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Tag: Adams Oshiomhole

  • I’m not afraid of Lucky Igbinedion’s father – Oshiomhole

    I’m not afraid of Lucky Igbinedion’s father – Oshiomhole

    Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday said he is not afraid of telling the truth about Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the father of a former governor of the state, Lucky.

    Oshiomhole vowed to publish activities of the former governor in office.

    Lucky Igbinedion ruled Edo State from 1999 to 2007.

    Oshiomhole spoke when thousands of women dressed in white attire marched through the streets of Benin City, demanding an apology from Chief Igbinedion to the people of the state.

    The women carried placards with inscriptions such as – “Esama leave Oshiomhole alone.” “Chief Igbinedion stop using youths and women to cause trouble,” “Edo people must move forward,” “Oshiomhole, Edo people are proud of you” and “Igbinedion, go and pay Land Use charge.”

    Some women who dressed in red attire known as “Ododo” last week protested to the Emotan shrine about Oshiomhole’s invectives on the Esama and his policies.

    Monday’s protesters were drawn from the three senatorial districts in the state.

    Those who spoke to journalists said Oshiomhole has brought infrastructural development to the riverine areas.

    “We have seen your good work. We came to tell you not to be afraid. We heard what people are saying but we are behind you. Nothing will happen to you,” they stated.

    Oshiomhole on his part said he would be ashamed to talk in public if two of his children were convicted for corruption and money laundering.

     

  • Igbinedion’s probe a political witch-hunt – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party has described moves by the Edo State government to probe former Governor Lucky Igbinedion over alleged fraudulent withdrawal of $31million from the state’s coffers as ‘political witch hunting.”

    It said the action smacked of political desperation and persecution, adding that it was shameful and disgraceful that “it took the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration seven years to wake up from its slumber to begin what is clearly a case of political witch-unting.”

    Edo State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, who stated this at a press briefing, urged Governor Oshiomhole to tackle challenges facing the state in the form of dilapidated roads, corruption and flood.

    Nehikhare noted that flooding has increased in the state despite the billions of naira expended on the storm water project.

    He said Oshiomhole would be leaving behind a huge number of abandoned projects and unfulfilled electoral promises.

    “It is obvious that the Oshiomhole camp is piling up a strong financial war chest. In the last four months, he has received $75 million and N10 billion as loans and bailout funds to fight a last ditch battle to maintain and retain his stranglehold on Edo State.”

     

  • Bayelsa poll: Oshiomhole, Tambuwal Ambode to campaign for Sylva

    Bayelsa poll: Oshiomhole, Tambuwal Ambode to campaign for Sylva

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday mandated Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole and six other APC governors to deliver Bayelsa State to the party in the December 5 governorship election in the state.

    Oyegun, who spoke while inaugurating a 38- member high powered Bayelsa Governorship Campaign Council at the party secretariat in Abuja, said Bayelsa is a state where the party wants to prove a point, saying “change must come to Bayelsa State.”

    The other governors tasked with the mandate of winning the Bayelsa governorship election for the party are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) who will act as deputy chairman, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Kashim Shettima ( Borno), Owelle Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano)and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara).

    Other members of the committee are the Deputy National Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni, National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, National Vice Chairman, South West, South- South, South East and North West, Chief Pius Oluwole Akinyelure, Prince Hilliard Etta, Hon. Emma Eneukwu and Inuwa Abdulkadir respectively.

    Inaugurating the committee, Oyegun said the party is expecting all its 22 governors to be part of the campaign, adding that “what is important is that seven governors have volunteered to give up their time and energy to serve as members of the campaign council.

