Last Friday’s This Day reported that the Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, suspended the chairman of Oredo local government, Mr. Mike Ehiman, following allegations of impropriety levelled against him by the councillors in the locality. During the Fact Finding Survey conducted by OST in April, we visited Oredo local government and the responses from members of the community indicated that his performance in delivering community development projects was less than perfect. According to the respondents, during his two terms in office (a total of four), the chairman had carried out only two projects, the renovation of a primary school (which was constantly flooded and had broken-down gates) and a borehole (that barely worked after installation).
Most of the infrastructure in Oredo is decaying due to negligence by the local government, the roads are a narrative of poor maintenance, and even the standard practice of filling a few potholes here and there doesn’t happen in Oredo. The lack of any proper drainage system means the area is prone to flooding and homes could be lost to erosion due to the drainage problem. When we asked why they did not raise these issues with the chairman, they said they had no access to him despite the fact that he lives amongst them, the security guards at his gate turn them back every time they have been over to see him at home. Protesting against the chairman, we were told, is not an option as he is well connected in Edo politics and had the unflagging support of his political party (PDP).
- Hadiza
The views of the author are not neccessarily the views of OST.
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