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Tag: Edo

  • Edo council workers get seven months’ salaries

    Edo council workers get seven months’ salaries

    There was jubilation yesterday at Uselu, the secretariat of Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, when the workers received alert for the payment of seven months’ salaries out of the 18 months owed them.

    The workers thanked the House of Assembly for approving the payment and the timely release of funds to pay them.

    They did not get the bailout fund from the Federal Government when other councils in the state were paid because of alleged alteration in the file it submitted to the government.

    The state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Young Ilenikhena, urged the state government to pay the outstanding salaries.

    Ilenikhena said NULGE was working with the State Internal Revenue Service to release Egor, Oredo and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas’ percentage without further delay.

    House of Assembly Speaker Justin Okonoboh, who announced the payment during plenary yesterday, said all categories of workers being owed in the state would be paid.

     

  • ‘APC ‘ll retain power in Edo’

    ‘APC ‘ll retain power in Edo’

    Edo State Information Commissioner Prince Kasim Afegbua, in this interview with OSAGIE OTABOR, explains why it will be difficult for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to regain control in Edo State during the September 10 governorship election.

    What are the issues that will shape the September 10 governorship poll?

    Is there really a contest? I want to believe that the Edo electorates are conversant with the achievements of the present administration and because of their sophistication, their sense of mobilisation and conscientisation, they will be able to make informed choice between the political parties vying for the position of the number one citizen. The reason I asked if there was a contest is because the APC has done well in this state; we have altered the narrative of bad governance, of a collapsed state economy, of a decadent infrastructural reality that we met. These are narratives that have become very positive, very endearing, very enviable and very admirable to the consternation of critics and naysayers. We may not have answered all the questions of under-development, all the challenges confronting us as a state, because we met Edo State at ground zero. We have taken it to a level that has now become admirable to even bookmakers and opinion molders. You cannot visit Edo State and say the state remains the same as we met it. We have really impacted positively in the life of the people. The election is going to be a contest of ideas between reality juxtaposing previous reality of the PDP era. This was an era when the state was christened civil service state; it from a non-buoyant state to an era where we have improved on the internally-generated revenue (IGR). It is going to be a straight and easy fight, because people can see with their eyes what we have done and we can begin to name them. I don’t know what the PDP will be campaigning with. We have a lot to tell the Edo people; we have a lot to tell to them that they should sustain the continuity of the APC in the governance process in Edo.

    What makes the APC so confident that the PDP can be written-off?

    It is better to over-estimate your opponents, so that you prepare well for the election, than to under-rate your opponents. Election is all about putting forward to the people what you think you will do to improve on their well-being and representative leadership. This is such that people will find an individual who embody their collective interest (of the majority) and will be able to pursue their aspirations, so that they can pursue their own legitimate enterprises without exhibition. The APC has met all the criteria of a performing government, representative governance and service delivery governance. We have improved on our IGR, we have introduced accountability, probity in governance. We have looked at areas called critical sectors that will have direct and indirect impact on the peoples’ daily lives. If you see relics of the PDP’s mis-governance in the state, especially in the educational and the health sector, you will weep. Thank God we have a government and a party that is peopled by progressive-minded individuals and altered the narrative. Today, we can sing hosanna and thank God that the APC government came to jump-start the state’s economy. We will not lose sleep over this election. We will meet in the field and our people know how to use the thumb to speak on Election Day and ensure victory for us.

    Will the personalities of the contestants impact on the election?

    There is no doubt about that, but our candidate will be deriving inspiration from a government that he has been part of. He was part of those who stayed several hours in political and governance laboratory to come up with programmes and policies that have been able to take Edo to the level that it is now. This level is so appreciated by the people that he has become very admirable and enviable. Ize-Iyamu was part and parcel of us before he jumped ship to the PDP. People say he is a politician. He is a politician and he is running under a party that has been known to be under-performing or a platform that want to take us several years backward. It is like choosing between two different scenarios: a vehicle heading for paradise and another for hell. Without prompting the people will join the vehicle the one heading for paradise. The APC vehicle is one that has taken Edo to this level of wonderful performance, while the PDP vehicle took us to hell that we experimented for 10 years. Now that we have been able to rescue ourselves from the grip of political chickenary, political manipulation, political godfatherism, political gangsterrism, I don’t think the people will like to travel that road again. We have come to a level where we now appreciate the state on the basis of quality and not quantity, on the basis on what the party can deliver, on the basis of an individual that can make a difference. We may not have provided answers to all the questions that have confronted us, but we are man enough to tell ourselves that we have created a platform; built a foundation that succeeding governments of the APC can impact on.

