…Calls it a misplaced priority and further evidence of cretinous governance
By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the plans by Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government to float state airline in the state and called it a misplaced priority and further evidence of cretinous governance.
This is contained in a press statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Esq and made available to newsmen in Benin City, the state capital.
The party stated that this ill-conceived proposal is a textbook example of misplaced priority and yet another exposure of a government profoundly disconnected from the urgent realities confronting Edo people.
PDP said: “At a time when Edo State is grappling with decaying infrastructure, worsening urban conditions, and stalled strategic projects, the idea of establishing an airline is not only unrealistic but profoundly insensitive. Running an airline is capital-intensive, technically demanding, and historically disastrous for most sub-national governments in Nigeria. It requires massive upfront investment, continuous subsidies, and world-class operational competence, none of which the Edo State Government presently demonstrates.
“Benin City, the capital of Edo State, has regrettably become a shadow of what a state capital should be in a modern federation. Compared with other state capitals across Nigeria, Benin City today presents an unbelievably bucolic and embarrassing outlook. Roads within the metropolis are largely impassable, urban planning has collapsed, drainage systems are neglected, and basic municipal services are either weak or completely absent. This is a crying shame for a city of Benin’s history, heritage, and enormous potential.
“Critical state assets and initiatives which this administration met in pristine or near-functional condition are already in visible decline. The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), once projected as a flagship cultural and tourism driver, is grounded. The Radisson Hotel project has stagnated at virtually the same level for months.”
Going further, PDP added that the Ossiomo power project, which should be energising industrial growth, is drifting dangerously towards a comatose state. EdoGIS, a revenue-critical land administration institution, is almost non-existent in its impact, efficiency, and credibility. These failures strike at the very heart of development, jobs, revenue generation, and investor confidence, yet they remain largely unaddressed.
“Rather than confront these glaring failures, Governor Monday Okpebholo has displayed an uncanny penchant for indulging in white elephant projects that offer optics without substance. The ongoing flyovers at Ramat Park and Adesuwa Junction on Sapele Road exemplify this tendency.
“These are expensive, poorly prioritised interventions in a city desperately in need of comprehensive road rehabilitation, drainage solutions, traffic management, and coherent urban renewal. This fixation on grand but misaligned projects only reinforces the reality of an administration that was never adequately prepared for the rigours of governance and now appears rudderless, reactive, and bereft of ideas beyond headline-chasing spectacles.
“Against this bleak backdrop, the sudden announcement of plans to float a state airline is not merely unserious; it is diversionary and cretinous. When roads in the metropolis are barely motorable, when public transport is chaotic, when healthcare facilities are overstretched, when schools lack basic infrastructure, and when security remains fragile, proposing an airline betrays a frightening absence of judgment, economic sense, and development logic.
“The Edo PDP firmly believes that scarce state revenues should be channelled into areas with direct, broad-based impact: comprehensive rehabilitation of urban and inter-city roads; modern drainage and flood-control systems; revitalisation of public schools and hospitals; reliable power and water supply; support for small and medium-scale enterprises; youth skills acquisition and job creation; security architecture; and the completion and optimisation of existing strategic projects already commenced with public funds.
“Edo State does not need an airline to fly above its problems. It needs a government prepared to confront them squarely on the ground. Development begins with fixing the basics, restoring confidence, and pursuing realistic, people-centred priorities.
“The Edo PDP therefore calls on the Edo State Government to immediately jettison this ill-advised airline fantasy and redirect its focus to the pressing needs of Edo people. Anything less only reinforces the growing perception of a government without direction, seriousness, competence, or a coherent development agenda.”