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Tag: Benin City

  • FG gives over N4m as start-up seed fund to 17 innovators

    The federal government has given out over four million naira as start-up seed fund to 17 young innovators under the Social Investment Programme at the South-South Innovation Hub in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

    Speaking at the event, the state governor, Mr.  Godwin Obaseki, said that with the start-up seed fund, the federal and state governments have demonstrated their faith in the programme.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, Obaseki said the hub is a creative and productive center set up to encourage young innovators in the South-South region to come up with innovative ideas and solutions to the problems confronting the country and hindering her development.

    “Working in partnership with the federal government, we have demonstrated the capacity to support talented youth by encouraging them to express themselves, get creative and proffer solutions to the nation’s problems. Those that have put in extra effort are those that have benefited from the start-up fund today,” the governor said.

    He assured that his administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for youth in the state to advance their ideas and utilize opportunities created by the federal and state governments to contribute to the development of the nation.

    Read Also: NUJ: Okowa congratulates Isiguzo

    The Managing Director of South-South Innovation Hub Tobi Gege, said “4,300 applications were received for the programme but the number was reduced to 87, out of which 17 performed well and today we have given them start-up seed fund.

    “The effort of the 17 young innovators have enabled them get N250,000 each from the federal government. We will set targets for them and those that meet the targets will move to the next stage where they will get N1 million.  After that they will move to the N5 million and N10million stages.”

    The focal person of National Social Investment Programme, Edo State, Miss Osayuwamen Aladeselu, said an opportunity has been created for 17 young innovators in the South-South region to become employers of labour and called on them to make the best of the start-up seed fund given to them.

    She assured that the event will encourage other young innovators and entrepreneurs to nurture their ideas and dreams as the government will continue to support those ideas to become solutions to problems.

    “I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Godwin Obaseki for the initiative and commitment to the growth and development of the youth and for providing the enabling environment to ensure the youth harness their potential and contribute their quota to the development of the nation.”

    One of the beneficiaries, Chinedu Ikemefuna, founder of SportsRevamp, an outfit dedicated to enhancing the performance of children using sports as a tool, said “The fund will help me become an employer of labour.”

  • Obaseki inspects new Specialist Hospital, High Court

    …sets December completion date 

    Edo State Governor Mr.  Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday was at the State Secretariat to inspect ongoing building projects and assured that the new High Court and Secretariat buildings will be ready by December.

    The governor who was also at the new wing of the Specialist Hospital in Benin City, disclosed that his administration has started test-running the facilities to prepare the hospital for a smooth take-off by the end of the year.

    The governor added that a lot of departments will be moved from the old buildings to the new wing of the hospital while some of the old buildings will be refurbished to house the state’s primary healthcare board.

    “We have set up a Primary Healthcare Board, separate from the Hospital Management Board,” Obaseki said.

    He added that his administration is doing everything possible to ensure that the High Court extension is completed by the end of the year.

    Read Also: Osun victory shows APC is preferred party – Obaseki

    “We have received feedback from judges that will use the facilities and we are incorporating their feedbacks and reactions into the design to enable the contractor make the necessary adjustments before leaving the site,” he said.

    On the office of the Accountant General, the governor said “We saw the abandoned building at foundation level, we looked at the design, redesigned it and commenced the construction which will now house the office of the Accountant General and will be called Treasury House, on completion.”

    He maintained that the building was abandoned for years and assured that his administration would ensure that there are world class facilities for workers in the state to ensure efficient service delivery.

  • EdoJobs, WeAreBits, others commence year-long IT training for 50 youth

    …as govt trains 200 enumerators, holds stakeholders’ parley

     

    EdoJobs, a job creation platform of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, in partnership with WeAreBits, Butterfly Works and EkoBits have commenced a one-year training programme for 50 Edo youth on Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Skills Development and Jobs Creation, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, told journalists in Benin City that the programme is aimed at assisting youths to acquire skills in ICT and prepare them for job opportunities within and outside the country.

    She said that EdoJobs will be organizing Edo Synergise on September 26, to host stakeholders in the private and public sectors to harmonize strategies to map out the skills gaps and employment opportunities in the state.

    Ukinebo, who heads EdoJobs, said, “At the end, participants would have acquired practical skills in digital design and specialise in web development, motion graphics, photography, and video graphics.”

    Dare said the training was designed to enable the youths discover their talent in the use of technology in becoming entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

    Read Also: EdoJobs takes skills devt mandate to Uhunmwode, Orhionmwon LGAs

    Manager, EdoBits, Mr. Abraham Omomoh, said Bits school is an institution for young school leavers without access to university education to get trained in a year-long professional course on ICT and Digital design.

    He said the programme will prepare the youths to be employers of labour., noting, “I want to urge you all to take the training very seriously as it will mark the beginning of new things and offer opportunities to change your lives for the better.”

