24/08/2025
BEYOND POLITICS: HOW GEORGE HENSHAW IS GIVING GOVERNANCE A HUMAN FACE IN OKOBO
When Rt. Hon. Engr. George Henshaw assumed office as Executive Chairman of Okobo Local Government in October 2024, expectations were tempered with doubt. Years of promises that never translated into reality had left many in Okobo skeptical of local governance. Yet, less than a year into his tenure, his administration is gradually reshaping that narrative. Guided by empathy and vision, Henshaw is showing that leadership can indeed put people at the center of development.
One of the defining qualities of his leadership has been his approach to infrastructure. Rather than chasing projects that merely stand as monuments, his administration has chosen to focus on initiatives that directly affect everyday life. The completion of the Pastor Umo Eno Legislative Block — a fourteen-office complex — now provides a permanent and dignified home for grassroots lawmaking. The grading of twenty-four rural roads has transformed mobility across communities, easing the struggles of farmers, traders, and schoolchildren who once trudged along near-impassable paths. In addition, land has been acquired and cleared for future projects including a mini stadium, a computer-based testing centre, and an ultra-modern market at Utime Ukuko, all signaling a forward-looking vision that goes beyond subsistence.
Water, a most basic necessity, has taken center stage in Henshaw’s administration. For decades, many communities such as Ebighi Anwa and Utine Nduong depended on unsafe streams for drinking water, exposing themselves to preventable illnesses. Today, thanks to newly commissioned solar-powered boreholes, thousands now enjoy safe and reliable access to water. In Edem Enian Obot Inwang and the 50 Housing Unit Estate, residents describe the projects as life-changing. Communities such as Akapobo, Ebighi Anwa Ikpi, Mbokpu Akpabasi, and Udung Affiang are already benefitting, while plans are in motion to extend similar projects to eleven more communities — among them Udung Umo, Udung Amkpe, Oyoku Asang, Mbokpu Oduobo, Otieke Udung Eto, Osu Offi, Atabong, Ekpene Ukim, Etieke Nduong, and the council headquarters at Okopedi. The ultimate vision is clear: no Okobo family should ever again be forced to fetch water from unsafe streams.
Electricity, long a source of hardship in rural areas, is another area where intervention is underway. Rehabilitation efforts are planned for at least fifteen communities, including Udung Affiang, Udung Umo, Ebighi Anwa Oro, Utine Nduong, Itak Ekim, Otieke Offi, Eyede, Afaha Osu, and Ubak. In Amammong Okobo, the administration is working on realignment of electric poles to improve distribution and bring stability to a system many had abandoned hope in. The vision here is equally straightforward: light should no longer be a luxury for the people of Okobo.
Health has not been left out. Beyond physical structures, Henshaw’s administration has introduced a maternal health and multiple birth support programme designed to reduce the financial burden on women and families. Immunization campaigns are ongoing to safeguard children against preventable diseases, while foundation work has begun on a new primary health centre in Odobo. Importantly, the administration has institutionalized a regular monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which not only improves hygiene across communities but also strengthens the culture of collective responsibility for public health. These efforts, paired with awareness campaigns against gender-based violence, reflect a governance style that values both physical well-being and social dignity.
In agriculture, cassava farms have been established in Amammong and Udung Affiang, serving both as training grounds and as food supply bases. Plans are underway to distribute improved planting materials, promising stronger yields and greater food security. These initiatives not only tackle hunger but also offer opportunities for economic empowerment, especially for women and youth whose livelihoods depend on farming.
Education has equally received attention. Through an electronic bursary and grant scheme, undergraduates, postgraduates, and even PhD students from Okobo are benefitting from direct support. Law students, often burdened by heavy fees, are being given financial relief to continue their rigorous training. At the primary and secondary school levels, five thousand customized exercise books have been distributed to ease the financial strain on parents and encourage learning. The proposed computer-based testing centre further points to a future in which Okobo’s young people are prepared to thrive in a technology-driven world.
On the human capital and welfare front, the administration has appointed over 150 political aides to bring government closer to the grassroots while creating opportunities for young people to actively participate in governance. To enhance security across rural communities, professional hunters have been engaged to support conventional security agencies in tackling threats and safeguarding lives and property. Significantly, the Chairman has also sustained the regular payment of monthly stipends to aides and improved overall staff welfare, restoring dignity and motivation to the local government workforce.
Through these interventions, Rt. Hon. Engr. George Henshaw is not reinventing government but demonstrating that leadership is most effective when it listens, feels, and responds to the needs of the people. His style reflects a governance less about ceremonies and titles, and more about substance and humanity.
Okobo is now beginning to see what governance with a human face looks like: clean water running through taps, electricity lighting homes, roads connecting farms and markets, healthcare reaching mothers and children, opportunities opening for students, jobs created for the youth, security strengthened in communities, and dignity restored to long-neglected people.
Beyond politics, George Henshaw is proving that even at the local government level, leadership can touch lives, restore hope, and change destinies.
✍🏽 Victor Paul Unoh is a Journalist and the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Okobo LGA
