The much-advertised “Global Economic Summit” trip by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, to the United Kingdom has taken a dramatic and some say embarrassing turn.
Days after being challenged by critics to provide evidence of his claimed investor meetings abroad, the governor’s media handlers released another batch of photographs. But once again, the images contained no trace of foreign investors, business executives, or boardroom engagements.
Instead, the photos show Governor Okpebholo seated comfortably in what resembled a modest town hall, flanked by his entourage and a handful of Edo indigenes in London, a gathering critics have since dubbed “Edo Reunion in the UK.”
Opposition voices wasted no time tearing into the development. “This is a disgrace,” one party spokesperson fumed. “You don’t call a family meeting in London a ‘Global Economic Summit.’ Where are the global partners? Where are the British companies? Edo people deserve more than photo ops.”
Social media has been equally unforgiving, with one viral post mocking the images: “Governor travels thousands of miles to sit with people he could have Zoom-called. Investors still missing in action.”
Governor Okpebholo, however, attempted to put a positive spin on the event, telling the London audience: “Our diaspora community are our first investors, and they remain key to Edo’s future.”
But analysts back home are less charitable. As one commentator in Benin City remarked: “You cannot promise to attract investors and return with only selfies. This looks less like an economic mission and more like a taxpayer-funded excursion.”
For now, the “Global Economic Summit” remains more famous for what it has not produced foreign investment, leaving Edo citizens to wonder if the governor’s trip abroad was a business mission or merely an expensive reunion.
