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Tag: Edo State government

  • Trafficking: Edo to track houses of cartels, religious leaders, others

    Trafficking: Edo to track houses of cartels, religious leaders, others

    The Edo State Government is set to embark on a state-wide tracking of members of the human trafficking cartels in the state including religious leaders and other individuals aiding the illegal trade.

    The government also said that part of the strategies to halt the menace of human trafficking include the development of a new social studies curriculum for students and an economic empowerment programme.

    Others are reintegration and counselling programmes and public enlightenment campaigns to markets and streets among others.

    Speaking with journalists in Government House in Benin City, Chairman, Edo State Strategic Planning Team, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the initiatives are in support of the Edo State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration, which is leading the effort to reintegrate returnees from Libya and coordinating the state’s campaign to curb trafficking in persons.

    “Governor Obaseki’s administration is giving the issue of human trafficking the kind of priority it deserves by ensuring efforts are made to put a stop to the trend,” Ihonvbere said.

    “Part of our programme is to include campaign against human trafficking in the social studies curriculum in schools. The state government is also making efforts to track traffickers and native doctors, who are enriching themselves with the illicit trade,” Ihonvbere said, adding that the state government has commenced public enlightenment campaigns on the issue, which is holding in markets and other public places across the state. He assured that the campaign trail will soon get to schools when they are in session, stressing that the governor has enlisted religious leaders to take the message to their members.

    According to him, “there is need to educate the people, especially children in schools on the dangers of human trafficking and embarking on dangerous journeys across the desert and on the high sea. Part of our programme is to include campaign against human trafficking in the social studies curriculum in schools. The state government is also making efforts to track traffickers and native doctors, who are enriching themselves with the illicit trade.

    Other strategies he said include the state government’s policy to welcome back returnees and organising counselling and reintegration programmes.”

    Prof. Ihonvbere added that the government is also training the returnees and has provided empowerment packages like start-up capital and packs for those interested in starting business.

    He, however, urged stakeholders, including the Federal Government, philanthropists and international agencies, to join hands with the state government to address the menace.

  • Edo shuts disputed Obu mine site in Okpella 

    Edo shuts disputed Obu mine site in Okpella 

    The Edo State Government has ordered the immediate shutdown of the disputed Obu Mine site in Okpella community, Edo State, following a directive from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and to avoid the breakdown of law and order in the community.

    The State government directed security operatives in the state to ensure there are no operations in the mine site until the outcome of the suit, or pending further instructions from the supervisory ministry, which is the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel.

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki gave the order on Monday, when leaders of Okpella community paid a courtesy call at the Government House, in Benin City, to express their concern about the deteriorating security situation in the community.

    “I am very concerned, particularly because of the security implication of this impasse on Okpella community. The issues are clear; two entities cannot own the same asset, particularly in an industry like mining with international best practices and processes for determining ownership rights. I don’t believe that Nigeria is different. And when there is a dispute as per ownership, there are also laid down globally accepted ways of resolving these disputes. People cannot resort to self-help in a country where there is rule of law.

    “I understand that the matter of the ownership of Obu mines is in the court and parties are waiting the declaration by the court. Therefore, Edo State Government, today, following what we have received from the Federal Ministry of Mines will close down Obu mines until the determination of the suit currently pending in at the Federal High Court. Whoever the Court says owns the mines, becomes the bona fide owner after the judgement has been delivered. But between now and the outcome of the court, we do not want to see anybody – I mean anybody – in that property.”

    He directed the Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr. Johnson Kokumo and other security operatives to make sure that there are no operations at the mine site “until the outcome of the suit, or pending further instructions from the supervisory ministry which is the Federal Ministry of Mines.”

    Noting that the state government is not taking any sides on the matter because the issue in contention doesn’t fall within the jurisdiction of the state as mining is on the exclusive list, he said, “I want to state clearly that it is in the interest of all parties to ensure that there is the rule of law, because that is the only way they can protect their investments.

    “Please note, effective today, everybody must move out of Obu mines, which is to be shut until the declaration of the suit which is currently at the court.”

    Noting that the state government was committed to the protection of lives and property, even as it seeks for investors, he added, “We want to assure that as a government, we are committed to the protection of lives and property. No amount is worth any life. Yes, we want investors and investment, but people must be alive to benefit from this investment. We feel that that it is rather unfortunate that this matter has degenerated to this extent, but as a responsible government, we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that we remedy the situation. We hope that the contending parties will do what is right and in their own interest, follow due process.”

