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Tag: Edo State

  • Obaseki urges behavourial change in anti-corruption fight

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on Nigerians to have a change of attitude by demanding probity from their leaders if the country is ever going to record meaningful progress in the fight against corruption.

    Obaseki made the submission at the one-day Round table on Behavioural Insights and Policy Making in Nigeria towards the Fight Against Corruption, organised by the African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), in conjunction with the UKAID and ActionAid Nigeria, in Abuja.

    The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, said, “The greatest threat to the elimination of corruption is the weak demand for accountability by the citizens. If the demand is weak, the supply will even be weaker.”

    He called for a change in mechanisms for the elimination of corruption and corrupt practices in Sub-Saharan Africa and noted that his administration has continued to make appreciable progress in the fight against corruption, by strengthening the state’s public procurement institutions.

    Read Also: Obaseki finalises investment with Chinese firms

    He added that the state government has embraced open data and open governance since 2013, and has domesticated the Fiscal Responsibility and the Public Finance Management laws.

    Obaseki said the state publishes contracts worth N10m and above through various media channels and has developed a performance evaluation metrics to ensure value for money in all contracts. He added that Edo State audited financial statement is published within the first quarter after the end of every financial year.

    Obaseki told participants that having the enabling laws and institutions are good and encouraging, but stressed that their objectives would only be realised if citizens work towards changing their behaviour towards corrupt people and embracing only those who are honest and hardworking.

    Participants at the event include civil society groups, members of the academia, development partners, representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), office of the Vice President, Rule of Law Advisor, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), among others.

     

  • Edo urges residents in flood-prone communities to move upland

    The Edo State Government has urged people living in riverine communities that are prone to flooding, to move upland and take refuge in safe havens that have been created in local government areas in the state.

    In a statement issued in Benin City, the Special Adviser to the Governor, on Special Duties, Yakubu Gowon, noted that “the alarm became necessary following days of persistent rainfall coupled with the opening of dams by neighbouring countries.”

    Read Also: Flood destroys farmlands, houses in Edo

    He maintained that while the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) has warned of high floods in some identified states across the country including Edo, he added that the River Niger is fast over-flowing its bank and urged people living in riverine communities to move upland.

    The governor’s aide warned that communities in Ikpoba-Okha, Ovia North -East, Esan South-East, Estako Central and Etsako East local councils have been identified as areas prone to flooding, and advised residents to “as a matter of urgency, move upland to avoid being overtaken by the menacing flood.”

     

  • Edo r-APC members join PDP

    Members of the reformed All Progressives Congress (r-APC) in Edo State have defected to the People’s Democratic Party.

    Many of the Edo r-APC defectors were supporters of Kwankwassyia movement in the state.

    They adorned the famous red cap of the movement as they marched through the streets of Bénin City to the state secretariat of the PDP.

    The defectors were former members of the PDP who joined the now defunct ruling ACN in 2012 during the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    They described their return as home coming.

    Read Also:Abductors of Edo APC chieftain demand N20m ransom

    Chief Osamede Adun, the Aiyobahan of Bénin Kingdom, who led the defectors, said he has remained with the PDP in soul even though he was a member of the APC.

    Adun said he was first forced to leave the PDP because the threat to his business interest by the state government.

    He however said he was not worried if more taxes were imposed on him because he and his supporters are determined to rout out the APC.

    Chief Adun promised that his supporters would not contest any position in the forth coming elections but that they hoped their demands would be met when it’s time for sharing after electoral victory.

    State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who gave the party’s membership cards to the defectors, said the Edo APC led by Godwin Obaseki is now experiencing ‘political Ebola.’

    Chief Orbih condemned what he termed frequent overseas trip by Governor Obaseki saying the solutions to the state problems were not in abroad.

    Orbih urged Governor Obaseki to remain at home instead of traveling to different parts of the world to find solutions to problems in the state.

    He said the defections were a sign that the Edo APC is weak and has failed to deliver on electoral promises.

    He accused Governor Obaseki of abandoning Edo people and bringing people that are unknown to Edo politics to dominate affairs of the state.

    Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, could not be reached for comments.

     

  • Obaseki mobilizes diaspora community against human trafficking

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has called on Edo people in the Diaspora to join forces with his government in the fight against human trafficking, noting that such a synergy is required to rescue the image and future of the people.

    The governor, who made the call in his address at the 27th Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW) Convention, themed Youth Empowerment, a Necessity for Edo State Development held in Toronto, Canada, called on Edo people in the diaspora to deploy their expertise in developing the state.

    Obaseki, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Chief Osaro Idah, said that the state has “the potential of becoming a high-income economy with the possibility of generating over 200,000 jobs if we embrace necessary structural changes in education and training system, prudent fiscal management, right infrastructural investments and redress our rather lopsided orientation.”

