Late Brig.-Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (rtd), was appointed military governor of Mid Western state in 1968 then as a Major, after taking over from Col. David Ejor. He was later retained as the military governor when the administration of General Yakubu Gowon renamed the Mid-Western state to Bendel state.

In terms of performance, Ogbemudia remained arguably the best governor ever, whether in military uniforms or civilian gowns, dead or alive. Besides strictly implementing the blueprint conceived by Chief Dennis Osadebe, who was Premier of the Mid-Western Region, Ogbemudia added many other life-transforming projects. Notable among the signature projects of Ogbemudia included Asaba Textile Mill, Okpela Cement Factory, Ughelli Glass Factory, Afuze Games Village, Bendel Line Transport Company, New Nigeria Bank, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium (formerly Ogbe Stadium), Ikpoba River Hotel and the imposing secretariat buildings and Palm House, located along Sapele Road, in Benin. These projects not only provided employment for thousands of Bendelites but also brought pride to the region. He, however, could not complete many of his projects when the military coup led by Muritala Mohammed overthrew the administration of Yakubu Gowon on 29 July, 1975, and truncated his government.

While some of these structures/projects still function, many were subjected to reckless abandonment by successive military and civilian administrations. While some are yet to be completed several decades after they were conceived, others are either privatized or recently revived. The Ikpoba River Hotel is still in the bush of Temboga in Upper Mission, Benin (a story for another).

The secretariat buildings are located a stone’s throw away from the state office of the Department of State Service, DSS, the State Police Command headquarters and directly opposite the EFCC office. Some of the blocks of the secretariat were left uncomplicated by all the successive administrations, both military and civilian, while several ministries and departments are accommodated in rented apartments scattered all over the state capital. The abandoned buildings, especially Block D, became a hideout for hoodlums, it constituted a public embarrassment.

Perhaps Ogbemudia himself would have completed the many abandoned projects when he was elected executive governor of the Bendel state in 1983. Unfortunately,  when the military coup headed by General Muhammadu Buhari sacked the second republic just over three months after Ogbemudia as the executive governor of Bendel state. That was the end of the story for most of the abandoned projects.

During one of the last interviews TheNEWS had with Ogbemudia before he died, he was asked how he felt whenever he saw the abandoned projects he started, the old man who was close to shedding tears that evening simply said: “Young man, don’t remind me that, close that chapter.”

If the dead were to be conscious of happenings around them, the late Brig.-Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia would have jubilated and celebrated in his grave when the incumbent governor Godwin Obaseki improved the design of the yet-to-be-completed blocks of the secretariat and finally commissioned them after decades of the commencement of the projects. Unfortunately, the holy Book says that dead people go into complete unconsciousness (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6).

Even at that everyone who remembers the pitiable state of the secretariat before Obaseki took the bold step to complete them will appreciate the enormous work and huge financial resources committed to the project, completed with additional structures and facilities to make the secretariat a conducive working environment. Nursing mothers who are civil servants need not worry about where to keep their babies, as Block D has a well-equipped Day Care centre to cater for their babies.

Besides the many other facilities added to the buildings, the beauty and serene atmosphere there is most inviting. Visitors to Benin City will not only enjoy the beauty the buildings offer, they will certainly reflect on the hard work of a once-upon-a-time two-time governor of Mid Western/Bendel state, Brig.-Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, who rendered selfless service to transform the region.