Imasuen: Okpebholo not marginalizing Benin, projects spread across Edo State

….Former deputy governor lists projects in Edo South, says development cuts across three senatorial districts

…..‘Anyone who says the Governor is concentrating only in one part of the state is lying’

By Ayewa Eraolei Felix

FORMER Edo State Deputy Governor, Chief Lucky Imasuen, yesterday dismissed claims that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration is marginalising Benin communities in the distribution of development projects, insisting that government interventions are spread across Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North.

Imasuen spoke at the Edo SHINE Beyond Borders engagement in London while responding to criticisms that the administration was concentrating development in parts of the state to the detriment of Benin communities.

According to him, available evidence does not support the allegation.

“Any person who says the Governor is concentrating only in one part of the state is lying,” he declared.

The former deputy governor cited the payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities owed to workers of the College of Education, Ekiadolor; funding support for the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; salary interventions at Edo State Polytechnic, Usen; scholarship programmes benefiting students across the state; and road projects in the three senatorial districts as evidence of what he described as balanced development.

He also listed the reconstruction of the Evbuotubu–Asoro Road, the Okhun Road linking the Benin-Lagos Highway to Iguobazuwa, the ongoing rehabilitation of Ekenwan Road and other infrastructure projects in Edo South, arguing that they belie claims that Benin communities have been neglected.

Imasuen maintained that similar projects are ongoing in Edo Central and Edo North, reflecting what he described as Governor Okpebholo’s commitment to equitable development rather than sectional politics.

He urged critics to assess the administration on the basis of completed and ongoing projects instead of political narratives, insisting that the spread of infrastructure, educational support, workers’ welfare and other interventions across the state demonstrates an inclusive approach to governance.

The former deputy governor added that beyond infrastructure, the administration had continued to invest in human capital and institutional support across the state, saying no senatorial district had been excluded from government programmes.

He said the Governor’s record should be judged by the distribution of projects and measurable outcomes rather than perceptions, stressing that every part of Edo State stands to benefit from the administration’s development agenda.