The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will lead a train of global icons, including business and political leaders, activists, academics, and civil society groups, to Ekpoma, in Edo Central Senatorial district, for the 29th Memorial Day Celebration of former governor of old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states), Prof. Ambrose Alli.

In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said that the governor would be hosting a large entourage that will be in Emuado in Ekpoma for the celebration.

He said, “We are very excited to be celebrating late Prof. Ambrose Alli. It is, for many of us in Edo, something remarkable because a lot of the young, upwardly mobile people and businessmen in the state benefited from the impactful policies initiated by Prof. Ambrose Alli when he was the governor.

“A good number of these people attended either one of the over 600 secondary schools or the Bendel State University, which is now Ambrose Alli University, today. So, for them, it is an opportunity to once again pay homage to a good, enviable son of the state.”

He described the former governor of old Bendel as a hero of good governance and accountability, noting, “We fondly remember the legacies of former governor of the old Bendel state and it is only right to celebrate him. The governor will be leading a delegation to Emuado, for the memorial mass service, which will host a lot of the people from within the state and the Diaspora.”

One of the events to mark the event is a Memorial Mass at the St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Emaudo, Ekpoma.

Late Prof. Alli, a professor of Morbid Anatomy, was governor of old Bendel State from 1979 to 1983. He founded the Bendel State University with campuses in Ekpoma, Abraka and Asaba and over 600 secondary schools. He also initiated landmark infrastructural and housing projects within Edo and Delta states.