By Jethro Ibileke
Governor Godwin Obaseki said policies and programmes initiated by the late governor of defunct Bendel state, Prof. Ambrose Folorunsho Alli, has continued to mould the trajectory of Edo State’s progress.
Obaseki who stated this in a message to mark the 80th birthday of the wife of the late governor, Mrs. Rosemary Alli-Walker, said the programmes, particularly in education, urban and rural development, and healthcare, have impacted the progress of the state.
The Edo First Lady, Betsy Obaseki who represented her husband at the birthday celebration in Birmingham, United Kingdom, extended his commendation to Mrs. Alli-Walker
She eloquently underscored the profound impact of enduring qualities of hard work, diligence, and forthrightness exemplified by the former Edo First Lady and Prof. Alli’s leadership during his tenure as Governor.
Taking cognizance of the attendees who had gathered to honour Chief Mrs. Alli-Walker, Obaseki affirmed the late Professor and his wife’s special place in the hearts of Edo people.
The Edo State First Lady also informed Mrs. Rosemary Alli-Walker of Governor Obaseki’s decision to pay the pensions and gratuity of the Late Governor Alli from when he assumed office in September 1983 until his passing in 1989, even as she presented her a document to this effect.
In her response, Mrs. Rosemary Alli-Walker expressed her gratitude to Mrs. Obaseki for traveling all the way from Nigeria to join in her celebration.
In a display of her continued commitment to humanitarian causes, Mrs. Alli-Walker pledged to support free surgeries for children with cleft lips, an initiative named “Operation Smile.”
It would be recalled that Governor Obaseki had in 2018, sought and obtained a posthumous Presidential Pardon for Late Governor Ambrose Alli; a request that was ratified by the Council of State in 2020.
