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Tag: Edo State

  • Awosika mentors Edo youths on entrepreneurship

    Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, has charged youths in Edo State to take advantage of funding opportunities, especially low-interest credit facilities, to grow their businesses and contribute to the development drive of the state government.

    Awosika, who was a guest speaker at a two-day workshop for entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the state, said that the Bank of Industry (BOI) presents a good window of opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to scale.

    According to her, “Young entrepreneurs should take advantage of credit facilities offered by the BOI. The funding from BOI is at a price that no commercial bank can offer small businesses and start-ups.”

    She said, “youths don’t have an excuse not to be able to start-up small businesses in a country of almost 200 million people. All that is required is a platform through which people can be aware of an entrepreneur’s product or service.”

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Edo State, Mrs. Magdalene Ohenhen, urged participants to take advantage of the opportunity created by Governor Godwin Obaseki to groom themselves and grow their businesses, adding, “As the state has continued to create opportunities for youths to make wealth, I urge them to remain focused and dream big as the governor is determined to assist youths achieve that dream.”

    Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation and Skills Development/Head EdoJobs, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said the workshop was organised for budding entrepreneurs, noting, “The collaboration between the state government through EdoJobs and First Bank of Nigeria is long term, which would facilitate the creation of job opportunities for youths in Edo State, in line with Governor Obaseki’s promise to create 200,000 jobs.”

    Dare said the workshop would equip the young entrepreneurs with skills that would enable them focus on the future while contributing their quota to the development of the state, stressing, “There are lots of opportunities out there for entrepreneurs to expand their market. The training was also packaged to assist them grow their businesses through which they would also employ others.”

    According to her, “There is arrangement in place for the participants to get access to funds which would serve as capital for their businesses. They would have access to the fund after completing the training.”

    Dare urged youths in the state to register on the EdoJobs portal as registration on the portal still continues, noting, “Those who participated in the training had their data captured on the portal.”

  • Edo recruits 3,600 youths for intelligence gathering

    Edo State Government said it has commenced the recruitment of 3,600 youths across the state to help provide local security intelligence and sustain security of lives and property.

    The 3600 youths to be sourced from the 18 local government areas would be trained by the Nigeria Police Force.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki who stated this while addressing participants of the 2018 Senior Executive Course 40, National Institutes for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, who were on a study tour to the state faulted the centralised security arrangement in the country.

    Governor Obaseki said it does not make sense from a political and economic standpoint.

    Obaseki said the country needs a strong federal police system and allow states as well as local government to have policing arrangements.

    He noted that a central police system could be well equipped and funded so that it can demobilise any of the state or sub-national police systems that may want to cross the line.

    According to him, “We cannot understand and articulate the issue of our security outside our economic and political contexts and I believe that should be the starting point.

    “If we, as a country, do not begin to restructure particularly the economic arrangements and begin to invest a lot more in public growth for the benefit of the country, and if we are not able to begin to achieve a level of economic growth, security will continue to be a major challenge.”

    “The youths will be trained by the Nigerian Police as we have reached an agreement with the hierarchy of the Force to provide the youths world-class community policing training to prepare them to discharge their tasks effectively and help fight crime in the society.”

    “A minimum of 20 young men and women will be recruited from each ward where they reside. The state government would deploy these youths on intelligence gathering which will include supplying relevant authorities with needed information required in the fight against crime in the society,” he added.

    Leader of the Senior Executive Course, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Musa Katsina commended the governor for the progress made in restoring law and order as well as creating conducive environment for investors in the state.

    Katsina noted that crime rate in the country requires the contribution of all, adding “in the past, issues bothering on crime was the business of everyone. Unresolved crimes damage the reputation of law enforcement agencies as well as threaten the country’s internal security framework.”

  • ‘Policemen’ kidnap, extort businessman in broad daylight

    A Benin City based businessman, Uche Ezedike on Monday relived his horrible encounter with some patrol policemen at Onitsha, Anambra State, who kidnapped, extorted him of N130,000.

    Ezedike said the policemen, numbering about five, had stopped his vehicle around 11:30am at Upper Iweka Bridge, while he and his younger brother were returning to Edo State from their home town in Imo.

    Ezedike said the policemen, who were not fully kitted, flagged down their vehicle, asked where they were headed and where they were coming from, which he answered courteously.

