Former international footballer and prominent All Progressives Congress figure, Prince Collins Eselemo, has raised concerns over the alleged demolition of a multi-million naira, 500-meter-long perimeter fence he constructed for his alma mater, New Era College in Benin City, Edo State.
According to The PUNCH, Eselemo, who hails from the esteemed Eselemo Ijaw dynasty in Warri, Delta State, issued a signed statement on Monday in Warri, alleging that the fence was deliberately pulled down by functionaries of the Edo State Government due to political differences.
In the statement, Eselemo expressed his dismay, noting that the destruction of the perimeter fence, which was built in response to serious security concerns, including kidnapping and rape, had a political undertone.
He explained that the fence was demolished to create an entrance for a recently constructed Cottage Hospital.
Eselemo criticized the government for acting without consulting stakeholders, attributing the incident to political rivalry between the APC, to which he belongs, and the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Edo State.
The ex-international footballer elaborated on his motivation for erecting the fence, highlighting his desire to give back to society by securing the safety of students at his former school.
“In response to the need of my alma mater, I spent huge millions to erect a ten-feet-high 500m perimeter fence to address security concerns of kidnapping, raping, and the likes, of my alma mater as a way of giving back to society. The fence had been down for years and the children were exposed,” Eselemo explained.
He further criticized the government’s actions, stating, “A supposed elitist Government knows that partnership with public-spirited individuals is a national/global call. In the instant matter, I came in to rescue my alma mater which needed the fence and school gate that I built properly. But government agents destroyed a sizable length of the fence I built obviously because of political differences. I am APC. The ruling government is PDP. Probably it sees what I did to my school as political capital for my party the APC and so should be defaced and destroyed.”
Eselemo lamented that the government had several other options for placing the hospital’s access gate but chose to target the fence he constructed.
“The shocking thing is that the government had the choice/power to place access gate to the cottage hospital, that was hurriedly built, from several other points, but they were interested in defacing my efforts and shutting down my philanthropist gesture which government should normally have encouraged,” he remarked.
Notably, the wife of the Governor of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki, had attended the inauguration ceremony of the perimeter fence, adding a layer of irony to the government’s actions.
Despite several attempts to contact the Edo State Commissioner for Education, Joan Osa Oviawe, for a response to the allegations, no comments were received at the time of filing this report.
The situation has sparked discussions on the role of political rivalry in undermining philanthropic efforts and the broader implications for community development in the state.
