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Tag: Alaghodaro

  • Alaghodaro: Waje, Mayorkun, others light up Benin as Obaseki plans 30-hectare TV Village

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said plans are in the works for a 30-hectare Television Village in Okhoro axis of Benin City, which will attract big-ticket investments from Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming movie industry.

    The governor also said that the sum of N250 million will be allocated to boost the creative industry in the state’s 2019 budget, noting that his administration is committed to creating room for youths to find expression in productive ventures in the state.

    The governor disclosed this during the youth concert organised as part of activities marking his administration’s second-anniversary celebration in Benin City, on Friday night.

    He said his administration prioritises entertainment and creativity as a veritable tool for job creation for youths, adding, “We have been trying to fix roads, health care and education sectors over the past two years. We want to build an entertainment hub. We have 30-hectare premises in the Okhoro axis of the state for this purpose and it will have investments from Nollywood.

    “We want to give youths jobs and entertainment. There is hope for talented youths because we have artistes from the state, who are succeeding and making waves in the entertainment industry,” Obaseki said.

    The governor who was elated by the performance of local and international artistes at the concert, donated N10 million to a physically challenged artiste named ‘Kasali’ to enable him establish his record label.

    “My administration will support talents. We want the world to know that there is ability in disability. The N10 million is to enable him establish his label and promote his music,” the governor said.

    He said a team would be assembled to properly organise the creative industry in the state, adding that the committee will be made up of the Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs as well as local artistes in the state.

    He added that his administration was working to get an alternate source of power supply in the state to drive development, noting that steady power supply was needed to grow the economy, including the entertainment industry.

    “Electricity has been our problem and we are solving it. We say no to Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC); we will have our own electricity company in Edo before the celebration of my administration’s third year anniversary,” the governor assured.

  • Alaghodaro: Waje, Mayorkun to inspire Edo youths at concert

    s part of activities lined up for the 2018 Alaghodaro Summit, to mark Governor Godwin Obaseki’s second year anniversary, Edo State will on Friday, play host to A-list artistes led by popular songstress, Waje and Hip-Hop rave, Mayorkun, in Benin city.

    A statement by Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said that the state government has finalised plans for the concert, which will fete Edo youths at the King’s Square in Benin City.

    He noted that the concert is part of activities lined up for the 2018 Alaghodaro Summit, which showcases Governor Obaseki’s investment in Edo people, specifically in health care, education and job creation.

    He added that the event will start from 6pm, after the two major events in the day, namely; EdoJobs Job Fair/Summit, holding at the Edo Innovation Hub and Women’s Summit, which holds at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Sports Complex, Ugbowo, Benin City.

    According to him, “We are intent on engaging the youths, who are major drivers of economic growth. In the course of the last two years, we have rolled out a number of programmes to get them busy, with the most impactful being EdoJobs and the Edo Innovation Hub.”

    He said that one of the lead acts, Waje, was raised in Benin City, and aside featuring as an act for the concert, will also inspire youths in the state, adding, “We realise that youths need role models, people who have gone through the same stress as they did, walked the same streets and all that, but have come out triumphant in life. That is the message that Waje will be bringing to Edo youths at the concert.”

    He said other local acts will also be featured at the concert, adding that the state government prioritises the arts industry and is already devising means to mainstream the sector into its programmes, an effort that will be set off with the Edo TV Village, among other initiatives.

  • PDP still stuck in primitive, archaic governance style – Obaseki’s aide

    PDP still stuck in primitive, archaic governance style – Obaseki’s aide

    …says Edo has since moved on to Alaghodaro

     

    The Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is forward looking and has since moved on with result-oriented governance, backed by millions of discerning Edo people, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, to the Edo State Governor, Mr Crusoe Osagie, has said.

    Mr Osagie who said this on Tuesday, explained that “unlike the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is still stuck in primitive, archaic and medieval governance style, the Obaseki-led APC government has since moved on to Alaghodaro.”

    Alaghodaro which is a Benin word for progress was the thrust of the just-concluded investment summit which held from November 10-12, in Benin City and attracted global and local business leaders to the state.

