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Tag: Edo State

  • Edo residents mark peaceful Christmas

    … as Obaseki berates BEDC

    Residents of Edo State have applauded the peaceful and serene atmosphere in which they marked Christmas festivities, hailing the state government for various initiatives that made the celebrations pleasurable.

    A cross-section of residents in the state, who spoke with journalists, said that the celebrations went on peacefully, owing to the proactive stance of the state government, the Edo Police command and other stakeholders, who ensured that the celebrations were marked in a serene atmosphere.

    This is as the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, berated the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), for throwing the state into darkness, even with the festivities, noting that the company has proven to be grossly inefficient.

    Mrs. Irene Igbinosa, a resident in Benin City, said that the celebrations have been pleasurable, as the state has been peaceful and serene.

    According to her, “The Christmas this year has been quite good. The atmosphere is cheerful; we are having the Igue Festival in peace, and a number of events across the city center is going on without hassles. I appreciate the state government for a number of initiatives this season. These include the new security architecture, which has deterred criminals from taking over the streets.”

    Mr. Osaro Omozuwa said that though heavy traffic is a reoccurring incident during the festivities, the state government’s decision to open a new car park at the city centre and the restriction on parking has helped ease the situation this year.

    “We are quite excited to see the way things are going in Benin City. There would have been a lot of traffic but we are seeing less of that this year because the state government has been quite proactive,” he said.

    Calling for the withdrawal of BEDC’s license due to their ineffective service in the state, Obaseki said Edo people deserve a better service provider than BEDC, especially as the state is home to 700mw-capacity Azura Power plant.

    “At a time families should be enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply as they celebrate Christmas and New Year in the state, BEDC is again unable to live up to the minimum expectation of providing electricity.

    “No excuse is good enough for the abysmal failure of BEDC and we appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to without delay, revoke the operational licence of BEDC and rescue Edo people and residents from the crappy service being delivered to our people who are harassed weekly by BEDC to pay for electricity that it did not supply,” Obaseki said.

  • Yuletide power outage: Obaseki describes BEDC’s excuse as flimsy, unacceptable

    …Appeals to Buhari to revoke operational licence of power firm

    Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has again decried the gross inefficiency of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in providing stable electricity for residents of the state, who will celebrate Christmas and the New Year festivities in darkness.

    Obaseki said Edo people deserve a better service provider than BEDC, more so, considering the fact that Edo State is host to Azura Power plant which generates over 700MW of electricity to the national grid.

    “At a time families should be enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply as they celebrate Christmas and New Year in the state, BEDC is again unable to live up to the minimum expectation of providing electricity.

    Read Also: Xmas: Obaseki enjoins citizens to emulate Jesus, spread love

    “No excuse is good enough for the abysmal failure of BEDC and we appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to without delay, revoke the operational licence of BEDC and rescue  Edo people and residents from the crappy service being delivered to our people who are harassed weekly by BEDC to pay for electricity that it did not supply,” Obaseki said.

    He lamented that “Forcing electricity consumers to pay for services they did not enjoy with estimated bills is tantamount to corruption, which the Buhari-led government is committed to nipping in the bud.”

    Obaseki wondered why Nigerians in Borno and Kaduna states are celebrating uninterrupted power supply yet, Edo people are in unending darkness.

    The governor, further said that much as he is not a believer in conspiracy theories, he is however constrained to believe that BEDC is on a mission to sabotage the developmental efforts of his administration.

    “There can be no better time to enjoy electricity than during the Christmas holiday and only an enemy of progress will make Edo people spend the holidays in darkness,” the governor emphasized.

    He expressed his regrets over the unnecessary sufferings associated with celebrating the holiday period in BEDC-induced darkness and assured that his administration will continue to work for better deals across all sectors of the state.

  • Police assures of safety during Yuletide

    ….warns against thuggery ahead of 2019 polls

    The Edo State Police Command has assured of the safety of life and property during the Yuletide, adding that peace and respect for law and order would be upheld in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.

    The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, made the assertion during a stakeholders’ meeting organised for representatives of political parties, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He said the meeting became necessary to get all actors to play by the rules in their activities before, during and after the February 2019 general elections to ensure credible, free, fair and transparent polls.

