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Tag: Akoko-Edo

  • The leadership Akoko-Edo deserves

    The leadership Akoko-Edo deserves

    • By John Mayaki

    In Imoga, a small and remote community in Akoko-Edo, years of neglect finally drew the attention of a philanthropist who chose not to refurbish a tired old school building but to deliver something new.

    That was until Humphrey Teddy Adewumi, a businessman with roots in the area, financed the construction of a 300-seat examination hall in Imoga and complete with a principal’s office and modern toilets. For residents, the gesture carried meaning beyond the ordinary. He listened to their cries.

    In Igarra, the local government’s administrative center, he replaced a washed-out road with interlocking pavement stones, reopening a lifeline street for commerce. In Ibillo, he built new classrooms after learning that primary school pupils were crammed two grades into one room. In Atte, he renovated a decrepit secondary school block, complete with staff offices.

    “I grew up here,” Mr. Adewumi said in a brief interview. “I know what it feels like to study without a desk, to walk a bad road, to feel forgotten. If I can fix some of that, I will.”

    His foundation has distributed food and medical aid to widows, provided scholarships to indigent students, and delivered grants to small traders. Last November, it launched an ambitious program that empowered 1,000 women across Edo State’s 192 wards with cash support; a scale more often associated with government schemes than private charity.

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    That’s not all. Mukaila, a young man from Igarra, tells of Adewumi’s intervention in the form of a motorcycle. Unemployed and struggling, he had turned to odd jobs. A chance meeting with Adewumi became, in his words, “a doorway to transformation.” Moved by his humility and diligence, Adewumi handed him a brand-new motorcycle; a lifeline in rural communities where mobility means survival.

    “What my eyes have seen today was once a distant dream,” Mukaila said, choking back tears. “I stand here as a living testimony that God answers prayers through men.”

    For some, such stories blur the line between philanthropy and politics. Adewumi is now the leading aspirant for the Akoko-Edo Local Government chairmanship under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Critics argue that his projects double as campaign strategy. Supporters insist his philanthropy restores dignity where government has failed. But here lies the broader question: what kind of leadership does Akoko-Edo deserve?

    Insecurity here is no longer an occasional threat; it is a daily reality. Roads crumble into dust and mud paths. Hospitals lack the most basic resources. Electricity, when it comes, feels like charity rather than service. For young people, the future is so uncertain that many now see internet fraud as a career path. A time bomb lies ahead.

    This is the backdrop against which our local government prepares to choose its next leaders. And it is why the old politics of transactional deals and empty slogans will not suffice. Akoko-Edo needs something different; leaders who are creative, self-made, unburdened by political debts, and able to bridge generations.

    The current debate, whether the council chairmanship should be zoned north or south, is a distraction. The real questions are these: Who has the courage to confront insecurity? Who can channel resources into schools, hospitals, roads, farms, and jobs rather than patronage? Who will represent us in Benin and Abuja not as sycophants, but as credible voices for our people?

    I once considered stepping into the race myself. I drafted a security strategy, consulted quietly across the local government, and asked hard questions of those already in the field. In doing so, I came to realize that leadership is less about noise and more about strategy, sacrifice, and a willingness to deploy personal resources for the common good. It was in that process that I encountered Adewumi.

    What struck me first was his tone. Unlike many politicians, he was neither desperate nor arrogant. “If I win, fine. If I don’t, I will thank God,” he told me. Those words reflected a humility rare in politics.

    Even more importantly, he outlined a detailed plan to address insecurity, mapping villages and zones, and offering strategies to empower citizens with the tools and training to complement conventional security. His thinking mirrored my own, yet he was ready to act on it at personal cost.

    I cannot claim to have spoken with every aspirant. But in Adewumi, I see someone who fits the moment. He is prepared, pragmatic, and willing to sacrifice. Until another candidate presents a stronger vision backed by action, he represents the leadership Akoko-Edo deserves.

    Our community cannot afford to recycle mediocrity. We cannot keep losing sons and daughters to kidnappers, or watch our youth drift into crime because leaders cannot provide alternatives. The choice before Akoko-Edo is not simply who gets the council chairmanship. It is whether we are ready to demand leaders who serve, rather than survive.

