Sebastine Ebhuomhan, Abuja based journalist, has sent congratulatory message to the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on what he described as his “meritorious and deserving award” as New Telegraph Newspapers’ Governor of the Year 2025 in Education.
According to Ebhuomhan, “as a serial media award winner, I know the award is not just a crown that makes you the best in the education sector among your 36 peers in a little over a year.
“It particularly attests to your vision for education and unwavering commitment to the transformation of education at all levels in Edo State, which has renewed the drive for education attainment, quality improvement, structural modernisation, provision of learning tools, employment of teaching personnel and empowerment of the future of our children.”
Ebhuomhan posited: “For those who may not understand, Edo is shining because of the indelible results your reforms are achieving in the education sector. I shall outline below some key achievements that unanimously and overwhelmingly gave you the award.
“Hardly had the dusts of your inauguration on November 12, 2024 settled at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium than you began tackling the rot in education sector your predecessor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki bequeathed to you, some of which were long-standing structural problems of basic, secondary and tertiary education.”
On the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) and Edo State University subvention, Ebhuomhan stressed: “From a meagre N41 million, you raised the monthly subvention of Ambrose Alli University to N500 million and that of the Edo State University in Iyamho, from N25 million to N250 million.
“You followed up on the long list of problems stalling academic progress by ensuring the induction 128 medical students that was delayed for four years, the clearance of 810 nursing graduates that suffered for three years, and the resolution of JAMB regularisation for about 1,000 graduates prevented from proceeding to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation since 2019.”
Going further on Governor Okpebholo’s feat in the education sector, Ebhuomhan stated: “Today, there are over 100 constructed and reconstructed schools, with happy students that enjoy the beneficial employment of about 6,000 school teachers.
“Moreover, your reintroduction of bursary payments is a luxury successive administration avoided for over 20 years.
“Your administration also launched the EduRescue Programme, aimed at returning out-of-school children to schools. It also cleared over N4.6 billion inherited debts in outstanding liabilities to retired teachers and other education workers, a contentious issue which preventable protests kept school children at home in the past.”
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