    Legal counsel to the Okpella community, Dr. Ayuba Giwa said that the people of Okpella are happy about the governor’s investment drive as well as his infrastructural strides in his first year in office.

    Noting that the visit was to submit a copy of the letter sent to the presidency on the lingering issue between Dangote Group Plc and BUA International Limited over the ownership of Obu Mines in their community, Giwa said that above all else, the community wants peace to reign, as they are ready to accommodate all investors.

    He condemned the use of youth militias to protect perceived rights to solid minerals, pleading with the state government to constitute a technical team to resolve the issue.

    In the letter, the community appealed to the Presidency to do justice to all parties on the matter including and particularly Okpella, “where the host community of Komunio belongs and in accordance with the Ministry of Mines and Steel’s new template for processing of consent for the acquisition of minerals rights/titles in Nigeria, the mandatory requirements of Community Development Agreements (CDAs) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (EISAs) as pre-requisites to legal operations in the solid mineral regime in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

  • Anti-human Trafficking fight: Obaseki’s initiatives get int’l attention

    Anti-human Trafficking fight: Obaseki’s initiatives get int’l attention

    Efforts by the Edo State Government to bring an end to human trafficking and illegal migration in the state has caught the attention of international media organisations, whose representatives are in Benin City, the state capital, for on-the-spot assessment of the government’s initiatives.

    The list of the international media include, Cable News Network (CNN), premier America news channel, was in Benin City recently to follow the trail of human trafficking, dwelling on the role of local ‘juju’ men in propagating the illicit trade.

    About 144 returnees arrived the country on Tuesday, some of whom are heading to Benin City. The increased number of returnees from Libya came after a CNN report sparked global outrage on the sale of Africans into slavery for as low as $400.

    RTL Television, Germany’s largest private free-to-air broadcaster, by market share, is another news channel that has beamed its spotlight on Edo State, particularly on the governor’s effort at tackling human trafficking. It distributes its content through cable and satellite and digital terrestrial platforms in densely populated areas.

    The broadcast station, owned by the RTL Group, signified interest in the Libya returnees’ reintegration programme of the Obaseki-led administration, due to the growing popularity of the Edo State home-grown initiatives to tackle illegal migration and human trafficking in Edo State.

    The empowerment programme has successfully trained 150 returnees from Libya in Agribusiness, who were given 150 hectares of land and N100 million to start a new life as agripreneurs.

    Also in the state is the prestigious Agence France-Presse (AFP), an international news agency with headquarters in France, known for its objectivity and independence in news presentation and ranked the third largest news agency in the world.

    The major attraction for these media companies is Obaseki’s resolve to deploy a mix of strategies to curtail the illicit trade in humans, ranging from engagements and an all-out war against the human trafficking cartels in the state, with links in Europe and other parts of the world.

    The international community’s interest is further driven by the benefits derivable from the Edo State government’s strategy, which will save their governments the troubles of dealing with a problem that has defied solutions across Europe and other parts of the world.

    At the graduation ceremony of the 150 Libyan returnees in Benin City recently, Governor Obaseki said the returnees would be organised into cooperatives that will be supervised by the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority and the Edo Agricultural Development Programme, to become creators of jobs and not job seekers.

    Reuters, the world’s second largest news agency, also reported the governor’s efforts to stem the tide of human trafficking, particularly his move to enact and enforce laws to prosecute traffickers.

    There have also been other reports by publications in France and India, chronicling the governor’s intensified efforts to tackle human trafficking in the state.

     

     

  • Obaseki to commence payment of outstanding Pension Arrears

    Obaseki to commence payment of outstanding Pension Arrears

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has expressed his readiness to commence the payment of the outstanding pension arrears his administration inherited from past governments, dating back to the years the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held sway.

    Obaseki’s decision is in fulfillment of his earlier promise to settle the outstanding pension arrears of the State Government pensioners in phases.

    Conveying the governor’s approval, the Office of the Head of Service in the Edo State Government, in a circular signed by the permanent secretary/chairman Pension Bureau, I.D.S. Juwobor, on Thursday, explained that the payments will begin with pensioners in Batches 37 and 38.

