The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo State government

  •  Edo investment summit to feature job fair, employability training

     Edo investment summit to feature job fair, employability training

    As part of initiatives leading to the maiden Alaghodaro investment summit and to fulfill its promise of 200,000 jobs for youths, the Edo State Government will hold the maiden Edo Jobs Summit from October 31 to November 8, featuring intensive five-day employability training and a job fair by top companies and investors in the state.

    The state government disclosed this in a statement at the Government House, Benin City, noting that the summit will be open for companies, who are interested in building their teams, or intends to recruit interns, to tap from the opportunity.

    Edo Jobs is an employment initiative of the state government to train and retrain graduates with post-secondary school certificates on business writing, workplace ethics, problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, managing conflict, among others. It also gives them the opportunity for job placements in companies across the state.

    The government said that the Edo Jobs summit is open for companies within the state to tap from the pool of well-trained graduates, who are drawn from the Edo Job portal, noting, “The companies get a guarantee of graduates with the best skill-set because they would be trained by top experts in youth development and employability.”

    A major highlight of the job fair is the stakeholder engagement session, which holds on November 8, where the state governor, international agencies, educators and key employers, will engage in discourse around the theme: Creating A Sustainable Ecosystem For Youth Development. The outcome of the session is expected to unify strategies for long-term projects in Edo State with regards to youth employment.

    According to the statement, “In commemoration of the one-year in office of the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the state, through its employment initiative, Edo Jobs, will host a job training and recruitment programme for graduates and employment agencies in Edo State. After the training, there will be a Job fair and summit on November 8, where you can employ from the over 500 trained candidates as interns or full-time staff.”

    “Are you an employer of labour in search of qualified, trained and competent people to strengthen your workforce? Or are you a graduate with dreams of a great career? Before the job fair, candidates will undergo an intensive employability and soft skills training programme starting on October 31 to November 6, from 9am to 5pm at the Imaguero College Hall. The training will be carried out by experts in youth development and employability in Nigeria.”

     

  • Osinbajo leads Dangote, others to Alaghodaro Investment Summit

    Osinbajo leads Dangote, others to Alaghodaro Investment Summit

    The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is to lead industry titans including Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to the maiden edition of Alaghodaro Investment Summit, to be hosted by the Edo State Government, in Benin City, beginning on November 10.

    The three-day summit with the theme: “Envisioning the Future,” will explore opportunities for local and foreign direct investments in Edo State by highlighting the state’s competitive advantage across various sectors.

    Also expected at the investment summit are local and international business leaders and investors, bankers, financiers, industry experts, policymakers, the diplomatic community and the academia.

    The summit will showcase the reform that the Obaseki-led government has carried out in critical sectors of the economy such as the Private Property Protection Law that has sanitised land acquisition and use, the planned development of 58 tourist sites across the state that will unlock the tourism potential of the state and the incentives for investment in the agricultural sector through public private partnership, amongst other sectors.

    According to the Chairman of Alaghodaro 2017 organising committee,  Asue Ighodalo: “The world over, governments are looking beyond oil to alternative revenue sources in order to ensure sustainable development, and we must also get creative and take action today for our future and the future of our children.”

    Ighodalo said that the key areas of focus at the three-day event would include Law and Order, Civil Service Reform, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation, Forest Regeneration and Conservation, Education, Healthcare and Arts and Culture.

    He further said that Alaghodaro Summit, is part of the response of the Edo State Government, under the leadership of Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to the imminent threat of an oil-dependent economy.

  • Edo warns against sponsored Pensioners’ Protests

    Edo warns against sponsored Pensioners’ Protests

    The Edo State Government has warned that it would no longer fold its arms while mischief makers instigate pensioners into embarking on needless and stage-managed protests, in order to put the state government in bad light and undermine efforts at resolving the pension issue.

    In a statement signed by the Head of Service Mrs Gladys Idahor, the state government said it is not only committed to clearing the backlog of pension arrears but also instituting a new regime where retiree’s entitlements are not delayed.

    According to Idahor, not less than N6.2 billion has so far been paid to retirees between January to September 2017, and explained that the protest on Monday, October 16, was an orchestration by some disgruntled elements and their political allies designed to undermine the effort of the state government to sustainably resolve the pension issue once and for all.

    She added that “the state government would henceforth prevent miscreants who under the guise of agitating for pension payment, disrupt law and order in the society, particularly when there is sufficient evidence showing that they are being sponsored by some anti-development agents and mischievous members of the opposition who have refused to accept the verdict of the people.”

