Edo 2024: Did Betsy Obaseki add critical value to good governance?

In a few months' time, Mrs Betsy Obaseki and her husband will leave Osadebey Avenue when their tenure elapse. Eight years is not eternity.

Before their exit and as the governorship election beckons on September 21, 2024 I feel constrained to examine the conduct of Mrs Betsy Obaseki in office as the wife of the governor. Through this, I expect to get other governor's wives will learn one or two important lessons.

First of all, I must point out her areas of commendation. Nobody is perfect except God, our heavenly father.

She deserves praise for keeping two jobs simultaneously. Good multitasking being a senior staff at the Bank of Industry and occupying the office of the Governor's wife. E no easy oooo.
Her major pet project is campaigning against gender-based violence in Nigeria.

She took interest in it to a point that she almost developed from the campaign psychological Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Too true, she was very committed to fighting violence against women in Edo State, her primary constituency, with Ijaw maritime ruggedness.

The death of Miss Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100-level Uniben microbiology student ìn the hands of murderous hoodlums in a church in Benin motivated her to begin the war against gender violence. She did it also throughout the nation after mobilising the wives of other governors and the Presidency to support her initiative.

In her battle against gender violence, she was very determined to the point that she attended court trials of alleged offenders. Through such watch briefs, she was able to witness the sentencing of Michael Ogboke (55) to 14 years imprisonment on April 6, 2022 for violating a 7- year girl's right.

What is more, she had empowered Edo women with skills, startup capital, grants, loans as well as other resources that have scaled up their incomes and livelihoods. Also, we should not forget in a hurry that she brought in members of the Association Of Nigerian Physicians In The America (ANPA) that rendered free medicare to Edo citizens and thereafter birthed telemedicine in the state.

Remember, too, she introduced the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament to assist in the fight against illegal migration, prostitution and drug abuse as well as other sundry crimes.

Lest I forget, she partnered USAID to launch an intervention for about 17, 500 persons living with HIV in Edo State.

Indeed, she undertook several other activities that impacted good governance in the state. However, her conduct did not come out clean on other issues.

For instance, the constitution has no provision for the Office of the First Lady but only recognizes that of the Governor's wife. Therefore; it baffled us that she stuck with being addressed as First Lady. Why?

Then, of course, sometimes she crosses the red line of constitutional restraint to dabble into politics during some events.

A classic example was the launch of Telemedicine Hub at Oredo Local Government Primary Healthcare Centre on June 7, 2022.

During the event, she put on the toga of a politician morbidly scavenging for votes in Nigeria's electoral space forgetting it is a civil gathering.

Here is what she said: "The medical outreach programme of the Association Of Nigerian Physicians In The Americas organised by the state government was a way to repay Edo people for voting enmasse for Governor Obaseki and his deputy Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu at the September 19, 2020 election.

"The election was one that practically the whole world was aware of. They were watching for the outcome of that election.

"People called it the mother of all elections. It was a big battle and all kind of conspiracies against the governor's team.

"Conspiracies from the place of darkness. But the people of Edo who were in the light and had seen the light. Upon that team stood up and were determined that the governor and the deputy be re-elected. I needed to say thank You to Edo people and the only way that came to my mind was through the Association Of Nigerian Physicians In The Americas (ANPA)".

At a beer parlour talk this speech is tolerable. But from a governor's wife at a public engagement, the speech is toxic.

It shows that she is low on emotional intelligence
If you think her public insult at the ANPA, you are mistaken. It is an inner gyroscope phenomena. Because on another day, she stormed into Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin where a woman shot by her husband in her hand was recuperating.

She was so pissed off by the man's conduct that she labelled him "yeye man"

As if this wasn't enough, she made a general remark that it is Edo 'yeye men' that take worrisome delight in brutalizing their wives. All she said are true but how she captured the psycho-sociological and existential truths in strong, unrestrained emotive words was condemned by most people in Edo State.

See, our state is still bogged down with ravaging primordial sentiments that men are cultural icons with the ancestral licence to do and undo in society.

To worsen matters, she openly suggested at the hospital while with the bedridden woman that abused women in a toxic relationships should quit them before they die in them. Good advice with a wrong messenger. She should not be heard making such a statement.

