By Daniel Aroren, Noah Osa-Ogbegie
It is with a deep sense of concern and patriotic responsibility that I write to deprecate the decision of the Edo State Government to borrow a staggering ₦100 billion from First Bank of Nigeria. While borrowing is not inherently evil; indeed, debt can be a powerful instrument for catalysing development when prudently deployed. What is troubling in this instance is the opaqueness, lack of legislative engagement, and the historical patterns of fiscal opacity that cast a dark cloud over this proposal.
For clarity, borrowing to address Edo State’s severe infrastructure deficits would be welcome. Our state capital and other towns are in desperate need of rejuvenation. But if this is indeed the true intent of the loan and not to finance opaque or politically expedient ventures, then the path must begin with legislative approval after robust, public-interest debates in the Edo State House of Assembly. Transparency must be non-negotiable. Edo people deserve to see the projects, the budgetary allocations, and the socioeconomic returns on investment.
A STATE IN INFRASTRUCTURE DECAY
I travel often across our state, and each journey feels like a baptism of disappointment. From Benin City to Ehor, Ekpoma, Irrua, Uromi, Ubiaja, Agenebode, Okpella, Sabongida Ora, Igara, Okada, Iguobazuwa, Igbanke, and Ugo, the story is tragically the same: crumbling roads, collapsing drainages, dilapidated schools, decrepit health centres, and a haunting absence of coherent planning or vision.
I reside in the so-called Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Benin City, a location that ought to reflect elegance and state capacity. Instead, the roads are so dilapidated that one feels embarrassed to refer to it as a GRA. Benin City ironically has one of the best road networks in Nigeria outside Abuja, but some of the worst roads in terms of quality. This contradiction is a mirror of governance in Edo: a façade of infrastructure, but a void of substance.
Perhaps it is time Edo people deliberately elect Governors who grew up here and still live among us—individuals who experience the same potholes, power outages, and public school rot as the rest of us. Anyone truly living here knows that most parts of the state feel like they haven’t seen government presence in 26 years. That is not just failure—it is a betrayal.
EDO’S STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE CRIMINALLY UNDERUTILISED
For all our underdevelopment, Edo is geographically and historically blessed. We are the gateway to the South-South, South-East, South-West, and Middle Belt regions. Benin City is a natural confluence for commerce, transport, tourism, and cultural diplomacy.
We are also home to one of the world’s oldest living monarchies—the Benin Kingdom—whose heritage and global cultural footprint should have made us the tourism and diplomatic capital of Nigeria. The clamour for the return of looted Benin artefacts by Europe is a standing testament to the civilisational legacy we are yet to translate into economic value.
Our agricultural belts, forest reserves, and riverine corridors, stretching from Auchi to Akoko-Edo, Esanland to Orhionmwon, Ikpoba-Okha to Ovia, are enough to power a modern agro-industrial revolution—if only the leadership were ready.
IF I WERE GOVERNOR…
If I were Governor of Edo State, I would not touch a ₦100 billion loan until there is a watertight, transparent, and consultative masterplan for infrastructure development. I would begin with these priorities:
Benin City Development Commission (BCDC)
A specialised agency focused on modernising our state capital: upgrading roads, building integrated drainages, green belts, modern markets, digital infrastructure, and introducing light rails. A capital city should reflect the soul of the state—it must not remain in disrepair.
Esan Mega City Project
A high-capacity development corridor connecting Ekpoma–Irrua–Uromi–Ubiaja, with agro-processing centres, industrial clusters, and digital incubation hubs. This would revitalise the Esan heartland and create a new economic power zone.
Ozigono (Ilushi) – Agenebode Bridge
A bridge across the River Niger from Ozigono (also known as Ilushi) in Esan South-East to Agenebode in Etsako East will be transformational. It would:
Symbolise the unity of Edo Central and Edo North, Open up trade routes across the river, provide year-round, secure access in place of ferry crossings, cement Edo’s place as a strategic bridge between the East, North and South.
This is not a dream. It is doable, fundable, and strategic—especially as both towns are within Edo and fall under the purview of the State Government.
Ikpoba-Okha Economic Belt
Ikpoba-Okha has the population density, proximity to the capital, and logistics corridors to become a business and light-industrial hub. The government should zone and develop tech parks, agro-distribution centres, and roadside transport infrastructure, connecting areas like Idogbo, Ohovbe, and Okha villages into the greater Benin economic system.
Ovia Axis Urban Plan: Okada & Iguobazuwa
The Okada–Iguobazuwa axis, sitting along the Benin–Ore corridor, is Edo’s window to the South-West. Properly developed, it can become a hospitality, logistics, and tourism magnet, linked to the Okomu National Park and Western trade routes. The area also has vast land for housing schemes, agro-industrial estates, and private sector investment.
Light Up Benin Project
Benin had streetlights over 500 years ago, long before many European cities. Today, the absence of modern lighting is a civic embarrassment. With solar-powered lighting and grid solutions, we can reclaim our streets at night, restore safety, and stimulate nightlife and informal commerce.
Owan Connectivity Master Plan
The towns of Afuze, Sabongida Ora, Uzeba, Otuo, and Igara form a strategic quadrant in Edo North that has long suffered from infrastructural disconnect and governmental neglect. A deliberate connectivity plan linking these towns through modern arterial road networks into Auchi and Igara would:
Open up agricultural and artisanal markets,E ase transport for education, healthcare, and commerce, strengthen historical and economic bonds among the Owan, Etsako, and Akoko-Edo peoples, and Position the Owan belt as a fully integrated development corridor in Edo North.
The potential of this region is vast—what it requires is access, visibility, and deliberate investment.
Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Growth Corridor
This axis represents the backbone of Edo South’s agricultural and industrial belt, linking Orhionmwon to Uhunmwode, and stretching from Ehor to Igbanke and Abudu to Iyekorhionmwon axis; yet, it remains largely underdeveloped and poorly connected.
A targeted investment strategy should focus on:
Dualising the Abudu–Ehor–Benin link road, turning it into a modern agro-industrial corridor;
Establishing an Agro-Processing Free Trade Zone around Abudu or Igbanke, given the region’s vast arable land and farming population;
Creating a logistics and storage hub in Ehor, as a midway point between Edo South and Central;
Building a Technical and Vocational Skills Centre in Iyekorhionmwon, preferably Ugo or Urhonigbe to train youth in agribusiness, mechanised farming, and renewable energy;
Revitalising abandoned or underutilised public facilities to serve as cooperative-based micro-industrial clusters for palm oil, cassava, and rice production.
This belt holds the key to food security, youth employment, and rural prosperity in Edo State. With the right roads, energy supply, and institutional support, it can become the Midwest’s green goldmine.
CONCLUSION: THE LOAN IS A TEST OF CHARACTER
This proposed ₦100 billion loan is not just a fiscal decision, it is a test of governance, foresight, and commitment to legacy. A responsible government would publish a masterplan, engage its citizens, seek legislative approval, and commit to transparency and results.
Edo deserves more than aesthetic governance or media theatrics. We deserve leadership that listens, that leads from the front, and that rebuilds Edo—brick by brick, road by road, school by school, town by town.
Let us not mortgage our children’s future to finance the vanities of transient rulers.
Let us act. Let us question. Let us demand.
Edo must rise again.
Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a legal practitioner, thought leader, and Apostle of Edo Renaissance.