    Commenting on the PDP’s appraisal of the summit, which received commendations from the international community, the federal government and other state governments, Osagie said: “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) again demonstrated its lack of capacity to appreciate the new direction the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is taking the state, with the opposition party’s consistent embarrassing comments on the well thought-out programmes of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

    He noted that the very few people still left in the ragtag drowning PDP have shown that they are stuck with their medieval and archaic approach to governance, by attempting to tarnish the rising profile the state has earned with her lofty programmes, especially the Alaghodaro Investment Summit organised by the APC-led Edo State Government.

    “We wish that the PDP remnant will follow their former members who have evolved from stomach-seeking politics, have come to terms with the new people-oriented governance and have found a place in the APC. It is not surprising that to see that the feeble PDP remnants cannot see the benefits of an investment summit that assembled over 5,000 business leaders from across the world in Edo State to discuss the opportunities that abound in our state.”

    According to the governor’s spokesman, “these are companies that are investing billions of dollars in Edo State, including the chief executives of BUA Group whose $1billion 3million tonnes cement plant was inaugurated by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo recently in Okpella, Edo State, the President of Dangote Group, that is kicking off a $1 billion cement factory in Okpella, to expand its cement production in Nigeria, Mahindra Group that is collaborating with the Edo State Government to build the N200billion Benin Industrial Park and Tolaram Group to mention a few.”

    He added that the PDP is wallowing in ignorance because “You cannot give what you do not have. The PDP clearly lacks the capacity to see the opportunities in the governor’s investment drive because of his profile as an investment banker. His dexterity is currently on display at the Edo Chemical and Fertiliser Company which was a drainpipe for the PDP to siphon state funds, but is now up and running and producing fertiliser to Edo farmers and Nigerians at large.”

    He expressed sympathy with the PDP ignorance and said that “our governor is open to sharing his ideas and knowledge and is particularly willing to teach the remnant PDP members, what it takes to deliver measurable, concrete and verifiable investments from business trips, unlike their widely reported globetrotting that pauperised our people when they held sway.”

    Osagie stressed that “It is rather unfortunate that the same PDP, which is the cause of all the mess that the APC government has been clearing in the past nine years in the state, is now begging the question by providing shelter for officials of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA).”

    He further said “we have received the shelter without thanks to them because we know that the funds used in procuring those items are a fraction of our common patrimony which they plundered with reckless abandon. A dignifying act would be to bring back the looted billions so that the APC can fast-track the development of the state.

    “The PDP has always been known to thrive through the misrepresentation of facts and the telling of outright lies. But Edo people are much more sophisticated than the PDP and know that their claims of the state’s indebtedness are all lies and should be discountenanced.”

  • Edo’s Alaghodaro Investment Summit

    As Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State marks his first anniversary in office on November 12, there would be so much to talk about in the coming weeks on the Edo State Investment Summit, otherwise branded as Alaghodaro, which means ‘progress, moving forward and looking ahead’ in Edo language. It is another way of saying the future is here. Everywhere you turn in Benin City, the Edo State capital; you will find billboards and flag pole banners starring back at you in a welcoming gesture announcing the summit and critical areas of intervention to reset the economy of the state.

    The summit that would be declared open by Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President, is scheduled to hold from November 10 – 12, in Benin City, and the organisers have promised to reveal ‘Nigeria’s best kept secret’ at the summit. The essence of Alaghodaro has been aptly captured as “Envisioning the Future” by looking at 30 years from now. It is a bold and visionary endeavour by Governor Obaseki and the intention is for local and foreign investors to unlock the investment potentials in Edo State. Indeed, Alaghodaro is a march to greatness and a plan to own the future.

    By being forward looking and coming up with a strategic intent for creating wealth and prosperity for Edo State people, Obaseki is bringing his wealth of experience in the private sector, especially his investment-savvy credentials, to bear on his economic transformation agenda in Edo State. The very distinguished professor of strategy, Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School, says strategy is about winning by using your resources to gain competitive advantage through innovation.

    As a man of ideas, Obaseki has clearly continued on this path since he assumed office 12 months ago and it is evident that he is in a hurry to accomplish so much during his tenure. The governor is a technocrat and strategist and silent workaholic who would rather allow his performance record speak for him as he strives to win for the Edo State people. If you visit the website of Alaghodaro, it says the summit is aimed at bringing together “top Nigerian and international business leaders, investors, bankers, industry experts, policymakers and the academia to set the agenda for development”.

