The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo

  • Police arrest suspected operator of fake WAEC centre

    The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 48-year-old man suspected to be the operator of a fake West Africa Examination Council ( WAEC ) examination centre in Igbogbo, Ikorodu.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Edgal Imohimi, said the suspects were arrested on April 25 following a complaint by a senior member of staff of WAEC office, Ogba.

    “The complaint was that there exist a fake WAEC centre at El-Supreme Private School located at No. 3, Oseni Adekogbe Street, Igbogbo Ikorodu.

    “Operatives of the Command attached to Area ‘G’ Ogba, were mobilised to the above address where one Pastor Adeniyi Joshua of El-Supreme Church was arrested.

    “WAEC question papers and answer sheets suspected to be forged were recovered from the suspect.” Imohimi said.

    Similarly, four suspects who specialise in solving examination questions and circulating the answers through various websites and Whatsapp numbers were also paraded by the police.

    Read Also: Police debunk rumours of planned attack on mosques in Benue

    Imohimi said the Rapid Response Squad ( RRS ) decoy team traced and arrested the suspects from Edo, Osun and Ondo State.

    “Some other suspects had been traced to Ghana. We are working with Interpol to make sure they are arrested as soon as possible.

    “We are also working with the examination bodies involved to make sure we get to the bottom of this.

    “This is something of national interest and a great embarrassment. We will ensure that this does not repeat itself.

    “Parents, guardians and tutors must also guide their wards not to engage in exam malpractices,’’ Imohimi said.

    NAN

  • NSCDC resolves 11herdsmen disputes in Edo in five months

    The Edo Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps ( NSCDC ) says it has resolved about 11 disputes between farmers and herdsmen in the last five months.

    The State Commandant of the Corps, Mr Makinde Ayinla, disclosed this while speaking with the newsmen on Thursday in Benin.

    Ayinla said that but for the timely and proactive intelligence of men of the command, the disputes would have degenerated into bloodshed.

    He appealed to members of the public, especially farmers and herders, to avoid taking laws into their hands.

    He also disclosed that the Anti-Fraud Unit of the command had handled 20 cases since the beginning of the year.

    Read Also: Community shelters NSCDC

    The commandant said the cases involved N3,596,000, of which N2,030,000, had already been recovered and returned to the victims, while 10 cases were still under investigation.

    He further said that the Anti-Corruption and Transparency unit of the command had so far handled one case with more than N353, 401 recovered.

    He said that the same unit handled 14 cases in 2017 and recovered N657, 000.

    Ayinla reiterated the command’s commitment to providing security for residents of the state by combating crime criminality.

    NAN

  • Edo earmarked 200, 000ha for oil palm plantation – Obaseki

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration plans to earmark not less than 200,000 hectares of land for organised oil palm plantation to diversify the state’s economy and create jobs for its teeming youth population.

    Obaseki disclosed this during the public presentation and launching of the Nigeria National Interpretation of Round table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Benin City, Edo State on Wednesday.

    He said, “The goal for the palm oil industry is to have not less than 200,000 hectares of organised oil palm plantation by the end of my administration. We are ready to fulfil our commitment made during the commissioning of the extension II project for Okomu Oil Palm Company, to pioneer the establishment of Oil Palm Council of Nigeria.”

    According to him, the state is committed to the principles of the RSPO, noting, “Adopting the principle is critical in ensuring the achievement of the goal to position the state as the hub of palm oil production in the country. We will develop a master plan to deepen and re-enforce some of the RSPO principles with specific benchmark.”

    He said as part of the state’s plans to ensure RSPO compliance, the state government has partnered with Pro-Forest to audit the forest assets in the state. “We have set-up a technical committee to review the report and work towards establishing a forestry commission for the state,” he said.

    Obaseki commended Okomu Oil Palm Plc. for its collaboration with the state to train fifty students from the College of Agriculture, Iguorhiakhi for a period of three months.

    “The college was closed to allow for a comprehensive revamp. We require support of stakeholders to drive investment, economic growth and wealth creation through agriculture. The support will also assist the state to build a College of Education that will be responsible for providing needed technical manpower for the sector,” he noted.

