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Tag: Edo

  • NIS issues 6,097 passports in Edo

    The Edo Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) said it issued 6,097 international passports to applicants in the first quarter of 2019.

    The Comptroller of NIS in the state, Mr Kayode Eniolorunda, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Saturday.

    Eniolorunda added that the command also issued 275 ECOWAS Travel Certificates and 12 Combined Expatriate Resident Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC) within the period.

    According to the comptroller, the command recorded one Regularisation of Stay and Regularisation of Migration with four arrivals and four departures in the quarter.

    He told NAN that the command had continued to witness tremendous growth and improvement in its responsibilities with direct bearing on the citizens of the state.

    READ ALSO: Dokpesi in face-off with Immigration over passport

    He stated that at the moment, it takes only 48 hours to process and produce international passports.

    According to him, this has led to a significant improvement in passport application.

    Eniolorunda added that the fight against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants (SoM) had excelled due to the effective collaboration of the command’s irregular migration section and other stakeholders.

    He said that the command had observed the presence of unskilled artisans in some strategic areas within the state capital, especially around the various by-passes leading in and out of the state capital.

    He explained that the command was currently working closely with the Edo Government to redress the situation before it became a menace.

  • Edo, CBN partner to boost state’s agripreneur programme

    Determined to provide farmers with access to funding and other inputs to increase productivity, the Edo state Government has partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on a synergy between the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and the state’s Agripreneur programme.

    Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Joe Okojie disclosed this during a one-day sensitisation programme for farmers in Owan West and Ovia North East Local Government Areas of the state.

    He said the programme is aimed at creating awareness on the use of modern techniques in rice and maize farming, urging the farmers to adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to attain high yields.

    READ ALSO: Edo secures N5bn loan for rice, maize production

    The governor’s aide stressed that the state government will leverage on the CBN Anchor Borrowers’ program to redefine her agripreneur and agribusiness programmes.

    Stressing that the state is working with some strategic partners to strengthen the agriculture value chain, he said the government has secured financing for the projects, which can only be assessed by the farmers when necessary requirements have been met.

    Chairman, Owan West Local Government Area, Mr Frank Ileboya urged the farmers to make good use of the opportunity as it could be a life-changing experience.

    One of the farmers, Onotaye Afrodeem, described the initiative as laudable and expressed gratitude to the state government.

    He added: “We are impressed and happy with the meeting we had with the Special Adviser on Agriculture. I want to use this medium to assure the state government that we are very prepared to farm and we will not disappoint.”

  • Edo debunks fake recruitment exercise

    The Edo State Government has debunked an advertisement of a purported recruitment exercise by Edo State Civil Service Commission, noting that the information was fake and the handiwork of unscrupulous elements out to defraud hardworking Nigerians.

    In a statement by Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, the government urged the public to disregard the information, as the state government was currently not recruiting.

    Read Also: Edo to demolish illegal structures on moats, river banks, others

    According to him: “The state government’s attention has been the drawn to a recruitment advertisement purportedly put out by the state government. I want to clarify that the Civil Service Commission is currently not recruiting. Members of the public are advised to disregard the message.”

    He called on members of the public be wary of the antics of those peddling the advertisement as they are out to defraud hardworking Nigerians.

  • Flooding: Shaibu assures of conducive resettlement camps for Edo residents

    The Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, has assured of conducive resettlement camps for residents of the state in flood-prone areas, as part of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of flash floods as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

    Shaibu gave the assurance when he visited the Internally Displaced Persons’ camp at Ekperi in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State.

    NiMet predicted the possibility of isolated flash floods due to high-intensity rainfall at the peak of the season, especially in places that are naturally prone to flooding.

    The acting governor said the visit to the camp was part of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s proactive measures to prevent a reoccurrence of last year’s experience when residents in some part of the state were displaced by flooding.

    He noted, “As the rainy season approaches, there is a need for the Edo State Government to put modalities  in place in order to safeguard the life and property in Edo State.”

    Shaibu assured that adequate arrangements have been put in place to ensure a conducive environment for persons who will be camped at the facility when the need arises as the state government anticipates heavy downpour.

    He urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to collaborate with the state government in sustaining the proactive measures and work to ensure that the impact of the floods is limited.