    Mrs. Idahor emphasised that: “Governor Obaseki, who is extremely vast in pension matters having served as a member of the Presidential Taskforce which established the new pension order currently in operation in Nigeria, has always been very empathetic to the plight of pensioners, hence he made a commitment during the presentation of the 2017 budget to resolve the problems of pensioners in Edo State in a sustainable manner.”

    She further added that despite resistance, Mr Obaseki saw through the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme which has now ensured that future generations of workers never again suffer the plight which pensioners are currently facing.

    “Since January this year despite dwindling revenues, government has paid the sum of ₦6,202,346,624.31 to pensioners of both the state and local governments,” she said. Idahor added that the government can no longer watch with disappointment the continued attempts to undermine institutional arrangements that have been put in place to sustainably deal with all pension-related arrears, as well as maturing obligations, hence the need to make clarifications.

    Details of the structured payment since January, show that the state government between January and September paid out N6, 202, 346,624,31 to retirees.

  • Entrepreneurship: Edo, ITF train 467

    Entrepreneurship: Edo, ITF train 467

    …Obaseki gives out 150 sewing machines, 50 welding machines, 125 computers, others

     

    The Edo State Government in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) on Wednesday, handed starter-packs to 467 people who participated in the second phase of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

    Speaking at the closing ceremony at the Government House in Benin City, Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, commended the ITF for collaborating with the state government in its resolve to create 200,000 jobs in the state.

    “We want to change the narrative that vocational jobs are inferior to white-collar jobs. We must create small and medium scale enterprises for our nation to develop because it is the most viable way to create jobs,” he said.

    The governor urged the beneficiaries of the training to put into efficient use the starter- packs by setting up their own small-scale businesses as the state government will provide working capital for them.

    He, however, warned the beneficiaries, who were drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state, not to sell the starter-packs as the progress of their businesses would be monitored.

    The starter-packs given to the trainees included 150 sewing machines, 142 ovens and gas cylinders, 50 welding machines and 125 complete computer sets.

    In his address at the event, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari, said the initiative to equip youths with skills is in line with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure sustainable development in the country.

    Ari commended the state governor for ensuring each trainee got starter-packs and added that it would go a long way in helping them unleash their inherent talent.

    The DG hailed Obaseki for investing in vocational education, noting that his agency was ready to train more manpower at the Benin Science and Technical College. The participants were trained in fashion designing, pastry making, welding and fabrication and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for about three months.

     

  • Edo to revamp housing sector, targets new investments

    Edo to revamp housing sector, targets new investments

    …As new Executive Chairman, Isoken Omo takes charge

    The Edo State Government has concluded plans to reform its real estate sector with a new roadmap that provides for re-certification of estate owners, repossession of abandoned properties and development of new estates across the state.

    The new Executive Chairman of the Edo Development and Property Authority, (EDPA) Isoken Omo, disclosed this at the Government House, Benin City, on Thursday.

    Omo explained that the state’s new housing roadmap is already being implemented with the perennial issues of debt, encroachment and undocumented occupation receiving the desired attention.

    She said that the state’s housing sector now falls under EDPA’s purview and the new management of the agency plans not only to remodel estate management in the state, but to also attract investments to the sector.

    She added that efforts are being put in place to revamp the agency to bridge the state’s housing gaps as well as reposition it to attract investments in real estate, especially as the state is now poised to be a major industrial and economic hub.


    According to her, “We discovered that many of the original occupants of the houses have left the estate. Some of the housing units in the estate were built when we were Bendel State. So, when Delta was carved out of Edo, some people, who had apartments in these estates, left to live in Warri and other places.

     “We are launching an aggressive campaign to recertify the owners of the houses. This is not to witch-hunt anyone. We just want to have an authentic database that would be as updated regularly.”

     Noting that some housing estates in the state were neglected in the past, which gave way for illegal occupation and debt, she said there are targeted, well-laid-out efforts to reform housing.

     She said the EDPA would hold a sensitisation campaign to inform the people on the new policies and initiatives guarding the housing sector, noting “part of our campaign is also to repossess buildings that may have been abandoned or illegally occupied.”

    Omo was recently appointed to chair the EDPA by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. She has over 25 years of real estate and property development experience in Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK). She attended the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt, where she bagged a degree in Estate Management, and obtained a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 1999 from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. She has since assumed office.

  • MonkeyPox: Edo sets up Situation Room

    MonkeyPox: Edo sets up Situation Room

    • Releases emergency hotlines, to build 20 mini-stadia in 18 LGA

    As part of efforts to prevent the spread of Monkeypox disease to the state, the Edo State Government has released emergency hotlines to the public and established a situation room for monitoring the disease.

    The Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Rt. Hon. Paul Ohonbamu, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the weekly Executive Council (EXCO) Meeting held at Government House, in Benin, on Wednesday.