    What is Obaseki offering the people?

    He spoke at his flag-off and said he is going to provide 200,000 jobs. Cynics and critics are already wondering how he will do that. It is because they are thinking backward. In the contemporary terms, when you say jobs, he is not saying he is going to recruit 200,000 to be in Edo civil service. As we speak, over 3000 persons are working at the site of Edo University, Iyamho and they are earning money. That is sharing of capital, because we are paying for jobs and services rendered. When we were building the new Central Hospital, over 1000 persons are working at the site. The Chinese marble company has about 6000 staff drawn from Edo State. The iron rod manufacturing company has about 450. BUA Cement has 10,000 jobs. By the time you put all these together, you discover that we have created a platform for people to earn a living. When we were constructing all the roads in Edo, different persons were employed in all the areas. There are several platforms to appreciate governance. Anybody taking over from Oshiomhole under the APC will be having very big shoes to wear. The shoes will be minimised to a point that will be able to leverage on the economic blueprint that we have out in place, which we are tailoring to meet with developmental challenges confronting the state. I have not mentioned Presco Oil, which we have given additional land and they have expanded. There is Okomu Oil; we also gave them land. There are a number of platforms to create jobs. We have so much to do and as an APC government with a progressive mind, whatever we say, we will do.

    Oshiomhole has been described as a clannish governor that sited all projects, including the new hospital, in his village…

    That is a university teaching hospital. You want the teaching hospital to be sited outside the domain of the university when you have surplus land there. Do you want the man to leave his roads without constructing them? I will be proud to develop the road network of my village in Okpella. I will be proud to make them smooth and put street lights. That may be the motivation for joining politics. Charity begins at home. After serving, he is going to go back home. Politics begins from the ward level. He needs to be alive among his people to be able to derive inspiration to do other places. That kind of propaganda is not sellable. A university in the governor’s village should not bother anybody’s mind. The late Prof. Ambrose Alli sited a university at Ekpoma and heaven did not fall. Why didn’t they say they should uproot Ambrose Alli University at Ekpoma and locate it elsewhere? What we should concern ourselves with is the development such institutions will bring to the state. There are many factors to consider when you want to site institutions. In Iyamho, you might not buy land. In other places, you might spend so much money to acquire land.

    They say he did nothing to boost industrialisation…

    We took off from the point of zero. Secondly, we said our attention will be to recover the state from its decadent past to something that will wear the face of modernity, so that we can naturally attract investors to Edo State and we have achieved our aim. The aim is building economic infrastructure, opening up roads to the rural areas where agricultural produce can be taken to urban areas where demand are high and building road network such that it will encourage people to site factory. Managers of the ceramic factory said they came because of what the governor is doing, especially in the area of security. The only agony we faced was that the PDP vandalised the road linking us to the north. They played politics with the Benin-Auchi-Lokoja expressway, while attempting to tell Edo people that they were doing federal roads in the state.

    The iron rod factory is a function of our economic infrastructure. Presco asked for additional land which we gave. Okomu also got land. These are high net-worth companies. The Okpekpe road which has made Okpekpe road race an annual event is part of it. Somebody saw the road and decided to start Okpekpe road race which has now entered the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) calendar. These are the kind of initiatives that drives the economy of any nation and not you as a government setting up industries. The attention of government all over the world is for government to provide the enabling environment that drives businesses. Roads, security and judiciary are key in this respect. Once those are in place, any investor can come and do business. By our intervention, BUA Cement started producing cement. Dangote just flagged off six million metric tonnes cement factory in Okpella.