    Kokumo explained that the duty of Police Officers is to enforce laws, noting “Our focus is for a peaceful, transparent and credible election, as there is nothing to gain from violence. Our interest is on the sovereign entity of Nigeria. I want to assure all political parties that we would not hesitate to bring to book all electoral offenders.”

    Read Also: Police foil robbery attempt in Ondo

    “We would not allow lawlessness, thuggery, oppression, violence and other forms of electoral offences. All of these will never be tolerated by law enforcement agencies. We are here to serve the people of Nigeria,” he said.

    The Edo State INEC Commissioner, Emmanuel Hart, who spoke on electioneering campaigns, said campaigns are opportunities for political parties to speak to voters on what they intend to do if they win elections.

    The INEC Commissioner, who was represented by Head, Election and Party Monitoring, Edo State INEC Office, Kombo Briggs, urged political parties and their candidates to be guided by the provisions of the Electoral Act in their conduct and campaign messages.

    Chairman, All Grassroots Alliance (AGA), Osarumwense Oshodin, called on INEC officials and security agencies to put modalities in place to arrest and prosecute politicians who spend beyond stipulated amount of money for campaigns and elections.

  • Xmas: Obaseki enjoins citizens to emulate Jesus, spread love

    Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has enjoined Edo people and residents to emulate Jesus Christ as they celebrate Christmas.

    In his Christmas Message issued on Monday in Benin City, Obaseki said: “On behalf of the government of Edo State, I rejoice with all Edo people, at home and in the diaspora as well as residents, as we celebrate Christmas.”

    According to the governor, “Christmas season is an auspicious occasion to show love and reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, whose birth we are commemorating.

    Read Also: Obaseki signs N183.7bn budget for 2019

    “As we celebrate with our friends, relatives and neighbours, I enjoin you to spread the message of oneness, love, generosity and hope for greater things as demonstrated by Jesus Christ.”

    He expressed the state government’s gratitude to the people for their support for his administration.

    “As a government, we are grateful to all Edo people and residents who have stood by us in our pursuit of a united and prosperous state, where we all can realise our dreams. It is with great joy that I wish you a merry Christmas.”

     

  • Yellow Fever: Residents throng vaccination centres in Edo

    Few days after Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki got vaccinated against yellow fever, residents in the 18 local government areas have besieged health centres to get doses of the vaccine, which will protect them from the disease.

    Recall that Governor Obaseki last week received a dose of the vaccine after the state’s Executive Council (EXCO) weekly meeting, where he commended the Federal Ministry of Health for the prompt delivery of three million doses of the vaccine in response to the outbreak of yellow fever in the state.

    Checks at health centres across the state indicate that after the governor’s action and with increased awareness on the need for vaccination, residents have taken up the challenge to also get vaccinated against the disease.

    Speaking with journalists after being administered with the vaccine at Government House in Benin City, Mr. Igboka Felix, said he never expected the process to be as easy and stress-free, noting that he decided to get the vaccine after relentless calls by the state government on the need to get vaccinated.

    According to him, “I just got the vaccine. With the way it is going, I think the concerned agencies are doing a good job. Everything went smoothly. It is a good initiative for them to come here, especially for those of us who have less time to visit health centers to be vaccinated.”

    The Head Vaccinator, Mrs Constance Osayi expressed satisfaction with the process, noting that the turnout was impressive, as more people have become aware of the danger of not getting vaccinated.

    Mrs. Osayi, however, warned against that the vaccine cannot be administered on pregnant women, infants below nine months old, people on anti-retroviral drugs.

    John Iyamu, who got the vaccine at a Primary Health Center in Auchi, said he didn’t consider taking the vaccine as top priority until he saw the governor on the television being administered with the vaccine.

    In Edo Central Senatorial District, residents are responding to calls to be vaccinated as many were seen taking shots of the vaccine at designated health centres. 

    Governor Obaseki said that the state government provided logistics to get the vaccine to every part of the state, especially where outbreak of the disease was recorded.

  • NCDMB throws weight behind Benin Industrial, Enterprise Park

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote, has thrown his weight behind the Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park (BIEP), assuring that the agency is concluding arrangements on investments from oil and gas firms to be hosted at the Park.

    This was disclosed when Governor Obaseki led a delegation to the board’s office in Abuja.

    Mr. Wabote said NCDMB will throw its full weight behind the initiative aimed at improving the nation’s economy and wooing more investors to the oil and gas sector of the economy.