    He said: “I told them we were returning to Benin City from Imo State. One of them demanded to search my boot, which he did and found just our clothes and shoes. “He then asked my occupation and I told him that I am a businessman and that I sell tyres. He said I was lying that I looked like a fraudster and instantly pointed a gun at me and pushed me into my car.

    “He called one of his colleagues to point a gun too at my younger brother, who was on the steering and demanded the car key from my brother. They dragged my younger brother to the back seat, handcuffed us together and sped off into Onitsha town.

    “While one of them took over the steering, the other pointed a gun at my brother and I, who were already handcuffed. The man driving drove for almost 10 minutes. I asked where we were going but he shut me up that I will know when we got to the destination.

    “I became afraid and asked him why he was not taking us to the police station. I was begging them and my younger brother was crying. The driver later stopped on a very lonely road and demanded that I pay them N1,000,000. I told him that I do not have. I continued to beg them and told them that I was rushing to see my pregnant wife, who was to undergo surgery to remove fibroid that was growing alongside the baby in her womb.

    “They threatened to kill my younger brother at the spot if I did not give them the money they asked for. The threat was much that I had to beg them to allow me call my family or friends. They allowed me access to my phone and asked that I put it on speaker, which I did.

    “I called a friend for money, who asked me what was happening but I could not tell him because the one at the back was pointing his gun directly at me. My friend said he had only N30,000. I then called my wife and asked her for money but did not tell her what was happening. She said the only money with her was the money I gave her as deposit for the surgery.

    “The amount was N116,000 in her account, they demanded the money be transferred including the one from my friend. I asked how and one of them said he would call for account. He called and it was a woman’s voice. An account number was sent through his phone and I gave it to my wife through my brother’s Whatsapp. I also sent the account number to my friend.

    “My friend’s N30,000 transfer came in first and within five minutes my wife transferred N100,000 into the same account they gave. Within five minutes again, the woman called and told them she has received alerts

    “They told me that God has saved my brother and I. The one at the steering drove off again and after five minutes, I saw an expressway and they showed us how to go to Benin. They stopped, removed the handcuff and asked my brother to drive off immediately. It was like a dream to me and I imagined what other people might have passed through.”

    Contacted, spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command, Nkiru Nwude appealed to the victim to report officially at the police division where the incident occurred so that an investigation can commence.

    Nwude said: “I am not aware of this case. I do not think it was officially reported at a police station. It is an allegation and it would be wrong for me to say the culprits are policemen or not. But I can tell you that cases of indiscipline by our operatives have reduced since Commissioner of Police Garba Umar took over.

    :The best thing at the moment is for the victims to report officially so that investigation can commence. Since there was a bank transaction, tracking the culprits would be a lot easier.”

  • Miyetti Allah vows to fish out criminal herdsmen

    The national body of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has vowed to fish out criminal herders in Edo State.

    It said there was no need for herdsmen to destroy farmlands in Edo because of abundant grass in the state adding that they have requested to allow some of their members be part of the state government committee.

    National President (ARDON ZURU) of MACBAN, Alhaji Mohamed Kirowa, spoke in Benin City at meeting with farmers in the state convened by the State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo.

    Alhaji Kirowa whose speech was presented by Secretary General of Association, Alhaji Baba Usman, said crisis between farmers and herders in some states would have been averted if the state governors adopted the body’s initiative.

    Kirowa stated that the peace experienced in Ekiti, Katsina and Sokoto was because the governors followed their initiative.

    He assured farmers in the state that real herdsmen would not destroy their crops again.

    Kirowa told the farmers that any herdsman sighted moving freely with dangerous weapons are cattle rustlers and criminals.

    His words, “We are peace loving association that is what why we have prominent citizens as members of this association. This association has been in existence for more than 30 years. We don’t condone violence in whatever way. We are not a party to whatever form of atrocities.

    “We see the violence as being perpetrated by criminals. What a lot of people don’t know is that our members, the pastoralists are at the receiving end of most of this crisis. Our members have lost over 2 million cows to cattle rustling. Our members also suffer from hands of the kidnappers.

    “The greatest offence of the herders is the destruction of farmlands. We always spoke against night grazing. We don’t like it. Politicians have made the crisis a political ground. They take advantage of the crisis for their political end.  We must fish out criminals in our midst.