The legendary journalist, Andy Akpofugo, says: "If you are given the job of a slave to do, use the ethics of freeborn."

Mrs Betsy Obaseki in her exalted status as the governor's wife is a freeborn. So, she ought not to make such public speech. If I Were in her shoes, I will pass on the message to proxies- namely, the ministry of gender matters and social development and civil society organisation on such a controversial issue to avoid being entrapped in relationship controversy.

All said by her June 7, 2022 political speech and 'yeye' pronouncement at Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin she demonstrated that she is the most audacioùs governor's wife with a loose cannon, vile tongue in the history of Edo State since its creation in August 1991.

As if to crown it all, she took a front seat in the PDP scheme to bribe voters with 500,000 pre-paid meters, by launching it. This is at a time people are hungry and need a public food kitchen more to meet a burning physiological need for food not a physical one.

On December 25, 2021 our first couple visited the family of murdered Miss Uwaila Omozuwa. They vowed to find her killers so that she doesn't die in vain.

Three years later, her killers are yet to be found. Why? Because, according to them, they cannot afford the 'mobilization' demanded by the police to do so.

Hmmm, security vote no dey to find di murderers of Miss Uwaila Omozuwa after 4 years wen police parade the suspects. But money don dey, in billions to smuggle Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie into Osadebey Avenue through the window!!

Anyway; I can report today that Mrs Betsy Obaseki's practical campaign against gender violence is now comatose. She is only today catching cruise with the theoretical, media hyping of the project. Impliedly, gender violence still endures with suspects not aggressively detailed for prosecution and sentencìng.

There is one issue I must emphasize here.

Methinks that Mrs Betsy Obaseki appears not to know the thin- line difference between her private life as Betsy and her public one as Mrs Betsy Obaseki , the wife of the Governor of Edo State.

So, she has been confusing these two intertwined roles with serious consequences.

For instance, she sometimes acts as an elected or appointed public functionary of government. That is why at the 2018 Intercessory Prayer Grounds of Mrs Agbonifo, she promised a roof over the place through the governor instead of an arranged public donation.

Behold, she delivered the project with hungry taxpayers' money disregarding that our presidential constitution forbids religious favouritism and discrimination. Yes, in America, Britain as well as other democracy, such an authoritative allocation of public resources is not heard off at all. Spouses are sometimes not even seen in most cases. When Angela Merkel of Germany and Margaret Thatcher were in office, did we know their husbands that much? No!!

Simply put, Mrs Betsy Obaseki goofed by facilitating the procurement if a prayer ground roof for Mrs Agbonifo with public funds.

Also, the governor's wife erred by granting a yet-to-be redeemed public scholarship to Miss Favour Musa in 2019 in the heat of excitement when she is not the governor and was not directed to do so.

Similarly, it is also totally reprehensible for
Mrs Betsy Obaseki to donate a Primary Health Care Clinic in her individual, private capacity to her alma mater Federal Government Girls College, Benin and thereafter use public funds to build and later commission it on March 5, 2024.

Na whaoh!! Imagine, so na di Obaseki first family come get Edo State and day use our money di way dem like?

Once again, hear this. At the 29th Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja on October 25, 2023 the state governor viscerally accused the APC government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of wastages.

But, see what Governor Godwin Obaseki and his wife, Betsy, are doing. In August 2023 she was sent to the United Kingdom just for the 80th birthday celebration of Mrs Rosemary Alli the wife of a former governor of Bendel State. This is after the government had helped him to get pardon and all his entitlements have been paid from 1983 to 2023!! Now, is this great honour to beloved Prof Ambrose Alli not enough? Why therefore waste public funds on the birthday trip to the wife's birthday? Isn't the trip an overkill, an economic waste of scarce public resources in preparation to win Esan votes on September 21, 2024?

Meanwhile, the same Betsy is yet to visit the other Rosemary Alli, the daughter of the late Prof Ambrose Alli, living next door here in Nigeria. What hypocrisy!! Poor judgment. Yet, the Obaseki's with such inhumane character are scheming to hand over to the Ighodalos in our Edo State. Impossible!!

Who remember her political campaign wifeless comments which got a controversial response?.. .We leave it at that!

There is no virgin in a maternity ward; no mortality with immortality.