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Tag: Edo State

  • ‘School-based management committee to monitor renovation of 230 schools’

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) will play a critical role in monitoring the refurbishment of the over 230 primary schools under the Edo Basic Education Transformation (EdoBEST) programme.

    The governor disclosed this at the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) appreciation banquet organised for EdoBEST field workers in Benin City, the State Capital.

    He said plans are underway to ensure that the refurbishment of schools is completed before the end of the holiday season, adding that in 2019, another batch of 230 schools will be renovated.

    “My goal is to refurbish all the schools under EdoBEST before the end of 2019. I will rely on the School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) to help the state government monitor all the contractors to ensure good service delivery and, where necessary, draw government’s attention to poor jobs,” he added.

    Obaseki assured: “We will provide furniture in all the schools slated for refurbishment. We will start with schools in deplorable conditions before moving to other schools and we will ensure all our schools in the state have toilet facilities.”

    He explained that ten years ago, the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration focused on the physical infrastructure in schools in Edo State, with the red roof revolution, but maintained that the buildings didn’t solve all the problems.

    “Our administration is now focusing on the people, the system as well as the process. When we get it right, things will fall in place,” he added.

    He commended the field workers under the EdoBEST programme for the success and progress recorded so far in less than one year, adding that his administration will commence the Federal Government’s Home-Grown School Feeding programme next year in the state to encourage enrolment.

    According to him, “I am happy to be in your midst today to celebrate with you as you have made me proud. I thank all the field officers that have driven the process, making it possible to attain this much success in revamping the education sector in the state. Education Marshals shall be introduced into the school system in 2019.”

    Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, said the field workers comprise 106 Social Mobilisation Officers (SMO), 54 Learning and Development Officers (LDO) and five Quality Assurance Officers (QAO).

    Agbale said the 106 SMOs visited 607 EdoBEST schools to sensitize and work with 11,382 SBMC, who were trained in 202 clusters across the three senatorial districts.

    The commissioner said the EdoBEST programme is core in the education reforms of the Obaseki administration, aimed at improving teaching and learning as well as infrastructure.

    The Chairman, SUBEB and Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, thanked the governor for giving them the opportunity to contribute their quota to the development of basic education in the state and commended the field workers for making the programme a success.

  • Obaseki charges contingent to restore Edo’s glory

    …as National Sports Festival begins in Abuja

    …says state has capacity to host 2020 National Sports Festival

     

    Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has charged athletes representing the state in the ongoing National Sports Festival, to restore the sporting glory for which the state was known, assuring that his administration has the capacity to host the 2020 edition of the festival.

    Obaseki, who gave the charge during the opening ceremony of the 19th National Sports Festival, holding in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, said: “My state is more than ready to host the forthcoming National Sports Festival as it’s high time we regained our lost glory in sports.”

    “Edo State is known for producing great sportsmen and women and I charge you to ensure you do the state proud by winning medals,” he told the contingent.

    In his remark, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, confirmed that he has received two applications from Edo and one other state to host the festival in 2020.

    Dalung assured that his ministry would look at the ranking of states and assess the infrastructure in the bidding states before giving the hosting right to the most qualified state.

    The minister noted that sports and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme were among the national programmes deepening the unity of the country and called for more attention to the nation’s sports sector.

  • Human Trafficking: Obaseki advocates market linkages for returnees

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders working with the state government on returnees’ reintegration to prioritise market linkages for profitable business ventures such that victims of human trafficking will have the right incentives to steer clear of vices.

    The governor made the submission when he received executive members of the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation, led by the Executive Director, Abimbola Okoya, on a courtesy visit to Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

    Obaseki commended the BATN Foundation for their efforts at  alleviating the plight of victims of human trafficking, in collaboration with the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking (ETAHT).

    He expressed optimism that the parent organisation, the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), would consider setting up an agricultural research farm in the state, where youths can be engaged and discouraged from engaging in irregular migration.

    He said the state government is not oblivious of the fact that not all those who benefitted from skills training would be successfully engaged in entrepreneurial ventures, stressing that equipping them with the right attitude to business and linking them with profitable ventures also form a key part of keeping them away from vices.

    Read Also: Edo: Obaseki unveils security architecture, trust fund

     “Training someone and giving them a starter kit is not a guarantee that they will not go back to being trafficked. Our emphasis is on linking the returnees with opportunities and a ready market so that the training and equipment will provide a means of sustainable livelihood,” he noted.

