Uzamere tackles critics, says Obaseki works on federal, state roads

From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

Edo State Commissioner for Roads and Bridges Mr Ethan Uzamere has said the insinuation that the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, did not work on federal roads in the state was not entirely correct.

He dismissed the insinuation while speaking with journalists in Benin.

Mr Uzamere said the governor had carried out some works on federal roads to alleviate the plight of citizens in the state who use them, despite the funds allocated to the state not being commensurate with those of its sister states.

“In terms of roads, like you asked me, if you really live in Edo State, prior to His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki’s arrival, it would be very unfair not to give him accolades for road construction, where he focused especially on internal connectivity.

“Yes, there were some things that were hyped up by informal media groups, saying he doesn’t work on federal government roads, which is very false.

“We did a lot of work on the Benin-Lagos road; we are actually working on the Benin-Abraka road as we speak, which is going to be completed soon. I think before I even came into this ministry, he was about to work on the Benin-Sapele road, and if you can remember, some people tried to stop him until we came back last year, having a tripartite agreement with the NNPCL and the Federal Ministry of Works to work on the road.

“We did a few works, palliative works – I don’t really like palliative works – on the road because the roads are heavily used, on the Benin-Asaba road.

“If you look at Edo State and the funds it receives compared to sister states, even in the Niger Delta, Edo State receives the lowest. And if you look at the topography of Edo, if you are coming from the southwestern part of Nigeria, going to the south-south, southeast, or even some northeast states, you can go through Edo State. So, all this mounts pressure on the roads.”

When asked if he would consider offers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, having served under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Commissioner said he was not contemplating that at the moment.

“I can’t accept that now because, obviously, we just finished an election, and we are currently in court. I have done about eight years in public service now, and I also want to take a break and do a lot of re-evaluation on the last few years to see how to move forward. I don’t think it’s just about jumping to positions easily without even doing a self-appraisal on my previous appointments,” Uzamere said.