    “We suffer from them, we suffer from the kidnappers. They kill herdsmen, collect their cows and continue to move. The Media houses are not being fair us that is way their report is one sided. We have been in Edo for the past three days. We came because of what is happening across the state. We have talked with our members..

    “We have come to sensitise and told them how they should be behaving. We are not a violent association. We are a responsible association. If you respect your cows, you have to respect the farmlands of people.

    “It is our hope that things will begin to change. We are here because Governor Obaseki has concern for security. We are mediating with farmers. I am sure from now on things will begin to change. If we continue to sustain this, things will begin to change.”

    Spokesman for the Edo farmers, Osadolor Odunamen, said they would watch out to see if herdsmen in the state would obey the directive of their national body.

    Osadolor stated that it is only when the herdsmen stayed away from their farms before they would believe them and ensure peaceful co-existence.

    Kokumo on his part said the meeting was to ensure that herdsmen are made to be law-abiding.

  • Over 1, 500 teachers complete training on tech-based teaching in Edo

    …as Obaseki launches Edo-BEST

     

    To kick-start the overhaul of the Edo State’s basic education sub-sector, Governor Godwin Obaseki has launched the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, with over 1,500 teachers in the state graduating from the training on Information and Communication Technology-based teaching method.

    Obaseki urged parents to take advantage of the reforms in the state’s education sector and warned that Education Marshals will be deployed across local government areas to stem loitering by school children. He said parents who fail to ensure that their children are enrolled and remain in schools will be arrested and fined.

    Speaking at the launch of Edo-BEST Programme at Samuel Ogbemudia College in Benin on Thursday, April 19, 2018, Obaseki said the state would work with Local Government Areas (LGAs) to coordinate the Education Marshalls, who would be on the watch to ensure students do not loiter about during school hours.

    “If a child is found loitering during school hours, he or she will be apprehended and the parent of the child will also be arrested and fined,” he warned.

    The governor also assured that perimeter fencing will be erected around all schools across the state, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari tasked all state governors to ensure security in schools.

    He added that any building located inside the schools would be fenced in and such properties then automatically belong to the school.

    The governor stated that his administration wants to ensure that any child who receives basic education would be able to read and write, which is why new technology-based learning method is being deployed in the state’s basic education sub-sector.

    He assured that the Edo-BEST programme would be extended to all schools in the state, calling on communities to show commitment to protecting schools from vandalism.

    Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, said the overhaul of the basic education sub-sector and the adoption of new methods of teaching and learning will bring unprecedented change to the sector.

    He said the governor would kick-start a reward system for teachers who distinguish themselves in the Edo-BEST programme.

  • Edo to revamp college campus to train basic school teachers

    The Edo state Government says it will revamp the Abudu campus of its College of Education in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state for the training of basic education teachers.

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki disclosed this to journalists in Abudu on Tuesday after inspecting the college buildings which were in a dilapidated state.

    Obaseki said his administration has decided to revamp the campus to train a new crop of basic education teachers and qualify them for the new education system in the state.

    “We are here to review the plans and design we have with the contractor so that they can move to site immediately.

    “We have a funding plan for the school because it is a priority and very important to us.

    “We have commenced training of teachers in the basic education sector of the state to help them participate in the new reforms we have introduced to our basic education system.

    Read Also: Obaseki swears-in two Edo High Court justices

    “About 2000 basic education teachers and 300 schools will participate in the pilot phase of the new programme.

    “We intend to have a school that focuses on the training of teachers for our basic education system,” he said.

    Obaseki said that the rehabilitation work at the college would not affect ongoing academic work in the college campus.

    He explained that the state would run the Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor and have one College of Education with three different campuses.

    “One of the campuses which is at Abudu will focus on basic education, the Igueben campus will focus on technical and secondary education and the third campus is at Auchi,” he said.

    NAN

  • Edo council boss targets N20m IGR monthly

    Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Hon Patrick Aguinede, has said that he hoped to raise the Internally Generated Revenue of the council to N20m monthly.

    Hon Aguinede who was sworn-in as chairman in March 2018 said the council was only generating between N68, 000 and N108,000 daily.

    Aguinede, who spoke to our reporter in Ekpoma, headquarters of the local government, said he has been able to raise the daily revenue to between N850,000 and N1m daily.

