The biggest support yet for Governor Adams Oshiomhole in his uncommon leadership drive to transform Edo State came from his Lagos counterpart, Governor Babatunde Fashola, who after taking a look at his achievements, declared support for Oshiomhole should he decide to take a shot at the presidency.
At a youth summit organised by the Edo State government with the theme “Nigeria’s Centenary – Defining the Issues and Setting Agenda for the Future of Our Youths” in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Fashola said: “If Governor Adams Oshiomhole decides to run as president of this country, he will have my vote. He is the kind of leader that Nigeria needs. I say that because I have spent five memorable years of my life in Benin City as an undergraduate and as a youth corps member and they are very fond memories that I hold dear in my heart today.
“I am always looking forward to coming here each time I am invited. The excitement to come here is at an all-time high. Since my brother assumed office as your governor – because every time that I come here, for all the right reasons – Benin City has not remained the same. It has changed positively and continues to change.
“On my way here, I drove past my former office on Sapele Road and clearly the place has transformed. And the Airport Road is now wider. I know what Ring Road used to be and Akpakpava Road. It is nice to know that tourism is back, flights are regular and you have done it because you have allowed yourselves to be led by a man who can inspire you to action. And I don’t think that anybody can claim the credit for what has happened here if not the people of Edo State”, Fashola said.
In his remarks, Governor Oshiomhole appealed to the youths not to give up on the country, adding that the future is in their hands as foreigners can assist but cannot solve Nigeria’s problems.
The former labour leader argued that every country has its own history and that Nigeria has come to stay. “As a people, what we should think about is how we get our people properly managed such that the wealth of this great country is expressed in the quality of life of the citizen. How do we address the paradox of a nation so rich and yet its people getting poorer?
“How do we raise the issue of how the promise of democracy can be fully realised, if the federal government continues to pocket 52 per cent and ask all the 36 states and the FCT to share 26 per cent and the rest to be shared by 774 local government areas?” he asked.
