Inside Edo
One year Anniversary: Assembly aspirant applauds Okpebholo's employment of 5,000 teachers, hundreds of cleaners to civil service
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
12 Nov 2025 12:43 PM
Abudu, Orhionmwon – In a resounding endorsement of Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo's first-year milestones, Festus Ese, a 2027 House of Assembly aspirant for Orhionmwon East, has spotlighted the administration's transformative employment drive as a game-changer for Edo's education sector and vulnerable workers.
Describing it as a "strategic move that strengthens the Education system and empowers thousands of families," Ese's statement praises the permanent absorption of over 5,000 contract teachers into the civil service, alongside the integration of hundreds of low-wage cleaners, as hallmarks of purposeful, people-centered governance.
Ese, a rising APC figure eyeing representation for the agrarian Orhionmwon II district, framed these initiatives within Okpebholo's broader "SHINE" agenda, arguing they have "tackled unemployment head-on" in a state where job insecurity has long eroded family stability and educational quality.
"This is also not limited to [teachers]... cleaners that were on contract in the previous administration... have now been fully integrated into the state civil service on permanent employment, and many others," Ese noted, hailing the reforms as unprecedented steps toward dignity and economic resilience for everyday Edo indigenes.
The centerpiece of this praise is the October 15 ceremony at Government House, where Okpebholo personally distributed appointment letters to 5,000 educators, fulfilling a Workers' Day promise made just five months earlier.
Of these, approximately 4,500 were legacy hires from the EdoSTAR program under former Governor Godwin Obaseki, who had labored for years on modest ₦40,000–₦65,000 monthly stipends amid fears of political dismissal.
Ese's commendation extends to the parallel overhaul of support roles, where Okpebholo dismantled exploitative outsourcing that left cleaners often local women earning ₦20,000–₦30,000 under profit-hungry contractors exposed to insecurity and exploitation.
In January, the governor approved the direct hiring of 360 such workers from Edo's three senatorial districts, entitling them to the N70,000 minimum wage, full benefits, and permanence deployed across ministries to "boost the workforce."
These efforts, Ese emphasized, redirect funds from middlemen to direct payroll, fostering "economic growth" and stability in households battered by inflation.
As Orhionmwon East aspirant, Ese whose constituency grapples with rural underemployment positions himself as a champion of such reforms, urging unity to sustain the momentum.
Ese's hail, amid a silent revolution of welfare hikes and debt clearances, paints these hires not as isolated wins but as a blueprint for a "new Edo" where education and labor dignity drive progress for all.
Describing it as a "strategic move that strengthens the Education system and empowers thousands of families," Ese's statement praises the permanent absorption of over 5,000 contract teachers into the civil service, alongside the integration of hundreds of low-wage cleaners, as hallmarks of purposeful, people-centered governance.
Ese, a rising APC figure eyeing representation for the agrarian Orhionmwon II district, framed these initiatives within Okpebholo's broader "SHINE" agenda, arguing they have "tackled unemployment head-on" in a state where job insecurity has long eroded family stability and educational quality.
"This is also not limited to [teachers]... cleaners that were on contract in the previous administration... have now been fully integrated into the state civil service on permanent employment, and many others," Ese noted, hailing the reforms as unprecedented steps toward dignity and economic resilience for everyday Edo indigenes.
The centerpiece of this praise is the October 15 ceremony at Government House, where Okpebholo personally distributed appointment letters to 5,000 educators, fulfilling a Workers' Day promise made just five months earlier.
Of these, approximately 4,500 were legacy hires from the EdoSTAR program under former Governor Godwin Obaseki, who had labored for years on modest ₦40,000–₦65,000 monthly stipends amid fears of political dismissal.
Ese's commendation extends to the parallel overhaul of support roles, where Okpebholo dismantled exploitative outsourcing that left cleaners often local women earning ₦20,000–₦30,000 under profit-hungry contractors exposed to insecurity and exploitation.
In January, the governor approved the direct hiring of 360 such workers from Edo's three senatorial districts, entitling them to the N70,000 minimum wage, full benefits, and permanence deployed across ministries to "boost the workforce."
These efforts, Ese emphasized, redirect funds from middlemen to direct payroll, fostering "economic growth" and stability in households battered by inflation.
As Orhionmwon East aspirant, Ese whose constituency grapples with rural underemployment positions himself as a champion of such reforms, urging unity to sustain the momentum.
Ese's hail, amid a silent revolution of welfare hikes and debt clearances, paints these hires not as isolated wins but as a blueprint for a "new Edo" where education and labor dignity drive progress for all.
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