Get Guardian on Google***Lists Edo road, power, gas, healthcare interventions, says administration deserves fair assessment
***Challenges voters to hold government accountable for unfinished projects
****Okpebholo pledges two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election
Vice President Kashim Shettima has made a strong case for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, urging Nigerians to assess his administration by its economic reforms, infrastructure investments and measurable impact on citizens rather than lose sight of ongoing development projects.
Shettima said the Tinubu administration had recorded significant progress in addressing Nigeria’s economic and infrastructure challenges but required another term to consolidate its achievements and complete outstanding commitments.
He challenged the electorate to hold the government accountable for unfinished projects, insisting that the administration was not claiming to have fulfilled every promise but remained determined to deliver on its commitments.
The Vice President spoke on Thursday while representing Tinubu at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Benin City, Edo State, where he highlighted federal investments in roads, electricity, gas infrastructure, healthcare, education and agriculture.
“We ask that our stewardship be judged by the lives our decisions have touched and the work we are determined to complete. We have come this far with your trust, and we seek your mandate to finish the work we have begun,” he said.
Vice President Shettima commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for what he described as his performance in office, adding that President Tinubu had consistently supported his administration’s efforts to improve the welfare of Edo residents.
On infrastructure, the Vice President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to bridging Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit, particularly in Edo, which he described as strategically important to the country’s economic and commercial development.
He listed the dualisation of the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi-Okpella-Okene road corridor and emergency rehabilitation works on the Benin-Asaba and Benin-Sapele highways among the administration’s priority projects.
He said the interventions were designed to ease transportation difficulties, reduce losses suffered by traders and businesses and stimulate economic activities across the state.
“When we came to you four years ago, we assured you that we could not bridge our nation’s infrastructure deficit without carrying Edo State along.
“We have not abandoned that pledge. We are determined to build roads on which a trader at Agbede will no longer lose money to delays. This is why we have begun work to dualise the road through Ekpoma, Auchi and Okpella.
“This is why emergency repairs are also under way on the roads from Benin to Asaba and Sapele. You have every right to hold us to our word until you can travel these roads in comfort,” he said.
On industrial development, Shettima said the completion and commencement of gas supply through the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline represented a major step towards restoring Edo’s industrial capacity.
He maintained that reliable energy supply was indispensable to reviving manufacturing, attracting investments, expanding businesses and creating employment opportunities.
“We have heard your calls for the revival of industries in your state. We also know that industry cannot thrive without reliable energy. Today, we are proud to say that gas now flows through the completed Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben pipeline,” he said.
The Vice President further disclosed that new transmission infrastructure at Ihovbor had created capacity to evacuate an additional 600 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
He also cited the commissioning of an electricity injection substation at Amufi and the establishment of solar mini-grids in communities across the state as part of efforts to expand electricity access.
According to him, Edo has assumed regulatory responsibility for its intrastate electricity market, while a proposed condensate refinery has entered the development stage.
On healthcare, Shettima highlighted Federal Government interventions at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where cancer patients now have access to radiotherapy services and eligible patients benefit from subsidised dialysis treatment.
He also listed interventions at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, alongside support for 158 public healthcare facilities across the state through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He said the interventions were intended to improve access to essential medical services and reduce the financial burden of healthcare, particularly for vulnerable households.
On education, the Vice President said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was helping to remove financial barriers to tertiary education, enabling students from Edo and other parts of the country to pursue their academic ambitions without being forced out of school by financial constraints.
He added that farmers in the state had benefited from subsidised fertiliser allocations, while agricultural training, entrepreneurship support and vocational programmes through the National Directorate of Employment were being implemented to improve productivity and livelihoods.
Vice President Shettima also reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to improving the operational capacity and welfare of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, stressing that the protection of lives and property remained fundamental to economic development.
On the restitution of Nigeria’s looted cultural heritage, he said the Federal Government remained committed to recovering the historic Benin artefacts removed from the ancient kingdom during the colonial era.
He cited developments involving the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Switzerland as evidence of progress in the restitution campaign, while commending the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and other advocates for sustaining the demand for the return of the artefacts.
Earlier, Governor Okpebholo expressed appreciation for Federal Government support to Edo State, saying the interventions had strengthened his administration’s capacity to deliver development projects.
He pledged that the state would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
“The intervention of the Federal Government in Edo State is enough to support my re-election,” the governor said, adding that the economic reforms introduced by Tinubu had improved the capacity of state governments to embark on projects with direct impact on citizens.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, also expressed confidence in the APC’s performance at both federal and state levels, saying the achievements of the two administrations had strengthened his conviction in the party.
Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, described the large turnout at the rally as evidence of popular support for Tinubu and urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to translate the enthusiasm into electoral support.
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, declared that the South-South region was united in seeking a renewed mandate for the President.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said Tinubu’s commitment to Edo was evident in the federal projects being executed in the state.
He urged residents to support the President’s re-election bid, identifying insecurity and the protection of lives and property as major priorities in the party’s manifesto.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the massive turnout demonstrated the electorate’s support for the APC, pledging to ensure that Tinubu faced no serious political challenge in the South-South.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, expressed confidence in the party’s presidential candidate, describing Tinubu as the most competent candidate for the 2027 election.
Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima had earlier visited the palace of the Oba of Benin, where he conveyed the Federal Government’s appreciation for the monarch’s role in promoting peaceful coexistence and preserving the kingdom’s cultural heritage.
“We are here to thank Your Royal Majesty for your remarkable work in sustaining peaceful coexistence and preserving the rich cultural heritage of your forefathers,” the Vice President said.
In his response, Oba Ewuare II acknowledged the Federal Government’s interventions in Edo, particularly its infrastructure projects, which he said had positively affected the lives of residents.
“The Benin Kingdom takes note of and appreciates the intervention of the Federal Government in our state,” the monarch said.
