17th October, 2019
Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele, has rebuffed claims that the governor did not continue with his predecessor’s projects and policies.
Akerele said Governor Obaseki has focused on good policies on the education sector, infrastructure development, which were not in the plans of the Adams Oshiomhole administration.
He said the governor will continue the good project left behind but noted that “there are certain things that were bad in the previous government that we cannot continue.”
Akerele insisted that Obaseki would win the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries because those opposing his second term bid were not in control of the Edo APC structure.
He said Obaseki always carried the party structure along in all his decisions.
He said: “If the Governor wanted to be a dictator, he would take charge and not concede these decisions. He does not want to appropriate authority to himself.
“He wants the will of the people to prevail. He had come under pressure to be in charge of the party but he said ‘no’, that there is a party structure.
“There is continuity everywhere. Was the governor not given an award recently by the Nigeria Union of Teachers?
“It was as a result of the fact that we continued from where the former government stopped, which we were part of. The former government-built structures but we are building the human capacity in the schools.
“We are now training teachers. That was not the priority of the former government. It made sure the roofs were not leaking, and that there were tables and chairs. We have to move and progress.
“We have to train human beings teaching the students and we have committed huge resources into building the capacity of teachers.”
Akerele said the Obaseki administration did not continue with all he inherited.
“There are certain things that were bad in the previous government that we cannot continue. The good ones we will continue. They should leave the governor to work and allow him to be the leader of the party in the state.
“The governor must be the leader of the party. We know how party structures are managed in Nigeria. Why will Edo State be different? There cannot be two captains in a ship.”