  • Man stones father to death

    A 32-year old man, Rufus Akande, has been arrested by men of the Edo State Police Command for allegedly killing his 75 years old father, Usman Akande with a stone.

    Rufus was said to have committed the act inside the late father’s cashew farm at Ibillo, Akoko-Edo local government area.

    He was alleged to have used a stone to hit his father severally after an argument inside the farm.

    State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosun, said late Usman told his son not to enter the farm again which made his son to attack him.

    Read Also: Polls: Police to deploy over 12000 personnel in Edo

    Rufus, however, denied hitting his father with a stone.

    He said his father was chasing him around the farm with a cutlass and fell down hitting his head on a stone.

    “I did not kill my father. He was pursuing me and he fell down. The stone was on the ground. My father died six days later at the hospital.”

    Odumosun said the suspects would soon be charged to court.

  • PDP loses 3000 members to APC in Akoko-Edo

    About 3000 members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party in Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

    The former PDP members led by one Leo Fadaka joined the APC at the flag-off of the party’s campaign at Igarra, headquarters of Akoko-Edo LG.

    Fadaka said they were joining the APC because of the good work of President Mohammadu Buhari.

    According to him, “We have seen development and politics is about development. The PDP could not offer anything.”

    Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, said the people of Akoko-Edo local government area would vote “massively” for the APC because of the performances of the current administration.

    Akerele said the turnout and subsequent defection of PDP members were an appreciation of what the APC and Obaseki led administration is doing for the people.

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    His words, “Mr Governor and the APC as a party has been transforming Akoko-Edo within a very short time. Mr Governor promised that when he is voted into office he is going support the transformation of Akoko-Edo and within two years he has been able to achieve that. The job is not complete, it is an on-going process but you can see the crowd, the turnout of at the rally is a message that there is no room for opposition in Akoko-Edo because every ward in the local government has been affected either in terms of road, hospitals, schools in terms of recruitment into the civil service.

    “We are sending a very strong message to the opposition to leave Akoko-Edo alone. It is a one party local government and we are supporting the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, we are supporting the election of our three senators, House of Representative members and of course the House of Assembly members under the banner of APC and Akoko-Edo people have sent a very strong message.

    “We are moving from ward to ward, unit to unit essentially showing our record. It is a choice between performance and non-performance. PDP has been in the state, they governed before and now APC is governing so we are going to campaign on the basis of our record and performance and we are challenging PDP to also come out with their record so that the people can choose between a performing party and a previously empowered party that did not perform.”

  • Yuletide: Obaseki celebrates Edo market women

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has celebrated with market women in Edo State in the spirit of the Yuletide season, thanking them for their support for the state government and his policies.

    The governor expressed his appreciation during an end-of-the-year party organised by the Edo State Market Women Association in Benin City, on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

    He said, “I don’t know where to start because our mothers, our aunts, all of you have been my backbone. You are our greatest supporters. You are the ones on the streets and in markets who come to tell us daily what is going on. You are the ones who come to advise us in government on what to do. Without you, we will not succeed.

    “We are here to thank you all. From Aduwawa Market in Benin to markets in Akoko-Edo, Esan land and Orhionmwon, thank you for supporting our government. We appreciate all of you. We know your challenges.

    “You cried to us about the activities of touts, which was not good for our state, and asked us to assist you. That was what made us ban the activities of touts from our roads and in markets. By God’s grace, touts will not return to Edo State again.”

    He continued, “You told us how teachers don’t attend classes and how our children don’t learn in schools, that we should assist you. That is why we implemented the Edo Basic Education Transformation (EdoBEST) programme.

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    “Thank God, one of you is on the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Ighodalo. Help me express my appreciation to her. Do you know what SUBEB is doing? They are in all our schools, training our teachers to teach our children. All of you who have children in primary schools should go to the schools and see what we are trying to do for the children to learn.”

    Obaseki noted, “It is you who told us that roads are not good and the quality of roads we need to construct, that made us reconstruct the roads in Uselu in Benin. Moving from Ugbor to Ugbowo now doesn’t take you more than 30 minutes. We still have many projects to carry out in Edo State. We are just starting. We know that some things are still hard but by God’s grace and with the help of the Federal Government, we are investing in agriculture.”