    Meanwhile, EdoJobs has completed a two-day training for second batch of 200 enumerators in Benin City, to assist the state government in gathering data of unemployed persons, for effective planning.

    Speaking to journalists on the need for the enumeration exercise, Dare said the exercise is to provide data for government to better engage with Edo people in matters regarding job creation and entrepreneurship.

    She said “Following the success of the first batch, the governor asked us to expand the programme to accommodate 200 more Edo youth as enumerators, for more data capturing, which will assist the administration fulfil the electoral promise to create 200,000 jobs in the state.

    “Within three months, the enumerators will reside in their local government areas and their duties will include: registering people on the EdoJobs portal; reaching out to people on existing vacancies; explaining to people the processes of EdoJobs and working with employers in the local government areas to get vacancies out to the unemployed.”

  • Osun elections: INEC is in order, says Oyegun

    Immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) was in order to declare Osun State governorship elections inconclusive.

    Chief Oyegun said INEC acted in line with the Electoral Act.

    Oyegun who with newsmen in Benin City said the APC led federal government should be commended for allowing democracy to prevail.

    He said Osun people freely expressed their will and ensured that the votes count.

    The former Edo governor also appealed to Osun voters to reward the good works of the APC on Thursday for ensuring free, fair and credible election in their state.

    Read Also: Oyegun raises alarm over circulating fake news

    Chief Oyegun explained that he stacked with President Muhammadu Buhari because he represents the light house the nation needs at the moment for economic growth.

    “In a country that lacked heroes, Buhari stands out. We must represent the very positive traits of integrity honesty in him; I believe that is what the nation needs now.

    “Buhari is that light house that we need in a society that is enveloped in darkness of corruption, lack of standard, ethics and morality.

    “He may not be perfect like any other human being but he is what the nation needs at the moment to ensure steady growth.”

  • Edo shuts 10 illegal burrow pits

    Edo State Government has begun enforcement of the order on illegal burrows, by shutting operations of not less than 10 burrow pits in Benin City, the state capital, in a renewed drive to safeguard the state’s environmental integrity.

    The enforcement team was led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, Mr. Bright Emeodume Esq. and the Ministry’s Director of Enforcement, Mr. Ero Isaac.

    The affected burrow pits are located in Ofumwegbe after Iguogboe community as well as those in Iguoshodin Ccommunity, among others.

    Recall that the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability ordered the closure of burrow pits by operators with immediate effect, citing health and environmental concerns.

    In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Dame Omoua Alonge Oni-Okpaku Esq., the state government suspended operations on all burrow pits.

    Read Also: Edo IGR hits N2bn monthly

    The order, which took effect from August 2, warned owners and operators of burrow pits, haulage operators, tipper drivers and other stakeholders, that operation of a burrow pit without the appropriate approval is a criminal offence punishable by law.

    Oni-Okpaku explained that the shutting down of burrow pit operations was to enable the state government “re-evaluate and re-certify the sites.”

    According to the Commissioner, “Towards this end, all such owners and operators are required to report to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability for re-certification and subsequent inspection of their sites. For the avoidance of doubts, the following documents will be required for the exercise: operating licence issued by the Federal Ministry of Mines, Steel and Solid Minerals; Evidence of Environment Impact Assessment carried out on the sites; Evidence of remediation levies and Health, Safety and Environmental Plans.”

     

  • RTEAN vows to support Oshiomhole

    The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria ( RTEAN ), has vowed to support the political strategies of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    It said Oshiomhole’s leadership style since he emerged National Chairman of the APC has created leeway for the ruling party in winning elections.

    National President of RTEAN, Alhaji Musa Sheu Isiwelle, who spoke when some APC supporters visited him in Bénin City said the victories recorded in Ekiti, Kaduna and Bauchi States were testimonies and pointer to how the APC will win next year’s general elections.

    Read Also; Direct Primary: ‘APC’s decision should go beyond individual interests’

    Alhaji Isiwelle noted that Oshiomhole’s activities have led to an unprecedented number of decampees from other political parties to the ruling party.

    According to him, “The defection of great personalities is a pointer to the fact that Comrade Oshiomhole is not only a National party Chairman of great value, but also a bridge builder and crowd puller.”

    The APC supporters led by Vice Chairman of Esan North East Local Government Area, Prince Saturday Iyoha urged Alhaji Isiwelle to continue in his good works of helping the needy and providing good leadership in the transport sector.

  • Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy to hold Investiture

    The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy will on Wednesday 12th September, 2018, honour two distinguished Nigerians with Lifetime Achievement award and Honorary Fellowship.

    A special ceremony which will also feature a lecture by a distinguished scientist.