    During a visit to Illushi, a community on the bank of the River Niger in Esan South East LGA, the acting governor said there is urgent need to prepare ahead of time and watch out for early warnings signs, as the rains approach.

  • Edo, NIRSAL, Sterling Bank partner on mechanised farming

    Building on the strides made in the agricultural sector in the state, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has concluded plans on a partnership with the Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Sterling Bank on the development of at least 1500 hectares of farmland in different locations across the state.

    Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, who disclosed this when a team from NIRSAL paid a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin City, assured farmers in the state of adequate incentives to boost productivity.

    He said the state government is committed to the partnership which ensures that farmers get necessary financial support to fast track the introduction of mechanised farming in the state.

    According to him, “I commend the banking sector for coming to the rescue of the agricultural sector. They are making the process of introducing farmers to new techniques and technologies easy. This will help in boosting productivity.”

    He added that the state government designed an entrepreneur programme for youths, which will help in grooming them for profitable agribusiness.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Hon. Joe Okojie, reiterated that agriculture remains the easiest and fastest way to create wealth, noting “People don’t pay much attention to agriculture in this country, but this system seems different in the sense that it is going to be strictly mechanised. We aggregate all the farmers, link them to funding, inputs and markets.”

    He said there are off takers for whatever the farmers produce, which is going to boost their confidence in developing large expanse of farmland.

    READ ALSO: Immunisation: Edo reads riot act against exploitative health workers

    According to him, “For instance, we have a rice belt in Iguoriakhi, where we are doing above 500 hectares of rice. We aggregated all the farmers that have been traditionally farming rice and helped in developing the land. We brought in the NIRSAL, to take it from mechanisation to harvesting.

    “In Illushi, we are doing about 1000 hectares of rice farming. That is also in our rice belt. We would aggregate the farmers in that area and improve their productivity.”

    Head, Agricultural Field Services, NIRSAL, Ibrahim Abdullahi said that the collaboration between the organisation and the Edo state government would improve the fortune of farmers in Edo State.

    According to him, “We have already identified about seven locations. The farmers engaged in subsistence agriculture, and did not approach it as a business. The governor has given us the mandate to work with the farmers to train them to create wealth and ensure that they take farming as a business. We have been having technical meetings. We are going to deploy our full team to the field so they can commence delineation.”

  • EdoGIS to deploy GIS data in resolving land, boundary disputes

    The Edo Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS) Agency has disclosed plans to kick start the deployment of its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data in resolving inter-community boundary disputes.

    The Managing Director, EdoGIS, Arch. Francis Evbuomwan disclosed this during a tour of the agency’s office by a delegation of the World Bank led by Senior Social Development Specialist, West Africa Social Development, World Bank Group, Ms. Edda Ivan-Smith.

    He said the agency’s databank would be deployed for a pilot scheme in addressing community percolation, to put an end to reoccurring inter-community conflicts over land sale and boundary disputes.

    READ ALSO: Don hails Obaseki on Edo-GIS, Innovation hub

    According to him, “EdoGIS plans to engage in systematic titling to help the agency register every piece of property in the state, as it would enable agriculturists, industrialists and residents know their respective land sizes.”

    Ms. Ivan-Smith, on her part, said the team was on a mission to collect relevant geographic information data on the state, adding that they were impressed with the organization and seamless operations of EdoGIS, as it relates to documentation of lands, management of geo-mapping as well as surveys.

    “We are impressed by EDOGIS and think the agency is a very well organised and managed. The World Bank is very keen to support the state government to ensure local communities, small and medium businesses, including farmers are able to benefit from private sector development in terms of shared benefits, and perhaps in preferential treatment in terms of employment opportunities,” she said.

    Ms. Ivan-Smith added that the Bank is already working with Edo State on an economic transformation project, which will soon come on stream.

  • 75 fresh beneficiaries begin Graduate Internship Scheme in Edo

    Not less than 75 beneficiaries have commenced six months internship under the EdoJobs Graduate Internship and Apprenticeship scheme, an initiative of Governor Godwin Obaseki to provide graduates with relevant practical skills and industry-based experience.

    Speaking to journalists at an orientation programme organised for the interns at the Edo Innovation Hub, in Benin City, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Jobs Creation and Skills Development, Ukinebo Dare, said besides the long-term plan, the scheme is expected to bridge the job experience gap of graduates, even as they search for other job opportunities.

