*Beyond politics, what Governor Okpebholo’s recent actions reveal.*
_By Bugie Okhuemoi_
17/07/2026
Imagine a little boy born with a visual impairment somewhere in Edo State.
Long before he is old enough to dream, people have already decided what he cannot become. He grows up believing that some doors were simply never built for people like him.
Then one day, he watches the inauguration of Edo State’s new Permanent Secretaries and sees a visually-impaired lawyer, Melody Omosah, sworn into one of the highest offices in the State Civil Service.
In that moment, something changes.
Not just for him, but for every child living with a disability and every parent who has quietly wondered what the future holds. Sometimes, hope arrives in the form of one appointment.
That was the thought that crossed my mind as I watched the inauguration of the new Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries in Edo State.
For the first time in the state’s history, a visually-impaired lawyer had become a Permanent Secretary.
For many, it was a landmark appointment. For those who have watched Governor Monday Okpebholo closely, it was part of a pattern.
He had earlier nominated a non-indigene – a South-Easterner – as Commissioner, reminding us that service to Edo is bigger than place of origin. He inaugurated the Edo State Persons with
Disabilities Commission and appointed a lawyer living with a disability as a State Counsel. Now comes Melody Omosah’s appointment.
Different decisions. One clear message: everyone deserves a fair chance.
Politics often celebrates the loudest voices. Governor Okpebholo has never been that kind of politician. Calm, reserved and unassuming, he has often seemed more comfortable listening than talking.
Perhaps that is exactly what many Edo people saw before they voted for him.
They saw someone who understood their values – humility, empathy, respect for people and the quiet belief that actions matter more than speeches.
People do not only elect manifestos. They also elect character.
Character has a way of revealing itself after the campaign is over.
Those who have known Governor Okpebholo long before Government House often speak of his compassion, generosity and deep faith. Increasingly, those personal values appear to be reflected in government decisions.
When xenophobic attacks forced many Edo sons and daughters to return from South Africa with painful stories and uncertain futures, he welcomed and supported them as they began again.
The same spirit can be seen in the payment of long-overdue gratuities, support for market women and small businesses, renewed investment in agriculture, and improvements in healthcare, education, transportation and security.
Taken together, these decisions tell the story of a leader whose attention naturally turns to people who are too often overlooked.
No Governor gets every decision right. That is the nature of democracy. But some decisions deserve recognition because they remind people that they matter.
A child living with a disability may now believe that becoming a Permanent Secretary is possible.
A non-indigene may feel a stronger sense of belonging.
An Edo son or daughter returning home after hardship may know they have not been forgotten.
Those are the victories that rarely make the loudest headlines, yet they leave the deepest marks on society.
If Governor Monday Okpebholo continues on this path, his greatest legacy may not simply be the roads he builds or the projects he completes. It may be the doors he opens, the barriers he removes and the hope he gives ordinary people.
For that little boy we imagined at the beginning of this piece, that may be the most important legacy of all.
_*Bugie Okhuemoi* is the Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo (SMO)._