    The Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park will be serviced by a dedicated gas pipeline with direct interconnection to natural gas trunk line and a direct gas sales agreement with reliable gas suppliers.

    The park is sponsored by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State and Amaya Capital, a principal energy investment firm, with a commitment to ensure that the park kicks off next year as a private-sector led industrial park.

    The BIEP provides efficient and competitive infrastructure to international and local companies, and will be developed in phases on a 900-hectare site located along the Benin-Sapele Road. It has designated area for oil and gas service companies.

    Mr. Wabote said the agency has made budgetary provision for the Park in its 2019 budget, particularly for land acquisition.

    He said the board would also be willing to partner the Edo government to catalyse other sectors of the economy provided there would be a return on such investments.

    “There is a lot we can do in the gas corridor in Edo. We have to diversify from crude oil in order to change the thinking in the Niger Delta,” Mr. Wabote said.

    Governor Obaseki explained that the Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park would take advantage of “significant gas reserves within the state, being on the route of the core Escravos to Lagos gas trunk line with a capacity of approximately two billion cubic feet of gas per day.”

  • EDOFEST: Photo exhibition on looted Benin artefacts opens in Edo

    The Edo State government has intensified call for the return of artefacts stolen from Benin Kingdom by the British colonialists in 1897, with an exhibition of photographs of the prized artworks and their locations in Europe and America. 

    Unveiling the photographs inside a gallery at the palace of the Benin Monarch, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, in Benin City, at the ongoing Edo Festival of Arts and Culture (EDOFEST), Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Osazee Osemwegie-Ero, said that the state government would continue to advocate for the return of the stolen artefacts.

    He explained that the state government chose the Edo Festival for Arts and Culture (EDOFEST) event to scale up the campaign, in order to reach more people with the message, adding that “the artefacts represent part of the Benin history.”

    He noted that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has made provision for N500 million in the 2019 budget of the state, for the establishment of a Benin Royal Museum in collaboration with the Oba Palace, where the artefacts would be kept on return.

    Prof. Greg Akenzua commended the organisers of the photo exhibition, and disclosed that the palace of the Benin Monarch, was working with 13 museums to establish the Benin Royal Museum in the state.

    He maintained that the call for the return of looted artefacts across the world was gaining traction, citing the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who has promised that his country would return some of the stolen artefacts to their original owners.

    “We are working with 13 museums who have agreed to work with us in the establishment of the Royal Museum. We have set a timeline of three years to put the structures on ground,” Prof. Akensua added.

     

     

    Dr. Lutz Mukke, a German journalist and academic, who took the photographs of the looted Benin artefacts, said the photographs were the result of his journalistic investigation into the looted Benin artefacts at different museums around the world.

    He disclosed that up to 90 per cent of the important cultural artefacts were taken away from Africa, and suggested that a “new deal” between Africa and the Western world was needed to fast-track the return of the stolen artefacts.

    He maintained the stolen Benin artefacts numbering 4,000 to 6,000 could be found in about 60 Western museums with the biggest collections in the British Museum in London, Ethnographical Collections in Berlin, Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

    He also said that the German government has called on all public museums housing about 1000 looted Benin artefacts to return them.

    “The photographs shown in the exhibition are from the museums in Boston and New York in the United States of America; Vienna in Austria; Stockholm in Sweden, Con Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Leipzig in Germany and London, United Kingdom.

    “The artefacts are of course priceless as cultural heritage, but that does not mean we should forget their pure money value. The stolen Benin artefacts are estimated to be $1 billion” Mukke said.

  • Yellow Fever: Obaseki leads campaign against disease in Edo

    …FG provides 3 million doses of vaccine

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged residents of the state, aged between nine (9) months to 59 years, to ensure they take the yellow fever vaccine, to inoculate themselves against the disease.

    The state government has also taken delivery of three million doses of vaccine from the Federal Ministry of Health in response to the yellow fever outbreak in the state.

    The governor gave the charge when he led members of the State Executive Council (EXCO) on a vaccination campaign in Benin City, at the end of the weekly EXCO meeting at the Government House, in Benin City.

    Addressing journalists after taking a shot of the vaccine, he said the yellow fever vaccination campaign was ongoing across the 18 local government areas of the state.

