Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has approved the appointment of 4,800 Special Assistants across the state’s 192 wards as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots governance and deepen the administration’s presence in local communities.
The governor announced the approval on Monday during a meeting with members of the All Progressives Congress from the state’s 18 local government areas at the Government House in Benin City.
Under the arrangement, each of the 192 wards will have 25 Special Assistants, according to the Edo State APC Chairman, Jarret Tenebe.
Okpebholo said the initiative was designed to ensure that government programmes, opportunities and development initiatives reach communities at the grassroots.
“So we are taking governance to the grassroots so that whatever is from the top will also go down to the bottom,” the governor said.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to the APC and acknowledged the role played by party members in securing the party’s electoral victories in the state.
Tenebe said the meeting was convened to explain the criteria and guidelines for selecting beneficiaries of the appointments.
He disclosed that the APC State Working Committee had constituted a committee to liaise with the various wards, monitor compliance with the stipulated guidelines and compile the names of qualified nominees for submission to the party headquarters in Benin City.
APC chairman also commended the Okpebholo administration for what he described as efforts to reposition and strengthen the party’s structure in Edo State.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, members of the APC State Working Committee, ward chairmen and other party representatives from across the state.