    The governor expressed appreciation to the BATN Foundation for taking interest in Edo State and its strategies for curbing irregular migration, urging that only a sustainable approach will guarantee success.

    Earlier, Executive Director of BATN Foundation, Abimbola Okoya, explained that though they  started out with agricultural development programmes, they have taken interest in the returnees’ crisis and are keen on supporting the state government’s efforts to curb the ugly trend.

    Okoya said the foundation is currently engaged in a campaign, tagged, ‘Wealth is Here’ to encourage returnees to realise that they need not go in search of greener pastures abroad.

    She said 100 returnees have been trained and would be empowered with start-up kits.

  • Illegal migration from Edo State declines on Obaseki’s effort, says EU

    The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Ketil Karlsen, has said that efforts by the Edo State Government to stem human trafficking have resulted in the state dropping from first to sixth position, among originating sources of illegal migrants to Europe.

    Commending the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government’s approach to addressing the menace, the ambassador said: “They are a model as well as a strategic place to work in, as Nigeria tackles the scourge.”

    Karlsen said this after an inspection tour to different locations in Benin City, the Edo capital, where migrant returnees would be sheltered and trained.

    The Obaseki-led government has sustained a mix of strategies, ranging from institutional, sensitisation campaign, reintegration of returnees and empowerment programmes, amongst others, in tackling the menace.

    The ambassador said it was encouraging to see many activities geared towards addressing irregular migration taking place in the state, adding, “This is my third visit to Edo State and it will not be the last because, for us, Edo is a strategic place to work in. I must say; this is a model for engagement, where we build on local and state government’s leadership.”

    “We will bring together all the partners of the international communities to support them; we are working with the World Bank and other development partners to make sure we support the vision that the Edo government is pursuing,” he said.

    He noted that the EU was committed to seeing that the migrant returnees were well integrated into the country as well as ensuring that the root causes of the menace are tackled.

    According to him, “Seeing what is being done through the leadership of the Edo State government and talking with the returnees and young people in the state, we have gotten insight into how we can support them better now and even in the future.”

    The EU ambassador was accompanied on the tour by Programme Manager, Managing Migration through Development Programme, (MMDP), Dr. May Ikeora, and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Job Creation and Skills Development, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare.

    Managing Director, LAPO Micro Finance Bank, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said the returnees need empowerment to be fully be integrated into the society.

    He added that LAPO has in the last 15 years engaged in returnees’ reintegration programme by collaborating with different development partners.

    He added, “We believe that we should be a part of the returnees’ programme by empowering them with skills so that they can make better lives for themselves.”

    The sites visited include the Edo State Government’s proposed shelter site for migrant returnees, LAPO institute, where migrant returnees are being trained on business opportunities and the Edo Innovation Hub.

  • 2019 polls: Edo, FIDA partner on capacity building for women

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Edo State Chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), on capacity building for women ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The governor made the commitment when he received the new executive members of the state chapter of FIDA led by the chairperson, Iryn Omorogiuwa, on a courtesy visit, at Government House, in Benin City.

    He said the collaboration with FIDA has become necessary because women constitute the majority of voters, noting, “Whenever you go for rallies, women are more. This administration supports and encourages women participation in politics. We are trying to clean up and change the image of politics by removing violence and thuggery from our political system. This will encourage more people who are interested in the welfare of the people to have a platform to contest elections.”

    He said the state is ready to collaborate with FIDA to address issues of rights violation, voters’ education, adding that the state is working to restructure the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to better attend to the needs of vulnerable people in society.

    “We are doing a lot in the background as we need to restructure government institutions responsible for handling these issues because, without strong government institutions, professional groups like yours will not find the platform to collaborate with government,” he said.

    Chairperson of Edo State Chapter of FIDA, Iryn Omorogiuwa, said the body is focused, concerned and interested in the welfare of women and children in the state, as the new executives elected on November 7, have set up 10 working committees to attend to different issues.

    According to her, a bill titled ‘Violent Against Persons Act’ has been sent to the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) by FIDA, adding that, when passed into law, it will help reduce the issue of violence against women and children.

  • Obaseki mobilizes stakeholders to back plan on security architecture

    As the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, fine tunes plans for the launch of the state’s Security Architecture later in the month, private companies in the state are upbeat about the prospect of having a robust security support structure that will further boost the ease of doing business in the state.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, told journalists in Benin City, the state capital, that feedbacks from the engagements between the governor and private companies in the state, on the security architecture, have been encouraging.

