… commits to sustain basic education reforms
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has been conferred with the Pacesetter in Education and Human Development Award by Nigeria’s longest surviving newspaper, the Nigerian Tribune, in celebration of the publication’s 70th anniversary.
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, received the award on behalf of the governor at the award ceremony, held at the Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos, on Tuesday, December 10, 2019.
“The people call him the ‘Wake and See Governor’ in appreciation of his unique leadership style that abhors unnecessary fanfare. Godwin Obaseki’s unprecedented urban renewal projects are transforming Edo State at a giddying pace. And this is just a tip of the revolution that is currently taking place in Edo State under his leadership,” the newspaper said.
It added, “if Governor Godwin Obaseki inherited a good state, he has definitely made it better. Since coming on stream as governor of Edo State, certain things have been paramount to him. These are improving the state of education, improving on the environment, making the state an investment hub and improving the state’s health delivery system.”
On receiving the award, the governor, represented by Comrade Shaibu, said the Pacesetter in Education and Human Development Award is both an honor and a challenge to him and the government.
According to him, “It applauds our achievements and yet reminds us of the need to meet the goals we have set for ourselves. Before we came into office in 2016, we promised to make life better for our people; we promised to create jobs; and we promised our undivided attention to our basic education system.
“We were resolved to make Edo State a model and a shining example of a state in which true transformation could occur in the face of dwindling revenues.
“Three years have elapsed since providence gave us the historic opportunity to lead our people and manage our resources. How well have we travelled? How much better do our people feel? I am proud to confirm, as you have yourselves noticed, that Edo state now has the most effectively run public basic education system in the entire Nigerian federation.”
“With our Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo Best) initiative, we are deploying technology to improve student performance, as well as teachers’ performance in the classrooms. We are able to harness real time data of students/teachers’ performance, and we have developed a pool of the most highly skilled teaching workforce in the country,” he added.