    He said he had to spend two hours daily in the streets of Ekpoma and adjoining communities sensitizing the people on the need to pay their leveis and rates.

    Aguinede stated that he inherited a council that was indebted to the tune of over N400m and eight months unpaid salaries.

    The Esan West Council boss said his decision to embark on massive revenue drive was to fulfill his electioneering campaign promises.

    His words, “I met a council that is without fund. I met a council that is indebted to the tune of over N400m. I met a council that is owing workers eight months salaries.

    “We came on Board on March 5th. We are still trying to settle down but we have paid salaries for the month we came in. We have looked at the environment and convinced that the allocations including the Internally Generated Revene is well managed we will be able to come out of the financial mess we met.

    “If I get N20m monthly, why will I not construct Road? Why will I not make health centers functional? Why will I not provide basic amenities and pay salaries? My desire is to raise money to satisfy the people.”

  • Sports sector reforms: Work intensifies on Ogbemudia Stadium revamp

    The Edo State government has intensified work on the revamp of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium to meet international standard as part of the overall reform of the sports sector in the state.

    According to the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, the walls are being reinforced with concrete pillars and all the roads and drainage system in the area hosting the stadium are undergoing reconstruction.

    “Edo people deserve a world class stadium. Our contribution to sports globally is common knowledge both in the number and quality of athletes Edo State has produced for the world stage. We also want to provide standard playing fields for our young ones whose turn it is to replicate the success stories of yesteryear,” Obaseki said.

    He maintained that “sport is a huge industry with allied businesses that can take most of our idle youths away from the streets. We want to produce more Victor Moses, Julius Aghahowa, Austin Eguavoen, Osazee Odemwingie and Odion Ighalo.”

    He said part of the reforms of the state’s sports sector includes the rebranding of Bendel Insurance and the club’s restructuring to ensure that the club can overcome funding, administrative and other challenges.

    The 20 mini-stadia that will be spread across the state will serve as talent grooming and skills honing ground for youths in the 18 local government areas.

    On completion, the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium’s tartan tracks and the offices will be modernised while the synthetic grass in the pitch would be replaced with natural grass. The gymnasium and the lawn tennis courts would also be upgraded to international standard.

    There will be a roof over the entire stand of the stadium. The trusses that will support the roof are being erected already.

    The swimming pool is part of the project but it will be done in the second phase. The entire renovation work will be completed by October.

    Bendel Insurance of Benin will now play its home matches at the University of Benin football field as a result.

  • Quadruplets’ death leads to health insurance scheme in Okpekpe

    Six years ago, the people of Okpekpe community in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State rolled out their drums to celebrate the construction of a road leading to their community. It was dream former Governor Adams Oshiomhole brought to reality because previous administrations told them they were cursed to live in a terrain where road construction is difficult if not impossible.

    The access road to Okpekpe made it play host to the annual 10 kilometre road race that has been granted the silver label by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Despite the fanfare associated with the road race, the people of Okpekpe are not happy. The only primary health centre in the community is in a state of disrepair which made expectant mothers in the community patronise traditional birth attendants while sick children are given herbal concoctions.

    In February this year, a woman (names withheld) was delivered of quadruplets in Okpekpe but all the babies, including their mother, died before they could be rushed to Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area for adequate medical care

    Explaining how the babies died, Mrs. Vivian Yole, who is the only nurse at the government-owned primary health centre, said the woman, as is the norm of expectant mothers in the community, did not register for ante-natal services. She also stated that after the woman was delivered of one of the babies at home, she was rushed to a birth attendant before she was brought to the health centre where she gave birth to three others.

    Mrs. Yole said all the babies died because no incubator is available at the hospital.

    “The woman was delivered of one her babies at home. They rushed her to a place where she gave birth to another one before they brought her here. All the babies were premature and we don’t have incubators. They all died before they could take them to Auchi.”

    When reporters were conducted around the health centre, the wards were empty and unkempt. What makes the situation worse is that anytime Mrs. Yole travelled to meet her family in Benin City, the health centre is shut down.

    She said: “I am the head of primary health centre (PHC), Okpekpe. I have been working in Okpekpe since March, 2014. We received five to six patients weekly on the average. Every Tuesday is our ante-natal day. Many of the women do not come. Sometimes only two or three women will come.

