Believed to be the most cosmopolitan Local Government Area in Edo State and the host of the seat of power of the State, Oredo has what it takes in terms of human capacity, to have had its own fair share of development beyond its present state.
The Council has also had its fair share of successive chairmen, either elected or appointed, who have all tried within the limit of their capacities to address various challenges in the council area.
Whether they succeeded in their quest for a better Oredo is a story for another day. Be that as it may, it is generally agreed that the local government is in dire need of economic and social transformation.
However, for this to come to fruition, a breath of fresh air is needed to completely turn around the council’s fortune. Someone with administrative skills in the persons of Dr Tom Obaseki is needed to reengineer what a commercial City of a State truly should be.
Dr Tom Obaseki is a strategic thinker who had at different times been saddled with responsibilities and he came out with resounding success stories on each occasion.
Above all of these success stories, he had managed a portfolio size of over N30 billion in Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), this should be more than 10 times annual allocation Oredo Local Government receives as allocation.
With him as the boss, NEWMAP footprint is visible across the 18 Council areas of Edo State. Many families and communities have been saved from erosion menace through his ingenuity in the management of human and material resources.
Dr Tom Obaseki’s mind is always at work on how to better the lot of the society and this he hoped to replicate in Oredo Local Government Area when elected as the Chairman.
He started his education at St. Peters Primary School (Now Fabiyi Akpata Primary School) and then later proceeded to Edo College Benin City and came out in flying colours being one of the only three students in the then Bendel State with all A,s in the WAEC examination in 1984.
He holds a B.Pharm (magna cum laude) Hon degree, a Masters in Business Administration and Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D from the University of Benin.
While in the Pharmacy School, he was an exceptional scholar where he consistently won a prize on a yearly basis throughout his undergraduate studies, a record performance which is yet to be broken. He was also the overall best student in his graduating Pharmacy class and the College of Medical Sciences in 1989.
His record speaks:
• Provost prize for the best overall graduating student in the final year degree examination in the College of Medical Sciences- 1988/89 Academic year.
• Prof Kulkarni Memorial Prize for the best overall student in the final B. Pharm degree examination-1988/89 academic year.
• The University of Benin Scholarship award for the best Student-1987/88 academic year.
• Falemi Pharmaceutical Chemist Limited Prize for the best student in the first professional B.Pharm examination 1986/87 academic year.
• Family Chemist Prize for the best student in Pharmaceutics in the first professional B.Pharm examination 1985/86
Oredo deserves the best…
Dr. Tom is the best man for Oredo
