Following a tenure of seven and a half years as governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has asserted that he has not only fulfilled but also exceeded all the commitments outlined in his manifesto prior to his election as governor of Edo state.
The governor who addressed a press briefing in Benin City, Edo State said he has improved all the sectors in the state.
Obaseki maintained firmly that his administration has been able to achieve numerous accomplishments in the health, education and infrastructural sectors of the state.
He added that his government has placed Edo state on the path of development and has laid a strong foundation for the incoming governor of the state.
He said: “As Edo State Governor in these last few years, I don’t have any regrets. When I look at my manifesto, what I said I was going to do; I’ve surpassed everything I said I would do.
“I have exceeded everything I said I will do and there was not one area I mentioned, that I talked about that I didn’t have a kind of impact on.”
Obaseki further explained; “I’m a realistic person. One administration or one governor cannot do it all. What I have done is to lay a foundation and by the grace of God, we have a successor who will continue to build on that, in the direction that I started with and someone who shares the same values of service to the people.
“Democracy is not a destination in itself; it is a process. It will always be better; things will always be better than when you met them.”
On his impact on various sectors of the State’s economy, Obaseki stated: “Yes, I can beat my chest and say I changed the course of education in my State. I have trained more than half a million children and given them sound, solid basic education but that’s not all they need. Somebody needs to come and build on that.
“In terms of the health care system in my State, I’ve changed it totally, moved my primary health care system from the local government and joined hands with the local government and just refreshed it. I have dealt with the major issues about health in Nigeria, which is healthcare financing, and how you pay out-of-pocket. I have a thriving healthcare insurance system in Edo today that has over 250,000 policies, but it needs to grow.”
The governor added: “So, I just thank God that I had the opportunity to try and if I were to do it again, I would do it exactly like I did it.”