    He said, “From 2019, when we will be preparing for Christmas, the Food and Agric Fair will have food everywhere because we are assisting farmers with funds to grow crops.

    Noting that the state government has intensified efforts at road construction, he said “We know we don’t have enough roads, we will construct more roads. Today, during our EXCO meeting, we awarded the largest road contract in the history of Edo State, from Upper Sokponba to Abraka has been awarded, totalling 106km of road. All of you in Orhionmwon and other areas in that axis will have road to bring your food to the city.”

    On construction of toilets and water facilities, Obaseki said, “Through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programme, we will commence the construction of toilets and water facilities in 18 markets in Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas. Before January, all the toilets in these markets will be constructed with water facilities.”

    On the provision of smart off-grid electricity to the markets, he said, “In 2019, all the markets across Edo State will have functioning toilets and water facilities. Solar power will be provided in all the markets in the state, just like the one we have in Edaeken Market commissioned by the Vice President. This will assist you to reduce the cost of running generator sets.”

    He announced that 20,000 traders in the state will benefit from the Trader-moni loans, noting, “the Vice President has asked me to give 20,000 traders the Trader-moni loan in Edo State. In the next one month, people will go around markets to collect names and phone numbers of traders. They will give you the loans for your trade.”

    Earlier, President of the Edo Market Women Association, Mrs. Blacky Omoregie, said market women have fared well under Governor Obaseki’s administration owing to the various policies, which have improved their ease of doing businesses.

    She commended the governor for the ongoing reforms in all sectors of the state’s economy, especially the road infrastructure, sports, education and health care.

  • Youths vow to resist Oshiomhole’s removal

    The Akoko-Edo Youth Vanguard has threatened to resist any attempt to  remove or further humiliate National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    It said the good work of Comrade Oshiomhole in re-positioning the APC has resulted to victories recorded in Ekiti and Osun State governorship polls.

    National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Segun Jasper, said the resort to use the DSS to harass Comrade Oshiomhole would be an exercise in futility.

    Comrade Jasper stated that the complaints of three governors over the conduct of the APC primaries should not be taken seriously because the action of the National Working Committee of the APC was the best for the party.

    Jasper said the group would mobilize over 20,000 of its members to Abuja to protest the humiliation of Oshiomhole.

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    According to him, “We know the fifth columnists in the APC that are working for the opposition PDP. What we know is that their plans will fall to pieces.

    “The questioning of our National Chairman is an embarrassment to lovers of democracy in the ruling APC. We will not sit back and watch some selfish governors orchestrate their evil plans against Oshiomhole.

    “We have resolved to storm Abuja next week Tuesday with thousands of our supporters to show solidarity to our chairman and thank him for leading the APC in the path of light.”

  • Edo deputy speaker impeached

    The Edo House of Assembly on Monday impeached the Deputy speaker, Victor Edoror for corruption, misappropriation of funds and act capable of destabilising the house.

    Edoror was also suspended for three months.

    Mr Justin Okonobo, member representing APC Igueben constituency was elected the new deputy speaker.

    Also suspended alongside the deputy speaker for three months were Mr Foly Ogedengbe, member representing APC Owan East and Mr Ganiyu Audu, member representing APC Etsako West 1 constituencies.

    Mr Ogedengbe and Audu were suspended for unruly behaviour.

    The impeachment followed a motion moved by the chief whip, Iyoha Osaigbovo, member representing APC Oredo East and seconded by Mr Emmanuel Agbaje, member representing APC Akoko-Edo 11 constituency.

    Osaigbovo said: ” Mr Speaker there is an impeachment motion before me and duly signed by 16 members of the house.

    “Members who signed have found the deputy speaker to be corrupt and engaging in act capable of destabilising the house.

    Addressing newsmen shortly after the impeachment, the Speaker, Kabiru Adjoto said: ”we needed to have a new deputy speaker because of the excesses of the impeached deputy speaker.

