The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo State

  • NUJ announces reward for information on killers of NTA reporter

    NUJ announces reward for information on killers of NTA reporter

    The Edo State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists has announced financial reward for anybody that could provide useful information that would lead to the arrest of the killers of a reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority, Mr. Lawrence Okojie.

    Late Okojie was killed on July 8 by suspected cultists while he was returning from work at about9pm.

    His corpse was found deposited at the morgue by the police who said it was cult related killing.

    Edo State Chairman of NUJ, Mr. Roland Osakue, announced the financial reward at the lying-in-state of the remains of Okojie at the premises of NUJ secretariat.

    Mr. Osakue called on security agencies to ensure adequate protection of lives especially journalists in the state.

    He challenged the police to unravel the killers of Okojie whom he described as a dedicated and hardworking journalist.

    The remains of late Okojie was later taken to his hometown, Olihin Uzea in Esan North East local government for internment.

    When contacted for comments, State Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, said the killer of late Okojie has been arrested and currently cooling his heels in prison.

    Gwandu said he received commendation for bursting the crime.

    He said increased police patrol prevented cultists in the state from carrying out deadly attacks on July 7 and August 8.

    Those two dates, according to him, were days to celebrate founder’s day for some cult groups.

    He said, “We arrested many of them in their regalia. Those into cultism did not have the chance to kill themselves. We were able to foil their operations and arrested many of them.”

  • Edo farmers seek allocation of farm settlements

    Edo farmers seek allocation of farm settlements

    Farmers in Edo State under the auspices of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN), have appealed the Edo State government to begin allotment of prepared farm slots from farm settlements to its members across the state.

    Chairman of AFAN, Chief Emmanuel Odigie, who made the appeal in Benin, when the group paid a courtesy call on the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Monday Osaigbovo, said the group has acquired 20,000 hectares of farmland in Edo South Senatorial district.

    Chief Odigie said the farmland would be used for commercial and cluster farming.

    Odigie urged the state government to give agricultural loans to farmers in fulfillment of Governor Obaseki’s promise during his governorship campaign in 2016.

    He called for the building of new farm settlements as well as reviving all old farms settlement.

    His words, “We are not oblivious of the investment the Edo State government have put in revamping agriculture, such as the Anchor Borrowers Programme, Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme, and many others which include in no small measure are very important in this new agricultural revolution.

    “The governor really try in his plans to construct earth roads in our rural areas, I must commend him because it will create employment, check rural areas for development, do not forget it will provide enough food even at a very cheaper rate,” he said.

    The Commissioner assured them that the state government would do its best to uplift the farmers in the state.

  • Edo to curb human trafficking through job creation

    Edo to curb human trafficking through job creation

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has said that the state government was planning to end incidences of human trafficking in the state through job creation, saying it was unfortunate that one out of every five trafficked persons were from the state.

    Speaking when he visited the headquarters of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Abuja, Gov. Obaseki said the state will collaborate with the NDE to create jobs for the unemployed in the state through skill acquisition and training.

    Deputy Director, Information & Public Relations of the Directorate, Edmund Onwuliri said in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja that the governor was full of praises for the efforts of the NDE towards job creation and skills development for the unemployed in the country.

    While extolling the potentials and achievements of the NDE over the years, the governor said the state government decided to collaborate with the agency because “we realise you have government mandate to create jobs, you have veritable job programmes, you also have Skills Centres to drive Vocational Trainings.

    “We are also looking into the direction of agriculture, we want our people to be trained in Poultry farming, animal rearing, fishery and even food processing. Today, we cannot talk about entrepreneurship training in agriculture without considering technology. We are convinced that NDE has done a lot in these areas. It makes a lot of sense coming to you’’.

    The governor said it was unfortunate that one out of every five people involved in human trafficking is an Edo Indigene, adding that “the problem of human trafficking will be fully addressed by his administration through the provision jobs and raise the literacy level of our people through massive enlightenment.”