    He said the state government has opened the state up for development which has led to the influx of investors for a number of big-ticket projects being promoted by his administration, which include the Benin River Port, the Benin Industrial Park and Edo Modular Refinery, among others.

    Read Also: Obaseki finalises investment with Chinese firms

    Calling on members of the diaspora community to join the fight against irregular migration and human trafficking, he said, “prolonged indifference or lack of concerted efforts on the part of government to address the challenges of our youths and get them meaningfully engaged on a sustainable basis had snowballed into tales of perilous irregular migration and human trafficking.”

    He said that the state government has curbed the activities of Community Development Associations (CDAs) in order to set the state on the path of progress.

    According to him, “the CDAs were made up of youths who did everything possible to unleash mayhem or any other activity that undermined progress of physical development of the communities they ironically claimed to be developing while unknowingly scaring would-be investors from the state.

    “The fallout from this was the growing rate of armed robbery and kidnapping fueled by unemployment. Thuggery got highly lucrative and elections which were supposed to serve as viable means of political successions lost credibility and pandered to the wishes of abusers and violators.”

    He continued, “With these grave scenarios before us, the concerns could not just be about how to generate the jobs that would engage the youths; solutions should also involve a process of rescuing our society from the stranglehold of such nefarious acts largely perpetuated by the youths – even if it means wielding the big stick.”

  • Education reform: Edo Poly to become hub for innovators – Obaseki

    … hails institution’s synergy with military

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured that Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, formerly Edo State Institute of Technology and Management, will become a hub for world-class innovators, entrepreneurs and employers of labour, with the renewed focus of the institution to link academia and research to industry.

    Obaseki, who said this while declaring open the 2nd Eminent Scholar Lecture series organised by the institution, said that the growing synergy between the Polytechnic and industry is commendable.

    The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Christopher Adesotu, noted that the Polytechnic will produce students that would be employable after graduation and provide solutions to day-to-day challenges.

    He said, “The students would be trained to be employable and also employers of labour. As such, we will put all necessary facilities for efficient learning to make them innovators.”

    He said the theme for the Lecture series, Security challenges and the Implications on National Development in Nigeria: Engineering Technology Perspective, was apt as Nigeria seeks solutions to her security challenges.

    Obaseki said his administration is committed to providing solutions to challenges in the 21st century world, adding, “We shall spare no effort to build stronger ties with our institutions such as Edo State Polytechnic, to create solutions to security challenges.

    “My administration is keen on delivering our transformation through building local workforce and we are depending on the Polytechnic as one of the institutions to equip students with skills to drive development in the state.”

    Guest Lecturer for the 2nd lecture series, Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Auchi, Brig. Gen. Dickson Ehiorobo, reiterated the place of engineering equipment and technology in addressing security challenges.

    Read Also: Obaseki charges ‘Not-too-Young-to-Lead’ campaigners on entrepreneurship

    “This is an opportunity to sensitise the students, researchers, engineers, technologists and others involved in designing and carrying out research on military equipment on the need for a synergy to professing solutions to security challenges,” Ehiorobo added.

    Chairman, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Hon. Destiny Enabulele, commended Governor Obaseki and the management of Edo State Polytechnic for organising the lecture, noting that the council will work with the institution in line with the vision of the new management to transform it to a world-class institution.

    Rector, Edo State Polytechnic, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, said the lecture was organised to stimulate academic discourse, noting that the partnership will metamorphose into a stronger collaborative relationship between Edo State Polytechnic and the Nigerian military.

    He added, “Our students now have full access in placement for industrial training and we have an exchange programme of staff between Edo State Polytechnic and the military.”

  • FG, Obaseki, Chinese investors heighten transaction consultations

    Edo State is well on its way to clinch a chunk of the $60 billion penciled down as financial support by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, for the African continent, announced at the ongoing 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in China.

    In his keynote speech, Xi Jinping said that in the next three years China would float eight major initiatives with African countries, to realise a closer China-Africa community of shared destiny. He noted that the fields of interest for China include industry, investment, trade, infrastructure, health, culture, environmental protection and security.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki with representatives of the federal government in Beijing on Monday,  engaged representatives of the Chinese government and top-guns of the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited in China, in what followers of the investment collaboration with the Asian country, say, is the last lap of talks to secure final investment decisions and commence full scale development of the Benin River Port project, the Benin Industrial Park and the Modular Refinery

    On the Edo State Government’s side are governor Obaseki with some of his aides; the Director-General of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Yewande Sadiku, Acting Director General of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Secretariat, Alhaji Abdullateef Shittu, amongst others.

    The project is expected to open the state for foreign trade and boost local production, leveraging the state’s strategic location to attract investment and grow manpower.