    “If the children are sick, the parents will not bring them here. They will go to quack chemist stores to buy drugs to buy. They will not bring the children until the children are into coma or convulsing. Many children we receive here are in critical situation. They struggle to be alive before their parents bring them here. We have to refer them to Auchi to be attended to by a doctor.

    “We don’t have doctors here. We have equipment to carry out malarial tests but there is no laboratory here. We can only carry out tests for malaria, HIV and blood sugar. We treat malaria here but other ailments are referred to Auchi.

    “I am the only nurse here but my family lives in Benin-City. I was transferred to here in 2014. Sometimes I spend two weeks here. When I am out, there is nobody here. Since January, we have taken only four deliveries including the quadruplets.”

    To reverse the ugly trend and prevent other babies from dying like the quadruplets,  members of the community, in collaboration with the Women Health Action Research Centre (WHARC), last week launched a health insurance scheme known as the Okpekpe Women and Child Health Programme.

    The scheme, according to the Head of WHARC, Prof. Friday Okonofua, was to ensure that expectant mothers and children have access to quality health care even when they do not have money.

    Prof. Okonofua stated that the reasons given by the women for not visiting the health centre were untenable. He listed the reasons to include lack of transportation, decayed facilities at the centre, lack of adequate medical personnel and no money to buy prescribed drugs.

    “We must find a solution to these problems. We cannot allow the women to die further. Nigeria has the worst indicators of health. It is unacceptable for our women to die while giving birth.

    “The idea of this launch is to ensure that no woman in Okpekpe who is pregnant will die while giving birth. No child born in Okpekpe will die in the first five years. That is the most vulnerable years. The future of Okpekpe and the state rest on the young people.”

    Clan head of Okpekpe,  Peter Osigbemeh, disclosed that he was saddened by the death of the quadruplets, which was why the community  committed N2 millon towards realisation of the project. He disclosed that N1.5m was spent to renovate the doctor’s quarters in the community while N500,000 was to be deposited in an account for buying of drugs.

    Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the state government had begun plans to revamp PHCs across the state.

    Osagie said the government has commenced the renovation of 25 PHCs in some selected local government areas.

  • Edo partners EU on water projects in 46 communities – Commissioner

    The Edo State Government says it is partnering with the European Union (EU) to provide potable water to 46 rural communities across the state.

    The Commissioner for Water and Energy Resources, Mr Yekini Idaiye, stated this in an interview with our reporters on Wednesday in Benin.

    Idaiye, who was reacting to an allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that government was playing politics with water projects in the state, denied the party’s allegation.

    State PDP Chairman; Chief Dan Orbih who addressed journalists in Benin had accused the state government of playing politics with water projects in the state.

    Orbih said there were no water projects in the state, adding that the state government was defrauding International Donor Agencies, claiming non existing water projects.

    But the Commissioner said that the party’s position on the water projects was not only false, but also misleading.

    Idaiye said contrary to the PDP’s allegation, the state government was conscious of its responsibility of providing basic amenities to the people.

    He said while some of the water projects were at various stages of completion, others were expected to commence in April, adding that the state government had prepared ground for their take-off.

    Commissioner listed some of the benefiting communities of such projects to include, Iguatakpa, Omorodion, Okoro II and Agbontaen in Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state.

    Others, Idaiye said, were; Omhemi, Egbogio, Auchi and Ibienafe in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.

    “It is very disheartening to note the level at which PDP plays politics without getting the true situation of issues before criticising through public media.

    “During the PDP administration, it is very pertinent to note their inability and lack of ingenuity to turn Edo around, in terms of projects implementation and lack of foresight.
    “These were their challenges but the administration under the APC leadership has demonstrated its skilful knowledge, foresight, expertise and ingenuity in governance.

    ‘’This we are doing toward the provision of potable and affordable water for the people through partnership with EU to achieve it.

    “People in Auchi and environs will begin to enjoy potable water from Urban Water Works as a result of the ongoing rehabilitation and reticulation.

    ‘’Same goes for the people within Uromi and its environs who will soon begin to drink water from water works as reticulation and metering commence very soon.

    “While we appreciate criticism done in good faith, Orbih is hereby advised to always carryout investigation before raising false alarm in order not to mislead the people,” Idaiye said.

    NAN