    He urged residents in the state to ensure that they are vaccinated against the ailment

    He commended the Federal Ministry of Health for the prompt response to the disease outbreak in the state.

    He said that the state government has provided logistics to get the vaccine to every part of the state, especially where outbreak of the disease was recorded.

    “We had the unfortunate incident of yellow fever outbreak in some parts of the state a couple of weeks ago. It is a deadly aliment. Within a short period, we lost a number of persons. It is highly preventable; all you need is to be vaccinated against the virus,” he said.

    “I just got vaccinated; it doesn’t hurt. Once you take a dose, you are vaccinated for life,” he assured.

  • Obaseki signs N183.7bn budget for 2019

    …as Edo Assembly reviews estimate upward by 4.3%

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday, signed the N183.7 billion 2019 Appropriation Bill passed by the Edo State House of Assembly into law.

    The budget estimate, earlier pegged at N175 billion, was reviewed upward to N183,744,326,962.19 by the House of Assembly to provide funds for the completion of ongoing infrastructural  projects across the state.

    The governor, who signed the budget after Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Kabiru Adjoto presented the 2019 Appropriation Bill to him at the Government House,  thanked the legislature for the timely consideration and passage of the budget.

    According to him, “Last year, when parliament considered our budget and approved the budget before 31st December 2017, people taught we were joking. I recall you said as long as you are Speaker, this will be the tradition. You have kept your word. I want to thank you sincerely for considering the budget in this manner.

    Noting that the House of Assembly was flexible enough to accommodate additions to the budget due to new developments, he said, “What is significant is your flexibility and sensitivity. We just got the right to host the 2020 National Sports Festival last Sunday and no sooner, an application was made to the committee, you moved into action to incorporate the expenditure that will be required to ensure that we successfully host the game.

    “We want to thank you for the gesture of putting in reasonable amount to support our security architecture. We want to assure you that from the plans we have in place and from the operational details we have, this fund will be put to very good use and we would not disappoint Edo people,” he added.

    Presenting the 2019 Appropriation Bill for his assent, Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Kabiru Adjoto, said due consultation was undertaken with different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) before the upward review of the bill.

    Adjoto explained that the upward review, which is in the area of capital expenditure, is 4.3 percent of the N175 billion presented to the House and is to ensure the completion of ongoing infrastructural projects in the state.

    He said “We decided to adjust the budget from N175 billion to N183 billion to accommodate preparation for the hosting of the 2020 National Sports Festivals. We had to also make more money available for the Agriprenuer programme, healthcare and infrastructure. Special focus was also paid to the completion of the State High Court project and the revamp of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.”

  • Edo trains procurement officers on data disclosure

    To deepen reforms in governance, the Edo State Government has organised a 3-day workshop for procurement officers in Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs), including staff of Edo State Public Procurement Agency (EDPPA), on data disclosure to meet guidelines for open contracting data standards.

    Addressing journalists on the first day of the workshop, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, EDPPA, Mr. Henry Idogun, said the workshop was part of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s focus on training and re-training of the state government workforce, which is in line with global standards.

    Idogun said the workshop themed ‘Implementation of Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS) for Edo State,’ will equip participants drawn from MDAs including EDPPA, with new methods of data disclosure which will create opportunity for the citizens and other stakeholders to engage and connect with the government.

    He noted, “EDPPA has been publishing its contracts on a monthly basis but this workshop will help us publish in a manner that will enable citizens engage the government, contribute to the process of governance as well as promote inclusiveness.”

    According to him, the workshop will create avenue for deeper engagements that will provide relevant information for inclusiveness on the part of the citizens and stakeholders.

    Read Also: Obaseki unveils Edo security architecture

    The facilitator, a regulations and database expert from the Department/Government Procurement Unit, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), in Abuja, Mr. Makuolu Adesina, said the Implementation of Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS) simply means better information for engagement.

    He added that the workshop has become necessary to enable BPP share with EDPPA, procurement officers from MDAs and relevant stakeholders, the need for OCDS and how it can be implemented as well as support the agencies to ensure full implementation in line with global standards.

    Adesina noted, “Procurement officers are data producers as they also produce data. The data produced must be based on open contracting data standard. OCDS is a process which ensures information is made open to the public, enabling them have procurement information in a friendly manner.

    A procurement officer in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Gideon Okosun, said the workshop was very enlightening and educating.