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Tag: Edo State

  • Edo group take fight against human trafficking to Uromi, others

    The Edo State Government in partnership with Concerned Citizens of Edo State, a Non-Government Organisation, have taken the campaign against human trafficking to Uromi and environs in Edo Central Senatorial District, in a renewed effort to mobilize public support for government’s efforts to curb the incidence of human trafficking and irregular migration.

    Officials of the state government and the group stormed markets and densely populated areas in Uromi, notably Angle 80, Amedokhian, Ojuromi Ultra-Modern Market, Ivue Market, among others, to drive the message and engage the people on the dangers of illegal migration.

    President of the NGO, Mr. Ogbewi Aghedo, said that the group was out to spread word on the dangers of human trafficking as available data on the trend showed that the menace is endemic in Edo State, thus requiring concerted effort from all stakeholders to discourage people from thinking that irregular migration is the only way to survive.

    According to him, “We are here to join our voice with government’s campaign against irregular migration and human trafficking. Any right-thinking Edo person would not be proud of the stigma that the menace of irregular migration has brought on our noble land. What we are here to do today is to tell the people that they should stop encouraging their people to travel illegally. Rather, they should exploit legal means to migrate.

    Read Also: Edo APC holds reschedule primaries Saturday

    “Our mandate is simple. We believe that government is doing a lot to discourage this trend. The people should also do their part. That is why we are pushing for the people to get the message, to see that their people who they think may have crossed over to Europe, may just be suffering in Libya or are even dead.

    “So this is why we are here. We have been to major markets and the densely populated parts of Uromi. This follows similar campaigns we have done in Benin City, which has changed the attitude of several people towards illegal migration.”

    Some of the residents in the areas applauded the sensitization campaign and commended government and the group for raising awareness on the menace.

    A trader, who identified herself as Madam Ebosele, said that she was alarmed by the horrors young people go through in Libya on their way to Europe, thanking the Edo State Government for leading the campaign against the menace and the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II for support the efforts.

  • UNDP Human Devt. Index: Obaseki targets best-performer status for Edo

    The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the ongoing reforms in education and health sectors would put Edo in the league of the best performing states in subsequent human Development Indices of the United Nations Development Programme.

    Obaseki gave the assurance in Benin City, the Edo State capital, following the release of the UNDP HDI Report 2018, on Friday, using year 2016 performance in: Access to decent living; access to knowledge and health.

    Edo State was ranked 12th by the UNDP  2016 Report with a value of 0.5299, followed by Imo, Osun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Anambra, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Oyo, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Niger, Kebbi, Jigawa and Kano states.

    The top performers, according to the report, are Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Ekiti states.

    Obaseki said: “The National Human Development Index released by the United Nations Development Programme which placed Edo State in the 12th position, is an eye opener but our target is to be the best-performing state using the criteria set by the UNDP.

    Read Also: Obaseki inspects new Specialist Hospital, High Court

    “It is instructive to mention that the performances used were those of 2016 and we have since scaled up our activities in education and health sectors to earn us the top spot. We are ready to unveil 7000 digital primary school teachers soon, to transform the way teaching is conducted in our basic education sector.

    “We have commenced the construction of primary health centres across the state to take healthcare to the door steps of our people, no matter how remote their locations are.”

    The governor added: “It is our hope that all these efforts would be captured in subsequent UNDP Human Development Indices to reflect Edo State’s current standing among the comity of states in the country.”

    According to media analysis of the report, with a value of 0.6515, Lagos outperformed all the other states. It also retained the title as it had placed first in the 2013 HDI with a value of 0.6716.

    “The FCT ranked second with a value of 0.6289. It jumped six places as it had placed seventh in the 2013 HDI, with a value of 0.5112.

    “With a value of 0.5909, Bayelsa placed third, stepping a place down from the second place it occupied in 2013, with a value of 0.621.

    “Akwa Ibom ranked fourth with a value of 0.5641. The state retained its placement as it had also occupied the fourth position in the previous index, with a value of 0.5698.

    “Ekiti, occupying the fifth position with a value 0.5608, was one of the highest performers in terms of ranking, as it moved 11 places by jumping from the 16th position it occupied in 2013 to the fifth in the latest ranking.

    “Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe and Zamfara states are at the bottom of the National Human Development Index, according to the National Human Development Report 2018 released by the United Nations Development Programme.”

    The UNDP explained that HDI represents a geometric average of normalised indices for each of the three dimensions of health, knowledge and standard of living.

  • Man jailed for impregnating daughter

    An Edo State Family Court has sentenced a 42-year-old man to 14 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling and impregnating his teenage daughter.