    Read Also: Obaseki finalises investment with Chinese firms

    Before leaving for China,  Obaseki had approved the release of N700 million for the Benin Refinery project, which the state government is executing in partnership with a Chinese consortium.

    With the initial investment capital approved, experts conversant with the project, say the state government is well placed to seal the deals for the projects so that development work can commence in earnest.

    The governor said that the investment drive is to steer the state away from dependence on oil and set it on the path of prosperity anchored on a solid industrial base

    According to him, “We are excited about the Modular Refinery project and are certain that with our Chinese partners, we will begin work on the project in no distant time.

    The project is going to transform the state’s economy and position us as a hub for fabrication of refinery parts with the setting up of SIPS fabrication yard to groom local capacity in that sector.”

    The Chinese government also made commitment to establish the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in China. The country fully supports the goal of basically achieving food security before 2030 as proposed by African countries, and will provide one billion yuan (146.3 million US dollars) in emergency humanitarian aid to disaster-affected African countries.

     

  • Obaseki charges ‘Not-too-Young-to-Lead’ campaigners on entrepreneurship

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged youth to remain committed in their quest to add value to the society, noting that the ‘Not too Young to Lead’ campaign should motivate more youth to become entrepreneurs.

    Obaseki who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Special Duties, Hon. Mika Amanokha, made the submission when he received members of Today’s Youth Organisation in Benin City, Edo State.

    He commended youths for spear-heading the ‘Not too Young to Lead” campaign, adding that the youth should take the advocacy to other spheres of the society, and not restrict the campaign to the realm of politics.

    Read Also: Obaseki stops 10% Administration of Estate Fee

    The governor said, “If we all focus on politics and political offices, at what point do we begin to build business leaders? At what point do you begin to build careers? ‘Not too Young to Lead’ should be all encompassing, as leadership is not just about political offices.

    “You do not only become a leader by being a political office holder. If we narrow this advocacy to politics and political office alone, we will miss the point because political office holders do not make up 10 percent of the Nigerian population.”

    He tasked them to begin to look at successful businessmen and women and draw inspiration from how they started their ventures. He asked: “At what age did they start building their own businesses? What are the factors limiting young people from building such businesses today? What can be done to eradicate these factors?”

    Obaseki noted, “If we centre our advocacy around these questions and get answers; young people with their energy, enthusiasm, innovations and resilience will become leaders in the economy, technology, arts, agriculture and so much more.”

    Obaseki urged youth with interest in holding political office to participate actively and ensured that they are counted in decision making process at the grassroots, and assured that “this administration will remain youth-friendly with a very significant number of young people as Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants.

    National Coordinator, Today’s Youths Organization, Mr. Joseph C. Brown, commended the state government for its youth-friendly policies and the support for the group’s youth skills acquisition programme.

  • Voter Registration: Edo workers defy heavy downpour

    …lament slow pace of work by INEC

    Thousands of workers defied the heavy downpour on Friday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, to take advantage of the work-free day declared by Governor Godwin Obaseki, and register in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Some of the workers interviewed, commended the Edo State Government for declaring Friday work-free and explained that they had to take advantage of the opportunity to register and participate in future elections.

    Mr. Eboigbe Wellington, who spoke to journalists at the INEC Registration Centre located at Asoro Slope, Ekehuan Road, Benin City, decried the slow pace of work by officials of INEC and called on the federal government to extend the registration deadline to enable more people register.

    He also said that the heavy and persistent rainfall in Benin City has discouraged many people from coming out to register as the INEC centres have no place for people to take cover when it rains.

    Read Also: INEC lost millions of naira to flood in Edo

    “The heavy rainfall has not helped matters. People have no place to hide when it rains and as you can see, many of us are drenched while looking for where to hide from the rainfall,” Wellington said, and commended the governor for declaring Friday a work-free day.

    Mr. John Ohenhen, who was also at the INEC Registration Centre at Asoro Hill, Ekehuan Road, said he was at the centre to collect his voter card having registered in December 2017.

    He urged INEC to deploy more officials to make the registration process faster.

    The trend in other parts of the state was the same as workers turned out in their numbers to register before the expiration of the deadline by the electoral body.

  • Oil communities hail Obaseki for new focus of EDSOGPADEC

    …tech-based education, industrialisation, job creation receive priority attention

     

    Communities in the oil-producing local government areas of Edo State, comprising Orhionmwon, Ikpoba-Okha and Ovia North-East have praised Governor Godwin Obaseki for providing a new direction for the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC), which resulted in the approval of funds for industrialisation and education projects in their communities.

    The projects include the Edo Modular Refinery in Ikpoba-Okha and the roll-out of the Edo Basic Education Transformation Programme (Edo-BEST) in the three local councils.