  • Bayelsa APC governorship primary ends in deadlock

    Bayelsa APC governorship primary ends in deadlock

    The governorship primary election of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bayelsa State, ended in deadlock on Tuesday.
    The exercise was marred by violence, thuggery, intimidation of some aspirants and meddlesomeness by some state party officials.
    The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, was held hostage and was later smuggled out of the venue by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and soldiers.
    It was gathered that the governor escaped the angry youths under the pretence that he was going to have his meal.
    Trouble started in the morning before 8am, when thugs, suspected cultists and ex-militants invaded the entrance of Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, the venue of the exercise.
    The thugs hurled stones at delegates who lined up to be screened for the exercise creating chaos and panic in the area.
    The unruly crowd attacked the delegates and sent them running for their lives. Most of the delegates especially persons said to be loyal to the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, could not return to the venue.
    The local government chairmen of the party in Sagbama, Ekeremor and Yenagoa, were reportedly attacked and wounded by the thugs.
    Over 1300 policemen led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) were deployed in the venue to maintain the peace.
    Most of the delegates were shut out of the exercise and were not allowed access to the venue of the primary.
    The state Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe, and some of his executive members were visibly angry at Alaibe and freely attacked him verbally.
    Alaibe maintained his cool as he uttered no word.
    When the accreditation of the delegates started, most persons who presented themselves for the exercise were said to be fake delegates in possession of cloned voter cards.
    The Master of the Ceremony (MC) announced that some persons with cloned cards had been arrested and handed over to the police.

  • Photo: Oshiomhole, Arase on the dance floor with wives

    Photo: Oshiomhole, Arase on the dance floor with wives

    overnor Adams Oshiomhole and his wife and Mr Solomon Arase, Inspector-General of Police and his wife dance at a reception organised by the Edo State Government for the Police I-G, on Friday
    overnor Adams Oshiomhole and his wife and Mr Solomon Arase, Inspector-General of Police and his wife dance at a reception organised by the Edo State Government for the Police I-G, on Friday
  • Buhari’s detractors are beneficiaries of corruption – Oshiomhole

    Buhari’s detractors are beneficiaries of corruption – Oshiomhole

    Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole, has said President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be distracted in his fight against corruption by those making noise.

    He said those describing Buhari’s corruption war as distraction are beneficiaries of corrupt practices of the last government.

    Oshiomole stated this in Kaduna on Tuesday while addressing the 27th Annual National Education Conference of National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria.

    He said,”People are wondering why some people are saying the President’s war against corruption is a distraction. All manner of people are talking, but check, those who are taking are those who benefited from the dollars that were stolen from the treasury and shared on the eve of the election.

    “If the beneficiaries are talking and the labour movement keeps quite, you will be the victims. President Buhari needs your assurances that you are with him in this fight. All manners of advisory committee are coming up, all in attempt to divert attention.

    “Nigerians must not forget that aircraft owned by Pastors were used to carry underground dollars to South Africa. Those are Pastors who in the name of Christ became smugglers of foreign currencies. The aircraft they said was meant for evangelism was now being used to smuggle arms to the black market.

    “NLC must therefore be vigilant. As labour unions, you must support Buhari in your own interests. Just like Comrade Issa has just enumerated, you have had support from the previous governments, but those supports were incoherent. Issa made comment about a certain President that provided money to support the industry. Yes, but every industry operator knows that the problem was not funding, working capital wasn’t the problem. The problem is that we have had an environment in which if government says one thing in the morning, it does another thing at night.

    “That the very President that saw the challenge and the burden of the textile industry and organised series of meetings and conversations with mill owners on how to support the industry, seemingly concern about how to get the textile back on its feet.

    “We appealed to the President to do couple of things, and while those things were being done, a senior member of the PDP, a well known smuggler was busy smuggling hundreds of tones of prohibited textile materials along the Niger boarder. Our intelligence gave us the details. “

  • Oshiomhole: Jonathan’s agric revolution a big scam

    Oshiomhole: Jonathan’s agric revolution a big scam

    Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has criticised the much touted agricultural revolution of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, describing,  it as a big scam. The nation, he said, is still import-dependent on rice and other foods.

    Speaking with The Nation, Oshiomhole accused the past government of frittering away over N800billion on waivers for rice millers and others. The past government, he added, also killed local rice production and made agriculture unattractive.

    “The agriculture revolution was one of the advertised achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan but we have since realised that it was purely a scam on us. It is also a policy contradiction where a government will give waivers and support importers to import what can be produced locally, thereby putting its own people out of business while enriching other nations. Local manufacturers that produce locally are punished. Unfortunately for us, rice millers imported rice without even paying duties, as a nation we should not be seen to be importing what is locally produced. Where then is the success story in the sector? Agriculture is not about bow-ties and designers suits but hard facts that cannot be uncontroverted.”

    According to him what the rice millers are practicing is known as dumping in international trade. He accused them of importing all manner of things both the good and the expired and dump it on the people whose government failed to protect due to corruption and maladministration.

    Oshiomhole also called for the immediate discontinuance of fuel importation, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the refineries are made to produce to local capacity.

