I’m Not In Govt To Do ‘Fine Boy’ — Edo Governor

Winning an election is a privilege given by God and the people, according to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo.

The governor, who is marking his second year in office, told editors during a media chat on Tuesday that he is in government not to serve himself but to serve the people who elected him.

“Winning an election is to me a privilege from God and from the people who imposed their trust on me. I asked for the job, and my own is to do the job.

“So, whatever I’m doing is because I want to serve. I’m not here to do fine boy; I want to serve the people, that is my goal,” he declared.

Speaking further, he said that he would like to be remembered by what he is able to do for the people rather than by how much money he amassed.

Recalling the legacy of a former governor of the old Bendel State, late Ambrose Alli, Governor Okpebholo said his ambition in government is to leave similar legacies.

He said, “It would be more honourable to me that when I leave government, I should be remembered for the things I did, not the amount of money I have.

“When I was growing up, I kept hearing about Ambrose Alli; now that I have grown up, I still see Alli’s stickers on vehicles. Was it Alli that printed those stickers?

“It’s not him that printed them. I want by the time I’m no longer in this world, in many years, people would still remember me and also put my sticker somewhere.”

Okpebholo, a former senator, said his focus is to spend Edo State money on the things that matter to the people, stressing that he is not interested in anything else.

He revealed that in the last two years of his administration, he has constructed over one hundred roads across the state and rebuilt markets, schools and healthcare centres.

“We’re concentrating on school access; that’s why we’re providing basic amenities and hiring teachers to save our educational system,” he said.

He added that the state airline would soon be launched.

Residents of Benin who spoke to NewsNGR corroborated the governor’s claims. They said the governor has performed beyond their expectations.

“When the governor first came, there were killings every day by cultists,” said a shop owner at Oba Market. “But the governor has dealt with the issue of insecurity, and we don’t hear about killings again.”

Another respondent said the Okpebholo administration is quietly transforming the state by building massive flyovers, roads, schools and hospitals, especially primary healthcare centres.