Edo government targets 30 years development plan, sets up 35-man team

Eco State Governor Godwin Obaseki yesterday inaugurated a 35-man technical working group to draft a 30-year development plan to provide the government with necessary tools, guidelines and milestones for development planning.

Obaseki, at the inauguration of the group, said the state government would invest time and resources to assist the group deliver on its assignment for it to achieve the laudable feat recorded during the era of Mid-West Region and Bendel, which were largely due to proper planning.He, therefore, urged the group to ensure that the plan stands the test of time and is geared towards moving the state to its rightful position in the country as well as in the continent.

The governor said: “As a government, we did not have the benefit of having a forward-looking plan on which to act upon. That partially explains the crisis in government today as some people in government are working at cross-purposes because we failed to outline and define what we want to achieve in every aspect.

“We have carefully selected members of this group from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) following the need to build on institutional memories, systems and processes that will help achieve the implementation of the plan. The plan is intentional and it is useless if it cannot be translated into actions.”

Besides, he tasked the team to develop the most important document that would define the future of the state, saying: “If you think about Edo today as part of Mid-West Region and Bendel, our achievements were due to proper planning as people sat down at that time to plan. That was why we had what we had then. This is what we are attempting to do today with the inauguration of this group.

“The scope of work is fairly detailed and we are fortunate to have the benefit, privilege and support of Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in Niger Delta (PIND) on this plan. PIND will provide some assistance and resources to help the group undertake its task.”Chairman of the group and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Otse Momoh Omorogbe, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve, assuring that the group will deliver on the task.