    The convict, identified as Friday Moses, was said to have been sleeping with his 13-year-old daughter since she was seven, after the death of her mother.

    Friday, a commercial motorcyclist, hails from Cross River State and lives in Edo State.

    Magistrate J.O. Ejale, who did not give an option of fine, said the sentence would act as a detterent to others.

    The victim, a primary six pupil, is five months and two weeks pregnant.

    She is the eldest child  of the convict, and is in the protective custody of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    A former seminarian, Benjamin Uzoma Nwachukwu, was also jailed 20 years by the court for defiling a teenager after a prayer session with the family the previous night.

    Others arraigned at the Family Court and remanded in prison custody for defiling teenagers were 65-year-old Matthew Omokhafe, 31-year-old Pastor Matthew Braimoh, and 33-year-old Corporal Michael Eriarebhe.

     

  • FG gives over N4m as start-up seed fund to 17 innovators

    The federal government has given out over four million naira as start-up seed fund to 17 young innovators under the Social Investment Programme at the South-South Innovation Hub in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

    Speaking at the event, the state governor, Mr.  Godwin Obaseki, said that with the start-up seed fund, the federal and state governments have demonstrated their faith in the programme.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, Obaseki said the hub is a creative and productive center set up to encourage young innovators in the South-South region to come up with innovative ideas and solutions to the problems confronting the country and hindering her development.

    “Working in partnership with the federal government, we have demonstrated the capacity to support talented youth by encouraging them to express themselves, get creative and proffer solutions to the nation’s problems. Those that have put in extra effort are those that have benefited from the start-up fund today,” the governor said.

    He assured that his administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for youth in the state to advance their ideas and utilize opportunities created by the federal and state governments to contribute to the development of the nation.

    Read Also: NUJ: Okowa congratulates Isiguzo

    The Managing Director of South-South Innovation Hub Tobi Gege, said “4,300 applications were received for the programme but the number was reduced to 87, out of which 17 performed well and today we have given them start-up seed fund.

    “The effort of the 17 young innovators have enabled them get N250,000 each from the federal government. We will set targets for them and those that meet the targets will move to the next stage where they will get N1 million.  After that they will move to the N5 million and N10million stages.”

    The focal person of National Social Investment Programme, Edo State, Miss Osayuwamen Aladeselu, said an opportunity has been created for 17 young innovators in the South-South region to become employers of labour and called on them to make the best of the start-up seed fund given to them.

    She assured that the event will encourage other young innovators and entrepreneurs to nurture their ideas and dreams as the government will continue to support those ideas to become solutions to problems.

    “I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Godwin Obaseki for the initiative and commitment to the growth and development of the youth and for providing the enabling environment to ensure the youth harness their potential and contribute their quota to the development of the nation.”

    One of the beneficiaries, Chinedu Ikemefuna, founder of SportsRevamp, an outfit dedicated to enhancing the performance of children using sports as a tool, said “The fund will help me become an employer of labour.”

  • Edo records lowest out-of-school children in Nigeria

    …as parents, teachers applaud Obaseki’s reforms in education sector on World Teachers’ Day

     

    Edo State has recorded the least number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, a recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with a number of international development partners, has shown.

    The verdict is contained in the Multi Indicator Cluster Survey 2016-17 released by NBS and signed by its Director General and Statistician-General of the Federation, Yemi Kale.

    The survey interpreted by Statisense, a data company, showed that Edo State had a total of 79,446 out of school children, the lowest in Nigeria, while Bauchi State with 1,239,759 leads the pack as the state with most out-of-school children in the country.

    The survey lends credence to the impressive efforts of Edo State in the education sectors.

    Some of the international agencies that partnered with the NBS on the survey are United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and World Health Organisation (WHO), among other.

    Other states where the figures of out-of-school children are high are Katsina with 873,633, Kano with 837,478 and Jigawa with 784,391. Other states at the end of the curve with Edo include Abia with 86,124 and Bayelsa with 86,778.

    Meanwhile, as millions observe the teachers’ day across the world, parents and teachers in Edo State have applauded ongoing reforms by the Governor Obaseki-led administration to reposition the education sector in the state.

    Governor Obaseki has continued to initiate reforms to overhaul the state’s education sector, including the Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, rehabilitation of the Government Science and Technical College, Benin City; restructuring the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen and the College of Education, Abudu, among others.

    Read Also: Obahiagbon, serving lawmakers pick APC tickets in Edo

    Speaking to journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Mr. Lucky Osato, a parent, said, “The reforms in the education sector by the governor are highly commendable. These programmes will return Edo State to her pride of place in the country. I am aware of what is going in the primary schools as well as the revamp of the technical college.”

