Obaseki’s Reaction To Protest In Benin: Too Flawed, Too Little, Too Late

The response by the Edo State Government over the fuel hike protest in Benin City today is neither well prepared nor remotely adequate, the Chairman of the Edo State Media and Publicity Directorate of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr John Mayaki has said.

In a statement on Monday in Benin City, Mayaki said the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki was merely reactive than proactive. A proactive Governor should have set up a petroleum monitoring committee from the outset of its government but a reactive government who failed to gauge the mould of her citizens would wait for anarchy before coming up with flawed measures.

Mayaki said, “I received a phone call today that someone was killed during the unruly protest on Sapele road. This has not been confirmed though. I also received another call that some vehicles got shattered on TV road as a result of the protest – it simply tells you that the government was forewarned but not forearmed”.

Mayaki asked, “how did a government got it so wrong”? I am told governance is currently on holiday in Edo State because the Governor and his henchmen have their eyes on a certain Supreme court judgement that could impact negatively on their political future this week. The source said the Governor has no time for anything now, his focus is on how to win the Supreme court judgement between his faction and the Chief Dan Orbih’s faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“How do you expect such Chief Security Officer of the state to border about the social economic situation of his people? The Governor cannot claim ignorance of the fuel situation before it reached the boiling point that subsequently exploded today. Governance is simply on autopilot in the state and by the time he announced his measures on Monday night in a terse statement, the potential preparation and arrangements to forestall the carnage were squandered”.

Mayaki said Obaseki’s government is all about setting up committees that would never address the issues and an example is the naughty issue of land grabbing. Now, Governor Godwin Obaseki is coming up with another flawed response that can be described as “too little, too late”.

“For me, the focus should have been a clear cut policy and strategy from the inception of this government and not this knee-jerk measure that simply tells you that there’s no resemblance of governance in the state. Let me warn that these meaningless political responses to divert focus could lead to more unrest if government handles this issue with levity.

“A government that prioritises the socioeconomic wellbeing of the people requires a strong and credible public policy that would be pursued with all vigour and sincerity without political favouritism. Anything less is an insult to the generality of the people who have suffered unnecessarily because of government negligence – forewarned but not forearmed”, the APC chieftain stated.