  • Edo ethnic nationalities drum up support for Obaseki

    The Coalition of Ethnic Nationalities (COAEN)in Edo State, which is made up the Igbo, the Yoruba, the Hausa, the Ibira, the Urhobo, the Itsekiri, the Efik and other tribes, has backed the candidature of Mr. Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he is more prepared for the challenges of governance.

    Its Executive Director, Mr. Clement Shola, said the choice of Obaseki and his running mate, Hon. Philip Shaibu, was the best for the state at the moment, given the precarious state of the  economy.

    He said the group would mobilise and move from one location to another to educate the people on the need to vote for Obaseki, because he is the best man that can tackle the current economic challenges facing the state.

    Shola said: “We recognise that Mr. Godwin Obaseki is the best candidate amongst all the contestants. We have seen and we know that Mr. Godwin Obaseki is aptly prepared for the job, especially as a high-ranking member of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration.

    “We trust also that as a man who has shown good and sound advisory qualities becoming the next man in charge will definitely lead to further developments in the right track for the state.”

    “We assure you that we will be moving from one location to another, particularly places where we have a comparative advantage to sensitise our people to unite en masse for the Obaseki/Shaibu ticket, which we believe is the best we can get in the current circumstance.”

    In his remark, Obaseki thanked the group for their support and promised to empower them, by not discriminating against any tribe and group living in the state.

    He said: “There is no road constructed that I don’t know about, because I raised the money to pay the contractor. There is no school built that I don’t know of; there is no borehole that has been sunk that I don’t know about and I know in the plan we have. We will do more of what we have started.

    “I have never stolen from government and I want to assure you that all the money that Edo will make will be used to work for the people. There are still a lot of roads to be done and by the grace of God, we will continue doing the roads. There are many schools that we are yet to build, we will build them and train teachers to all the schools.

    “What we will do that has not been done is to emphasise on human development. We will bring investors to the state, so that jobs will be created. I have over 30 years experience in investment and that is how I made my money and many investors are waiting to come to the state. Once we start work by November, I will give 70 per cent of my time to the economy.

    “But you must make sure it happens; I don’t want to preach to the converted, so you have to go out to the markets and in your individual meetings convince people that Obaseki is a businessman, he has worked hard and he is capable of governing Edo state. Tell the people that we made a mistake before and that we will not make it again.”

  • Edo 2016: And the winner is…

    Edo 2016: And the winner is…

    The race for the Edo State Government House is won and lost already. I am not about to tell you who the winner is, but I will narrow it down enough for you to attempt some guess.

    By the records of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there are several candidates for the September 10 election. Political parties that can hardly raise N10 million have fielded candidates. Many of these candidates the people have never heard of before. Their pedigree is unknown to anyone other than their immediate family members and close circle of friends. And may be their concubines, for those of them who play ‘away match’.

    I hear a number of them do not know their left from their right. Yet they want to govern a state that has had the benefit of being governed by the likes of the late Ambrose Alli and Dr Sam Ogbemudia. I hear some of them have no idea of where the state is coming from, not to talk of where it is going. I hear not a few of them are convinced within themselves that they are just in the race to make some noise and not some sense.

    But in the midst of the crowd swarming around the honey that the Edo Government House is, two candidates stand out and only a miracle will see a situation where the Returning Officer will announce any other person as the successor to Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.

    I believe these two candidates—Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — are conscious of the fact that the race is for either of them to win. A close watch of their campaigns shows clearly that they see each other as a threat to getting the keys to the Government House. The words and actions of Oshiomhole also show that he considers Ize-Iyamu some threat to his dream of handing over to his beloved Obaseki.  Forget the occasional bravado, the comrade is not just dancing and jumping on the stage from one constituency to the other for nothing. He is also not giving traders ‘grant’ for nothing.

    Obaseki has abused no other candidate except Ize-Iyamu, who also has not wasted his time trading insults with any other person than the man credited with being the egg-head behind Oshiomhole’s economic team.