    Governor Obaseki further said that the problem of human trafficking is highly related to unemployment, adding that many youths are lured into prostitution in foreign lands because of lack of decent jobs in the country.

    The Governor observed that the problem militating against socio-economic development in Nigeria is not the lack of money and resources, but wastages emanating from duplication of functions, facilities and efforts.

    He added that the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has enough structures nationwide to address the problem of unemployment in any state of the federation, stressing that the “NDE has the resources, tested job programmes, good ideas and people to drive our mission’’.

    Speaking while receiving the governor, Director-General of the NDE  Dr. Nasir Ladan Mohammed, described Governor Obaseki as a very intelligent technocrat with great passion for youth employment.

    Ladan who briefed the governor on the potentials, programmes, activities, achievements and new employment initiatives of the NDE towards creating employment opportunities for the unemployed in Nigeria said that with the spread and experience of the NDE, it has become a force in Nigeria as far as job creation is concerned.

    He described the unemployment situation in the country as worrisome and said the challenge should not be left to the Federal Government alond, adding that inter- governmental and agency collaborations is one of the ways to effectively combat unemployment in the country.

    He decried the unfortunate situation where thousands of young Nigerians have lost their lives in the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea while trying to cross to Europe in search of jobs, adding that the NDE will soon launch a robust and formidable website which will help in generating data for the unemployed and also serve as intervention tool for labour export.

    According to him, the concept will be modelled after those of the Philippines and Bangladesh where labour exchange and diaspora in-flows contribute significantly to the economy. ‘

    He said “Nigerians will travel if they wish but it shall be with dignity because there will be governmental interactions, this will also go a long way to checkmate the menace of human trafficking’’.

    He said the Edo State office of the NDE will be directed to work out a proper framework for an effective collaboration with the State Government in employment creation.

     

     

  • Obaseki swears-in 12 new permanent secretaries

    Obaseki swears-in 12 new permanent secretaries

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has sworn-in 12 new Permanent Secretaries with a charge to abide by their oath of office and shun corruption.

    Addressing the permanent secretaries comprising seven males and five females in Benin on Tuesday, Obaseki described their inauguration as a historic journey to restoring the lost glory of the state civil service.

    According to him, their appointment was based on merit and their high performance in examination conducted by Administrative Staff College of Nigeria.

    “I am urging you all not to disappoint the administration and you can achieve that by giving your best at all times,’’ he said.

    He said the administration would build a strong world class civil service, adding that the onus was on the permanent secretaries to actualize the dream.

    On capacity building, the governor said about 80 computers with internet facility had been provided to train civil servants to function effectively.

    Obaseki, however, warned against acts of corruption, promising to deal with workers found wanting.

    “Such people would not only be dismissed but would be prosecuted,’’ he said.

    Speaking on behalf of the new permanent secretaries, Dr Asogun Izielen pledged their commitment to drive the governor’s vision for the state.

    Those sworn-in include Ms Helen Adesuwa, Mrs Ruth Enoma, Mrs Juliana Olatunji, Mrs Priscillia Aziegbemhin, and Ms Itohan Bazuaye.

    Others are Mr Samuel Agbeirio, Mr Michael Iyekepolor, Rev. Uhunmwagho Obazee, Pastor Christopher Obode, Mr George Igberase and Mr Denis Juwobor.

     

  • Edo University, Iyamho not for the poor – VC

    Edo University, Iyamho not for the poor – VC

    The Management of the state-owned Edo University, Iyamho,(EUI) says the institution was established to essentially cater for academically-endowed students and the wealthy in the society.

    The Vice Chancellor(VC) of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday, in Iyamho-Uzairue, in the Estako-West local government area of Edo.

    He said: “the idea behind the establishment of Edo University by the founding fathers is neither to replace nor compete with the existing Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

    “But rather, to complement it in terms of providing world-class education with the best of infrastructure to academically-gifted students and the rich, who can afford the fees.

    “People have questioned why former Gov. Adams Oshiomhole did not upgrade AAU, than establishing a new university altogether.

