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Why Afegbua, APC are having nightmares over Edo's economic growth under Obaseki

By Igbafe Alonge

For right thinking members of the society, economic growth is a welcome development because it translates to more jobs, improved infrastructure, greater productivity and enhanced living conditions. Growth begets progress. It is the natural order of things and progressive societies bask in their ability to stimulate and propel growth.

However, it appears that news of economic growth can also spell doom for a certain category of people in Edo State. They are none other than the All Progressives Congress (APC), who have been gnashing their teeth since it came to light that the state's economy has grown by over 140% in the last seven years, from $10bn to $26bn. The APC has had sleepless nights and their minions, including alternative facts merchant, Kasim Afegbua, has elected to push all manner of propaganda to disparage this verifiable fact.

In Afegbua's latest jibe, he exposed his disdain for facts and progress by attempting to rubbish the growth recorded in last seven years, claiming that Obaseki was not only appropriating achievements of his predecessor Adams Oshiomhole but was also deceiving Edo people about the impact of his reforms. It is characteristic of APC and their acolytes to reason this way and we can see that the parties lack of understanding of basic economics manifest in the poor handling of the economy at the national level.

But this does not come as a surprise. We do not expect those who do not know how to create and sustain wealth to appreciate what they can't comprehend. If they are not openly disparaging the fact that new investments have been attracted to Edo State, they are ignorantly and shamelessly pushing the narrative that Obaseki only thrives on signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs).

However, anyone with the faintest understanding of how an economy runs would appreciate the laudable policy reforms that have not only attracted new investments but also sustained existing ones. The governor has attracted investments in commercial agriculture through the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), the largest oil palm development in Africa in the last decade, which has led to the infusion of not less than $2bn into the State’s economy by a host of local and foreign investors. Some of these include Dufil Prima, which operates an integrated farm housing an ethanol plant and an expansive oil palm estate fitted with processing facilities. The State has also attracted Flour Mills of Nigeria, which is also undertaking commercial farming in Edo State. Saro Oil Palm is developing a 10,000 hectare farm while Greenhill Agro Products Limited is completing an ethanol plant in Ologbo, which will generate $25m revenue annually.

All these are verifiable. There are more. Ossiomo Power Plant kicked off with a Power Purchase Agreement signed with the Obaseki-led government. At the time, APC disparaged the move, saying that the PPA was another phantom MoU by the governor. Today, they have turned around to claim that the project was birthed under their government. They also claimed that the governor claims credit for the Utesi Industrial Cluster. The cluster only flourished under Obaseki because he created the environment for their businesses to thrive. Pray tell, which projects were sustained by the APC government in Edo? They ran aground all and every public enterprise under their care, appointing politicians into the boards of the companies and fleeced what remained of the state-owned assets.

It is also curious that the APC would rather that the ownership of all the big-ticket projects in the State are transferred to the government. They want the government to own Ossiomo Power and other assets, but also fail to tell Edo people how other businesses they managed fared when they were in office such as Bendel Breweries, The Edo Fertilizer and Chemical Company, Auchi, among others. Governor Obaseki signed an MoU for Edo fertiliser company to be run under a private management and it has fared far better today, not under lock and key as the APC would have preferred.

What they failed to mention also was that two modular refineries are now operational in Edo State under Obaseki’s watch. The Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Duport Refinery are two projects that have befuddled the APC. Till date, they are still at sea as to how the projects came about. This is because the concept of creating wealth and project management is alien to them.

Today, the APC has a candidate that struggles to speak the English language. He does not only have the requisite aptitude and intellect to pass the General Certificate Exam (GCE) at the age of 36 even after attempting the exam at a miracle center in Jos, Plateau State, he obviously cannot express himself coherently. So, it is not surprising that the party and their leaders fail to grasp the importance of growing the economy.

Edo people are presented with this simple decision: go with a party that has shown evidence of development or with a party that thinks only about infinitesimal matters. Nigeria is replete with examples for Edo people to learn from, as the APC has succeeded pretty well in shortchanging the people by placing the worst of the people at the helm of affairs.

But this would not be a lot of our people. Edo people are cosmopolitan, suave and result driven. They will not be swayed by the antics of the APC in trying to disparage real growth and presenting an alternative that leaves much to be desired. This is why they are having nightmares over the state's growth numbers. The people will reject the APC alternative overwhelmingly in the next election. No amount of propaganda can save the APC. The people are wiser.

*_Alonge, a public affairs analyst writes from Ikpeshi in Akoko-Edo LGA of Edo State_*

Obaskeki economic growth

Brown envelope speaking

But Obaseki decamped to PDP from APC. Does he want to say that all his accomplishments during his first tenure as an APC governor, belonged to PDP?