    Edo State is host to several companies, namely; Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, Okomu Oil Plc, Presco Plc, Rubber Estates Nigeria Ltd, hotels, steel and ceramic companies, amongst others.

    “We are delighted to receive heart-warming response from our development partners who are corporate citizens of the state. As you are aware, security is everybody’s business. Governor Obaseki has set aside N2 billion in the proposed 2019 budget for this initiative and the companies in Benin are queueing behind the governor to ensure that the state is rid of all forms of crimes,” Osagie said.

    “The engagement is ongoing and we are reaching out to everyone so that we can bring everyone on board, in the fight against crimes in the state. Our dear state is the most peaceful in the Niger Delta region, but we want to raise the bar, considering our huge investment in the development of an industrial park, a modular refinery and a seaport and the attendant human traffic that these investments will pull to the state,” he added.

    Read Also: Obaseki presents N175.7b budget

    According to the governor’s aide, “Already procured for unveiling by the state government are three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs); ninety (90) patrol vehicles; fifty (50) patrol cars and forty (40) pick-up patrol vans; thirty (30) motorcycles and three ambulances.

    “They are all fitted with digital communication equipment for real time information sharing among the various security agencies.”

    He said manpower will be drawn from the Nigeria Police Force; the Military; Department of State Services; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the state’s Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) scheme.

    The governor’s aide explained that 1000 members of PUWOV will support men and women of the various security agencies in executing the goals set in the security blueprint.

    “The first batch of two hundred (200) PUWOV personnel are being trained at the Police Training School (PTS), Ogida, and another 800 volunteers will be fit for deployment before the launch date.

    “They will be kitted in the approved uniform and will form bulk of the first batch that will be unveiled at the launch date of December 13,” Osagie said.

    To kick-start the Security Trust Fund, he said the governor has set aside N2billion in the 2019 proposed budget, which will be supported by private companies in the state and other organisations.

    “The Edo State Security Trust Fund is a pool of fund set up by the Obaseki-led administration, which companies, charitable groups and individuals would contribute to, as part of a collective effort to fight crimes,” he added.

  • Yellow Fever endemic spread to 10 LGs in Edo

    The outbreak of Yellow Fever in parts of Edo State has spread to 10 local government areas in the state.

    Nine persons have been confirmed dead from the yellow fever outbreak.

    State Commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, who disclosed this at an audience participatory programme on radio monitored in Benin City said seven of the yellow fever victims could not make it to the hospital after they tested positive to yellow fever.

    Dr. Osifo who did not give names of the affected local councils said the age range of the dead were between 14 and 20 years.

    Osifo said a number of the dead were either omitted or not presented for the vaccination by Caregivers or parents during the regular vaccination exercises while they were infant.

    “We have recorded nine cases of yellow fever. The disease has spread to 10 LGA’s out of the 18 LGA’s in Edo State.

    “Late arrival is the problem we have. We have informed the Honourable minister of Health,” he said.

    Dr. Osifo said the federal Ministry of Health has promised to provide more vaccines while health personnel across the Primary Health Care (PHC’s) are ready to adequately respond to suspected yellow fever cases.

     

  • Okorocha, Amosun behaving like poor students of history- Oshiomhole

     Says Obasanjo inviting God’s anger

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress  (APC),  Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said on Wednesday that the governors of Imo and Ogun State,  Rochas Okorocha and Senator Ibikunle Amosun  were behaving like poor student of their own history who had forgotten  that they lost elections before winning on the platform of the APC.

    Oshiomhole who spoke while receiving APC women leaders from Edo State and the FCT also hit at former President Olusegun Obasanjo saying the former Nigerian leader was inviting the anger of God upon himself by supporting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the Presidency after severally saying the God will not forgive him if he supports his former deputy. 

    Oshiomhole was however confident that the APC is stronger now  in IMO and Ogun states  despite grievances of their governors as a result of the outcome of the party primaries where their preferred candidates lost out.

    But supporters of the governor’s have since left the APC for other parties with both governors who are Senatorial candidates of the party promising to work against the party in the governorship elections. 

    Oshiomhole said “The real headline today is that we win in Ogun state and we will deliver Hope Uzodinma in Imo state.  Our popularity in Imo state today are increasing, what we don’t know and Nigerians always make this mistake that once you are a governor, you have electoral value.

    “Yes we have overwhelming majority of APC governors who has electoral value and we also have some few electoral liabilities. I can tell that in Imo state today we will more votes. Politics is about numbers and I am looking at the average Imo voters because on that the governor will have one vote and his Son-in-law will also have one vote, those market women, artisans, mechanics and farmers will also have their vote.