    According to Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, Vice President of the Academy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee, the lecture which is themed From Plant to Patient: Driving Research and Innovation for Industry, will be delivered by a former Vice Chancellor, Benson Idahosa University, Benin-City, Professor Ernest Izevbigie.

    For his pioneering and entrepreneurial trailblazing efforts in the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe, the pioneer General Secretary of the defunct Nigerian Union of Pharmacists (NUP) and fourth President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) will receive the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement award. Founder of the TY Danjuma Foundation and Chairman of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) will receive an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his philanthropic contributions in building a country where all citizens have access to quality health care.

    Read Also: Houses, pharmacy go for Pen Cinema Bridge

    Prof Izevbigie, who will deliver the Academy Lecture, is an accomplished researcher and world-renowned authority recognized for his ground breaking focus on the use of bitter leaf in cancer and diabetes management. He is also Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, EdoBotanics, a leading firm in the production of phytoceuticals, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements.

    The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy is a specialized academy that, among others, seeks to promote scientific research and professional development, especially in the health, pharmaceutical and related sectors in order to help overcome challenges posed by pain and disease as well as fast-track social and economic development in Nigeria and beyond.  The Academy is the fourth such specialized academies in Nigeria, with others being the Academies of Science, Letters, and Engineering.

     

  • Edo urges residents in flood-prone communities to move upland

    The Edo State Government has urged people living in riverine communities that are prone to flooding, to move upland and take refuge in safe havens that have been created in local government areas in the state.

    In a statement issued in Benin City, the Special Adviser to the Governor, on Special Duties, Yakubu Gowon, noted that “the alarm became necessary following days of persistent rainfall coupled with the opening of dams by neighbouring countries.”

    Read Also: Flood destroys farmlands, houses in Edo

    He maintained that while the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) has warned of high floods in some identified states across the country including Edo, he added that the River Niger is fast over-flowing its bank and urged people living in riverine communities to move upland.

    The governor’s aide warned that communities in Ikpoba-Okha, Ovia North -East, Esan South-East, Estako Central and Etsako East local councils have been identified as areas prone to flooding, and advised residents to “as a matter of urgency, move upland to avoid being overtaken by the menacing flood.”

     

  • Voter Registration: Edo workers defy heavy downpour

    …lament slow pace of work by INEC

    Thousands of workers defied the heavy downpour on Friday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, to take advantage of the work-free day declared by Governor Godwin Obaseki, and register in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Some of the workers interviewed, commended the Edo State Government for declaring Friday work-free and explained that they had to take advantage of the opportunity to register and participate in future elections.

    Mr. Eboigbe Wellington, who spoke to journalists at the INEC Registration Centre located at Asoro Slope, Ekehuan Road, Benin City, decried the slow pace of work by officials of INEC and called on the federal government to extend the registration deadline to enable more people register.

    He also said that the heavy and persistent rainfall in Benin City has discouraged many people from coming out to register as the INEC centres have no place for people to take cover when it rains.

    Read Also: INEC lost millions of naira to flood in Edo

    “The heavy rainfall has not helped matters. People have no place to hide when it rains and as you can see, many of us are drenched while looking for where to hide from the rainfall,” Wellington said, and commended the governor for declaring Friday a work-free day.

    Mr. John Ohenhen, who was also at the INEC Registration Centre at Asoro Hill, Ekehuan Road, said he was at the centre to collect his voter card having registered in December 2017.

    He urged INEC to deploy more officials to make the registration process faster.

    The trend in other parts of the state was the same as workers turned out in their numbers to register before the expiration of the deadline by the electoral body.

  • Orphanage owner nabbed over missing child in Lagos

    Proprietress of God’s Own Orphanage located along Siluko Road in Bénin City, Mrs. Kehinde Blessing Imariagbe, has been arrested by men of the Edo State Police Command over the discovery of a missing child in her orphanage.

    The child identified as Elo Ogidi was reportedly stolen from the Christ Embassy church in Oregun, Lagos State on Sunday, July 8, 2018.

    It was gathered that she was discovered at the orphanage in Edo through the help of a prophetess.

    Speaking to newsmen when she was paraded, Mrs. Imarhiagbe rained curses on the man that brought Elo to her.

    Imarhiagbe stated that the man claimed to be father to Elo which was why she did not report the matter to relevant authorities.

    She gave the name of the man that brought Elo as Patrick Chukwuma.

    According to her, “I have been calling Chukwuma since last week but his numbers could not be reached.

    “It was my mistake not to report to the matter because I felt since it was her father that brought her. We only report cases if the child could not be traced to anybody.

    “If it as an abandon child, we go to the police. The girl looked like the man that brought her which was why I believed.”

    Edo Police Commissioner, Babtunde Kokumo, said the stolen child was brought to the orphanage under questionable circumstances.

    He said the matter would soon be charged to court after investigation has been concluded.