    “Apart from its being capital-intensive to either renovate or bring in the needed infrastructure, the idea was to provide a different brand of education to the people.

    “We are offering world-class infrastructure and state-of-the art facilities at EUI; that is why our fees are high.
    According to him, the fees range from between N400, 000 and N450, 000 a session.

    “And that depends from which perspective you are looking at it.

    “If it is from the perspective of a private university, our fees are very low indeed, because there is no private university that charges anything lower than what we offer.

    “And only one or two public universities charge the same fees as us and that also depends on the quality of infrastructure and programmes on offer.

    “The idea of the founding fathers is for anyone to have an ambiance of everything he desires abroad in any university environment here,’’ Aluyor said.

    According to him, the university authority has also assembled first class academic and non-academic staff to complement the infrastructure and facilities, to ensure that the students are well groomed in character and in learning.

    The VC added that management had introduced an entrepreneurship programme for its students to prepare them to “become employers of labour rather than those seeking for labour.

    “We have, therefore, set up facilities for entrepreneurship training for all our students, irrespective of their course of study, to make them to become independent on graduation.

    “We are proposing a grant of between N5 million and N10 million for any graduating student with the best entrepreneurship proposal.

    “The University Council is still trying to fine-tune the modalities,’’ he said.

    Aluyor disclosed that management abhors indiscipline among staff and students, hence the withdrawal of some pioneer undergraduates and erring staff.

    “I am proud to mention that we have a dress code among our students, while all our lectures are multi-media assisted.

    “We may not be proud of this information that in our first year, we had less than 80 students admitted. But I can tell you that we had cause to expel four of them.

    “We may be young; but it does not mean we will accept every Dick and Harry as students.

    “I think what we did was showing capacity to instill discipline.

    “We have also had cause to sanction three members of staff. We are not happy to have sent them into the unemployment market.

    “But we are saying that if you can not measure up with the standard we have set down, you certainly can’t be part of the vision of the founding fathers of this university,’’ he said.

    The VC disclosed that at its inception in 2016, the National Universities Commission (NUC) only approved two faculties, namely the Arts and Social Sciences and the Sciences, respectively, to offer courses such as English, Mass Communication, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Microbiology and Computer science.

    He said that the NUC later approved for the university, three additional faculties namely Law, College of Medicine and Engineering, but added that “we will only admit students into the Law department this new session.’’

    Edo University, Iyamho, is a state government-owned tertiary institution founded in 2016. It is located in Iyamho, a town in Etsako-West local government area of Edo State.

    On March 23, 2016, the university was approved by the NUC as Nigeria’s 41st state university. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.

    On March 27, 2014, the Edo State House of Assembly passed a bill for the establishment of a University of Science and Technology at Uzairue.

    The University was, however, changed to Edo University and its location to Iyamho.

  • Edo mourns Justice Obaseki

    Edo mourns Justice Obaseki

    The Edo Government on Monday expressed sympathy over the death of Justice Andrew Obaseki on Thursday.

    Obaseki, 93, was a judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and until his death,  the Obaseki of Benin Kingdom and the head of Obaseki family.

    He was appointed to the Supreme Court bench in 1975 and retired in 1991.

    In a statement in Benin, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Osarodion Ogie, said the government expressed sympathy of the people of Edo to the Obaseki family and Gov. Godwin Obaseki over the loss of his uncle.

    Ogie recalled the remarkable judicial career of Obaseki which started in Benin City and culminated at the Supreme Court of Nigeria where he recorded ground-breaking judicial precedents and notable pronouncements in classical decisions.

    He listed some of the cases at the apex court as Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu; Garba v. University of Maiduguri; Obeko v. Olowo and Awolowo v. Shagari.

    Ogie said the late jurist led the way and cleared the path for other Edo-born jurists, such as the late Justice Omorose Akpata and Justice Samson Uwaifo, to bring honour to the Edo people.

    He said while Edo people were mourning Obaseki they were comforted that he lived long enough to see his family continue its record of distinguished public service by producing the current governor of the state.

