, and other members of the Edo PDP campaign council to the palace of Richard Osaigbovo, the Enogie of Ukhiri-Eresoyen, to seek royal blessings and support from the Dukes (Enigie) and other traditional rulers in the area.

Offering blessings to the governor and his deputy, the Enogie hailed the governor’s achievements across all sectors of the state, praying that the ancestors of the land guide and protect them and guarantee their victory in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

“A lot of you have been under pressure as a result of urbanisation. Benin City is expanding very fast as our royal father had the foresight during his coronation to identify one of the fallouts as a result of rapid urbanization; the growth of Community Development Associations (CDAs) which started to usurp some of the traditional functions of land allocation and land use. This pressure will continue at a faster rate and will increase the pressure on you more, if nothing is done,” Obaseki said.

“As a government, we will develop a master plan of the larger Benin metropolis to cushion the negative effects on the environment and the society at large.

“We are having problems with erosion control as the population is spreading fast and we need to meet to plan how to contain the rising population in Benin City.

“We have to plan for social development, security, and employment and I have promised to leave a 30-year development plan when leaving office in 2024. We want to plan for each of these dukedoms in the next three decades.”

The governor and campaign train also stopped at the palace of Ohen-Eregie in Ogbeson Quarters, where the priests (Ohen) in Ikpoba-Okha local government area prayed for the governor’s success in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll.