The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo

  • Girl electrocuted in Edo

    IT was a black day yesterday for residents of Ujabhole-Uwessan in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State as an 18-year-old girl was electrocuted.

    Iyogosa Godsday was reportedly hit by a Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) high tension cable, when she was spreading clothes on a drying line.

    An eyewitness, Adubuka Ehimen, said the teenager was trying to spread the clothes just a few meters from the house when suddenly she was hit by the huge tension wire.

    He added that sympathisers could not help for fear of being electrocuted.

    “Iyogosa came out of the house after that heavy Sunday rain and was spreading her clothes on the rope in front of their house at Idumu Asse when she was hit by the wire, immediately she fell and died.

    “No PHCN official has come to the village even after we reported the case at the Irrua station.”

     

     

    The Zonal PHCN spokesman, Mr. Fadipe, could not be reached for comments.

  • ‘Minister lied about Edo roads’

    The Edo State Government has slammed the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, for his comments on roads in the state.

    In a statement, the governor’s media aide, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, said: “It is irresponsible for any public officer to advertise falsehood and distorted facts. The fact that Edo and Lagos states did not host Maku and his co-travellers on their ill-advised good governance tour is not enough grounds for him to lie to Nigerians.

    “This is undeserving of a public officer feasting on tax payers’ money. Thank God he got a spontaneous response when the audience booed him out of his shameless emanations and illogical presentation.

    “With public officers like Maku, it is understandable why President Goodluck Jonathan appears fixated on performance. It was good that the government disowned the good governance tour, otherwise, Maku and his team would have showcased projects that were exclusively sponsored and executed by the state government as those of the Federal Government.

    “Rather than apologise for the Federal Government’s failure to fulfil its promsde` ise to Nigerians, the minister has embarked on sycophancy. We expected Maku to lay his mat and sleep on the Benin-Ore road since, according to him, the road is now brand new.

    “Thank God people are still passing through that road everyday and they can see the volume of work that has been done. We implore Maku to seek forgiveness for his provocative presentation.”

     

  • Brazilians ready to invest in Edo

    OVER 20 investors from the State of Rio Grande Do Sal, Brazil, met yesterday with Edo State Government officials, expressing their interest to invest in agriculture and other economic sectors.

    The leader of the delegation, Luiz Fernando Mainardi, expressed their satisfaction with the business environment in the state.

    He said: “Edo has huge potentials for investment.

    “We are happy to be in the state and we intend to invest in agriculture, health, tourism and other areas of interest.”

    Deputy Governor Pius Odubu, who spoke for his boss, said the state has provided the conducive environment needed for investment.

    “We appreciate this trade visit, which we hope will blossom into a rewarding mutual business partnership,” he said.

     

     

     

     

  • Edo not subsidising pilgrimage

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said government would not use tax payers’ money to subsidise pilgrimage.

    Oshiomhole spoke yesterday when the zonal federal commissioners and officials of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission visited him.

    The governor said: “For those who want to travel for pilgrimage, we cannot discourage them.

    “But what I am not ready to do is to take tax payers’ money to subsidise a trip for someone who wishes to go and pray.

    “I have issues with that because people who pay taxes work hard to pay.

    “If you look at the challenges we face, many are homeless, so many communities without water, many schools we have rebuilt and still many more to be done; so many people are unemployed; many are hungry.

    “When you look at all these and several other problems, I am of the opinion that pilgrimage is not a priority. It is a luxury.”

  • AGN suspends Edo chair

    AGN suspends Edo chair

    THE financial crisis rocking the Edo state branch of the Actors Guild of Nigeria was during the week laid to rest with the suspension order slammed on the state executives of the body.

    The former chairman of the state branch, Mr. Osagie Alegbe who was alleged to have embezzled about seven hundred thousand naira was suspended for a year from the Guilds activities.

    He was also asked to refund the said money within ninety days and pay a hundred thousand Naira fine before he can be re-absorbed into the Guild.

    The letter of suspension dated May 3, 2013 and signed by its National President, Ibinabo Fiberesima stated that Osagie must write a letter of undertaking to be of good behavior upon completion of his suspension.

    “Sequel to the recommendation of the probe panel set up to investigate the financial misappropriation and embezzlement leveled against you by some members of the Edo state Chapter of our noble Guild during your tenure as chairman, and having been found guilty of all the allegations.

    “I write to inform you of the decision of the National Executive Committee of the Actors Guild of Nigeria to suspend you from the Guild for one year with a fine of a hundred thousand naira.

    You are to refund six hundred and forty thousand naira to the Edo state chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria within 90 days”, the letter read in part.

    Others suspended for a year and to pay a fine of fifty thousand naira before they are re-absorbed back into the Guild are Enabulele Austin, Chris Isokpehi, Kelly Eghosa Ogbemudia, Stanley Orobosa and Joe Opute.

  • Stallion Group to produce rice in Edo

    Stallion Group has concluded plans to invest in rice production in Edo State.

    The management of the company spoke of its plan in Benin City yesterday when it visited the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere. Ihonvbere said the Stallion Group’s move was worthwhile.

    The Business Development Manager, Stallion Group, Mr. Sunil Dhermappa, said the company was desirous to replicate its businesses in Edo State.

    He said: “We have the largest capacity of rice mills in sub-Saharan Africa, with factories at strategic locations in Lagos and Kano to enhance prospects of processing local paddy and with capacity of 4 million bags per annum. With over 25 years of active presence in Nigeria, a thorough and well grounded knowledge of the Nigerian market is one of our competitive advantage.

    “We want to come here to invest and farm here, especially rice production. Our investments into local industries is to maximise manufacturing opportunities, utilisation of world class products in technologies and equipment and utilisation of abundant natural talents.”

  • NSCDC intercepts crude-laden tanker in Edo

    Men of the Edo State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have intercepted a tanker laden with suspected stolen crude oil.

    The tanker, whose registration number is XC 386 EZA, was intercepted at Esan Central Local Government Area of the state.

    Executive Director of the state Petroleum and Gas Monitoring Task Force, Chris Okaeben who paraded the tanker, called on both the state and the Federal Government to institute stringent measures against pipeline vandals.

    He said: “This tanker is loaded with suspected stolen crude oil from one of the vandalised oil pipelines in Edo Central. It was intercepted by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and was brought to my office this afternoon.

    “It is very unfortunate that, in this state, criminals still indulge in acts of vandalising petroleum pipelines. They are frustrating government’s efforts at improving the economy.”

    Okaeben called for collaboration with security agencies to tackle crude oil theft and adulteration of petroleum products.

    He also inspected sales of petroleum products at some filling stations at Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo where he warned the owners not to sell fuel above approved pump price of N97 per litre.

  • Edo, MAN inspect 108 hectares of land for industrial park

    Edo State Government and a delegation of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN) yesterday, inspected a 108 hectares of land proposed for Industrial Park by the government.

    The facility is located on Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City.

    The Secretary to Edo State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who led the government delegation including, the Executive Director, Public Private Partnership office, Mr. Igbinidu Ineh said: “This is a launch pad for the industrialization agenda of the Comrade Governor. This is a huge investment site with over 108 hectares. If developed, it will improve the real income of our people.

    The SSG went on: “Today is a huge step forward. I do not see a problem here in terms of making it available for MAN. We want to see activities taking place here, create employment for people and landlords can come around here too thereby making the area more developed. With this kind of land becoming an industrial park, we will make Edo great again.

    “The challenge would be to develop the proposal and make it easy for the Governor to have an overview of the plan and when investors come to us, we then know what to tell them and where to give them. There is a company coming from China that wants to do vehicle assembling in Edo State.

    “I have no doubt that the whole idea will create job, increase productivity and real income. The proposal will declare your intention to the Comrade Governor,” Ihonvbere told MAN delegation.

    But the state government says it has a strategic plan which runs through 2016. According to Ihonvbere, “a section of the strategic plan deals with industrial policy. The plan, which goes on to 2016 is such that any other government that comes will have a flow in and continue from there and can also adjust what needs to be adjusted”.

    As for the technical committee on the industrial policy, Ihonvbere said, “I think we can work on that, we can get some people from your side and from our side to look at the policy positions of government and fine tune it and see where we go.

    “Discussions are also on going with those who want to build multi-layer parking lots. We have a situation in which people have operated in a very lawless way. All the beautification done in Ring Road have been destroyed by people. They build parks anywhere, they sell vehicles anywhere, they don’t want to obey traffic laws or traffic wardens.

