By DADA AYOKHAI
Streets and avenues all over the world usually acquire fame or notoriety owing to the nature of business transactions or caliber of people residing in the area. These traits ultimately become the registered trademarks that stands them out.
In the ancient city of Benin, the Edo state capital specifically in the high brow Government Reservation Area, GRA, Aideyan Avenue stands out.
It is a highbrow residential area tucked away in the Benin GRA and a safe haven for the rich and politicians .
Two top-ranking state government officials lives in Aideyan Avenue. They are the Edo State deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, and the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Barrister Osarodion Ogie Esq
As expected, the presence of these two political heavyweights usually creat heavy vehicular traffic on the Avenue. They move with the full paraphernalia of office: retinue of armed policemen, a long convoy of siren-blaring vehicles, drivers, and others.
In hot pursuit of one favour or the other, portfolio-carrying contractors, political associates, lobbyists, and other manner of power mongers cashed in on the presence of these top-ranking officials to invade the Avenue, thereby compounding its traffic gridlock.
The heavy traffic situation on the Avenue is chaotic in the evenings when the contract-chasing contractors, lobbyists as well as patronage-seeking politicians descend on the Avenue in an attempt to “hold private consultations” with either Shuaib or Ogie, having earlier failed to break the frustrating and stringent protocols in the Government House with the hope of being lucky at their homes.
A first time visitor to Aideyan Avenue can easily lose the drift of his or her mission and get distracted by the open display of opulence around him. The sad truth is that once a person is hit, he might get sucked in by the opulence.
Right from the fleet of exotic wheels which line the long, winding Avenue to the smartly dressed drivers and the well-armed security details on the standby, waiting for the “big man” in the owners corner to disembark, Aideyan Avenue is a huge spectacle of a sort.
Even the houses on the Avenue are different from what obtains elsewhere. They are masterfully crafted with their roofs pointing to the sky in a cascading fashion. A further peep inside reveals that the houses are sitting on a carefully landscaped plot of land knitted with well laid-out lawns, beautiful gardens and exotic flowers.
Aideyan Avenue is not the kind of place to mess up. The sight of the ever busy security officers constantly patrolling the place will make anyone with criminal intents to perish such thoughts.
The street also host the former House of representatives member and daughter of the Esama of Benin kingdom, Hon omosede Igbinedion.
Besides, the prestigious Benin Golf Course and the elitist Benin Club are domiciled within the Aideyan Avenue axis .The presence of these two political bigwigs, along with the paraphernalia of their respective offices such as the long convoy of siren-blaring vehicles, retinue of well-armed security details and others has turned Adeyan Avenue into an extension of Edo state Government House.
Most intriguing is that despite the presence of these VIPs and their retinue of well-armed security details, crime occurs occasionally in the adjoining streets not minding also that there is a police station in the vicinity.
However, the Aideyan Avenue is a sreet to behold with the two musketeers as they are fondly called by the people following the role they played in governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.
