Kingsley Ohens reporting

BENIN CITY, EDO STATE — Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has been nominated for the Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year 2026 award, in recognition of his administration’s reported interventions in security, education, healthcare, infrastructure and other critical sectors.

The nomination was formally communicated to the governor during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Leadership Newspaper to the Edo State Government House in Benin City on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on December 1, 2026, at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, where four other state governors are expected to join Okpebholo as nominees in the category.

The delegation was led by the newspaper’s Vice-Chairman, Michael Okpere, and included its Director of Conferences and Awards, Abraham Nda-Isaiah; Director of Special Projects, Paul Agbo; and Benin correspondent and Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Patrick Ochoga.

Speaking during the visit, Okpere explained that the newspaper’s annual awards featured 21 categories, including Person of the Year, Governor of the Year, Civil Servant of the Year and Banker of the Year. He said a 54-member panel assessed public officials, government policies and developments across the country before arriving at its nominations.

According to him, the panel reviewed the performances of state governors for 2026, narrowing the field to five nominees, compared with six in the previous edition. He described Okpebholo as one of the governors considered worthy of recognition following the assessment.

Also speaking, Nda-Isaiah highlighted several areas of the Edo State Government’s activities that contributed to the governor’s nomination, particularly interventions in security, education, healthcare and infrastructure.

He identified the administration’s reported increase in the monthly subvention to Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, from ₦41 million to more than ₦500 million, alongside an allocation of ₦250 million to Edo State University, Uzairue, as significant developments in the education sector.

Nda-Isaiah also pointed to road construction and rehabilitation projects across Edo State’s three senatorial districts, the Ramat Park flyover project and healthcare interventions, including the state health insurance scheme.

He further cited the administration’s reported activities involving more than 500 roads at various stages of construction and completion across the state, describing the projects and other sectoral interventions as factors considered in the nomination.

Responding, Governor Okpebholo expressed appreciation to the Leadership Newspaper delegation, describing his administration’s development efforts as a continuation of his longstanding commitment to public service.

The governor said he regarded working for the development of Edo State as a responsibility rather than an extraordinary undertaking, adding that the nomination had encouraged him to continue working for the people.

He also confirmed his intention to attend the award ceremony in Abuja on December 1, expressing gratitude for the recognition and praying for the strength to sustain his administration’s efforts across the state.

The development was confirmed in a statement by Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, who conveyed details of the nomination and the governor’s response on behalf of the Edo State Government.

The nomination places Edo State among the states whose governors have been shortlisted for the 2026 edition of the Leadership Newspaper awards, with the final recognition to be presented at the ceremony in Abuja.