    “In many parts of the civilized worlds, you don’t have traffic wardens on the road but here, even with the traffic light, you still need to put somebody there. We will continue to do our best, we will continue to train our traffic officials to be discipline and respect road users and appeal to road users to do likewise.

    “The task of rehabilitating and repositioning the state is enormous. If we had met the state where it is today, you can be rest assured that we would have done more but while other states were moving forward, we now try to drag ourselves from the abyss up to where we are today.

    “Given the work of the Comrade Governor, Edo state caught the attention of international community; three weeks ago, the Governor was invited to address the World Bank on citizens response to public policy, this is very unusual.

     

     

     

  • Falana advocates coroner’s law for Edo

    •Calls on minister to apologise •Widow curses killers

    •Failure to find killers unsettles NLC

     

    Activist lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the Edo State Government to enact a coroner’s law to investigate causes of unnatural deaths in the state.

    Falana said there have been so many killings in the country that the citizens can no longer wait for the Federal Government.

    He said an inquest would enable the state find the killers without relying on the police.

    Falana said states like Lagos had the law and it is working.

    He promised to offer free legal services to the state, if it decides to begin investigation of murder cases.

    The Lagos lawyer spoke in Benin City yesterday at a lecture entitled: “Citizens Rights, Youths Engagement and National Security” to mark the one year memorial service for the late Principal Private Secretary of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Olaitan Oyerinde.

    Oyerinde was murdered on May 4, last year.

    Falana described the late Oyerinde as a man who was “committed to the positive transformation of the society.”

    He said for Nigeria to ensure adequate security, there must be an end to impunity and official granting of amnesty to those who carry out violent activities.

    The rights activist called for the investigation of extra-judicial killing by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    His words: “In marking today, we realise that no one is safe in the country. In a country of over 100 million people, there are only 47,000 police officers.

    “In a country full of killings, the states which are interested should not be stopped from acquiring modern gadgets to enhance security of their citizens.

    “The greatest tribute we can pay to him is to build a society of his dream where security and welfare of citizens can be guaranteed.”

    Falana called on the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to publicly apologise to the governor for the misleading statement that his office does not give legal advice to the police.

    President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele said there would be no peace without justice even if amnesty was granted to all.

    He said Nigerians should look for who can deliver on promises and not the politics of where one comes from.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole described the deceased as the most selfless person he has met.

    He recanted instances where the late Oyerinde proved to be a trusted ally.

    The governor said he was yet to find a replacement for him.

    He said: “When I was the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Olaitan told me one day after a meeting that Comrade one day we will beat you up. Do you think we are your children? Even if you shout at your children, we will deal with you.

    “We cannot be perfect. Olaitan is one man who would tell me that he cannot be associated with some things.”

    The widow, Funke, cursed the killers and urged the police to find them.

    NLC President Abdulwahed Omar said the Congress was disturbed that the killers have not been prosecuted.

    In a statement entitled: “Inability to prosecute Olaitan Oyerinde’s killer is threat to right to life”, Omar said there are conflicting claims by the police and the State Security Service (SSS) on the issue.

    He said: “We urge President Goodluck Jonathan to look at this case and the security system in the nation. Security is a great challenge to his administration.

    “The security agencies obviously know the truth about what happened to Oyerinde and have information about those who carried out the killing but for reasons Nigerians are yet to be told, they prefer to conceal the truth.”

    According to the NLC boss, the case has shown that Nigerian leadership is yet to demonstrate enough understanding of democracy and the commitment of all structures of government to ensure its success.

    He noted that democracy is threatened when the fundamental rights of the citizens are treated with impunity.

     

  • Edo lawmakers shun arrested colleague

    Lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly have shunned their colleague, Abdulrasaq Momoh, who was allegedly arrested with a pump action gun during the April 20 local government elections.

    Momoh is being detained at the State Police Command headquarters in Benin.

    He was said to have supported a candidate of an opposition party against a candidate fielded by his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Details of how he was arrested are still sketchy but it was gathered that the lawmaker protested against alleged thumb-printing at a hotel in Estako West Local Government.

    A photograph of Momoh’s arrest, which went viral on the Internet, showed him sitting on the ground, holding a gun.

    The lawmakers did not mention their colleague throughout their sittings last week.

    But some lawmakers decried the manner the Speaker, Uyi Igbe, was handling the matter.

    Igbe could not be reached for comments.