    He also said that the EXCO received the design and approved the siting of 20 mini-stadia across the 18 LGAs of the state to serve as grooming ground for youth with sports talent.

    Assuring Edo residents on the proactive plans of government to guard against the spread of the disease to the state, Ohonbamu said government directed the State Ministry of Health to set up a fully-equipped situation room, where it can track and monitor the outbreak.

    He advised residents, who observe any seeming symptoms of the disease, to call Dr Osamwonyi Irowa, a Director in the State Ministry of Health on 08023345987 and Dr Osa Bruce on 08084096723.

    The commissioner said a massive public enlightenment campaign on preventive measures against the disease would be embarked upon across the 18 local government areas of the state.

    ‘’The State Ministry of Health has been asked to reactivate an old centre located at Ikpoba Slope area of the state, to serve as a dedicated situation room. This is so that the outbreak can be monitored. We are calling on citizens to be circumspect but calm and adhere to good health practices that will prevent contacting and spreading of the disease,” he said.

    The commissioner also disclosed that the executive council approved the siting of 20 mini stadia across the LGAs of the state, noting that the initiative was to facilitate rapid development of sport talents among youths in Edo State.

    According to him, ‘’The EXCO received the design and approved the siting of the stadia across the 18 LGAs of the state. These mini-sport complexes will have facilities for football and other track and field events. The decision underscores the premium, which the governor places on youth in the state,’’ he said.

    Ohonbamu added that, following the presentation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Violation of Right of Way and Destruction of Public Asset, the Executive Council decided that enumeration of all individuals and businesses located in the affected areas would commence on ward-by-ward basis.

    Other actions to be taken, according to him, are that the state would interface with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to ascertain the propriety of sale of power to operators under the high-tension transmission lines in the Etete area through a 33KVA transformer located the vicinity.

    The state asked for the verification of claims by some house owners in the affected area, who argued that, even though their houses were built before the erection of TCN transmission lines, they were not compensated.

    Ohonbamu said the state government is making arrangement for the relocation of businesses, artisans and craftsmen in the affected area.

  • Edo warns NFHA, NAAPD against revenue collection

    Edo warns NFHA, NAAPD against revenue collection

    Edo State Government has warned the National Freight Haulage Association (NFHA) and the National Association of Agricultural Product Dealers (NAPPD) to stop mounting road blocks for the purpose of collecting revenue.

    It said activities of both groups claiming to be representatives of the Federal Government Agencies were illegal in the state.

    Executive Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Igbinudu Inneh, who stated this in a press statement, said security agencies have been informed to arrest and prosecute any individual or group found flouting the Taxes and Levies Act.

    Igbinudu said officials of NFHA and NAAPD engaged in illegal collection of revenue from unsuspecting members of haulage and freight truck drivers at various locations in the state.

    He said the Taxes and Levies Act, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004, section 2(2) disallowed any person including a tax authority from mounting road block in any part of the federation for the purpose of collecting tax or levy.

    The EIRS said persons authorised to collect revenue for the state and local government councils in the state were staff of local government councils and EIRS.

  • Living under high tension cables risky, Edo Govt. warns residents

    Living under high tension cables risky, Edo Govt. warns residents

    …to support relocation of certified buildings

    The Edo State Government has sensitised owners of buildings and other structures under high tension electricity cables in the state on the health risks.

    Speaking during a meeting with the property owners at Idogbo Secretariat in Ikpoba–Okha Local Government Area, the Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Political and Community Matters, Chief Osaro Idah, said the state government was worried that people could ignore the risks associated with living in such area.

    Chief Idah said the removal of the buildings was necessary because of the inherent dangers of living under the transmission lines, such as cancerous radiations, among others.

    He emphasised that the state was determined to avoid casualties and a repeat of the infamous electrocution incident in Calabar, where lives were lost when a transmission cable fell on a football-viewing centre.

    “We have a habit of saying, it will not happen, God forbid. But, government will not wait to see our people die before it acts. Relocation is non-negotiable; we want to ensure that people get a fair deal when it is done,” he said.

    Chief Idah appealed for understanding from those that would be affected, as government was determined to ensure that the discomfort would be minimal. He said that, as far as they have evidence of their correspondence with TCN, wherein they sought compensation, the state would ensure that they are duly compensated.

    According to him, “We will use these papers to make a case for everybody. However, note that it is not the state government that will pay compensation, but the TCN.”

    Earlier, Head of Local Government Administration, Ikpoba–Okha Local Government Area, Mr. Peter Ahonhai, said the stakeholders meeting was called on the instance of Governor Godwin Obaseki to proffer solution to concerns of those affected by the governor’s directive that those living under transmission lines across the seven wards in the council be relocated.

