FEATURE
Edo State Governor, On A Threshold Of History
By: Oriaifoh Godwins
In every generation, leadership is tested by moments that demand courage, clarity, and a willingness to shape the future rather than merely inheriting it. For Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Governor of Edo State, that moment has unmistakably arrived. Standing at the intersection of opportunity and responsibility, he now finds himself on a threshold of history; a point where decisions made today could define the trajectory of the state for decades to come.
Edo State, with its rich cultural heritage and strategic position in Nigeria’s socio-political landscape, has always been a fertile ground for transformative leadership. Yet, history teaches that not every leader fully recognizes or seizes such defining opportunities. For example, the people of Edo State, will not forget in a hurry, the last eight years of deceits, woes and MoU's. The last eight years of running Edo state without Commissioners, and without a properly constituted House of Assembly, when 14 out of 24 local governments in the state, were kept out of governance. Those eight years, were years of woes and years of nothingness.
Today, however, the dynamics are different. The currents of governance, political expectations and public demand, have converged in a way that places the current governor in a unique and potentially historic position.
At least, in the last one year of the administration of Governor Okpebholo, his administration has embarked on reforms touching several sectors, ranging from Education to Security, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Agriculture, and part of Civil Service transformation.
For example, Edo state people can see flyovers being constructed, Edo State People can see a major highway: Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi highway, that was a death trap for travellers, breathing some fresh air. They can see the over five thousand teachers whose fate in the Civil Service, was hanging, now singing new songs. The people of Edo state can see the Security Architecture being rebranded, as we now have a retrained Edo Corps. Today, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Colleges of Education, Igueben and Ogiarekhi and others, are back to life, even as the Students of the Faculty of Medicines of Ambrose Alli University, now know their fates, Schools of nursing are also under construction. All of these, and more, just in one year? Going by this trajectory, we can only imagine what the next three years will be like. Earnestly, Akpakomiza is Akpakomiza.
Some of these initiatives, although at varying stages of completion, have rekindled hope about a new Edo state: A state where institutional systems work, where Infrastructure, Education, Health and Security is prioritized, and where development is driven by innovation rather than outdated political norms and MoU's.
Wait a minute; have we forgotten so soon, how cultism almost turned Edo state to theatre of war? Where youths killed each other ruthlessly? So, that too, is now history? Praise God!
Political observers have noted that the governor’s leadership style, assertive, reformist, and unapologetically focused on people oriented structures, rather than MoU's that merely keep the people in suspense, only to follow same up with propaganda that expired with the passage of time, has set Senator Okpebolo apart from his predecessor.
Governor Okpebholo's bold steps, reflects a broader vision aimed at positioning Edo State as a model of governance in Nigeria. This, undoubtedly, is in line with his mantra: A New Edo State Is Rising.
The above, and more, is why many analysts describe Senator Okpebolo's current moment as a threshold of history. The metaphor, no doubt captures the essence of standing before a doorway that is yet to be crossed, but filled with potentials. If he steps forward with decisiveness, integrity, and strategic clarity, like he has done in the past one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo could enter the ranks of leaders that are remembered not merely for governing, but for transforming.
In view of the above however, Governor Okpebholo's major challenge, I must say, is not simply to meet the expectations of the people of the state, but also to exceed them; to create a legacy that future generations can point to as the beginning of a long-awaited renaissance in Edo governance.
As the people of Edo State continue to relish this new style of practical governance, one truth becomes evident: Leadership moments like this do not come often; They are rare opportunities gifted by circumstance and shaped by choices.
I dare say, that Senator Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo state, stands poised, challenged, and undeniably on a threshold of history.