    Chief Executive Officer, SIAT Group, Gert Vandersmissen, said the oil palm sector in the state, if properly positioned, will be among the most sustainable in the world.

    According to him, “This will be sustainable for large estate development. Oil palm is important as none of its products is a waste. It also has the capacity to create wealth for farmers and serve as a means through which poverty can be reduced.”

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  • Edo: National Housing Programme creates 3,000 jobs

    The ongoing National Housing Programme ( NHP ) by the Federal Government in Benin, Edo, has generated over 3,000 employments and empowerment to Nigerians within the locality.

    Mrs Ebemeata Ani-Otoibhi, the Team Leader, NHP, Edo, made this known on Tuesday in Benin while briefing newsmen after the inspection of the project.

    Ani-Otoibhi said that the ongoing project with about 12 different contractors has attained 80 per cent completion.

    The newsmen reports that the inspection was part of the South-South Zone media inspection organised by the Ministry Power, Works and Housing.

    The 64-unit housing project is located at Idumwen-Ehigie, along Benin-Auchi road in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state.

    “Since the inception of the project, more than 3,000 skilled and unskilled workers, including contractors, artisans, building materials suppliers, block moulders; food vendors and security guards have been employed.

    “These people have impacted positively on the lives of the people and this is one of the objectives of the project.

    “So, the objectives are to address and improve socio-economic conditions through employment generation, poverty alleviation and empowerment of people within the locality,’’ she said.

    Ani-Otoibhi noted that the project, which started in March 2017, would finally be completed by June 2018.

    She added that the project has also increased commercial activities in the state as well as enhancing development in the location.

    “We have some security challenges arising from community issues but we have not experienced theft because we employed day and night security guard in the site.’’

    The road contractor, Mr James Okafor said that the company has been able to clear the soil and would be filling the soil immediately after evacuation.

    “The project has impacted on me positively because I have been able to foot my bills, take care of my family.

    “The project has also helped me to settle some other financial challenges, which I was not able to do before the commencement of the project.

    “More than 10 people are working under our company and we intend to employ more people. We have surveyors, engineers among others working with us.

    Okafor noted that non mobilisation of fund was one of the challenges facing the company presently.

    He appealed to the government to release more fund for the project as soon possible to enable them meet the deadline for the completion of the project.

    Read Also: Edo APC caucus endorses Oshiomhole for post of National Chairman

    “One thing is to award a project; the second thing is the supervision while thirdly is the completion of the project.

    “The government should do the needful by following up the project and releasing money as and when due,’’ he said.

    Meanwhile, a food vendor at the site, Mrs Regina Ibe commended the Federal Government for creating means of livelihood for some of them through the project.

    “I make between N27, 000 to N35, 000 daily from this place. The money I generate has helped me to take care of my children education and I have also bought a land for my family to build our own house.

    The newsmen reports that installation of 500KVA transformer and supply of electricity by Messrs Rosco Progenitors Synergies Ltd. is also on course.

    The purpose of the media inspection is basically to access the level of progress made on the project in the South-South Zone and to access the level of infrastructure to complement the housing units.

    Also, the media inspection was to access the economic impact made by the programme to the Growth of Domestic Product ( GDP ) in the country.

    NAN

  • Edo rebuilding 230 public schools

    The Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) is reviewing contracts for the renovation of 230 public schools in the 18 councils.

    Special Adviser to the governor on Basic Education and Acting Chairperson, Edo SUBEB, Joan Osa-Oviawe, said the renovation will include repairs and/or overhaul.

    According to her, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government intends to renovate over 1,200 public schools, but 230 are captured in the pilot phase.

    She said: “The schools were selected to represent all wards. Wards with higher population have more schools captured for renovation.

    “The second phase of the exercise will include schools that are in deplorable state, requiring a major re-construction work or complete overhaul.”

    Oviawe explained that the bidding was carried out openly before contractors so that those bidding for contracts will have first-hand details for each bid and exact fund allocated.

