Mrs Betsy Obaseki: a First Lady of Inestimable Value
Chris Ojeikere
Not many Edo people would know that Mrs Betsy Obaseki is herself roundly qualified to be a State Governor herself! And this is because of the unobtrusive, unassuming lifestyle and wise manners of this Edo Queen of Queens! Mrs Obaseki’s superlative educational and professional successes are of enviable heights and one that would make a father repeatedly look to heaven to thank God for sending this daughter, when she was born, rather than the traditionally desired male child for the sake of it!
This Worthy Lady of substance attended the Federal Girls College here in Benin, before proceeding to conquer the world in her chosen field! After high school , she proceeded to the University of Lagos to get her first and second degrees in Accounting! In addition to that, she also studied International Law and Diplomacy, and has a Master’s degree to show for it. Mrs Obaseki is an alumnus of the Kellogg’s School of Business Executive Management Program from the North Western University in Illinois, United States.
An unstoppable intellectual, and goal getting Amazon, Mrs Obaseki would not only dominate academic classes, she would conquer her professional career also. Not even her prettiness would be allowed to get on her way! She would move on to become the first woman to become Assistant General Manager at the Bank of Industry (BoI). And, presently, Betsy Obaseki is the CEO and Managing Director of BOI Investment and Trust Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the Company! All of these are just a fraction of her professional achievements. But those are not our immediate focus now
We are looking today at the First Lady of Edo State, an intelligent, wise and quiet achiever of Inestimable Value to Edo State. Mrs Obaseki first defined very clearly to her mind, what she wanted to do in her State, Edo. And set about it with the same weapon of subtle simplicity which she used to put her professional career under her feet! This beautiful Queen of Edo Queens delivered an invaluable Edo Anthem to us in the same wake and see manner her husband, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has delivered a MEGA agenda to us!
We woke up one day and we heard a most melodious, most meaningful, most captivating, motivating and reminiscing sound any Edo man could hope to hear in this 21st century, the inimitable Edo Anthem! It was an inspiration! It must have been an inspiration! It couldn’t have been anything short of an inspiration from God! Not even the muses could have managed those dynamic and rhythmical lines that call to our ethereal reality and metaphysical experientiality!
The lyrics of that Anthem do not move you to any volcanic agitation. No! What it does, is that it pulls gradually and gently at the strings of your Edoid personality and draws you smoothly towards an inevitable bond with our great and noble Edoid forebears! Yeah! Towards the long collected glory of a race, whose sense of Edoid satisfaction and pride reach to the skies, where the ” stars are singing over us”. Oh beautiful Edo! Glorious Edo! This is the legacy that Betsy Obaseki, ni mose, is leaving behind for Edo ni mose! What a legacy! What a woman!
Still dazed by Mrs Obaseki’s ‘Beautiful Edo stars singing over us,’ she once more stuns us with yet another Cleopatric merit! This Queen of Queens built, nurtured and led our daughters, the Edo Queens Football club, to their first ever sub continental victory! And are actually looking forward to becoming the Continental Champions very soon! All of these wonderful achievements gotten without unnecessary fanfare and noise!
Obviously, Mrs Obaseki is arguably the most popular and respected First Lady in Nigeria today. She has embellished that Office with inherent dignity and unassailable achievements!
But the First Lady of Firsts, would not leave Office without icing the cake for Edo people to eat! This service she performed with unequalled and incomparable oratory on Thursday, August, 29, at the PDP Campaign official flag off in Ubiaja. Mrs Obaseki climbed to the rostrum, after being introduced to the crowd, to set the tone of the flag off with a speech in flawless pidgin! Every line of that speech weighed a ton, and should remain in the marble! She delved into Edo’s historical glories and world acclaimed profile; motivating her listeners to be guided by their enviable heritage. She wondered aloud at those who would dream to undermine that unmatched value of greatness for personal selfishness. She then introduced in high eulogies, and with great clarity, the PDP candidate and wife and assured us with deep credibility, of hers and her husband’s happiness to transmit the government of Edo State to them with great satisfaction! Finally, she retracted into a woman indeed, and delivered a feminine sucker punch that shattered all hopes of votes from women by the opposition party! She finished clinically; having balanced her sheet neatly! When she was climbing down the rostrum, I said to myself, this amazing woman’s job in Edo is done! She has forever etched her beautiful face and name in the annals of Edoid history! You may take a bow Mrs Betsy Obaseki, the most achieved First Lady of Edo State!