    Mrs. Judith Osifo, a teacher in Okaigben, Igueben Local Government Area, said “I am truly impressed with Governor Obaseki’s interest in improving our skills and boosting our capacity to deliver in the classroom. Where teachers in other states are complaining of not getting their salaries as and when du, we get ours and are still benefiting from the Edo-BEST programme. What more can we ask for?”

    “Governor Godwin Obaseki has proven to us that he has our interest at heart with the training of 7,000 teachers in the basic education sector transformation programme. For me, there is no better way of celebrating me as a teacher than assisting me to gain new skills,” Mrs. Osifo added.

    Commending teachers on World Teachers’ Day, Governor Obaseki said, “Teachers are special people and deserve to be celebrated for their immense contributions to human and societal development. Daily, they painstakingly groom, nurture and mould minds and equip generations with legally and socially approved practices, skills, norms and values.”

  • Tension in Edo APC over primaries

    There is tension among members of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress over the delayed announcement of the results of the National and State House of Assembly primaries held on Thursday.

    State Chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, said the cause of the delay in announcing the results was because of some unresolved issues.

    It was not clear as at press time whether the already conducted primaries would be upheld or a new primaries conducted over complaints of irregularities.

    Many of the aspirants that were victorious like Patrick Obahiagbon, Ehiozuwa Agbonnayima, Osaigbovo Iyoha were seen at the APC secretariat waiting for the results to be announced.

    As at press time, the new panel sent by the NWC of the APC has arrived Benin and was scheduled to hold meetings with all the aspirants.

    The meeting was yet to begin.

    Read Also: Primary: My victory is for APC , Ogun people – Abiodun

    Some APC loyalists said the outcome of the primaries was a signal of a brewing war between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    The loyalist observed that many of the aspirants that lost at the primaries were Oshiomhole’s boys.

    But a chieftain of the party who pleaded anonymity said the Edo primaries were conducted according to laid down rules and procedures of the party.

    He said in all advanced democracies, the party decides whose candidate to field in an election.

    The chieftain dismissed fears of implosion in Edo APC saying all aggrieved aspirants would be reached out to.

  • Obaseki inspects new Specialist Hospital, High Court

    …sets December completion date 

    Edo State Governor Mr.  Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday was at the State Secretariat to inspect ongoing building projects and assured that the new High Court and Secretariat buildings will be ready by December.

    The governor who was also at the new wing of the Specialist Hospital in Benin City, disclosed that his administration has started test-running the facilities to prepare the hospital for a smooth take-off by the end of the year.

    The governor added that a lot of departments will be moved from the old buildings to the new wing of the hospital while some of the old buildings will be refurbished to house the state’s primary healthcare board.

    “We have set up a Primary Healthcare Board, separate from the Hospital Management Board,” Obaseki said.

    He added that his administration is doing everything possible to ensure that the High Court extension is completed by the end of the year.

    Read Also: Osun victory shows APC is preferred party – Obaseki

    “We have received feedback from judges that will use the facilities and we are incorporating their feedbacks and reactions into the design to enable the contractor make the necessary adjustments before leaving the site,” he said.

    On the office of the Accountant General, the governor said “We saw the abandoned building at foundation level, we looked at the design, redesigned it and commenced the construction which will now house the office of the Accountant General and will be called Treasury House, on completion.”

    He maintained that the building was abandoned for years and assured that his administration would ensure that there are world class facilities for workers in the state to ensure efficient service delivery.

  • World Teachers’ Day: Obaseki lauds teachers’ contributions to development

    ..restates commitment to improved welfare

     …says better days ahead with sustained collaboration of Edo teachers

     

    The Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has lauded the contributions of teachers to human and societal development across the globe, assuring that his administration is committed to improved teachers’ welfare with sustained collaboration of Edo teachers.

    Obaseki gave the commendation on the occasion of the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day marked on October 5, each year.

    “On a day like this, we must acknowledge the role teachers play in upholding the trust that parents and the society have  in teachers.

    “Teachers are special people and deserve to be celebrated for their immense contributions to human and societal development. Daily, they painstakingly groom, nurture and mould minds and equip generations with legally and socially approved practices, skills, norms and values,” the governor said.

    He emphasized that “Teachers set the tone for society’s growth and development. The quality of our human capital is measured by the quality of teachers and their disposition to raising generations of thoroughly bred youths that are sound, both in character and knowledge and are ready to take their place in the global space.”

    Obaseki explained that “In Edo State, we have identified the critical role of teachers in our growth plan and this informed our decision to birth the Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, that has kick-started a series of reforms in the education sector.