    He commended local entrepreneurs such as the President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote who he said though received waivers on VAT posed on local production of rice and cement.

    On the planned revitalisation of Edo Cement Company at Okpella, he regretted that previous wrong policy of the People Democratic Party caused the ownership of the plant to change three times because rather than locally producing cement the company was importing the product.

  • Oshiomhole: I can do what young people do

    Oshiomhole: I can do what young people do

    •Runs 10km 24 hrs after wedding

    Barely 24 hours after he wedded former Miss Lara Fortes, Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday participated in the annual 10 kilometers Okpekpe road race.

    The governor, who completed the 10 kilometer race under the VIP section, was joined by Chief Mike Ozekhome, Chief Oseni Elamah, Nollywood artistes and other dignitaries.

    In his speech after the race, Oshiomhole said he worked very hard to ensure he emerged winner of the race.

    He said: “I worked hard but was not successful. To do 10 kilometers after the wedding assured me that I am capable and strong to what young people can do.”

    Oshiomhole urged businessmen to key into his administration’s rural development by setting up cottage industries, hotels and amusement parks in Okpekpe community in Etsako East local government area to boost the economic potentials of the community.

    According to him: “I am excited that Okpekpe community is not only now at the world map but people from various part of the world of various countries and various continent are now participating actively in what is now known as the Okpekpe annual 10km road race.

    “I am informed that in this year we have more participants than the previous years and by logic we expect that more and more people will participate.”

    “This is one practical way to remind all of us that there is life outside urban cities and that the real Nigerians, the forgotten majority are in our rural communities.”

    The Okpekpe road race marathon competition, which commenced in May 2013, has been dominantly won by athletics from Kenya, Ethiopia for male and female categories.

     

  • Oshiomhole: We have reasons to thank God

    Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said Nigerians have cause to be grateful to God for the avoidance of post-election crisis.

    He said there were apprehensions of violence during and after the elections “but God has decreed peace “and there is peace everywhere.”

    In his Easter broadcast, Oshimohole said: “This period of Easter offers us another opportunity to reflect on our lives and our commitment to God; a period to remind us of God’s love for us. This period, we are enjoined to show love to our neighbours, our family members and indeed to our great country.

    “I ask all of us in this season, individually in our quiet moments to reflect on our lives and give thanks to the creator for the wonderful things He has done in our lives and in our great country.”

    The governor added: “Already, there is so much we should thank God for this Easter season, just a few weeks back, many of us were apprehensive that the country would break into violence, there were a lot of people who planned mayhem, there were all kinds of speculations of what will happen during and after the Presidential election, as you all can see, God decreed peace and there is peace everywhere.”

    “Indeed, this Easter season offers us yet another opportunity for us to demonstrate love to our neighbours, irrespective of our religious faith.

    “Indeed, we have enjoyed unprecedented peace across religious divide in virtually every home in this state, Christians and Muslims and even traditionalists live in peace and harmony.

    “I want us to maintain this cordiality, this relationship, this effective collaboration between men and women of different religious faith, working together, living together in peace and helping to advance the course of unity of our state and indeed of our nation. We must build on this in the years ahead.”

  • apply for teaching in Edo

    apply for teaching in Edo

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said his administration will employ all applicants who scaled the hurdles of the committee set up for teachers’ recruitment.

    The governor spoke in Benin, the state capital, as the chairman of the committee, Prof Dennis Agbonlahor, said 21,195 persons had applied for teaching.

    Agbonlahor spoke yesterday at the presentation of the committee’s report to Oshiomhole.

    The expert said the committee invited the applicants through the short messaging service (SMS), adding that about half of them responded.

    According to him, 9,171 of the applicants were involved in the screening, after the first stage of the computer test.

    Oshiomhole said those recommended by the committee, irrespective of their state of origin, would be employed.

    He said: “As it is well known to the people of this state, we have demonstrated through our intervention and by the quality of schools we have built – primary and secondary – that education for us is at the heart of our future.

    “Our future lies in producing the best of human capital. Where merit is required, our people would be the first choice.

    “You have taken us through your methodology: those who applied, how you identified those to be invited and were tested, such that everyone can see for himself or herself whether he or she did well or not.”

    He added: “I know that we still need more teachers. We still have schools without enough teachers. This is premised on the problem of posting and corruption in a section of the Ministry of Education.”