    “This step became necessary in line with the Obaseki’s administration’s insistence on transparency in awarding contracts,” she added.

     

     

  • Avail your children of immunisation, Obaseki urges parents, guardians

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has called on parents and guardians to ensure their children will participate in this year’s National Immunisation Plus Days ( NIPDs ) Africa Vaccination Week.

    Obaseki, represented by his deputy, Mr Philip Shaibu, made the call in Benin on Friday during the flag-off of the 2018 First Round National Immunisation Week.

    He said that the flag-off ceremony was meant to sensitise the people of the state on the importance of immunising the children against child-killer diseases that were preventable with vaccines.

    The governor said that his government placed high premium on Primary Health Care, saying that it was regrettable to see future leaders suffering from preventable diseases which often led to death.

    Obaseki said that the state had not recorded any case of Polio since 2009.

    He said that he would continue to implement strategies and activities that would ensure that “every child is vaccinated and immunised’’.

    The governor said that his administration would continue to strengthen immunisation activities and would provide a holistic approach to prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases, thereby reducing infant and child morbidity and mortality.

    Earlier, the Edo National Facilitator with World Health Organisation ( WHO ), Mrs Kate Ogiugo, gave an assurance to the state government that no child would be left out.

    She said that every eligible child in the state would be vaccinated.

    Ogiugo appealed to all parents to bring their children for the vaccination, saying that the vaccines were effective and safe for children.

    NAN

  • JOHESU Strike: Patients demand care, love

    Patients and their relations in Gusau and Benin on Friday called for care and love as the JOHESU nationwide strike entered its third day.

    Reports from   and Edo States confirmed that normal healthcare services have been disrupted by the strike.

    While some patients were seen being attended to by some doctors, relatives of others were seen evacuating their sick ones from the hospitals for alternative medicine.

    They all appealed to government to address the demands of the striking healthcare workers in order to strengthen the health sector.

    They also called on the aggrieved workers to consider their plight and save lives.
    In Gusau, the management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) has made arrangement for skeletal services to cushion the effect of the strike on patients.

    However, NAN observed that the medical and surgical wards of the hospital were empty as all patients were discharged due inadequate manpower to manage them.

    The accidents and emergency ward, paediatric unit and labour room were the busiest areas in the hospital.

    Other departments in the hospital like Pharmacy, Laboratory and Medical Records were all managed by the heads of the departments.

    A medical doctor, who preferred anonymity, told our reporter that humanity was considered very important in medical service.

    “In this regard, attention is given to emergency cases in order to avoid loss of lives during the industrial action,’’ the source said.

    A patient’s relative, Malama Hauwau Suleiman, said her child was managed well, adding “as you can see there are about five doctors in the ward right now.

    “We are not facing any problem even though there is strike in the hospital’’.

    Report also confirmed that services were also being offered at the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clinic of the hospital where patients were seen waiting to see doctors.

    Similarly, NAN also reports that there was no much increased in patients trooping to private hospitals as other state healthcare facilities in the state remained opened.

    A report from Benin said some pregnant women had accused JOHESU members of insensitivity to their plight.

    The aggrieved women told NAN that the industrial action took them unawares.

    They claimed that the industrial action was targeted at them as some of them were getting close to their Expected Date of Delivery (EDD).

    Mrs Agnes Osamudiame told our reporter that she was in the last phase of her third trimester, and was in the hospital for her weekly antenatal check, but did not see any medical staff to attend to her for hours.

    She, however, pleaded with the government to urgently attend to the demands of the striking health workers, saying that their services were indispensable.

    Mrs Ifueko Omoruyi, another pregnant woman, said they should be taken into consideration before any strike by those in the health sector, suggesting that alternative arrangement of accessing medical services should be provided for them.

    “Most of us are due in few days, so what do we do now? The doctors should be able to join voices with other health workers so that government can resolve the issue and save us this pain,” Omoruyi said.

    Also, a man who simply gave his name as Mr Nwogheren, claimed that his pregnant wife died as a result of the strike.