    “In order to ensure that only bonafide pensioners are paid, all pensioners in the aforementioned batches 37 and 38 are invited to present themselves for physical and documentary verification at the small hall of Imaguero College, Sapele Road, Benin City on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th December, 2017 at 9:00 am each day,” the letter directed.

    The letter advised the affected pensioners to: “Check the list of pensioners in the indicated batches at the Office of the Head of Service on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5thNovember, 2017 and come to the venue of the verification exercise with the following: Pension Authority; Retirement Letter; Letter of First Appointment; Pension Identity Card; Biometric Slip; and Bank details including bank name and Account Number.”

    The circular added that “immediately upon the conclusion of the verification exercise, the outstanding pension arrears will be credited into the pension account of each pensioner.”

    Recall that the clamor for the pension arrears by Edo pensioners few months into Governor Obaseki’s administration was hijacked by members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which sponsored several protest marches at the Ring Road in Benin City, despite the state government’s repeated explanation that the arrears would be paid in batches.

    The governor therefore called on the good people of Edo State to trust his administration and not pay attention to detractors who want to politicize an issue as sensitive as the entitlements of the state’s senior citizens.

     

  • Edo creates 30,000 jobs in one year

    Edo creates 30,000 jobs in one year

    Edo State Government said it has created 30,000 jobs in the last one year.

    It said beneficiaries of the jobs were drawn from the over 190,000 unemployed persons registered under the Edo Jobs Initiative.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki who stated this while presenting the 2018 budget proposal said it was in line of his promise to create 200,000 jobs in four years.

    Governor Obaseki listed the sectors the 30,000 jobs were created to include Edo SEEFOR project where 9,000 persons were engaged.

    Others, according to the governor, are 1500 in the revenue generation, 3000 employed in the Women Affairs Ministry, 6000 employed in road construction amongst others.

    He said he eliminated waste in governance by ensuring that political appointments are made based on need as well as abolished outdated ministries.

     

  • Edo State workers are paid as and when due – Govt

    Edo State workers are paid as and when due – Govt

    The Edo State Government has described as “false and misleading” reports that it owes its workers, noting that state employees receive their salaries on or before the 26th of every month.

    In a statement, the state government said no worker in its employ is owed a dime, and this is a testament to the efforts by government to ensure that workers are well motivated for optimal service delivery.

    The state government was reacting to a report that purports that it owes its workers and pensioners 10 months salaries.

    According to the statement, “The state government has ensured that workers are paid as and when due. We are pursuing all-inclusive reforms in the state civil service to ensure that workers deliver optimum service to the people. The payment of their salaries is one of the first steps to achieving this and we have been faithful to that mandate.

    “We have met these obligations right from the previous administration up till now. In Edo State, we prioritise the welfare of workers, both those in active service and even pensioners.”

    Noting that the state has not only met salary obligations but also kept faith with pensioners’ entitlements, the state government said, “We have not only paid salaries, we have also met obligations to pensioners. In fact, we have paid N6.2 billion to both state and local government pensioners from January to September.”

    “So, we are surprised by the publication listing us as one of the states owing pensioners and workers. We believe it does disservice to the good work that the Godwin Obaseki-led administration is doing in Edo State.

     “We adopt prudent strategies to manage resources, allocate scare resource and prioritise the needs of our workers. It will be out of tune to owe workers when we are pushing reforms to improve their workplaces and processes,” the state said.

  • Edo kick-starts basic education reform, retrains teachers

    Edo kick-starts basic education reform, retrains teachers

    The Edo State Government has commenced the reform of the basic education sector with the ongoing schools census exercise which will provide credible and reliable data for planning while the inspectorate department is being revamped.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic Education and Sole Administrator, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Joan Oviawe, disclosed this in a chat with journalists at the Government House, Benin City.

    She said Governor Godwin Obaseki is keen on teacher professional development and data-driven decision-making, which was what inspired the school census being carried out in the state, noting, “We don’t just do things randomly. We have started taking a census of schools. We want to know the number of schools, pupils, and teachers in the state. After this, we will then know which subject area to focus our recruitment efforts.”

    Oviawe maintained that a key part of the exercise is population mapping, and added, “We need to know the number of people that are enrolled in the schools. If you visit some of the schools within Benin metropolis and across the state, you will find out that there are schools with less than 100 pupils. With that, you can determine which school is viable or not.

