Reverend Leo Olu-Martins, the Lead Pastor, HillCity Church, Benin, has scored Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State high in some areas of governance in his one year in office.
Talking on a programme, Agenda Setting, which airs every Thursday on Super FM Benin the clergyman while assessing the Governor stated: “I want to look at the man, Monday Okpebholo. Where’s he coming from, his pedigree. That’s why if he was somebody else I would probably have called him lower in a manner of speaking.
“This is somebody who has not really been in the corridors of power except for may be having served for a year as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“He didn’t come from the organised private sector like the former governor (Godwin Obaseki). He didn’t come from the organized labor like the former former governor(Senator Adams Oshiomhole). He doesn’t have that rich pedigree… He doesn’t seem to me as a garrulous person. He would rather want to be on his own.”
Going further, he stressed that the governor has tried much in meeting up with his campaign mantra of Shine Agenda especially in the area of security where he has invested much viz acquisition of patrol vehicles and motorcycles, and engagement with the head of security agencies.
On cultism, Reverend Olu-Martins asserted that there has been a great reduction in cult activities.
Talking about the new wave of insecurity that is rearing it’s head around the country Reverend Olu-Martins advised Governor Okpebholo “to restrategise and recalibrate his security strategy.”
According to him, “for every new level there’s a new devil. There must be a fresh strategy. In terms of security there has been some frontal engagement. His strategy has descalated cultism/cult related activities.”
Reverend Olu-Martins affirmed that the achievements of the administration are been under reported as the Governor suffers a lot of bombardment on social media platforms.
He charged that all appointees of the governor should be taken through a training program so that they understand their roles as ambassadors of the administration who are to cautiously project the good side of the government.
“You cannot have a govt official threatening people either offline or online. There must be a way you engage people because you represent the government. You shed your old manners and project the government well.
“Once you are an appointee of the govt your behavior and communication changes. You’re now an ambassador of the government.”
He frowned at criticism of the construction of flyover bridges at Ramat Park and Sapele Road describing the critics as those who can never see anything good coming from opposing political parties.
According to him the bridges contribute to the aesthetics of Benin City and will be of benefit to checkmate traffic gridlock in those areas in the future.
