EDO FORUM OF PATRIOTS WRITES ACTING PRESIDENT, HIS EXCL. PROF. YEMI OSIBANJO

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY AIYAMENKHUE EDOKPOLO, CHAIRMAN, EDO FORUM OF PATRIOTS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE ACTING PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO EDO STATE. OPEN LETTER.

Monday, 6th March, 2017.
Your Excellency Sir, the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibanjo.

Your Excellency Sir, the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Noghease Obaseki,

Please permit me to stand on already established protocol.

The Acting President Sir, on behalf of Edo Forum of Patriots Inc. I am excited to welcome you warmly to Edo State at these highly auspicious times for Edo people. Let me quickly congratulate you on the noted successes your tour of the Niger Delta States is recording and to predict that this round to Edo State will provide the icing on the cake, Your Excellency, because ," Edo no dey carry last".

Your Excellency, I had qualified these times as auspicious for Edo State earlier, because of the double fortuitous phenomenon of blessings Edo had last year in the double emergence of first, a consummate technocrat and an ambitious human development driver as Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki and later, our revered Royal Father, the great Oba of Benin kingdom, n Ogidingan, Oba Ewuare 11.

Your Excellency, since his swearing in, the Governor has demonstrated an unusual proclivity for people oriented and target driven projects towards job provision and wealth creation. For us at the Edo Forum of Patriots, the most ambitious of the economic roadmap is the Governor 's passionate interest and daring venture into the developing of Gelegele Seaport and Gas economy. A venture that has since been given royal catalyst by our great Oba of Benin.

Your Excellency, the Acting President, we are here to reinforce our immitigable support to the Governor and the great Oba of Benin concerning those lofty projects and to passionately, and very humbly seek your Excellency's and the Presidency's support towards their prompt realization.

Your Excellency is no doubt in a better position to aggregate and appreciate the immense economic and social viability of these projects in any of its nuances; whether as Containers terminus , Export Free Zone etc. Apart from the massive job opportunities the direct projects will provide for thousands of Edo youths, the spin offs and subsidiaries from them like, for instance, providing a window for exports of agricultural produce and finished products, is hardly quantifiable just now and leading on to more employment and wealth for our people.

Similarly, volumes of trade along that corridor will quadruple for both Edo and its contiguous States like: Anambra, Delta, Kogi and Ondo, who will all find quicker access through Gelegele towards Lagos for their various transactions. This will reduce pressure on our highways massively among other things.

Perhaps the most alluring indices towards embarking on these project is the availability and proximity of huge gas reserves right at the mouth of the area. Your Excellency, you are well aware that that part of Edo has the largest gas reserves in Nigeria and in the sub region; making a strong case for cost effectiveness in building and running the projects. Your Excellency does not need reminding of the advantages that also guarantees for the improvement of the overall energy output of Nigeria.

We find it pertinent to note Your Excellency that Edo State has steered clear of any activities inimical to the overall economy of Nigeria, but on the flip side could show our patriotic participations at advancing national interests, perhaps it might be in sync here to point out that while we praise and appreciate the gallantry of our soldiers that have recently routed the dreaded Book Haram terrorists in the North East, the Theatre Commander is however, Major General Lucky Irabor from Edo State. We make that point to underscore our unflinching commitment to the Nigerian State and to bargain that the Federal Government's support for projects like these will go miles into helping to maintain peace at home and motivate us more in our strategic relationship with the centre.

Your Excellency Sir, thank you for listening.