    Read Also: Victory shows APC is preferred party —Obaseki

    According to him, “Edo-BEST programme is developing a pool of highly-skilled teaching workforce for the state, by training, supporting and motivating Edo State teachers to succeed in the classroom of tomorrow; enhance the Edo State Basic Education curriculum thereby empowering children to compete effectively in the world of work.

    “The programme has started leapfrogging the basic education delivery systems by leveraging technology in education provision, gathering and utilizing accurate and timely data to drive policy and planning decisions.

    The governor added that “In the programme, every teacher receives tablets loaded with digital lesson plans for every lesson needed for each day. Head teachers are given smart phones and provided with monthly data to enable them use the software in the smart phone to register all children and take attendance and manage teacher performance in each classroom every day.”

    The United Nations said that Teachers’ Day which is held annually on October 5, since 1994, “commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

    “This Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.

    “The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching and research personnel in higher education.

    “With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education, and the dedicated target (SDG 4.c) recognising teachers as key to the achievement of the Education 2030 agenda, WTD has become the occasion to mark progress and reflect on ways to counter the remaining challenges for the promotion of the teaching profession.

    “As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day this year, we take this occasion to remind the global community that “The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.

    “This theme was chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), where education is recognised as a key fundamental right. A right that cannot be fulfilled without qualified teachers,” the global body said.

  • Edo: APC members vote in peaceful National, State Assemblies’ primary elections

    …Collation in progress

     

    Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, turned out in their numbers on Thursday to elect candidates that will fly the party’s flag in the 2019 national and state assemblies’ elections.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki was seen casting his vote at Ward 4, in Oredo Local Government of the state.

    Read Also:Buhari, eight APC governors meet in Aso Rock

    Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq. voted at Ward 7 in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area while the party’s secretary, Lawrence Okah, also voted at Ward 7 in Oredo Local Government Area.

    Chief of staff to the governor, Chief Taiwo Akerele voted in Akoko Edo.

    He said the elections were peaceful and orderly in the local government area and other areas he monitored.

    Jenkins Osunde, the chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, was at Urhokpota Hall, the collation centre for the local council and reported an orderly process.

    Chief Osaro Idah, Special Adviser to the governor on Political Matters, voted at Ward 10, Oredo Local Government Area and reported an orderly exercise.

    The primary elections were peaceful and orderly across the state as members were seen queuing to vote for their preferred candidates at the wards monitored, and collation was ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

  • IGR: Edo deploys Tech-based revenue collection scheme

    The Edo State Government has deployed its innovative technology-based revenue administration scheme which automates the entire process of revenue administration from capture, profiling, assessment generation and notification through to cashless settlement and is set to boost internally generated revenue in the state by expanding the tax net and enhancing payment convenience for citizens.

    The State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, explained that the new scheme will eliminate man-made barriers and other extraneous variables that interfere with the revenue collection process.

    According to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edo Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), Mr Igbinidu Inneh, the innovative solution christened Edo Revenue Administration System (ERAS), “is being delivered as part of the strategic institutional transformation of the EIRS and feeds off the Governor’s objective to transform Edo State into an innovation hub.

    Inneh explained that “The ERAS solution is a distributed revenue administration system which seeks to solve the challenges faced by revenue authorities in Nigeria for Edo State.”

    Tagged Project Dobberman, ERAS according to the technology partners, “in every sense has been delivered in an unprecedented record time in less than 18 months from conceptualization, partner selection to development and integration.

    “This is significantly ahead on time for the deployment of most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems anywhere in the world.”

    The EIRS boss noted that “the current tax base which grew within weeks of testing ERAS from just about 190,000 to over 250,000, will double within the first six months of operations and to one million within two years.”

    Read Also: Who gets Edo APC, PDP tickets?

    The visibly elated EIRS boss further said that “This accomplishment is truly one legacy Edo State will bequeath to the Nigerian Revenue Administration process  and indeed other emerging economies of Africa.

    On the project name ‘Dobbermann’, Mr. Inneh explained that it took its root from tax history and the strategy of Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, who first bred the Doberman Pincher dog breed  in the town of Apolda, Germany, around 1890 as the local tax collector. He ran the Apolda dog pound and aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections, which took him through many dangerous, bandit-infested areas.

     “It is simple to see that ERAS has been conceived, conceptualised and developed as the technological, modern day watch dog of government revenues.”

    He added: “The following revenue streams, Personal Income Taxes (PAYE and Direct Assessment), Withholding Tax, Land Use Charges, Consumption Tax, Vehicle Administration, Vehicle Insurance Policy Assurance, Business Premises (Regulations, Management and Control), Lottery Regulations, Stamp duties and other MDA services will be administered by the system.

    “And has payment solutions that cater for cashless and seamless transaction processing for both formal and informal sectors with online and offline features.”