By: Festus Alenkhe

In an era where development is borderless, governance must also be borderless. It is in this context that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s “SHINE Agenda Across Borders” event in London deserves not just attention, but commendation and support.

This was not a ceremonial gathering. It was a strategic economic diplomacy mission — one that recognizes a fundamental reality: Edo State cannot develop in isolation.

We endorse this initiative because it is timely, practical, and rooted in data.

1. THE CASE FOR GOING ABROAD: FACTS AND FIGURES

Edo State has one of Nigeria’s largest diaspora populations. The UK alone hosts an estimated 250,000+ Edo people, with heavy concentrations in London, Manchester, and Birmingham. According to the World Bank and CBN 2023 data, Nigeria received $20.1 billion in diaspora remittances. Edo consistently ranks among the top 5 states in remittance inflow.

Yet for decades, that inflow has gone largely into consumption — school fees, rent, health and family support. Little has gone into productive investment because the bridge between policy at home and opportunity abroad was missing.

The UK also hosts thousands of Edo professionals: NHS consultants, university lecturers, engineers, fintech experts, and lawyers. The NMA UK Chapter estimates that over 2,000 doctors of Edo origin practice in the UK. Imagine if just 10% of that expertise is channeled into telemedicine, hospital partnerships, and training in Edo.

That is the gap SHINE Across Borders is designed to close.

2. WHY SHINE MATTERS: BREAKING DOWN THE 5 PILLARS

The SHINE Agenda — Security, Health, Infrastructure, Natural Resources, and Education — directly addresses Edo’s binding constraints.

Security: No development thrives in an atmosphere of fear. Edo recorded improved coordination between state security outfits and federal agencies in the last quarter. By assuring the diaspora and foreign investors that Edo is safe for business, the government is removing the first barrier to investment.

Health: Edo people spend an estimated $1 billion annually on medical tourism, per NBS and private hospital data. London has some of the world’s best hospitals and a large pool of Edo medical professionals. Partnerships for equipment donation, specialist exchange, and telemedicine can bring quality care to Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital, Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin city, and our 18 LGAs without waiting decades.

Infrastructure: Edo is strategically located. We sit on the Lagos-Benin-Benin Republic corridor and have access to the Benin River Port project. The state needs $3.2 billion in infrastructure deficit funding according to AFDB estimates. UK firms in construction, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure have both capital and technical know-how. This engagement opens that door.

Natural Resources: Edo is blessed beyond oil. We have over 3 billion metric tonnes of limestone in Okpella, bitumen deposits in Ologbo, and 1.2 million hectares of arable land. Yet 80% of what we produce is exported raw. The Governor’s pitch in London is simple: Come and process in Edo. Create jobs in Edo. Export from Edo. That is how we move from poverty to prosperity.

Education: With over 60% of Edo’s population under age 35, our youth are our future. But unemployment remains high. Through scholarships, skills transfer, and twinning programs with UK institutions, SHINE seeks to equip our youths so they can compete globally without having to leave permanently. That is brain gain.

3. WHY LONDON, WHY NOW

London was chosen for three reasons.
First, concentration of influence. UK policymakers, investors, and the Edo diaspora elite are all there.
Second, credibility. Presenting SHINE in a global financial capital signals seriousness.
Third, urgency. With the global economy shifting and Nigeria’s sub-nationals now competing directly for FDI, states that wait will be left behind. Edo has chosen not to wait.

4. ADDRESSING THE SKEPTICISM

We understand the doubts. Past diaspora engagements yielded town hall photos but few factories. That is why this must be different.

For SHINE Across Borders to work, 3 things are suggested:

1. Institutionalize it: Create a Diaspora Investment and Partnership Office in the Government House with a published dashboard.
2. Incentivize it: Fast-track approvals, land allocation, and tax incentives for diaspora-led projects in agro-processing, health, and tech.
3. Report on it: Quarterly updates to Edo people on MOUs signed, funds mobilized, and projects started.

Without these, SHINE risks becoming another acronym. With them, it becomes a movement.

CONCLUSION

Governor Monday Okpebholo’s London outing is a bold statement: Edo is open, Edo is ready, and Edo is calling her sons and daughters home to build.

We support SHINE Agenda Across Borders because it shifts governance from rhetoric to relationships, from isolation to integration. It tells every Edo doctor in London, every engineer in Manchester, every business owner in Peckham: “Your state needs you, and there is now a plan for you to come and invest.”

The task ahead is execution. But the vision is right. The timing is right. And the platform is right.

Edo can shine. Let it shine — in Benin, in Auchi, in Uromi, and yes, even across borders in London.

Edo’s future will be built by all of us, together.