2023-10-04 10:13:28
The Deputy Secretary General of the Government spoke on national news on Sunday October 1, 2023. It was during the program “Décrypté” on national television. From the political crisis in Niger to the regulation of the distribution of contraband gasoline without forgetting the demolition of the former headquarters of the National Assembly, Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji has not overlooked any subject.
“No French military base in Benin”
Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji, government spokesperson, returned to the rumors concerning a possible installation of a French military base in Benin. He clearly denied the existence of any plan to build a French military base in Benin. The Secretary General of the government declared that French, Belgian and American instructors had been deployed to Kandi to work with the Beninese military. He reassures that they have left for more than six (06) months. He thus put an end to the speculations circulating on this subject.
“Everything you have read or heard about this supposed construction of a French military base is pure lucubration, the invention of people who alone know their designs and motives,” he denounced.
Benin-Niger bilateral relations
The government spokesperson spoke of the stability of the relations that Benin maintains with other countries. It justifies Benin’s position in relation to the political crisis in Niger. “Benin does not insult Niger. We have always had good relations with our neighbors, including Niger. And before the crisis that occurred two months ago, relations were in good shape. And we are hopeful that once we emerge from this crisis, relations will return to as normal as they were. This is why Benin is actively working with others within the community to end the crisis in Niger,” he said.
Deadly fire in Sèmè Kraké
The other hot topic in the news in recent days is the tragedy of Sèmè Kraké, the deadly fire at the contraband gasoline warehouse which left 36 victims. Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji expressed his compassion for the victims of the tragic fuel depot fire. He also recalled that the government had taken the decision to fully cover the costs related to the care of injured people and the identification of the deceased through DNA tests. He spoke of the measures taken by the government to reorganize and formalize this informal sector even before the tragedy.
“It’s been more than a year now that the government has seriously thought about the issue, including with the actors(…) and this has led to a certain prospecting outside the country, to see manufacturers who have manufactured a large number of mini -stations“, he suggested before continuing. “And we’ve brought some samples of them over here to make sure that these stations meet the functionality that we want and that they can work in our environment. Then, when we were satisfied after these trials, the government ordered 5,000 units of these mini gas stations in one go.”
The government is concerned about the fate of these actors in the informal sector. “We are more than 50,000 actors. We must ensure that these people do not all find themselves overnight without any activity (…) This is why, in the long term, we did not want to have 50,000 mini-stations, but we were counting on around 10 000 mini-stations. Initially, we therefore ordered 5000, and of these, we have already received 2000. These 2000 stations will be installed in Cotonou and in the surroundings of Grand Nokoué, as well as in the communes of the country where there are no There is no formality. The reorganization models having been defined, the players in the sector will collaborate to use them together.”
Since the tragedy, “the discussions are quite positive, and the government has met with the stakeholders at least twice more. I can assure you that the prospects are good. They are rather in favor of this reorganization to secure their activities, but also for individual and collective well-being, in terms of environmental protection and public health.” he concluded.
Demolition of unfinished government project
On another subject, the government spokesperson provided clarification on the demolition of the unfinished headquarters of the National Assembly. According to him, this building appeared at one point as the ultimate demonstration of the level of bad governance that our country had experienced before 2016.
“You heard the specialists say that the site chosen for the building was not suitable. And the building itself was not built according to the rules of the art. So much so that there was an obvious risk in completing it, and therefore in making it operational with hundreds of people working on it. This would have paved the way for a possible accident at some point. We would therefore have experienced a tragedy. In 2018, an exhaustive report was produced and presented to the National Assembly. he clarified
The Deputy Secretary General of the Government also announced work in progress in the city of Porto-Novo. “We are going to create an urban park with a cultural arena in Porto-Novo. Currently, you must have noticed that there is a construction site not far from this site. There is a museum of voodoo arts under construction. Nearby, the statue of the first three and the urban park currently being developed will further beautify the city.”he said.
2024 finance bill
The government has sent the finance bill for the year 2024 to the governor. An increase of more than 5% is planned for next year. According to the government spokesperson, 42% of the budget will be devoted to social projects, in particular the strengthening of school canteens and the construction of numerous drinking water pipes. ”We are aiming for 100% coverage for school canteens and drinking water” he projected. Throughout the 52 minutes of the interview, government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji expressed the vision of the government’s actions aimed at improving various aspects of life in Benin, particularly in the social sector, road construction, tourism, environmental protection and urban sanitation sectors.
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