The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo people

  • Human trafficking: Group urges cartels to respect Oba of Benin’s condemnation

    Human trafficking: Group urges cartels to respect Oba of Benin’s condemnation

    A Benin-based Non-Governmental Organisation, the Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR), led by Comrade Solomon Okoduwa, has urged human trafficking cartels to give up the illegal trade as a show of respect for the public condemnation of the ugly business by the Oba of Benin, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, or face the wrath of the ancestors.

    The group said that the Benin Monarch’s pronouncement is law and has cleared the way for all Edo people to come out en-masse to fight against the criminal trade in human beings.

    “Nobody goes against the words of the highly revered Oba of Benin, and we wish to call on all Edo people who are into human trafficking to desist from it forthwith. No excuse is good enough for the trade in human beings and not even the flimsy excuse of poverty is sufficient basis for such inhuman exploitation of our people,” Okoduwa said.

    He maintained that Edo people are very industrious, creative and courageous “and the time has come for the few people who are into human trafficking to give it up as many Benin parents are raising great children from their small and medium scale businesses.”

    “We urge cartel in Europe and other parts of the world to renounce their trade and support for human traffickers or face the wrath of the ancestors. History is replete with the tragedies that befall people who go against the pronouncements of the Oba of Benin. In the past, those who went against the declaration of the Oba were either banished or faced a series of misfortunes.”

    The anti-human trafficking campaigner urged adherents of the traditional religion, some native doctors and priests who collaborate with the human trafficking cartels, using charms, oaths and other means to keep the victims in perpetual servitude, to release all such victims of human trafficking as a show of respect for the words of the Oba of Benin.

    “Prostitution was and is still a socially disapproved practice that gained popularity when society started celebrating easy money and later assumed the status of a profession in many dysfunctional homes and families.

    “We are proud of the several hardworking Edo women who dominate the oil and gas industry, the creative or entertainment industry, many in the academia, banking and finance, media and several other sectors of the economy. For example, we have Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru who has made Edo people proud in administration. Professor Ameze Guobadia is a prominent law professor, Senator Daisy Danjuma has made us proud in politics and business, Mrs Adesuwa Oyenekwe, is clearly the most versatile television presenter around. Anne-Marie Imafidon, who was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II, with the prestigious honour of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to young women with specialty in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), recently in England, is a Benin lady.

    “Author and wife of former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Arese Carrington, is a proud Edo woman same with Professor Osayamen Yinka Omorogbe, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State; Sandra Aguebor of the Female Mechanic Initiative and  Professor Helen Asemota, to mention a few,” the organisation said.

    Recall that the Benin Monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, on Wednesday during the inauguration of the Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs by Governor Godwin Obaseki, threw his weight and that of the Edo State Traditional Council behind the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking, which have claimed the lives of thousands of Edo youths.

    Oba Ewuare II expressed disappointment in the Nigerian Embassy in Libya and the Libyan government for their inability to tackle the crisis.

    He said it was particularly frustrating that it had to take a news report by the Cable News Network (CNN) for the government and other stakeholders to respond to the crisis.

    The Benin Monarch said the crisis could have been better managed if the relevant authorities lived up to their roles, instead of allowing it to fester. He commended the governor for his efforts at resettling and reintegrating the Libyan returnees through various skills acquisition programmes.

     

  • World Food Day: Obaseki salutes farmers, rural women

    World Food Day: Obaseki salutes farmers, rural women

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has saluted farmers, rural women, food processors, distributors and other actors in the agricultural value chain for their contributions to human existence.

    Obaseki gave the commendation on Monday in commemoration of the World Food Day, October 16 each year, set aside by the United Nations in honour of the founding of Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1945 and other organisations that are committed to ensuring food security.

    “As the world celebrates the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other institutions that work tirelessly in mobilising actions to check threats to food security across the globe, I wish to salute farmers, rural women, food processors, distributors and other actors in the food value chain for their contributions to human existence,” he said.

    He added that “despite the myriad of challenges that farmers face over access to land, inadequate agricultural loans, seedlings and other farming inputs in Nigeria, our farmers have remained resilient in their desire to put food on our tables, which according to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchical order of human needs, is a non-negotiable need and basic to survival.”

    According to the governor, a country’s ability to feed her population is a major hallmark of development and lauded “the efforts of individuals and groups whose skillful hands bring forth the food we eat.”

    He explained: “Our appreciation of the potential in agriculture, whether manifest or latent, explains our government’s adoption of the sector in our economic reconstruction strategy, which will deliver much of the jobs we are creating for Edo people and our industrialisation drive.”

    He stressed that the theme of this year’s celebration “Change the Future of Migration, Invest in Food Security and Rural Development,” is apt, and a clarion call on world leaders to take good governance and development to the people at the grassroots to check life-threatening migration.

    According to him, “In Edo State, the goal of my administration in the next two years, is to ensure that farmers in the State cultivate a minimum of 250,000 hectares of farmland. We have taken some bold steps in this direction with the maize farm project in Sobe, Owan West Local Government Area of the state, where harvest is currently ongoing.

    “We have commissioned the Edo State Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited in Auchi, to make the product easy for our farmers in the state and beyond to access. The College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi is being revamped to produce world-class graduates with the right capacity to change the face of agribusiness in the state.”

    Noting that there is a holistic strategy adopted in transforming agriculture in the state, he said, “We have just received the Technical Report on the Development of the Gelegele Sea Port, a project that is very dear to my heart, and will on completion, serve as the gateway to the global market for agricultural produce and other economic goods produced in the state and the southern region.

    “Our trip to the Asian continent to firm up agreements with Indonesian and Malaysian companies and partners has illuminated our plan to develop an industrial park in the state and make Edo State the oil palm capital of the nation through mechanisation.”

