Obaseki nominated for ThisDay ‘Governor of the Year’ award — Ex-Commissioner
Nigerians have nominated the immediate past Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, for the ‘Governor of the Year’ category in the ThisDay Awards 2024, a former commissioner has said.
The immediate past Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science and Technology in Edo State, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
According to him, Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides, at home and in the diaspora, nominated Obaseki for his milestone achievements.
He said that 2024 edition of the yearly awards, organised by the ThisDay/Arise Group Board of Editors, had been tagged ‘When the Going Gets Tough… the Tough Get Rewarded’.
He said that the award ceremony will be held on Jan. 22, 2025.
According to him, the organisers, have said that the ‘Governor of the Year Award’ goes to “that Governor who combines vision, passion, dedication and courage to make the lives of the people of his state better.”
Ifaluyi-isibor said that in his eight years of leadership of Edo, Obaseki’s milestone achievements in education, healthcare, innovation, tourism, agriculture, pension, city planning, security, science, civil service and corporate governance remained laudable footprints.
He said the former governor’s footprint would stand the test of time.
“His landmark achievements in the creation of the Edo State Tier-3 Data Centre, which facilitated digital services management for government agencies, the deployment of Health Information Management System, Electronic Health Records and Telemedicine Services, helped to streamline healthcare delivery, improve patient management and extend healthcare access to rural communities.”
Ifaluyi-isibor described Obaseki as a man of vision with passion for excellence and unequalled zeal to impact the lives of his people.
He added: “Obaseki’s eight years leadership in Edo was outstanding.
“He not only utilised his experiences in the private sector to the benefit of the state, he also ensured that no one was left behind during his tenure in office by providing key infrastructure that added great value to the lives of the people of the state.”
Ifaluyi-isibor said he was not surprised at Obaseki’s achievements in office because of his track record of excellence.
The former commissioner said that he found the erstwhile governor fit for the ‘Governor of the Year’ award, urging him to continue to find other ways to make life better for his people.
“The digitisation and reforms of the pension management with the Edo State Pension Management System and an online pension portal are laudable projects that continue to attract local and global accolades.
“The Smart City Initiative and investments in fibre optic infrastructure enabled high-speed Internet access across the state, laying the foundation for further digital services and urban planning within the state.
“The EdoBEST programme helped to revolutionise primary and junior secondary education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes,” the commissioner said.
Ifaluyi-isibor added that an international journalist in the United Kingdom, Mr Mayozi John, also nominated Obaseki for the award.
According to him, John, who spoke to journalists on his visit to Nigeria for the Christmas holiday, said that Obaseki’s tenure as Edo governor would continue to inspire and serve as a reference point.
Recalls that other key categories in the award include ‘Titans of The Year’ for the men and women, ‘Man of the Year’, ‘Bank of the Year’, ‘Banker of the Year’, ‘Global Bank of the Year’, ‘Brand of the Year’, ‘Company of the Year’ and ‘Product of the Year’.
Others are ‘Senator of the Year’, ‘Representative of the Year’, ‘Government Agency of the Year’, ‘Investor of the Year’ and ‘Young Global Leaders of the Year’.