    He prayed God to grant the soul of the departed everlasting rest and added that at the appropriate time Edo people would  celebrate him.

    Ogie described the late judge as a ‘’superstar whose memory will forever remain in our hearts as treasure and inspiration’’.

  • We’ll turn challenges to opportunities – Obaseki

    We’ll turn challenges to opportunities – Obaseki

    The Edo Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Sunday said his administration was determined to turn the present challenges in the country into opportunities.

    Obaseki spoke during an interdenominational thanksgiving service held at the New Covenant Gospel Church, Benin, to celebrate his victory at the Supreme Court.

    He said that Edo had the potential to liberate the country from its present economic hardship and he was ready to propel the transformation.

    “We are a special people created by God to show Nigeria the way.

    “As part of the former Benin Empire, we were prosperous, so we can still utilise our resources for the overall development of the state and country at large,” the governor said.

    He said that only God chose him to be the governor of Edo and he was ready to dedicate himself to work for the good of the state as well as the country.

    “Today is to thank God and the people of the state for their support and also to thank the legends God has used to propel me into politics

    “My decision to become the governor of the state was ordained; God even revealed it through my wife that I was being called to service.

    “I was the most unlikely candidate to win the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries because I did not have any political pedigree.

    “But God saw me through the rigorous electioneering period, both at the APC primaries and general election,” he said.

    The governor extolled the fatherly role his late Uncle, Justice Andrew Obaseki, played during the electioneering period, regretting that he died shortly after the affirmation of his victory by the Supreme Court.

    In his address, the Edo chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Orinane Kure, said that the body of Christ was behind the governor to ensure that his success.

    Kure described the governor’s victory as the will of God, urging him to rule in the fear of God.

    The Bishop also commended the governor and the speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Mr Justin Okonobor, for responding to the public hearing on Grazing Bill.

    The high point of the service was the offering of special prayers for the Governor and the entire citizens of the state.

    Dignitaries who were at the service include the wife of the governor, Mrs Betsy Obaseki; Deputy Governor, Mr Philip Shaibu; the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Justin Okonobor; the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Esohe Ikponmwen, and former deputy governor of the state, Dr Pius Odubu.

    A reception was held at Samuel Ogbemudia Model College, Benin after the service.

  • Universities not established for jobs creation – Obaseki

    Universities not established for jobs creation – Obaseki

    The Edo Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said universities in the country were not established for jobs creation, but to advance learning, promote research and build character of students.

    Obaseki made the assertion on Saturday at the second day of the 21st Convocation Ceremony of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.

    The governor said that most universities had deviated from their primary aim of promoting research and development and concentrated on having too many non-academic staff.

    “The university needs all levels of supportive staff, but the current practice where the number of non-academic staff outweighed the numbers of academic staff and researchers is not acceptable, not tenable and unsustainable.

    “Universities should through investment, efficient management of funds, partnership with the private and government sectors, grants from international bodies and Alumni association, thrive to be self-sustaining,’’ he said.

    Obaseki said that with the current recession, universities should not shy away from getting rid of their redundant and unproductive staff in the various faculties.

    “Universities should be able to check waste and corruption and stop relying on the government for subvention, because the government is almost broke,’’ he advised.

    The governor tasked the nation’s university authorities to engage in publication of journals, innovations and technology advancement of students to make them relevant in the present world of ICT.

    The university Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, said that the institution had achieved numerous successes in the areas of fibre optic technology, infrastructural development, internally generated revenue and accreditation of 64 programmes.

    Onimawo listed areas of need to include partnership in investment ventures such as in agriculture going by the vast arable land and dam to boost the institution’s revenue.

    Others were perimeter fencing of the school, construction and tarring of roads within the campus, building of the vice-chancellor’s lodge, completion of the administrative building and provision of more students’ accommodation.

    The Chancellor, His Highness, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe of Bida, attributed the university’s giant strides to the enabling environment provided by the state governor, saying that available resources would be judiciously utilised.