    Obaseki said the role of rural women in food production is worth highlighting on a day like this, as the United Nations set out October 15, as the International Day for Rural Women. He added that with the 2017 celebration themed, “Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls,” it was pertinent to applaud the role of women in driving sustainable agriculture, as they make up 75 percent of Nigerian farming population, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

  • Edo orders removal of structures under High electricity transmission cables

    Edo orders removal of structures under High electricity transmission cables

    The Edo State Government has ordered the immediate removal of structures, temporary or permanent, under high electricity transmission cables in the state due to the associated health hazards.

    The resolution was reached at the weekly Executive Council Meeting presided over by the Chairman-in-Council and Governor of the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at Government House in Benin City, on Wednesday.

    Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Paul Ohonbamu, who spoke to journalists after the Exco meeting, said the state government was concerned about the health and safety of Edo people and directed that all structures located under High power transmission cables be removed immediately.

    ‘’The radiation from high tension electricity lines has been linked to cancer, and there is also imminent danger of electrocution and incineration,” Ohonbamu said and assured that massive sensitization campaigns would be done to ensure that members of the public comply with the safety rule.

    On the threat to the security of lives and property in the state, he said that the State Executive Council urged Edo people to go about their daily duties as the government was determined to ensure their safety and protection.

    “Security would be beefed up in all the institutions of the state including hospitals, government offices and schools amongst other places,” Ohonbamu said.

    He added that the ongoing promotion examination for public servants in the state was not conceived to sack any one from the state civil service.

  • Edo bans use of school premises, roads for social events

    Edo bans use of school premises, roads for social events

    The Edo State Government Wednesday announced the immediate ban on the use of all premises of public schools, roads and other public places for social events.

    The ban was contained in a press statement signed by the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu.

    The government explained that it frowns at the behavior and would not accept the practice in a civilized society as ours and would therefore not condone it forthwith.

    The statement said: “By our ancestry as Edo people, we have always shown the example of public order and decency which others have emulated over the years and this administration is determined to make Edo a model of magnificence and beauty once again.”

    The statement warned that “Henceforth, any violation of this decision of government will be dealt with in accordance with extant laws” and urged all agencies of government to enforce compliance.

     

  • Obaseki to electorates: Trust me with your votes

    Obaseki to electorates: Trust me with your votes

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Godwin Obaseki, has told electorates in the state to trust him with their votes.

    He said the September 28 election in the state would be the beginning of an economic revolution with more wealth creation capacities and better opportunities for all Edo people than ever experienced before.

    Speaking at an interactive session with 2000 support groups in Benin City, Obaseki noted Governor Adams Oshiomhole laid a solid foundation on which he and his running mate, Honourable Philip Shaibu, would build on.

    Obaseki stated that his administration would be a people-oriented government with open and efficient channels of communication to allow every Edo citizen make an input into how the state is run through their critical feedback.

    His words: “For me, September 28 will be the beginning of a real economic revolution in Edo State. When the comrade Governor assumed office almost 8 years ago the circumstances were very different: we have to fight hard to free the state from the stranglehold of the PDP cabal who had held us down in perpetual under-development for 16 years.”

    “In spite of their fierce resistance because they were used to sharing our money, we still were able to rebuild schools for our children, and we opened up many communities across the state through the massive road construction projects that we undertook. Nobody thought it was possible but we did it; we proved to our people that with good and determined leadership Edo State can work again.”

    Commenting further Obaseki said: “Today, Edo State is in a better place than we met it almost eight years ago. Yes, there are many challenges facing us – mostly as a result of the global economic recession – but we believe that with the solid foundation that the Comrade Governor has laid in infrastructure development we now have a unique opportunity to bring about an economic revolution in the state by broadening of our revenue stream through strategic investment in non-oil sectors of the economy.

    “As an investment banker of over 30 years standing, I have helped create wealth and jobs for many organisations. And with the experience I have garnered in the last 8 years of working with the Comrade Governor, I believe that I have all it takes to be the driver of Edo’s economic revolution. I, therefore, ask you to trust me with this all-important task by voting massively for the APC come September 28, and I promise you that – by the special grace of God – I will make Edo State greater and more prosperous than we have ever experienced.

    “I want to assure you that the way we have campaigned – with the people and issues affecting them at the core – is the way we will run our government. We will have functional call centers for citizen feedback on problems within their communities, and we will do everything in our power to address them. So even if you may not always see the governor one-on-one to talk to him, you can be rest assured that we will have a system where you can bring your issues and complaints to us, and we will respond to them.”

  • Obaseki reaffirms commitment to welfare of Edo people

    Obaseki reaffirms commitment to welfare of Edo people

    All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Edo state, Godwin Obaseki has restated his commitment to the welfare of Edo people if voted into office.

    Obaseki spoke on Friday when he addressed traders and residents of Evbareke motor spare parts market and environs during his campaign.

    He said that with his stints in the private sector, he understood the challenges of businessmen.

    Obaseki noted that though the outgoing administration had done well in view of the administration’s scorecard, there was still more work to be done.

    He said that it was on the basis of this that continuity in programmes could not be ruled out.

    Obaseki said he would continue from where the outgoing administration would stop and ensure that roads, schools, and other infrastructure not renovated or reconstructed were tackled.

    He, however, said in spite of this, his administration’s main focus would be on empowerment through microfinance loans, agriculture and provision of technical schools.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, has expressed optimism of the APC winning the forthcoming Sept. 10 governorship election in the state.

    Oshiomhole said his conviction stemmed from the fact that the party had performed well in the state.

    He noted that election periods were periods of making promises, but added that what mattered was fulfilling the promises made.

    Oshiomhole urged the electorate not to make themselves gullible to empty political promises but to go out and vote wisely for the candidate they believed would deliver on his electoral promises.