    “Those who think our political future is tied to them; they are poor students of their own political history. Some of these people who talk as if they are invincible, they have forgotten that they have run elections in the past and lost until they abandoned their parties and joined us. So if they return back, history will repeat itself.

    “In Imo state today, APC will win more votes. My focus is on ordinary Imo voters because on that day, the governor would have only one vote, his son-in-law would have only one vote while his Commissioner for Happiness would have only one vote.

    “But artisans, traders, teachers and workers whose salaries are not being paid have the same weight of vote and they are excited about the renewed possibility of a new government coming with fresh ideas free of all the encumbrances of the present system. So in Imo I’m very confident.

    “Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is from Ogun State. The state is one of the most enlightened States in Nigeria. They have a huge history; they are not in a political kingdom headed by one person.

    “If they were looking for true reconciliation, they wouldn’t have done what they did (defection of aides). That is not how democracy works. Nigeria must grow beyond this syndrome ‘I’m the governor, I will decide.’ You have only one vote. With due respect, I was once a governor. Overall APC is much stronger now.”

    Read Also: Imo APC crisis irreconcilable – Okorocha

    Oshiomhole asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to remember he swore that God should punish him if he ever supports his former vice to become the president.

    “We know there are people across the divide who are fighting back. There is a gang up by those who are used to sucking the system without adding any value but Nigerians will not allow that,” he said.

    He expressed confidence that the 2019 election would be a smooth sail for President Muhammadu Buhari and APC because ethnic and religious sentiments that characterised the 2015 election lost by former president Goodluck Jonathan would have no play this time around.

    “The two candidates are from the North and they are both Muslims. People are now going to look at character. Nobody has ever said Buhari is a thief. But who said the other person (Atiku) is a thief? it was his boss (Obasanjo).

    “When you are working with me and I said you are a thief, God will punish me if I support you. And when you are confused because your supply line has been chopped off, you now turned around to support the same person. That God that you called with your name to punish you if you support the person is about to go to work. And he will go to work in February and HE will punish him thoroughly and the person he is supporting, in favour of Nigeria.”

    Speaking further on Buhari’s chances in 2019, he said: “My hope is that Buhari will win. He will have more votes than he got before because some of those who misused religion, for that was the most potent weapon that was used very recklessly, by people who have no issues in 2015. 

    “This time around, they will have to speak to the issues because the two main candidates are Muslims. Again, the issue of North-South, Buhari maintained the key support in the North, that was because people voted on the basis of son of the soil, this time, the two main candidates are from the North so these things will not be there. So we are now going to look at character. 

    “Who can say Buhari is a thief, nobody has ever said so. But who said the other person is a thief, it is the person he was working with. Because if I you are working me and I say you are thief, God will punish me if I support you, and when you are confused because your supply line has been chopped off, and you enter a new deal and you come back to say I now support you, that God that you call with name that He will punish you if you support this person, that God is about to go to work and He will go to work in February, next year. He will punish him thoroughly and punish the person he is supporting in favour of Nigeria”.

    Turning to the women,  he said “Yes, the women are going to play a key role in the elections, they are going to compare notes,  those of them who were about 20 year’s old in 1999, by the time they were 36 years, they know all that has happened.

    “They won’t forget that the PDP promised that in six months they will provide stable power, 16 years they did not. They will not forget that PDP spent $16 billion, they will not forget that PDP spent so much money on rail and workers will not forget that under the PDP industries have been shut down.

    “Some people recently said that Atiku was one of the most powerful Vice President Nigeria ever had, so he would not say that he didn’t know what was going on on in goverment. So he was a central player and you know all the issues of corruption in goverment then, especially the allegation that sums of money ranging from N50 million was being share to National Assembly members for the third term, all coming from the system. So we can return to those eras of locust.”

  • Obaseki seeks robust governance structure, world-class status for Ogba Zoo

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called for the review of the governance structure of the Ogba Zoological Garden and Nature Park to reposition it as a world class zoo.

    Obaseki made the call during a courtesy visit by the management of the zoo to the governor, at Government House in Benin City, the state capital.

    He maintained that with the zoo’s large and diverse animal population, the most diverse in the rain forest region of the country, a broader governance structure that will boost its eco-tourism potential, is required.

    “There is need to set up a team comprising experts who have experience in the management of zoos to look at the laws setting up the zoo.