    ”I and 20 other members of the house remained committed to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and cannot leave the party.

    ‘‘We are even more committed to governor Godwin Obaseki and the re-election of president Muhammadu Buhari in 2019,” he said.

  • Defectors do not fit into APC vision, says lawmaker

    The lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo federal constituency in the House of Representative, Hon Peter Akpatason, has said that those defecting from the All Progressive Congress do not fit into the vision of the party.

    Hon Akpatason said the defectors would lose next year’s general election because they left good people in the APC to join bad people.

    Akpatason who spoke to reporters in Benin City said the defectors won elections in 2015 because of the good people they met in the APC.

    He argued that the PDP was not a beautiful bride for defectors but a dumping ground for those he termed waste product.

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    According to him, “For you to effect development, you need the good, the bad and the ugly but in the process of development, you begin to see the good from the bad and the ugly.

    “At some point, it becomes clear to some people that they do not fit into the system and that is what is happening now. They jump ship to where they actually belong to. Some people jumped ship some years ago because they wanted to contest election and they thought it was the APC platform and also the Buhari tsunami including the dynamics of their local politics.

    “PDP is a dumping ground for waste product and not a beautiful bride. Somebody who decamped four years ago and is defecting now is a waste product. They don’t have value to add to the system. People of value and command respect do not defect but only political merchants who see political parties as a platform.”

  • Battle for Akoko-Edo federal seat hots up

    Five politicians are in the House of Representatives race in Akoko-Edo Constituency, Edo State. Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR writes on the struggle for the ticket in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the strengths and weaknesses of contenders and other issues that will shape the contest.

    House of Representatives member Peter Akpatason has unfolded his re-election bid in Akoko-Edo Constituency. He is a two-term lawmaker. The dreams of Akpatason’s dream is, however, threatened by some powerful politicians who are also eyeing. Those interested in the seat are Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto, Mr. Johnson Afeghason, Chief Oladele Bankole-Balogun and Mr. Bayo Nicholas Ogedengbe.

    Chief Bankole-Balogun and Mr. Ogedengbe are members of of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Adjoto and Afeghason are of the APC.

    Akpatason, a former former National President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), won election to the House of Representatives in 2011 when he defeated Col. Tunde Akogun (retd.)of the PDP. In  2015, he defeated Anselm Agbabi to secure the party’s ticket and managed to win at the general elections. His opponent at the poll was Chief Bankole-Balogun.

    The APC zoning arrangement in Akoko-Edo may affect his chances of winning at the party primary. The arrangement is that if the council chairman is from Akoko-Edo North, the House of Representatives slot should go to Akoko-Edo South.

    Before the last local government election, Akpatason was said to have stormed out of a meeting where zoning was discussed to pick the chairmanship candidate of the party.

    He reportedly told his supporters that he would not allow zoning to stop him from contesting at the polls. In a chat with our reporter, Akpatason said nobody can stop him from winning the primaries.

    He said: “Nobody can stop me. I have done very well. I have actually exceeded expectation in so many areas. For anybody to beat a candidate, you have to have a better record than that candidate. I don’t see anybody who has a better record whether in terms of community service or pedigree. This is not the time to talk about Akoko-Edo House of Rep seat now. It s too early and anybody that want to use press to do whatever propaganda might be getting it very wrong because the people in Akoko-Edo know who is working and who is not. It is the electorate that will decide who gets the ticket.

    “The people in Akoko-Edo will determines who get what. Those people who are talking about zoning are sending the wrong message. The only position zoned is the President and National Chairman of the Party. You cannot zone legislative position. Edo Deputy Governor is from Edo North and the Speaker is also from Edo North. Is that zoning? Why do they want to zone Akoko-Edo House of Representative seat on the pages of newspaper. In 2015 when I was campaigning for my second term election, candidates from both North and South contested against me. Legislation is like wine. The older the better. Does a constituency want a person that can attract quality project or just want to keep changing people for the sake of changing.

    He added: “My opponents should stop misinforming the public. The current Speaker is a third time lawmaker. He is a Speaker because he is a third timer. Now that he is Speaker, he has been able to attract a lot of project for his people. If it is the issue of zoning, he would not have been Speaker today. A constituency cannot get good things if it continue to change people based on unconstitutional arrangement.”

