Osaretin Osadebamwen
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has held a high-level interactive session with Edo indigenes residing in the United Kingdom, calling on them to actively back his administration’s development plans and mobilize broad diaspora support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the upcoming general elections.
The extensive engagement, hosted in London, serves as a core part of the governor’s strategic international consultations designed to reinforce partnerships with Edo communities overseas and elevate their direct participation in the geopolitical and economic progress of their homeland.
The diaspora assembly, organized under the umbrella of Shine Beyond Borders and hosted at the London Professional Training Centre, also set the stage for the governor to deliver his administrative scorecard to professionals and entrepreneurs living across the United Kingdom.
According to executive briefs detailed during the session, the international forum was purposefully designed to position Edo citizens abroad as vital development partners who can drive economic growth through direct foreign investment, cross-border technology transfers, and strategic public-private alliances.
During the highly collaborative town hall meeting, attendees analyzed major socio-economic factors impacting the sub-national government and mapped out workable strategies to accelerate sustainable developmental frameworks back home.
Okpebholo highlighted visible benchmarks achieved by his cabinet in rebuilding public infrastructure, reinforcing state security architectures, expanding healthcare delivery, upgrading educational systems, and opening up local industries, noting that his hallmark governance strategy is yielding tangible results that make the state highly attractive to foreign capital.
The governor passionately urged Edo professionals, technological innovators, and industrial investors living in Europe to actively bridge the development gap by bringing home their accumulated expertise, advanced technologies, and global operational networks.
He pointed to specific ongoing legacy projects launched by his cabinet, including the Ramat Park Flyover construction within Benin City, the strategic rebuilding of the Ekpoma–Auchi axis along the Benin–Okene Highway using durable concrete paving technology, and the targeted integration of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway routing through the state.
On internal security, the governor detailed extensive defense initiatives, showcasing the setup of a military Forward Operational Base, the strategic deployment of the Police Mobile Force 82 Squadron, the immediate enlistment of five hundred specialized Forest Guards, and the official approval secured for a new Army division to protect local communities.
Speaking directly to the assembly without a pre-written text, Okpebholo described the interaction as a frank, transparent family dialogue centered on the collective heritage of the Edo people.
He encouraged professionals who have long been disconnected from their roots to plan visits back home, stressing that they should view themselves not merely as returning tourists but as vital stakeholders in the future growth of the state.
He strongly advised the diaspora community to objectively evaluate his administration based on verifiable project metrics rather than misleading or malicious narratives frequently circulated on various social media platforms, pleading with them to act as global ambassadors by promoting local investment potential.
Furthermore, Okpebholo highly praised the ongoing fiscal policies implemented by the presidency, arguing that national macroeconomic updates have significantly boosted the financial independence of sub-national administrations to independently fund transformational programs.
He stated that the structural adjustments have successfully empowered states to fund robust infrastructure models and easily clear their statutory financial liabilities without depending on constant federal interventions.
The governor remarked that the era of state executives waiting in lines at the federal capital for financial intervention funds just to process civil service wage bills has effectively ended. He concluded that sub-national governments now control substantially more liquid resources to handle massive infrastructure works alongside monthly overheads.
As a closing gesture during the international town hall engagement, the state executive presented customized souvenirs and memorabilia featuring the president’s image to members of the audience to demonstrate structural alignment with the federal government’s developmental vision.
The prominent diaspora event was also attended by former Edo State Governor and current lawmaker representing Edo North senatorial district, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who accompanied the executive delegation.
