Obaseki: There is Hope for Nigeria

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State said yesterday that if individuals with tremendous vision are in positions of authority, Nigeria would be great again.

He made the remarks at the ceremonial commissioning of the Omi Titun Bus Mass Transit Pilot Scheme and Bus Terminals, which took place at Ojoo and Challenge in Ibadan.

He did, however, commend Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for providing the two bus terminals, among other things, despite the country’s economic problems.

Obaseki said: “Coming here to see that my brother, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, is commissioning two bus terminals and the quality of the structure, I am very proud of you.

“I am also surprised about how you got this land, because during my days at the University of Ibadan, I used to go to IITA and I did not know you can get a big land like this here, let alone building a good structure like this. We are truly proud of you.

“Listening to you speak, I said to myself that, indeed, Nigeria still has hope. When we have people like you in government – people who make decisions not on emotions but on data and facts, people who make decisions that affect the majority of the people, we have hope.”

In his remarks, Governor Makinde said that his administration would leverage on comparative cost of the state to provide the needs of the people.

He said: “One of the things we knew Ibadan needed when we came into office was an effective transportation system. I remember how we went round and spoke to you in 2019, just after we came into office. We made a case for having to demolish some buildings around here, and I thank you for listening to us then.

“We could not have accomplished any of these things without your support.

“Of course, not everyone saw the big picture as we did. In fact, some people said the project was a misplaced priority, and they created lists of other projects that they thought we should have prioritised. Well, we knew better because, in our quest to engineer a modern Oyo State, we always relied on data, science, and logic.

“The data showed that it was time to build a modern alternative to the existing transport system in Oyo State. Oyo State receives heavy traffic from all over the country.

“By virtue of its location, Ibadan has always been that town where travellers can layover either on their way out of the South-West or into the South-West. The data said it was time to build on that comparative advantage and science supported the data.”

Source: vanguardngr.com