Today, our Make Nigeria Better series takes us to Edo State nicknamed Heartbeat of the Nation in the south-south geo-political zone

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Aptly named Heartbeat of the Nation because it has always been a melting pot, Edo State has always been at the centre of developments in Nigeria. Its capital Benin City in particular is a historical centre. For starters, Benin was the place in Nigeria where the British colonisers faced the most fierce opposition, culminating in the 1897 Massacre of Benin that brought about the destruction of one of Africa’s oldest empires. It is time for Edo State to revive some of that past glory

[2] For starters, Benin City should be a global tourist centre with at least one historic monument that matches say the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, Kaaba, St Peter’s Square, Giza Pyramid, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Brandenburg Gate or the Great Wall of China. With all these artefacts that were looted in 1897 now being returned, surely the Edo State government has got to build the world’s biggest historical museum in Benin City. I want to see it declared a Unesco heritage site too

[3] Come to think of it, the Edo State government could also keep some of these artefacts in Europe and reach and agreement with the museums there under which they will get a share of the profits that accrue from tourism. That would guarantee regular foreign exchange earnings for Edo State independent of the federal government

[4] In the past, desperation was so rife in Benin in particular that the rate of human trafficking was causing alarm bells to ring across Europe. In the UK for instance, the Home Office had to meet with the Nigerian high commission as ask it to do something about the large numbers of Benin girls coming to Europe as sex workers. Sex traffickers were using manipulation and diabolical oath and debt bondage mechanisms to control their victims and force them into slavery. Fortunately this reduced a lot lately but it is not yet uhuru. There is only one antidote to this and that is manufacturing, manufacturing and manufacturing

[5] Edo State is renown for cash crop production with rubber, palm oil, timber and cocoa all grown extensively across the state. Food crops like rice, maize and cassava are also widely grown. Edo State’s main cities like Benin, Ekpoma, Auchi, Okada and Igarra should all be dominated by industrial estates where agro-processing factories are converting all these primary commodities into finished consumer goods

[6] There are also a lot of other tourist attractions in Edo State including the Emotan Statue in Benin City, Ise Lake, River Niger Beach in Agenebode, Mike Akhigbe Square in Fugar, Ambrose Alli Square Ekpoma, Obiemen Lake in Agua Irrua and Somorika Hills in Akoko Edo. Clearly an Edo State Tour Company needs to be floated under a public private partnership programme to take charge of the sector. This company will be responsible for building hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants, amusement arcades, theme parks, etc and then organising guided tours. Edo State can easily generate four times what it gets in federal oil handouts from tourism

[7] Edo State also has large deposits of solid minerals including bitumen, clay, dolomite, phosphate, glass sand, gold, gypsum, iron ore, lignite, limestone and marble. Clearly the Edo State government needs to invite all the leading industry players like Rio Tinto, Glencore, BHP, Vale, Anglo-American and Zijin Mining to come and open plants in the state. Everything should be converted into a fully-fledged finished product before leaving Edo State

[8] In the area of entertainment, film and music, Benin City has always been an important centre in the industry. At the moment, the city is home to the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and is currently attracting a lot of Nollywood producers to come and produce in Edo State. This needs to be expanded upon with maybe the creation of an Edo State Entertainment Company. Let the officials travel to Los Angeles and visit Universal Studios with the aim of replicating that back in Benin

[9] Edo State is also a major Nigerian transportation hub. The Sagamu Benin Expressway links east and western Nigeria and the Benin to Okene Highway links north and southern Nigeria. This resource needs to be tapped into with the construction of travel lodges, trailer parks, motels, restaurants, bars, amusement arcades, etc

[10] I actually think that the Edo State government needs to pay particular attention to gold. Were I the Edo State governor, I would have a parastatal dedicated to gold mining, with a lot of attention paid to the commercial quantities in Okpella. I would then enter into some form of partnership with a mining company like Anglo Gold Ashanti and jewellery companies like Tiffany & Co and Chanel. Maybe float a joint venture in which we all have a 33.3% stake. My aim would be to get finished gold products exported from Edo State

Ayoakinfe@gmail.com