    The management of the hospital led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr Darlington Obaseki, is yet to react to the development.

    NAN

  • INEC to redistribute 1.4m unclaimed PVCs in Lagos

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Friday said that it was making plans to redistribute the unclaimed 1.4 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state.

    Mr Sam Olumekun, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, disclosed this in a telephone interview with our reporter in Lagos.

    “We are actually working out a new strategy,” the INEC boss told NAN, as he explained the commission’s plan to redistribute the permanent voter cards.

    Olumekun, who expressed concerned over the number of uncollected PVCs in Lagos state, urged the owners to go to INEC offices in their local government areas for collection.

    NAN reports that Lagos state has the highest number of unclaimed PVCs in the country.

    INEC had said that it was still in possession of 7,920,129 permanent voter cards yet to be collected from its offices across the nation.

    A breakdown of the uncollected PVCs as at March revealed that Lagos had the highest number of 1,401,390 followed by Oyo with 647,586 and Edo which had 449,001 while Kano had 195,941.

    The figure also showed Bauchi State as having the least number of uncollected PVCs, 15,542, followed by Bayelsa and Plateau which had 28,533 and 25,300 cards respectively.

    NAN

  • Edo, others avert fuel scarcity

    The intervention of the Edo State government and other stakeholders has averted a major fuel scarcity in the state following the crisis between factions of the Benin depot branch of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).

    A faction of the feuding Benin IPMAN is led by Johnbull Asemota, a former PTD’s leader; the second camp is under the supervision of Douglas Iyike.

    The dispute worsened when the national body, in solidarity with Asemota, issued a directive to tanker drivers nationwide to halt fuel supply to the entire state but was stopped when it began to affect circulation, about a week after the directive was announced.

    Despite the intervention, marketers have continued to decry the activities of the union leaders in Benin, saying they don’t add value to the industry. The marketers are still lamenting their financial losses caused by the directive.

     

    They called on the government to proscribe all forms of unions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)-owned depots.

    A petroleum marketer in Benin, Ben Mamoud, said the directive would cripple supply as the state relies on product supply from Lagos, Warri, Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State as Benin depot has not been functional for some years. It only serves as a documentation point for marketers in the state.

    Mamoud decried the leadership war, saying the two leaders were laying claim to IPMAN leadership due to the privileges that accrue to the position. This, he said, is compounded by the practice where depot managers illegally allocate fuel to marketers through the union.

    He said: “The union leaders collect product from the depot management and sell in the black market operating openly in the depot while the filling stations used to obtain the product are out of supply. As a result, most marketers get product above the official price while the union executives and their official connivers go home with millions of naira.

    “This illegal transaction is not new and not restricted to Benin depot. Is it not strange that depot managers have abandoned their contractual relationship with registered marketers to satisfy union leaders many of who have no functional filling stations?”

    Amid the crisis, the Benin depot managers have realised its contractual obligation and started allocating products to marketers, which is what the guidelines actually stipulate should be done. It started giving products to marketers directly rather than through union leaders. This infuriated a faction of IPMAN, which felt its leadership deserves official recognition.

    The decision of the depot managers to comply with the guidelines and allocate PMS directly to marketers is the cause of the current plan of tanker drivers to stop supply. By the recent action, the drivers intend to arm twist the NNPC to recognise the leadership of its former chairman.

    “The union lords have tasted free money. They do nothing but build substandard filling stations just to qualify for membership and leadership of IPMAN which they use to collect product to sell at a higher price,” noted a marketer another marketer, Paul Imah said.

     

     

  • Police comb forest in search of abducted catholic priest

    Men of the Edo State Police Command have begun combing forest in Uhunmwode local government area in search of a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Edwin Omorogbe, who was abducted on Wednesday evening.

    State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, who confirmed the development said all efforts were being made to secure the release of Fr. Omorogbe.

    Fr. Omorogbe was abducted at Egba junction along the Benin-Ekpoma highway while returning from Uromi, Esan North East local government area.

    Kokumo assured that the kidnapped Priest would be released as soon as possible.