An All Progressives

Congress, APC, stalwart in Delta State, Prince Collins Eselemo, has reacted to the demolition of a multi-million naira 500-meter long perimeter fence of the New Era College, Benin-City, allegedly carried out by the state government.

Eselemo, who is the Scion of the Eselemo Dynasty, Delta State and pioneer patron of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, reacted yesterday in response to calls after the state government had allegedly carried out the action, using same as a gate for a cottage hospital.

He alleged that the state government’s action stemmed out of political differences, stressing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government of Governor Obaseki carried out the demolition without consultations with stakeholders.
He said: “In response to the need of my alma mater, I spent millions to erect 10-feet high 500-metre perimeter fence to address security concerns of kidnapping, raping and the likes of my alma mater, New Era College, Benin-City, as a way of giving back to society.
“The fence had been down for years and the children exposed, and I had to intervene and build the fence, not because of failed efforts by the state government, but to attend to a distress call of my alma mater.
“As governor of the state, Obaseki has right to situate any project anywhere in the state, and, as a supposed elitist governor, Obaseki knows that government partnership with public-spirited individuals is a national and global call.
“I came in to rescue my alma mater which needed the fence and school gate that I built properly, but the state government destroyed a sizable length of the fence obviously because of political differences, as I am APC and he is PDP.
“I believe he sees what I did to my school as political capital for my party, the APC and so should be defaced and destroyed.
“The shocking thing is that Obaseki had choice/power to place access gate to the cottage hospital that he hurriedly built from several other points. He could even have limited the space/size of destruction of the fence I built just to pave way for his gate, but he was interested in defacing my efforts and shutting down my philanthropic gesture, which government should normally have encouraged.
“Incidentally, the governor’s wife, Betsy Obaseki, was at the inauguration ceremony of this philanthropic gesture”
However, he wondered why a state government should swoop on the effort of a good-spirited individual, stressing that the action had political undertone.
“If political considerations were not the matter, where was Obaseki all these years when the school was exposed to security threats such as kidnapping, raping and other vices, to my presently girls former school which he promised to return to mixed status?
“Why did he not compel his contractor, if any, to speedily construct the fence all these years? “Why could he not let a legacy project co-exist with what he can do for the community? Why does Obaseki need to waste stakeholders’ efforts if not for political suppression?”.
Sunday Vanguard’s effort to speak with the state Commissioner for Education, Dr Joan Oviawe, was futile as he did not answer calls and a text message sent to his mobile phone was not responded at the time of filing this report.
But reacting, Executive Secretary, Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, EDSPHCDA, Dr Omosigho Izedonmwen, said: “I’m sure your journalistic instincts should tell you that state property cannot be destroyed illegally by the state government.
“What I mean is that illegal destruction is contrary to law, and I cannot illegally destroy my own property. Is it a private school, the answer is no! Is a government school, the answer is yes! Then, why is it illegal for a state government to demolish its own property?