We’ll Take Back Edo, Return Governance to The People , SHAIBU Assures

Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, has said the desire to return governance to the people spurred his decision to run for the 2024 Edo Governorship Election, even as he declared that the upcoming election was an opportunity to take back Edo and hand it over to the people.

Shaibu made the declaration Wednesday, while addressing Journalists at the annual get-together with media practitioners, tagged ‘Breakfast Meeting with Journalists’, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

He said if elected as Governor, he would partner with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Edo State Council, on affordable housing scheme for its members in the State.

The Deputy Governor expressed sadness that civil and public servants, including Journalists, are always agitated when approaching their retirement age because most times, they don’t have their personal houses to retire to.

According to him: “we need to bring governance back to the people.This spurred my desire to vie for the governorship seat in 2024. We are taking our State back and we are returning government to our people”.

“We are taking it from the elites and back to the downtrodden. Truth is that government is for all of us. In advance countries, the rich pay more taxes to be able to service the system”.

“We want to return what governance truly is.The downtrodden and real Edo people must feel government and that is why I am contesting this election”.

“I am contesting it to return it to the people and fortunately, I am in the party that believes in the people.I can tell you that whenever I speak, I don’t speak as Philip Shaibu, I speak based on the authority given to me by God. I tell you, they will all come to pass and not because of me, but for the sake of all of us”.

“By the grace of God, as Governor of Edo State, next year, I will make sure that what we have been struggling to get that we have not gotten like housing, I will make it available for all of you in the NUJ”.

”I also discovered that majority of our civil and public servants, when retirement is getting close, you see some of them start having high blood pressure, some of them become moody, and it is like the world is coming to an end. When you try to find out from some of them, they will tell you, when I retire now, how do I pay my rent?”

“Top on their priorities is rent because some of them have not been able to have shelters over their heads. They are going into retirement and they are not sure of what is going to happen next and for me, I think that aspect has to be taken care of”.

“So, as NUJ, we will partner to make sure that housing is available and affordable for you”. Shaibu assured.

The State number two citizen also recounted his travails as National President of NANS during the military junta of General Sani Abacha and how his life was saved by the report of a Journalist.

The ‘Breakfast Meeting with Journalists’, hosted annually by the Deputy Governor dates back to when he was an elected member of Edo State House of Assembly.

Highlights of the event which attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, including wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Maryann Philip-Shaibu, was the presentation of cash prizes to winners of this year’s Philip Shaibu Award for Investigative Journalism, across print media, broadcast media and social media, respectively.