Respected former governor of the defunct Midwest region and Bendel State, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, has given kudos to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who will hand over power on 12 November.
To Ogbemudia, Oshiomhole has done so well in eight years that his achievements are unquantifiable.
During a Thank You and farewell visit to the Governor in his office on Thursday, the elder statesman said he could spend a full day if allowed, to talk about the good records of the outgoing governor.
“I am here to thank His Excellency, Comrade Oshiomhole for taking care of me throughout his tenure. People have come to me to ask, what have I got to say about Comrade Oshiomhole and most importantly what have I got to say about his achievements, what he has done, and my answer is simple: I said, if I spend the whole day narrating what he has done, there is no newspaper or television house that will have time for that. So, let us discuss what he has not done. We spent the next two minutes going round and there was nothing left. So, he has done everything that needed to be done by anybody occupying this position for eight years.”
“If there is anything to be done, and we are expecting that he should complete everything, then the constitution should be amended to allow him to continue, but unfortunately or fortunately, the constitution of Nigeria does not allow a governor, head of state to stay for more than two tenures. And those two tenures he has completed creditably.
“We have made progress, our money has been wisely spent. I thank you for everything.
“So, I came here, with my son and my wife to say, thank you for taking care of me. We also hope that one day, some group of people will be assembled to pray for him and the achievements of the state.”
Governor Oshiomhole thanked Dr. Ogbemudia for the honour accorded him and his deputy. He said, “I want to thank you for the honour, on behalf of Pius and I. We are humbled by your very kind words and for all the support that you have generously extended to us since we assumed office.
“Even when you were still active and in the other political party, there was never a barrier in our relationship.”
The Governor continued, “I want to thank you for the support. I want to thank you for being a father to all of us, for showing that each and every one of us can define our place in history and choose the colour with which our testimonial will be written.
You left the state as a military governor many years ago when some of us were still small boys, and yet across the state, people have fond memories of your accomplishments. So, you laid solid foundations; you showed an example. You did what you did not because you wanted votes. As a military governor, you didn’t need anybody’s votes. But your passion for our state and the purity of your heart, I believe, motivated you to do all of the things that you did.
“There is no part of the three senatorial districts where you don’t have projects that were your initiatives – sports city in Edo North, university in Edo South, roads and so on.”
Oshiomhole said he had many things to thank Ogbemudia for, “So, if we have done anything, we had a living example in your person, and I can never thank you enough.”
The elder statesman was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Yetunde and his son Samuel Ogbemudia II.
