The Edo State Government has faulted the interpretation of the 2026 Phillips Consulting States Performance Index (pSPI), insisting that the report largely reflects governance and fiscal conditions inherited by Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration rather than its own performance.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, the government said it welcomed independent governance assessments as tools for promoting accountability, transparency, and improved public administration. However, it cautioned against drawing conclusions about the present administration beyond what the methodology and assessment period of the pSPI could reasonably establish.
Inherited Indicators
The government stressed that Governor Okpebholo assumed office on November 12, 2024, by which time “virtually the entire assessment period had elapsed,” with fiscal, administrative, and governance indicators already shaped by policies and expenditure decisions of the previous administration.
It argued that key indicators used by Phillips Consulting — including citizen satisfaction, internally generated revenue, debt sustainability, fiscal management, and audited financial information — were cumulative and could not be fundamentally altered within weeks of a new government taking office.
“The issue is not whether governance should be measured, but whether historical outcomes should automatically be attributed to an administration that did not formulate or implement the policies that produced them. Chronology remains fundamental to credible governance analysis,” the statement read.
Reforms Underway
Since assuming office, Governor Okpebholo has embarked on reforms aimed at reshaping Edo’s developmental trajectory. These include:
- Strengthened revenue administration.
- Road construction and rehabilitation across the three senatorial districts.
- Measures to reduce financial leakages.
- Regularisation of over 5,000 teachers’ appointments.
- Renovation of more than 80 public schools.
- Construction and rehabilitation of over 70 primary healthcare centres.
- Recruitment of additional health workers.
- Deployment of about 2,500 Security Corps personnel and 500 Forest Guards.
The government also highlighted urban renewal projects, market reconstruction, public service reforms, and expanded youth development programmes in partnership with federal institutions and development partners.
Looking Ahead
The administration described these initiatives as evidence of deliberate efforts to improve governance and service delivery. It urged the public to await future editions of the pSPI, which it said would more accurately reflect policies conceived, funded, and implemented under Governor Okpebholo’s leadership.
The statement concluded that governance should ultimately be judged not only by inherited circumstances but by “the vision, leadership, and measurable progress achieved in transforming them.”