    “It is possible that there are schools in the area that are not populated. We may need to close them down and open others in highly populated areas. But in order to do that and avoid any form of unfounded allegation of impropriety, we have to know the number of children and how they are dispersed.”

    She said the state government was bringing back what worked in the state in the past and adding modern techniques and reform that would bequeath children the best of learning experience.

    Stressing that the state government was keen on monitoring private school operators, she said, “We are strengthening regulation. The Inspectorate arm of the education ministry is being strengthened to deliver its mandate. We are building a strong monitoring and evaluation system at the basic education level.

    “It is not about catching people doing the wrong thing. It is about adopting preventive measures and providing constant professional development training so that the teachers can perform better,” Oviawe said.

    She explained that the state was keen on reversing the rot in the basic education system, adding, “There is a rapid decline in our public education system. All these didn’t start today; it has been a long time coming. Some have argued that it started in the era of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in the 1980s when government was advised to cut-back on its spending on social welfare including education. That is what we are starting to tackle now. We want to bring back quality into our basic education system.”

    She noted that Governor Obaseki has brought accountability to the system, stressing, “We have a 48-hour deadline to respond to files here. And this happens across different ministries in the state. So, we are being held accountable when things don’t go well.”

  • Edo to embark on massive reconstruction of dilapidated schools

    Edo to embark on massive reconstruction of dilapidated schools

    The Edo State Government is set to embark on the reconstruction of dilapidated schools across the state.

    Commissioner for Education, Dr. Christopher Adesotu, who disclosed this during a meeting with School-based Management Committee (SBMC) members, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector in Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba Okha Local Government Areas of the state, decried the high level of vandalism in public schools.

    Adesotu told the stakeholders that the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, “has drawn up a list of schools that will benefit from the reconstruction and remodelling programme, but is concerned about the activities of vandals.”

    He urged the stakeholders to support the programmes and policies of the Governor Obaseki-led administration by protecting government facilities in their respective communities.

    Some of the stakeholders suggested that local vigilante groups be set up in various communities to protect public schools and other facilities.

    In his response to a suggestion by Mr. Michael Ajayi, a parent, that students be made to pay money to the schools for security purpose, the Chief Inspector of Education (CIE) in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, Dr. Uyi Ekhosuehi, emphasised the role of the SBMC and said that the “body is the only recognised and authorised body to provide infrastructure in schools as the law does not allow government officials to pay or collect monies for infrastructural development in schools.”

    Adesotu further said that the state government was working on a plan to partner with the communities to ensure government facilities are protected by the people in the various communities.

     

  • Edo to re-brand culture, tourism assets

    Edo to re-brand culture, tourism assets

    The Edo State Government is set to rebrand her culture and tourism assets, the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Osazee Osemwengie-Ero, has said.

    Osemwengie-Ero said the rebranding project is in line with the vision of the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, which includes revival, preservation and the exhibition of the rich cultural heritage of Edo people on the world stage for tourism receipts.

    The commissioner who disclosed this during a guided tour to historical sites in Unuamen Village in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, said the state is richly blessed with a lot of cultural and tourism sites.

     “We have a lot of hidden treasures in the state which have not been brought to the knowledge of the world. The Obaseki’s administration is doing everything possible to bring these hidden treasures to the world stage.”

     According to him, “the heritage materials form the identity of the people of any community, they are unique and worth preserving. We have an Oba that promotes our culture and a governor that has the vision to reposition our culture sector, including the traditions and festivals for domestic and international tourism earnings.”

    The commissioner expressed delight at some historical sites in Unuamen Village and said: “Unuamen Village is relevant today because of the history of Oba Esigie and Queen Idia. Today I have seen what I read in books about Oba Esigie and Queen Idia and where the event happened. It is overwhelming.”

    He noted that what he saw in Unuamen “are worth preserving as they take us way back to over 300 years ago.”

    He added: “You can see the tourist sites like Olekhu Namebo; Odigi Shrine; Okutaesigie; Okebu; the site where Queen Idia hosted Udo warrior as piece of broken pot where visible and a host of other interesting sites.

    The Okao of Unuamen, Chief Engr. Kingsley Nogheghase Igbinosa, said he decided to invite Edo State government officials to the tourist sites in the village because he read in newspapers that 58 tourists sites in the state were marked for revamp.

    He thanked the state government for sending its officials to assess the tourist site and urged them to include them in the list of sites that will be developed.