    The richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, will be leading a host of other serial investors and entrepreneurs to make presentations in what the organisers say would “spark innovation and inspire commitment to strategic deployment of capital for greater socio-economic and environmental impact”. Together with the Dangote Group, the Mahindra Group from India and Tolaran Group from Singapore are ready to showcase a $1.5 billion investment at the summit. A ground-breaking event would be the launch of Edo Industrial Park that would signpost the governor’s vision for the rapid industrialization of the state.

    In addition, the summit intends discover how Edo State will leverage its competitive advantages in the different sectors for sustainable economic growth. This critical outcome is expected to be achieved by private sector collaboration with the state government. The strategic pillars of the prosperity road map that would be unveiled at the summit as the government looks into the future include institutional reform, economic development, social welfare, environmental sustainability, and art, culture & tourism.

    Information from the Alaghodaro website further revealed that the Edo State Investment Summit was conceived with the following objectives in mind:

    • Bring together stakeholders critical to advancing business interests across a variety of industries.
    • Build important business relationships with key stakeholders such as investors, financiers, consultants, operators, project developers and government.
    • Acquire practical knowledge from top local and international business leaders and investors on the latest trends, opportunities and challenges across various fields of interest.
    • Gain valuable insight into Edo’s investment landscape and untapped potential in a variety of industries.
    • Explore prospects for joint venture or outright acquisition through public-private-partnership, privatization and commercialization of several state-owned enterprises.

    To set the tone for the summit and to demonstrate his commitment to succeed, Obaseki was at the London Stock Exchange recently to speak to a global audience on investment opportunities in Edo State. The sectors he talked about during the session discussing ‘The Nigerian Opportunity’ included mining, agro-processing, infrastructure, transportation, healthcare, arts, culture, tourism and education. With assurances of a favourable investment climate provided by the governor, global business leaders are encouraged to participate at the Alaghodaro Investment Summit.

    In a season of declining oil revenues, Obaseki says Alaghodaro is a response to that challenge through innovation by moblising human and private capital to open up non-oil sectors such as agriculture, mining, sports, technology, entertainment, arts, culture and tourism. The time has come for governors to completely innovate and think out of the box. The era of going cap in hand to Abuja for monthly handouts should become a thing of the past. Such monthly allocations ought to be considered as residual revenue while focusing on non-oil sector revenue to accelerate developments in their respective states.

    Indeed, plans are afoot to turn Edo State into a tourist destination through a re-branding effort that encourages ownership of the process by all stakeholders. The idea is to look at the culture and lifestyle of the Edo people; festivals, carnivals, tourist attractions and historical sites in view of the rich cultural heritage of Edo State. For example, Edo State Festival of Arts, Culture and Tourism, otherwise known as EDOFEST is planned to hold from December 17 – 22 in Benin City just as the Ososo Carnival has been scheduled to hold in Ososo in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State from December 23 – 30.

    These are just two examples to promote domestic tourism in the state. In addition, the state government has also targeted a critical audience by looking at diaspora citizens. It is an open secret that most Nigerians abroad are keen to either return home or have investments with organisations or individuals they can trust. Nigerians abroad send millions of dollars home every year but these funds can be properly harnessed for investment purposes in critical sectors that align with the Alaghodaro vision.

    There are several investment assets that may be considered by investors including our diaspora brothers and sisters. A good example is the AMES Edo Truck Transit Park which is an Edo State government public private partnership agreement (PPP) with Atlantique Marine and supported by the federal government through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) that is constructing a modern Truck Transit Park (TTP) located in Benin City. The park is designed to conveniently accommodate about 1000 trailers on rotation basis. The park will also serve as a public rest area located off the road to provide temporary rest location for truck drivers.

    Another PPP example is the construction of an Inland Container Depot (Dry Pot) in Benin City also facilitated by Atlantique Marine. The objective of the project is to bring shipping activities closer to manufacturers and drive industrialization in Edo State and neighbouring states. On completion by 2018, the project is expected to be designated a Custom Port and receive the federal government approval as a Port of Origin and Destination.

    However, in order to successfully reset the economy during and after the Alaghodaro Summit, the strategy and economic team should explain in a document the incentives for investors who are deploying private capital. An investment guide would also be helpful and it should clearly establish how shared value that is sustainable can be created through PPP to encourage more investments from the private sector.

     

    • Braimah is a Lagos based public relations and marketing executive.