The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki said no administration can succeed without the support and collaboration of the civil and public service, noting that civil and public servants in the State are the pillar of his government’s successes in the last eight years.

Obaseki said this during an interaction with the workers in the State to thank them for their support in the last eight years, held at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The governor said, “This is emotional for me because this will be my last meeting with you as the governor of Edo State but I am proud that in the last 8 years together, we have made tremendous improvements but we are not there yet.

“When the engine is faulty, the vehicle can't move effectively but Edo State is working because our civil service, which is the engine of the administration, is working.

“As a government, we are supposed to improve the life of our people with good roads, security, education, transportation, and lots more to make life better for them.”

The governor said the civil service is most important to his administration which is why his government placed priority on the welfare of the workers, ensuring a conducive environment to deliver on their duties, better motivation, and increased emolument.

He stated, “As a government, we have worked to make your life better and comfortable. To make our work easier, more efficient, and effective, we transited from paper to a paperless system on September 1st, 2023.

“We have created hubs in various sectors of the Edo economy. We created the Agricultural Hub, Education Hub, Health Hub, Entertainment Hub, and Technology Hub, amongst others.

“I am here to thank you for all you have done for me throughout my stay as governor of Edo State as your support and collaboration made our achievement much easier. We are on a journey that must not be truncated as the destination is far and needs a person like Dr. Asue Ighodalo to continue from where we will stop.”

Governor Obaseki further stated, “No State in Nigeria is as rich as Edo State. We have something they don't have, we are able to organize ourselves well and our human capital development is our greatest strength.

“Edo is a transportation hub as the Country can’t move without Edo State in terms of economic development and in five years, we have cultivated over 70,000 hectares of oil palm and over 50,000 hectares of cassava. We have done well restarting our educational system in the State.

“We have achieved a lot in 8 years despite the fight and trouble we have gone through. We can't afford to make mistakes in the forthcoming election by voting for a person that will take the State backward.”

He called on Edo workers to come out en masse to vote on Saturday, September 21 to ensure that the party and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo wins the governorship election.

Noting that the PDP candidate was the most qualified and capable of sustaining the growth and prosperity in the State, Obaseki said, “I am so confident because Asue Ighodalo was born by a civil servant and his mother is the first Permanent Secretary in Nigeria. He understands how the civil service works. With Asue Ighodalo, development is sure and certain in Edo State.”

The PDP governorship candidate, on his part, thanked the governor for the holistic transformation of the civil and public service in Edo State, assuring the workers that if elected, his government will prioritize the welfare and wellbeing of the workers.

He said, “We will continue from where Governor Obaseki will stop as we will take the welfare of the citizens, especially our workers seriously. I appeal to our workers to extend the same collaboration to me to enable me to succeed.”