How Edo Emerged As World Bank’s Best-Performing State – NEWMAP Coordinator

The Project Coordinator of the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) in Edo State, Dr. Tom Obaseki, has said the several people-centric infrastructural projects constructed across the state by NEWMAP, in line with the government’s vision of ensuring environmental sustainability and improving the living standards of the people, earned the state the recognition as the best-performing state by World Bank.

The World Bank, last weekend, at the closing/valedictory session for the NEWMAP project in Abuja, named Edo State as the best-performing state since the inception of the project in 2012. The state defeated 22 other beneficiary states to clinch the national award.

Edo State also came out tops in two other categories, including Best in Disbursement/Engineering/Civil Works/Bio-Engineering and Best in Counterpart Funding. These are in addition to coming as runner-up in several other categories. The honour is the highest winning by any state out of the 23 NEWMAP participating states.

The Edo NEWMAP Project Coordinator, while briefing journalists, on Wednesday, said the honour is on the back of the support of the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who has spared no resources in positively impacting the lives of residents, in line with his government’s vision of making Edo great again.

He said, “The efforts and commitment of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki at implementing infrastructural renewal and sustainable development initiatives in Edo earned NEWMAP in the state the rain of awards at the just-concluded closing/valedictory session for the NEWMAP project in Abuja.

“Edo State came out tops in three (3) categories, which is the highest winning by any state out of the 23 NEWMAP participating states. The categories are best overall performing state; best in Disbursement/Engineering/Civil Works/Bio-Engineering, and best in Counterpart Funding. These are in addition to coming as runner up in several other categories.”

Obaseki further noted, “It is on record that Edo State NEWMAP accounted for about 17 percent of the overall success of NEWMAP in Nigeria.

“Edo NEWMAP paid over N3.2bn as counterpart fund, which is over twice more than the nearest contributing state and over 17 percent of the total counterpart paid under NEWMAP.”

The project coordinator added, “The Edo-NEWMAP under the leadership of Governor Obaseki built a total length of over 40kms of secondary drains. This is in addition to the over 14kms of primary stormwater culverts, drains, and over 4km of earth stormwater channels, among other projects to check flood and improve the livelihoods of Edo people.

“Governor Obaseki is serious about frontally tackling the environmental challenges of the state and his commitment to ensuring durable infrastructure to prevent further erosion and destruction of public and private infrastructure and potential agricultural land earned Edo NEWMAP the accolades which it recently received from the World Bank.”