    Read Also:Flooding: Obaseki assesses impact, distributes relief materials

    A cross-section of youths in the communities said that the roll-out of the Edo-BEST programme and the construction of the modular refinery will set the state and the local governments, in particular, on the path of progress, as it will not only develop human capital but create an enabling environment for sustainable development.

    Mr. Efosa Osaigbovo, an indigene of Ikpoba-Okha, said that the refinery project will breathe a new life to the local government and build the capacity of the people to be able to benefit from their God-given resources.

    “I am most excited with the governor’s approval because it will bring development to this local government. It will also afford youths the opportunity to develop skills for sustenance,” he added.

    Barrister Ese Oviasuyi, from Ovia North-East, said that the investment in the children will go a long way in ensuring that they are well equipped to face the realities of the 21st century as they will be able to compete with their mates from any part of the world.

    “The use of technology in our classrooms will change the lives of the children forever. This is why I applaud the decision of the governor in approving the full rollout. I am certain that everyone from the three local councils that will benefit from this will one day in the future look back and thank Governor Godwin Obaseki for this move.”

    With the Edo-BEST programme, the state government intends to revolutionise the basic education sub-sector and make it the envy of all, with high premium on continuous capacity building for improved productivity in the classroom.

    The governor approved that the roll-out programme be funded by the EDSOGPADEC, with the sum of N951,594,420.00, to cover the cost of providing top-of-the-range basic education for 62,074 children in all primary schools in the three local councils. These include the initial 11,530 children who benefitted from the pilot phase and the incoming 50, 544 pupils, who will come on onboard in the full roll-out.

    An initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, the Edo-BEST programme will “develop a highly-skilled teaching workforce by training, supporting and motivating Edo State teachers to succeed in the classroom of tomorrow; enhance the Edo State Basic Education curriculum thereby empowering our children to compete effectively in the world of work.”

    Similarly, Governor Obaseki, at a recent weekly EXCO meeting, approved the release of N700 million to be pooled from EDSOGPADEC, as redeemable preference shares (investment) in the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited.

    According to him, “the company will be involved in the production of petroleum and petrochemical products and other related businesses. The venture will enhance the local refining capacity, thereby increasing the volume of naphtha, kerosene, diesel and residual fuel oil products available in Edo State.”

  • ENAW 2018: Delegates upbeat as Obaseki parades Edo-BEST

    …seeks support of Diaspora community

    In a concerted effort to get the buy-in of the state’s Diaspora community, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will be showcasing the revolutionary Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme and the 1800-unit Emotan Gardens project, among other growth and development enablers at the Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW) Convention in Canada.

    The four-day Toronto convention, the 27th in the series, will hold from August 31 – September 3. It is arguably the single largest gathering of Edo professionals in the Diaspora, making it a key stakeholder in the state’s affairs.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki, will lead the state government’s delegation to the Toronto convention and will be showcasing a bouquet of projects, which needs the input and buy-in of the Diaspora community.

    Among the star projects listed to feature in the governor’s discussions is the Edo-BEST programme, for which approval has been given for full roll-out in three oil and gas producing local government areas, comprising Ovia North East, Orhionmwon and Ikpoba-Okha. A pilot phase is running in select local governments across the state. However, more investment is needed for full roll-out across the state.

    An initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, the Edo-BEST programme, will develop a highly-skilled teaching workforce 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 is expected to leapfrog the basic education delivery systems by leveraging technology in education provision and to gather and utilise accurate and timely data to drive policy and planning decisions.

    Read Also: I spoke my mind to Obaseki – Ex-Commissioner

    In the programme, every teacher will receive 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 other project is the 1800-unit Emotan Gardens, an ambitious real estate project, that seeks to rejuvenate the state’s real estate sector and provide affordable housing to residents and those in the Diaspora. The state government is developing the estate through the Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA) in partnership with MIXTA Africa, a renowned real estate and property development company.

    Executive Chairman, Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA), Isoken Omo, in the build up to the convention, assured that a mix of engagement strategies would be deployed in the state government’s effort to meet the housing and other needs of Edo people in the diaspora.

    According to her, “The Edo State Government and her partners are upbeat about the Emotan Gardens and similar housing projects coming on stream soon. It is an opportunity many of our people have been waiting for to acquire decent housing through a very transparent process devoid of encumbrances.”

    She explained that “the appeal of Emotan Gardens has been phenomenal, as would-be subscribers are just waiting for us to open sales. Governor Obaseki is passionate about this product and will be exhibiting it at the ENAW Convention.”

    Another sector expected to be featured by the government at the ENAW Convention is the ease of doing business, specifically in the built sector, following the signing of the Private Property Protection Law, which has abolished the activities of Community Development Association (CDAs).