Immediate past Minister of State for Budget and National and frontline governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress [APC] in Edo State, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has recalled the number of projects he attracted to Edo State as minister and posited that if given the executive powers of governor of the state, he would transform the state into infrastructure marvel to behold.
He spoke in an interview session on THE COMRADE SHOW [TCS] on Saturday.
According to him: “At the University of Benin alone, there are five projects. There is a molecular lab that was facilitated by my humble self, a communicable disease centre based on bilateral discussions with the Japanese and funded by them; and, an ICU centre for pre-mature babies is there.
“We provided funding for personal protective equipment especially during the period of COVID, then Isolation
“These five projects were replicated at the Irrua Specialist Hospital; and, this year alone, for these two hospitals, in the 2023 budget, I provided an intervention fund of a billion naira each for UBTH and Irrua specialist hospital to decide on their areas of need and improve on them because based on what we did with the COVID, they did very well.
“The psychiatric hospital has four of those projects. From Ekemwan Army Barracks in Benin all the way to Ikoro village cutting across about six or seven other villages is a road of 19.5 kilometres.
“Around that area, Agbohonba, we provided water; we put street lights in those areas around Ikoro and the market.”
Agba said that “in Edo North, for instance, in my village Uzanu, there is an 80-bed hospital that was built and a mini-stadium that was also built and also some internal roads were done.
“Ewotubu road in Benin was provided for in the budget until the State government stopped the work. I was told that they already awarded the contract. So, one would have thought that since federal money was coming, you allow that to go on and take your money somewhere else.”
He added: “In Auchi, we are building a six million litres daily capacity water tank to supply Auchi people with water.
“In Warrake, the gully erosion there was faced. In Ewohinmi, the gully erosion there was faced. In Uromi, we provided water in three of the Uromi communities. In Ewato, it is the same. Projects have spread across; and, I beat my chest to say that go round from 1999 and look at the ministers and say how many projects they attracted to the State.
“So, if I was able to do this without having capital budget line, and it was just by reaching out to colleagues and saying, please do this for me, I will be able to do much more when I have executive powers and I no longer have to go begging someone to help me out.”