    READ ALSO: Edo grants clemency, parole to 84 prisoners

    Dare noted, “We have been able to find organisations who are in search of graduate interns. One major criteria we look out for in these organisations is the capacity to grow to absorb the interns at the completion of the six-month internship. Having the right manpower is one key success factor for organisations.”

    “Edo State Government will provide funding for the internship as the interns work for six months to gain relevant experience in these organisations,” she added.

    Ukinebo Dare

    Dare explained that the 75 beneficiaries in the second batch of the scheme have been deployed to different organisations, which include those in the public and private sectors, where the graduates are expected to gain relevant experience with the possibility of being fully employed at the end of the scheme.

    She said the scheme is also for non-graduates, who are being deployed as apprentices to learn new skills and with the opportunity of being absorbed by the organisation where they work.

    One of the graduate interns, Vivian Oriere, a graduate of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, commended the state governor on the scheme, describing him as kind-hearted.

    Beneficiaries at the Internship Scheme

  • Human trafficking: Swedish govt backs Obaseki’s call for more action

    Coordinator for Migration and Refugee Issues at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nicola Clase, has said European countries, which are destinations for victims of human trafficking and illegal migration, need to do more to discourage the practice by implementing laws to prohibit sex trade.

    Clase, who works with the Department of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, made the submission during a courtesy visit by the Swedish delegation, to Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, at Government House, in Benin City.

    She said in 1999 the Swedish Government came up with a legislation prohibiting purchase of sexual gratification, and noted that the law has helped the country combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

    According to her, “We take trafficking in persons very seriously. We are celebrating 20 years of the legislation passed to prohibit the purchase of sexual favours. There should not be a market in Europe for trafficking and we want more countries to follow suit and have this kind of legislation.”

    Clase commended the Edo State Government’s approach to combating human trafficking, adding that the visit by the Swedish delegation will enable both governments share information and strengthen cooperation in combating the ills of illegal migration.

    Responding, the Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, said the Obaseki-led administration enacted a law as part of efforts to combat human trafficking, leading to the establishment of the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking (ETAHT) to enable the state government deal with cartels involved in the illicit trade.

    Shaibu said the state government is doing more to create empowerment and employment opportunities for the youth to discourage them from embarking on irregular migration.

    He said the Governor Obaseki-led administration was ready to strengthen collaborations with Sweden and the European Union on economic advancement, noting, “We are creating a vibrant economy so that our youths can learn technical skills and become productive. This will ensure that irregular migration will be addressed and young people will be encouraged to undertake legal migration as well as exchange programmes.”

  • Obaseki appoints Yusufu Ojeifo III as Amir-Hajj for 2019 Pilgrimage

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the appointment of the Onojie of Ewu, in Esan Central Local Government Area, His Royal Highness, Razak Yusufu Ojeifo III, as the state’s Amir-Hajj for the 2019 Muslim Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

    In a letter addressed to Ojeifo III and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., the state government said, “His Excellency, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, has approved your appointment as the Amir-Hajj for the 2019 Muslim Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.”

    Read Also; Obaseki commiserates with Ohiwerei over wife’s passing

    As Amir-Hajj, Ojeifo III will lead Muslim pilgrims from Edo State to the annual Hajj, the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which all Muslims are expected to make at least once during their lifetime if they can afford to do so.

  • Gunmen abduct policeman, others in Edo

    A police officer simply identified as DSP Godwin and four other persons have been abducted by gunmen at Ubiaja, headquarters of Esan South East local government area.

    DSP Godwin was travelling to Asaba when the vehicle he was travelling in was stopped by the gunmen who were on the road apparently for kidnapping.

    Police sources said DSP Godwin and others were taken into the bush.

    Read Also: Gunmen abduct former Jalingo NBA Chairman

    The source said a Pastor who was travelled along the same route was shot and is receiving treatment in a hospital.

    It was gathered that the police have mobilised tactical team to forest reserves around the Ewatto, Ubiaja, Okhuessan with the view to rescuing their colleague.

    Edo Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident and said good news would soon emerge from the tactical team work in the forest.

    He added the Command is doing something to locate the tactical team at Ubiaja division.