     

    Kabiru Adjoto

    The major threat to Akpatason’s return to the House of Representatives is Speaker Adjoto. He is a third-time lawmaker in the House of Assembly. Adjoto won election to the Assembly in 2009 during a re-run election against incumbent Anselm Agbabi. In 2011, Adjoto had a running battle with the leadership of the party, but managed to secure the ticket through a judicial pronouncement. Since he was elected to the House, Adjoto has participated in the sacking of some Speakers. His third term ticket was a smooth one because he was one of the lawmakers that resisted attempts by the PDP to forcefully take over the leadership of the House. Had the PDP succeeded, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole would have been impeached. How he hope to defeat Akpatason at the primary is yet to be understood.

     

    Bankole-Balogun

    He is a major financier of the PDP in Akoko-Edo. His attempts at the House of Representatives in 2015 when the PDP held sway was thwarted by the number of votes Speaker Adjoto secured from his Ikakumo Ward. Bankole-Balogun is not relenting. He has vowed to secure the ticket for next year’s general election. Speaking to our reporter, he said the people would look at his pedigree and qualifications to vote for him.

    Bankole-Balogun added: “I proved myself during the elections. I actually won the election but was manipulated out by mere 2000 votes. I have been a factor in the PDP and played my role in the community. I stand a great chance to win the PDP ticket.

    On zoning, he said, “We should begin to look at meritocracy rather than mediocracy. This zoning arrangement is not progressive. In the PDP, we don’t do zoning. We are looking at the person who has the tenacity to attract development. It does not matter where you come from.

    “In every election, you find out that the people learn more about politics. People will look as part of their own political development whether you are talking of infrastructure, people will look at pedigree, education and has a general outlook beyond their immediate environment in Akoko-Edo. that can bring development and change. They will look at individuals rather than political parties. They will vote for who can do the job.”

  • Edo: Why not Akoko Edo as Speaker?

    SIR: Some royal fathers from Edo North recently held a meeting at the residence of the Otaru of Auchi where they asked the Edo State House of Assembly to return the Speakership position to the Edo Central Senatorial Zone of the state based on the sharing formula.

    First, this is not the first time a senatorial zone is being marginalized politically in the history of governance in Edo State. Second, this is the first time a son of Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo North will be Speaker. It is on record that when the former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was governor, Honourable Zakawanu Garuba was Speaker. Both the governor and the speaker of course hail from Etsako, the place where the Otaru of Auchi comes from. Then, nobody kicked against it. Currently, we have the deputy governor, Honourable Philip Shuaibu from Etsako West, Edo North, where the past governor hails from as the governor, yet no royal father kicked against it.

    Now that we have Honourable Kabir Adjoto as Speaker after the impeachment of Honourable Justin Okonoboh, some traditional rulers are now holding meetings to kick against Honourable Adjoto because he is from Akoko Edo.

    The change leadership is the legislators’ prerogative; impeachment of Speaker is not new in the politics of Nigeria. I have taken my time to study the politics of Edo north which Akoko Edo is part, and I find that whenever it is time for power sharing, Akoko Edo is neglected while Etsako dominates. It is sad. We as youth from Akoko Edo are in support of the new Speaker, Honourable Kabiru Adjoto. What we want in Edo State is good governance.

    I have no doubt in my mind that he will perform beyond expectation to give support to the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki to address the issue of our roads and other developmental issues.

     

    • Afolabi Daodu,

    Akoko Edo LG, Edo State.

  • ‘No Lassa fever in Akoko-Edo’

    The Head of Local Government Administration in Akoko-Edo Local Government of Edo State, Mr. Joseph Eseigbe, has said the reported case of Lassa fever outbreak in the council is false.

    Eseigbe, in a statement, said the Local Government Primary Health Care Department Surveillance Unit did not record any case of Lassa fever outbreak.

    The statement said: “The public is hereby advised to disregard such reports and go about their activities peacefully. We assure them that the local government has effective disease surveillance mechanism in place to identify any outbreak, for prompt intervention.”