The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has sworn-in his newly appointed Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs), urging them to see their appointments as a call to service and be accountable to the people.
The aides were selected from the 192 wards of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
Speaking during the swearing-in on Thursday in Benin City, the governor said the primary assignment for the appointees include deepening the policies and achievements of his administration at the grassroots level.
“Our focus is on service. How do we serve our people? How do we get the lives of our people to be better? You have been called to serve and not to enrich yourself,” he noted.
Obaseki said, “Our government has zero-tolerance for corruption and incompetence. If you are found culpable in acts of corruption and absconding from your duty post or incompetent, we will not hesitate to drop you.”
He noted that with dwindling national resources, there was need to fully harness the resources in the state, urging the appointees to come up with developmental initiatives that would benefit their wards.
“Our aim is to penetrate the grassroots and deliver dividends of good governance and democracy to our people. I want to get reports from you on what our various Ward Development Committees are doing. I want to know what the challenges are in the area of security and the opportunities in the area of agriculture and empowerment,” Obaseki said.
He urged the appointees to engage with their community leaders on how to make land available for government projects, adding, “We must open up Edo State. The state must not be opened to only a few people and opportunists.”
The governor noted that he was not involved in the nomination process of the appointees but they were selected by APC leaders at the ward and LGA levels.
In his remarks, Edo Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Barr Anselm Ojezua, said the appointment of the SSAs and SAs was done through the party structure at the ward and LGA levels and in accordance with the party mantra of ‘let the people lead.’
He said the appointees had been tried and have shown to be loyal members of the party, noting, “I have confidence that with people like you, this government will perform better.”
In a vote of thanks, one of the Special Assistant, Mr Lucky Aigbe thanked the governor for the opportunity given them to serve while assuring that they will work to drive the governor’s policies at the grassroot level.