Osaigbovo Iguobaro
Lawlessness has increased steadily in Edo State. In dosility, the State and Local Governments are ostensibly fending-off complaints from helpless citizens arising from alleged violation of environmental laws due to near absence of law enforcers in public spaces across the State.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s crestfallen fans seem to be impressed with his subjective argument over the outcome of the governorship election, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 21st 2024.
Unarguably, the contest had been won and lost by Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo who has vowed to challenge the declaration of the Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo, declared winner of the election by INEC, would be sworn in by INEC on November 12th 2024 in line with the Constitution.
But, the war over Senator Monday Okpebholo’s mandate as Governor-elect. Senior wigs and politicians are undertaking a postmortem on the poll.
Beneficiaries of the electoral victory of the Governor-elect, Senator Okpebholo, are making good out of the bad situation, while loses hallucinate in disbelief from perceived flaws in the electoral process, are yet to come to term with the reality.
The outgoing Governor of the State, action suggests that he has washed his hands off on the chaos in the street arising from extortions, and other social vices in some parts of the State like the Biblical Pontius Pilate in the State where he is the Chief Security officer and the Chief accounting officer.
His silence is a passive way to secretly protest the indefinite suspension of Edo State Security Network by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun shortly before the election from participating in the electoral process.
Why Obaseki’s action is a bad start
Obaseki action to look on after surreptitiously relaxed the enforcement of environmental laws in conivance with elected 18 Chairmen of Local Government Councils. Street trading had been prohibited by the State government. But, street trading has not only returned, but, it has been a noticeable surge in street trading activities across the City Centre, particularly at the King square, New Benin market and some parts of Benin Metropolis both day and night.
A recent visit to the King square recently, revealed a shocking revelation of a bread vendor who laid her four month-old child beside her wares in the part of the State that harbours the heaviest human and vehicular activities daily.
The unnamed vendor, attends to the needs to buyers at the same time gaze routinely at her child, laid on the tarred road atop a wrapper, ignoring the blaring horns and sirens from vehicles around the roundabout where drivers navigate recklessly in different directions in deference to traffic regulations.
Added to this avalanche in the alleged dereliction of duty by Governor Obaseki, is the alleged withdrawal of officials Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) has compounded chaotic scenes in Benin City, with far reaching implications.
EDSTMA use to assist the traffic section of the Nigeria Police and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in traffic control and Public Works Volunteer (PUWOV) that also helps to curtail the excesses of trading at unauthorized locations and indiscriminate violation of traffic rules across the State.
State government Mobile Courts that where environmental laws violations cases are handles had also been shut down without any reason by the Councils or the State government agency.
But the Taskforce of revenue
collection of rates, revenues, taxes and other charges by State and Local Governments agents across are still been enforced by Obaseki blazingly in substance of government’s profligacy than imposed more taxes on the people.
The reign of lawlessness under the iron-fist and ‘technocrat’ Governor, is a bad start. His silence seems to be a negation of the nation’s Constitution he sworn twice to defend barely eight years ago, ahead of his exit from office on November 12th 2024.
Ardent supporters think Obaseki’s decision to look on is a non-violent way to asserts that reciprocity is an option that greeted the withdrawal of Police personnel from the street after the Nigeria #EndSARS riots in October 2020.
The government inaction is tied to the sentiment in a bid to re-enact classical era of holocaust in the State that papered around the crack for decades before his administration waded into the torrents of lawlessness in the State.
Nonetheless, election defeat must not be allowed to either put governance of the State on a reverse jeer that could relapse Obaseki-led Alaghodaro gains in line with finishing strong mantra.
The Governor should take solace in Mahatma Gandhi’s admonition that – “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” by accepting responsibility.
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