BENIN CITY, Nigeria – Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has formally sworn in the 18 newly elected Local Government Council Chairmen across the state, inaugurating a fresh administrative cycle for grassroots governance during an official ceremony at the Government House in Benin City on Friday, September 4, 2026.
The inauguration follows the conclusion of the statewide council elections, ushering in substantive executive leadership across the southern state’s municipal councils at a time when grassroots administrations nationwide operate under expanded constitutional and financial autonomy aimed at deepening democratic accountability at the third tier of government.
Okay News reports that the swearing-in ceremony brought together senior state executive officials, judicial officers, traditional rulers, and community representatives as the council leaders took their formal oaths of office and allegiance.
Administering the oaths, Governor Okpebholo emphasized that public leadership is a sacred public trust, instructing the new chairmen to place citizen welfare and community impact at the center of their tenure while strictly avoiding financial impropriety.
“Today, I swore in the 18 newly elected Local Government Chairmen of Edo State, marking the beginning of a new chapter in grassroots governance,” Governor Okpebholo said. “I charged the Chairmen to make the development and welfare of our people their priority, complement the efforts of the State Government, and ensure that the impact of government is felt in every community. I also urged them to shun corruption and lead with humility, integrity, accountability and a genuine commitment to service.”
Addressing the broader landscape of fiscal federalism, the governor reminded the council heads that statutory funding directly disbursed to local secretariats places greater scrutiny on their resource management.
“With greater Local Government autonomy comes greater responsibility,” the governor stated, warning that the state government will demand transparency in how grassroots funds are utilized for municipal social services, community sanitation, and local economic development.
Okpebholo urged the chairmen to align their municipal programs with his administration’s developmental blueprint, known as the SHINE Agenda—which focuses on targeted reforms across Security, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Nutrition and Agriculture, and Education—to ensure synchronized socioeconomic growth between the state capital and rural localities.
“I congratulate all 18 Chairmen and charge them to key into the SHINE Agenda of the Edo State Government and work with us to build a more peaceful, prosperous and developed Edo State,” Okpebholo added. “The people have entrusted you with leadership. Go and justify that trust.”
The 18 council chairmen are scheduled to officially assume duties immediately across their respective local government secretariats, where they are expected to unveil executive appointments and roll out grassroots interventions addressing primary healthcare delivery, rural feeder road maintenance, and security surveillance.
