Andrew Iro Okungbowa 
The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has lamented the present economic, political and security challenges of Nigeria, saying that the nation is adrift and the time to save it is now otherwise there may be no nation to look forward to if something drastic and urgent is not done about it.
The governor made this know on Tuesday when he delivered the first Nigerian Institute of International Agfairs (NIIA) Distinguished Lecture Series 2022.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Making politics work for citizens, governance and development: The Edo State experience’, he dissected the present democratic effort of the country and highlighted the successes of his government in the last five years.
According to Obaseki, the present democratic experience has not yielded the desired results because the foundation has not been properly laid and it has been hijacked by few individuals to the exclusion of the majority of the people.
The political leadership of the country, he said has failed the nation, noting that: ”Whatever the case, the political class bears the responsibility for the failures of leadership in Nigeria for various reasons.”
With the 2023 general elections a few months away, the governor said it is time to do things differently in order to safe the nation from its immient collapse.
According to Obaseki: ”It is time to set sentiments aside. The country is adrift. It is time to take tough decisions to rescue the country from the brink.
”We must now adopt proven methods and innovations in retooling our politics and democracy and make them work for the delivery of good governance and development of our people.”
While dwelling on the issue of governance and development, he drew practical examples from his administration of Edo State, noting some of the factors that have led to the successes of his administration.
The governor noted that his administration has created 300, 000 jobs besides the various projects that it has instituted in the various aspects of the economy.
He outlined some of these projects to include: Edobest; Edo Tech Park and the public-private partnership which saw to the creation of the Power Purchase Agreement in the area of electricity with Ossiomo Power Company to produce stable light for the state.
Earlier, the Director General of NIIA, Professor Eghosa Osaghae, welcomed the governor warmly to the institue and gave ressons for the distinhuished lecture series. Professor Bola Akinterinwa, who was the immediate past DG of NIIA, served as the chairman while the event had in attendance many distinguished personalities.