    The chancellor also commended the governor for mobilising the contractors working on the administrative building back to site, saying that completion of the project would solve the problems of office accommodation.

    The governor was installed as the 15th visitor of the institution by the state Chief Judge, Justice Eseohe Ikponmwan.

    There was also presentation of honourary degrees on Chief Tony Elumelu (Business Administration), Dr Mathew Okpebholo (Engineering) and Dr Robson Momoh (Literature).

    The university awarded Post-graduate Degrees to 130 graduands with a breakdown of 40 Post-graduate Diploma, 76 Masters Degrees and 14 Doctorate Degrees, while 2,265 graduands were on Friday awarded First Degrees.

  • KOWA urges Obaseki to be magnanimous in victory

    KOWA urges Obaseki to be magnanimous in victory

    KOWA, a political party, has urged Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo to be magnanimous in his political victory by working with all stakeholders, irrespective of political affiliations.

    Mr Thompson Osadolor, KOWA’s candidate in the 2016 Edo Governorship election, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Tuesday.

    Osadolor, who was reacting to Obaseki’s victory at the Supreme Court, described the victory as a call to unite all stakeholders for the purpose of moving the state forward.

    He said just like his previous victory at the Tribunal and Appeal Court, the Supreme Court victory had again reaffirmed that the people truly voted for Obaseki to be the Governor.

    Osadolor said: “Now that the legal battle of the governorship election has been put to rest, it is time for all, irrespective of political affiliations, to put the state at work.

    We must all now come together to work for the common good of the people and the state. We must now put our individual interest or ambition on hold for the common good of all – Osadolor.

    “As for the Governor, I urge him to see his victory as a call to unite all, whether they worked for him or not.

    “He should be magnanimous and humble enough to tap knowledge from his political opponents. What matters most is the overall development of the state,’’ he said.

    Osadolor said many candidates that contested the election with Obaseki did so with the desire to uplift the standard of living of the people and for the overall growth of the state.

    “In going into the contest, however, we were also conscious of the fact that only one will emerge as governor at the end of the day.

    “My point here is that since Obaseki defeated us to the seat, he needs our support; let us avail ourselves to assist him when he requests for it.

    “Obaseki is the governor today; his time has come and it will definitely end one day for another person to take the battle of leadership, but the state remains while leaders come and go.”

    Obaseki, who contested the election the election on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), September 2016, defeated his closest rival and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

    Ize-Iyamu, who was not satisfied with the results of the poll, challenged the victory of Obaseki at the Election Petitions Tribunal alleging irregularity.

    However, the Three-Member Edo Election Petition Tribunal in April dismissed the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, for lack of merit.

    Similarly, in June, the Appeal Court again upheld Obaseki’s victory at the poll while Ize-Iyamu proceeded to the apex court to challenge the Appeal Court’s judgment.

    In the seven-man panel at the Supreme Court on Monday, the judges, in a unanimous decision, dismissed Ize-Iyamu’s case for lack of merit.

  • Ize-Iyamu congratulates Obaseki

    Ize-Iyamu congratulates Obaseki

    Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the September 28 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki on Monday’s Supreme Court ruling which affirmed Obaseki’s election.

    Pastor Ize-Iyamu, whose petition was dismissed for lack of merit, assured Governor Obaseki of his goodwill.

    In a press statement issued in Benin City, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said the Supreme Court verdict has brought an end his struggle for the office of the governor of Edo State.

    According to the statement, “I accept in good faith this decision of the highest court of our country, which affirms Mr Godwin Obaseki as the Governor of Edo State. I therefore congratulate Mr Godwin Obaseki and assure him of my goodwill.

    “I also want to use this opportunity to thank all our supporters and party men and women for their immense support for our struggle right from the time of the election to this day that it ended at the Supreme Court. Let me assure them of my acknowledgement of their various sacrifices and promise that I will always be there for them.

    “I thank all Edo people who have been part of our struggle all the way. In our various ways we should keep the fire burning in the quest for an Edo State of our dreams.”