    The owners of the properties were asked to submit evidence of their correspondence with the TCN to Ikpoba–Okha Head of Local government administration, as the state government would follow it up.

    Chief Idah, who was accompanied by Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Hon. Edorodion Erimona, also visited Oredo and Egor local council areas.

  • Fraud: Edo sacks Perm Sec, suspends 3 others    

    Fraud: Edo sacks Perm Sec, suspends 3 others    

     

    …orders investigation into schools’ delisting, abused accounts

     

    The Edo State Government on Friday sacked a permanent secretary in the State Ministry of Youth and Special Duties, Dr. (Ms) Osayuware Idahosa and three other civil servants over  allegation of padding the budget for the conduct of primary school examination to the tune of N283 million.

     

    Dr. Idahosa, who served as Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Education at the time the alleged fraud was committed, was referred to the State Civil Service Commission for appropriate action, according to the rules and guidelines of the service.

     

    The decision was the outcome of an extraordinary session of the State Executive Committee meeting, headed by the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaskei, in Government House, Benin City.

     

    The other officers involved in the alleged fraud are Barr. S. A. Erhunmwunse Edokpayi, Mrs. E.I. Ero-Ugiagbe and Mr. Lucky Adagbonyin. The EXCO resolved that they should proceed on indefinite suspension without pay and their case forwarded to the State Civil Service Commission for appropriate actions according to the rules and guidelines of the service.

     

    Recall that Governor Obaseki vowed to unmask the people that sent a N283 million request for the conduct of primary school examination in the state, which was eventually conducted at the cost of N30 million.

     

    Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Rt. Hon. Paul Ohonbamu said that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, submitted a report on the panel of enquiry on the conduct of the 2016/2017 Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination and after due consideration of findings and recommendations, the EXCO took the decisions.

     

    According to Ohonbamu: “EXCO also set up a committee to be chaired by the Honourable Commissioner for Employment and Wealth Creation, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh to investigate the delisting of about 350 private schools from the list of eligible schools to participate in the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination and also the conditions that led to the relisting of these schools shortly after they were delisted.”

     

    Other members of the committee include the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Rt. Hon. Paul Ohonbamu and the Managing Director of Edo State ICT Agency, Mr. Lambert Ugorji.

     

    Ohonbamu further said that the EXCO meeting ordered that an audit exercise be carried out on the accounts that pertain to the examination exercise, which has now been marred by alleged corruption. This audit will cover 2014, 2015 and 2016.

  • Edo Govt., NGOs to empower 1,600 youths, women with vocational skills

    Edo Govt., NGOs to empower 1,600 youths, women with vocational skills

    To address the incidence of illegal migration, the Edo State Government in collaboration with Action Aid Nigeria and the Ideal Development Resource Centre (IDRC), have concluded plans to train 1,600 youths and women on vocational skills for self-sustenance.

    The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Mrs Magdalene Ohenhen, disclosed this on Thursday in Benin City at a sensitisation workshop on Migration, with the theme: Creation of Alternative to Irregular Migration through Socio-Economic Empowerment and Sensitisation Project.”

    Mrs Ohenhen said the workshop would bring to the fore the ills of illegal migration, human trafficking and exploitation. “60 percent of the 1,600 beneficiaries of the training would be women and youths aged between 18 and 40 years,” she said, and added that vocations that trainees would be expected to learn include fishery, snail farming, vegetable and crop production, poultry farming, automobile repairs, fashion and hair making, and woodwork technology.

    The commissioner said the state government has as its priority a mandate to change the mind-set of the people about issues regarding human trafficking, as the activity of human traffickers put the state in bad light in the past.

    She lamented that lives have been lost on the high seas due to the quest greener pastures through illegal and deathly means, noting that efforts are being ramped up to ensure that the menace is checked.

    “I believe we can collectively address this challenge. We can be an example to other states and show that the incidence of human trafficking can be reduced. By so doing, we would redeem the image of the state.”

    She noted that the workshop was the first phase of a series of programmes government has outlined to tackle illegal migration and human trafficking.

    Executive Director, IDRC, Mr Saliu Aidorolo, said the workshop is part of a two-year project funded by the Italian Government through its Ministry of Interior.

    Aidorolo said the project was sited in two states, Edo and Borno, adding that whereas in Borno State, it was because of insurgency, in Edo State, it was to address human and irregular migration.

    The training, he said, would change the narrative on illegal migration in the state, as it has a target to sensitise no fewer than 200,000 youths on the dangers of illegal migration. He added that starter packs would be provided to trainees, who successfully complete the training programme.