    History has been thrown in the boxing ring. We have been reminded that Obaseki’s great grand-father betrayed the Oba of Benin— and by extension the Benin kingodm— when he accepted to be the sole administrator of the kingdom after the British invasion. So, Edo people are being told that someone from such lineage should not be supported to rule Edo. At a point, a film by Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen on the history of Benin kingdom was even circulated to show to the people that the so-called act of betrayal is not the figment of anyone’s imagination.

    The exciting Edo race has also seen Africa’s richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote being punched. Those doing this believe he is backing Obaseki. They have asked him to leave Edo alone. They say they do not want a governor who will be hopping in and out of Dangote’s private jet.

    Ize-Iyamu has told us Obaseki is a “typical green horn”, who should be rejected in the September 10 election because Oshiomhole can easily manipulate him. He has described our dear Osho baba as a Pseudo Comrade, whose candidate should be rejected for subjecting the people to untold hardship in the past seven and a half years. He has also described Obaseki as Oshiomhole’s puppet. He has challenged the outgoing governor and Obaseki to explain how they allegedly depleted the state’s treasury.

    We have been told by Edo PDP chairman Chief Dan Orbih that the governor spent N11.6 million to “buy drinks” for President Muhammadu Buhari; he wondered how Buhari, a Muslim, could be bought alcohol.

    The insults have not been one-sided. We have been told Ize-Iyamu served in the administration of Chief Lucky Igbinedion and was part of the rot of that era. We have also been told that Ize-Iyamu was a cultist in his days at the University of Benin (UNIBEN). His membership of the Pyrate Confraternity co-founded by the respected Prof Wole Soyinka, who by the way is a great friend of Oshiomhole, is now being interpreted to mean he was a member of a dreaded secret cult. Are they afraid he will suck the blood of Edo people? Or, are they just being plan mischievous like Donald Trump?

    His explanation that Pyrate or Seadogs was not (and is still not) a secret cult as it was well-known to the authorities of the universities where it operated has not stopped his traducers from continuing to repeat the allegation. To buttress their point, they refer to the fact that he was expelled from UNIBEN at some point after an acid attack on a student. He has given his explanations, but still the allegation keeps being thrown in the mix.

    Aside the cultism issue, we have also been told that Ize-Iyamu has answers to give to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about some financial malfeasance.

    But Ize-Iyamu is selling himself as the experienced one. He has been chief of staff and secretary to the state government (SSG). For these, he believes he had piloted the engine of governance and needs no induction course to swing into action from day one.

    One fact that has also shown clearly in this race is that for Ize-Iyamu and his party, the real enemy goes beyond Obaseki. They see Oshiomhole as the one that must be cut to size. The pastor-turned-politician has told us what an ingrate he considers Oshiomhole. He has told us how he made Oshiomhole governor— a claim the comrade has gleefully denied. Both men used to be pals. There may be some exaggerations here and there but the fact that Ize-Iyamu played a key part in the emergence of the former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President as Edo State governor is not that hidden. Whatever role he played, I also don’t believe is akin to claiming to have made him governor. Haba! But whether or not we believe him, Ize-Iamu has refused to drop this line of thought.

    He said: “Edo people should forgive me for being one of those in the forefront that brought Mr. Oshiomhole to be the governor of the state. We now know who he is. Therefore, in the coming elections, Edo people should not repeat the mistake of the past. When I remember how we brought in Oshiomhole to contest the 2007 governorship election, I weep because we brought in a bad thing.”

    Until they fell apart, I suspect, over the issue of who governs the state next, Ize-Iyamu was a member of the APC. He left when he felt he stood no chance of picking the party’s ticket to realise his ambition of calling the shots in Edo Government House. But Ize-Iyamu sees my point of view as inaccurate, as he claims his reasons for the defection have to do with the non-construction of the road leading to his community and the failure to tackle the erosion menace in the area, as promised by Oshiomhole when he left the PDP for the APC.

    My final take: The implication of the roforofo fight for the Edo Government House is that the campaigns have been less about issues but abuses and trading of insults. The people want to know what to expect from their next governor. But whatever incline they are being given into this has been over-shadowed by the attacks.

