The main objective of the infrastructure development and urban renewal programme will be to bequeath to the state, physical structures and facilities that will promote decent living standards for our people. Our main thrust will be to modernize and transform the state economy through provision of infrastructure that will help strengthen the socio-economic competitiveness of the state. Our integrated approach to development will be stepped-up in every area from modern cutting-edge Information technology infrastructure to new ways of building public works systems with cost and resource effectiveness to eliminate wastages, promote skills development and bequeath a state-of-the-art infrastructure that future generations of Edolites will utilize and be proud of.

• Roads and Drains

 

Our goal is to have all major roads and streets within Benin City and all local government headquarters asphalted and in most cases, with accompanying walkways, drains and streetlights, in an unprecedented urban renewal scheme that will be embarked upon. These walkways would include bicycle tracks so as to encourage cycling, because most distances within the metropolis can be embarked on with bicycles.

• Electrification

 

The aim of the “SIMPLE Agenda” is to reduce rural to urban migration. Therefore, the deregulation of electricity supply and maintenance notwithstanding, we shall give priority to rural electrification through the provision of transformers, feeder pillars, poles and other equipment to bring electricity to the doorsteps of rural dwellers so as to enhance local economic and social activities.

• We shall be willing to partner with investors in power generation in order to improve power supply in our state.
• We shall take advantage of the Embedded Power generation option, which allows us to generate up to 10megawatts of electricity and have multiple plants to power industry in cluster areas.
• We would develop strategic partnerships with local, national and international investors to pioneer alternative renewable energy generation including solar and wind energy to help combat the horrific and epileptic power supply in Edo State.
• These regeneration programmes we expect would create over 5000 direct jobs in electricity dependent industries and would assist in creating over 3000 new businesses in rural areas.

 

 

• Water Supply

 

Our government will reform and invest in Edo State Urban Water Board to boost the provision of potable drinking water across the state. We will de-emphasise the present over-reliance on borehole water. To this end, we shall embark on the construction of public water works in selected community clusters across the state, and vigorously embark on the following plans:

• Resuscitation, expansion and modernization of all existing Water Schemes, such as Ikpoba River Dam, Ugbialo Water Works, Ojirami Dam, and others across the state.
• We shall employ experts and professionals to advise government on the best hygienic conditions for drilling borehole water for domestic use and irrigation.
• We shall also vigorously pursue international funding for major water projects in our determination to revamp the public water works department.
• The Water problem in most parts of Edo Central will be given top priority and will be vigorously addressed and solved. We will remove the long standing suffering of the people of Edo Central who have lacked water for several years. We hope that this administration will be remembered for being able to resolve and permanently sustain the provision of water in Edo Central when we are done.
• These modernization policies and programmes are expected to help generate at least 15,000 new construction jobs and safeguard over 3000 jobs over a four-year period.

 

4) Healthcare

“A Comprehensive Healthcare Policy” will be formulated and implemented to replace the current healthcare system of Edo State that is in shambles. As part of the comprehensive plan to revamp, reform and restore the ailing health care sector, harmonization of Federal, State and Local Government health care plans and the incorporation of the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP), with appropriate costing complemented with robust capacity building, will be carried out.

Edo State will develop her Strategic Health Development Plan termed “Simple Strategic Health Development Plan”.

To ensure that the state’s “Simple Strategic Health Development Plan” and health services are delivered through these channels, the following will be reorganized or constructed:

 

1. Primary Health Care (PHC)

 

Primary/ Rural Health Centers are in rural communities but they are poorly staffed and managed and therefore underutilized. The implementation of PHC will be a priority. It will be carried out through services at the various primary health centers and through home visits.

 

 

1. Rural healthcare

As part of our desire to make healthcare accessible to all, we shall provide at least 18 mobile health service buses to provide vital healthcare to our people in rural towns and villages in partnership with Local Government authorities. Each mobile healthcare bus will have a driver, a nurse and a junior medical doctor equipped to perform minor surgeries and treatments when necessary.

 

1. Cottage Hospitals

Cottage Hospitals are located in Local Government Headquarters to deal with cases that cannot be treated at the health centers and they render services similar to that of Primary Health Care Centers (PHCs), but in addition they will provide beds for patients whose cases are referred from PHCs and where necessary, refer such patients to the General or Specialist Hospitals for specialist care. They provide free registration, consultation and minor investigations.

 

• General/Specialist Hospital

General or Specialist Hospitals located in senatorial zones to serve as referral hospitals will be greatly improved.

The present General Hospitals all over the state will be given face lifts to meet the increasing health challenges faced by our people

 

1. Environmental Health and Sanitation

 

• Edo state presently has less than 10% forest cover which is some way off the United Nations recommendation of at least 25%. We will leverage on the opportunity made available by the United Nations and the World Bank to gain enough carbon credit through carbon sequestration by planting more trees. This will not only ensure a healthier environment, but would imply additional source of revenue for the state. We will ensure that every person in Edo State is encouraged to plant, at least, 5 trees a year, which comes to over 10 million trees annually. We shall penalize indiscriminate deforestation while rewarding afforestation.

 

• Furthermore, we will ensure that our waste management is handled in a more professional and efficient manner by emphasizing re-cycling and re-use.

 

• All markets and public places will be cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis while domestic and industrial waste collections will be properly evacuated on a weekly basis for a small service charge.
• Beside this, a sustainable and scientific waste management system, which would include the use of engineering dump site, that prevents the pollution of underground water shall be employed.

 

1. Fire service

 

We are seriously concerned about Edo Fire Service responses to critical fire incidences, particularly within our major cities. The Uwelu Spare Parts market, Oliha market, Santana market, Osa market, and the Urhokpota fire disasters all within 8 months have exposed the terrible state of our fire service and the government’s disdain for the common man hinged on her failure to respond and prepare for future incidences.

 

Therefore, we will modernize, scale up and enhance the capacity of Edo State Fire Service to respond effectively to critical fire incidents within 30 minutes in our cities. These policies would help to create over 5000 additional new jobs and safeguard 20,000 existing jobs in the sector.

1. Housing

 

The “SIMPLE” Agenda will encourage the Public-Private-Partnership initiative in the provision of decent housing units for people in the state;

• Government will supply quality housing through a policy of social housing for the poor and the vulnerable, and develop affordable houses for workers in the state.
• Access to affordable mortgages at single-digit interest rates will be pursued.
• We shall create new Government Reservation Areas (G.R.A) by allocating land, providing infrastructure (including road networks) and inviting reputable developers to take over such areas at reasonable cost to government and the affected communities.
• These policies would lead to the creation of additional 20,000 new construction related jobs in the economy.