    “We need to know the level of diversity in the zoo and what type of insurance policy is needed to protect the facility.”

    The governor noted that government’s intervention could be in the area of remediation, adding:

    “Ogba Zoo is part of our rainforest that is quickly disappearing. I appreciate the zeal which you have invested in this precious project, to keep the zoo alive over the last two decades, in spite of several challenges.

    “I believe the zoo should be preserved, so we would give a ninety-day window to reflect on the governance structure of the zoo and thereafter come up with plans of how we want it to look, going forward,” Obaseki said.

    He assured that the security of the zoo would be included in the state government’s security architecture, due for launch on December 13.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of Ogba Zoological Garden and Nature Park, Mr Andrew Ehanire, commended the governor for his interventions which have saved the zoo from destruction.

    Ehanire explained that Ogba Zoological Garden and Nature Park remains the only zoo in the country that has successfully transited into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework, essential to operating on a self-sustaining basis.

    He however noted that in the last 15 years, the zoo has witnessed threat of losing more than 70 per cent of its land and other assets.

    He appealed to the state government to grant the renewal of the Ogba Zoological Garden and Nature Park lease agreement to facilitate its urgent re positioning.

    “We are currently working on the lease renewal. We are committed to the rapid execution of important pilot schemes in sustainable use of natural resources, including breeding programmes for community empowerment.

    “Other planned projects include the construction of a purpose-built conservation education centre, a 50- room eco-lodge, incorporating traditional architecture, amongst others.”

  • EU, World Bank hail Edo Govt. on campaign against human trafficking

    …call on other states to adopt Edo intervention model 

    The European Union (EU), the World Bank and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have commended Edo State Government’s unrelenting and well-articulated effort to curb human trafficking and illegal migration in the state.

    The stakeholders disclosed this at the 2nd Roundtable Dialogue on Managing Migration Through Development Programme (MMDP), a two-day event which kicked-off on Tuesday in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

    In his address, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said that all efforts by local and international partners in the fight against irregular migration needs to be synergised to achieve the desired results.

    Obaseki said a coordination matrix designed by Edo Government and her partners will create a platform for better collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders, avoid duplication of efforts and improve efficiency in migration management.

    He said the state government has in the last one year, entered into a collaboration with key partners which has significantly changed the narrative with regard to the fight against the scourge.

    “Since the launch of Round Table Dialogue in Abuja in May this year, several partnerships have been birthed which have contributed to the success stories” he said.

    Read Also: Akeredolu’s aide resigns appointment

    The governor noted that the state government will continue to demonstrate political will to tackle the problem of human trafficking and illegal migration by constantly finding a common ground and seeking more collaborations with other stakeholders.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who was  represented by Mr. Martin Eze, said resettlement of returnees is at the heart of the federal government’s intervention programme.

    He appealed to foreign partners, especially countries in the European Union to smoothen their visa issuance process so that eligible Nigerians, who have genuine reasons to travel abroad are not frustrated.

    In his keynote address, EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Ketil Karlsen, expressed appreciation for efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Obaseki which have seen Nigeria drop to the sixth position among countries whose citizens engage in irregular migration.

    Karlsen also commended Edo State government for launching the MMDP Coordination Matrix, noting that the EU would not fund any state operating in isolation without involving local stakeholders.

    “We are doing better now by being transparent and including our activities in the matrix and by guaranteeing that every step we take will be in that spirit,” he said.

    Mr. Karlsen said the European Investment Bank has expressed willingness to increase investment in funding economic programmes in Africa to one billion dollars to empower youths and discourage irregular migration.

    He added that a holistic approach and a legal framework has been identified to capture the return of illegal migration via investment in migration institution, youths and jobs.

    Director General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, represented by the Director of Research and Programme Development, Godwin Morka, said that the state government’s model should be studied and replicated in other states, noting that the tactical and far-reaching response by the state government is commendable.

    She noted that the state government was quite proactive in nipping the menace in the bud, noting that the coordinated approach and the institutional reforms set up to tackle the menace helped in large measure to restore hope to victims of human trafficking in the state.

    Programme Manager, MMDP, Dr. May Ikeora, said that government’s response to mitigating illegal migration include resettlement of migrant returnees, skills development, and development of at-risk communities.

    She expressed optimism that the launch of the MMDP coordination matrix will make effort at managing migration more efficiently, and said that, “The coordination matrix will lead to better information exchange and strategic planning that is evidence-based and sustainable.”