Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has advocated for the judicious use of resources in the South-south region to drive socioeconomic development, lamenting that there was little to show that the region is the most funded in Nigeria.

He said the state is on a path to changing this narrative with an articulate long-term development framework that provides a sustainable pathway to economic progress.

The governor made the submission when executives of the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) presented him with an award for winning the 7th Niger Delta Development Forum (NDDF) competition, at the Government House, in Benin City.

He said part of the challenges faced by the South-south is defining well-articulated and implementable development agenda, adding, “A lot has been done in the region over the years but they have not translated to meaningful development to benefit our people, as the region remains one of the least developed in the country when you review what we earn as a region.”

The governor attributed the failure of development to lack of planning and insisted that the right things should be done.

He noted that without a well-thought out physical, economic, and social development master plans that are implementable, it will be difficult for Edo State to get out of its developmental problems.

“I want to assure you that Edo is investing a lot in planning to change the narrative of the state,” he said.

According to him, the challenge with governments today is the inability to get things done.

“As a government, we are going to put in place systems, processes, and procedures to ensure that public officers, members of the public, Civil Society Organisations will understand what to do, how to do it and when to do it. This will enable us get to our destination,” he added.

Obaseki explained that his administration’s development blueprint is built on six key pillars namely; reforms of government institutions, education, economic revolution, environmental sustainability and tourism.

The Partnership and Engagement Manager for PIND, Chime Asonye, said they were at the Edo State Government House to present the state with an award won at the 7th NDDF.

Asonye said Edo is the state with the best Governance Framework on long term planning in the Niger Delta region, adding, “Edo State put together a presentation on the journey of the state so far. She won and PIND Foundation is to support Edo State Government on this in putting together a long development plan.”

•Sourced from a Leadership report

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