  • ‘Edo deserves government of continuty’

    ‘Edo deserves government of continuty’

    In this piece, Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s media aide John Mayaki explains why the people of Edo State should vote for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Godwin Obaseki, at the governorship poll.

    Twenty-One days ago, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Ogbe, Benin City, it was Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his running mate, Comrade Philip Shaibu’s gubernatorial campaign flag-off. But, it was Adams Oshiomhole’s day it signaled his transition.

    The flag-off was historic. It was colourful. The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State, Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State, Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State as well as deputy governors of Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Borno, Kwara, Kogi and Oyo states witnessed the event.

    The day also afforded the duo of Obaseki and Shaibu to get endorsement from those who matter – custodians of our revered tradition – and trust. the potency of blessings received from the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, His Royal Highness (Amb) Eheneden Erediauwa sent quivers into the camp of the Peoples’ Democratic Party – a party smarting from the political shell shock.

    Obaseki, a behind-the-scene Oshiomhole’s economic strategist, delivered a 72-minute manifesto that set his political career fully blown in motion. His running mate, Shaibu had begun his political career as a parliamentarian who qualifies as “one of Oshiomhole’s Rasputins” – they stood side-by-side during the policy statement.

    The event – launched with the rocket-fuel intensity that Obaseki’s speech provided, set a new generation of young and old, men and women, boys and girls, APC and PDP alike jockeying for attention into their future careers in the soon-to-be-formed government.

    The manifesto, no doubt, sent quivers to the kitchen cabinet of the opposition candidate – it resonated in the social media! When you deal a debilitating blow on your political adversaries, their uncoordinated responses and body resistance can tell the side of the bed they woke from the morning after.

    “Oh, he failed to read his speech extempore”, but they agree it was packed full of goodies for future stars. “Oh, it wasn’t printed in a booklet form” reminiscence of the rag-tag called “Simple Looting Agenda”, but they were quick to agree that it will usher in a floodgate of economic abundance and surplus jobs.

    He gave a peep into a 200,000-job Armada if elected and this is now the topic at home-abroad – but the influx of Edo indigenes that would return home without the space to contain them is at the heart of the matter.

    However, the outing was not about politics, but the appreciation of what is on ground for which the man-of-the-moment, Godwin Obaseki, wants to build upon – though, few doubted the do-ability – we sure must co-habit with doubting-Thomases.

    Quickly, for the implementation framework of the 200,000 Job-Armada, the lawmaker who is Obaseki’s running-mate, Philip Shaibu, has to, immediately, put on his thinking-cap and go to the drawing board on how to send an Executive Bill to the Assembly to amongst others, manage the spiral effects – the expected crisis of hike in price of land, sky-rocketed cost of rents, among other social safety nets – in expectation that a huge number of our jobless-Diasporans – if any, and or, “am-tired-working-for-oyibo” indigenes abroad who may have been contemplating reactivating their return-tickets, return home.

    Am sure you are already aware – Obaseki led a team of highly dedicated professionals and technocrats in the progressive government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as Chairman, Edo State Economic Team for about eight years running.

    “As a result of the reforms in governance and improvement in infrastructure undertaken by the current administration”, Obaseki said, “Edo State is now poised to be a hub for investment in Nigeria and this is obvious from the close to $2 billion investments which have come in from the Azura Power Plant in Ihovbor/Orhior/ Idunmowina Communities in Uhunwode LGA; Over $1 Billion is being invested in a 6 Million MT cement factory in Estako East LGA by the Dangote Group; Fresh investments by Rubber Estate of Nigeria Ltd (RENL) and Presco Plc in massive Rubber plantations and processing factories in Orhionmwon LGA”.

    Take for instance, in a sectorial sequence, agriculture. Registered farmers in Edo state and in the 18 local government areas are more than 35,000 – small holding farmers – this statistics is according to records from the Ministry of Agriculture.

    Records also show that each of these 35,000 farmers occupy at least 2 to 5 hectares of land which summarily means 115,000 hectares with a labour requirement of 3 workers per hectares of production – take for instance, rice and 5 workers per hectares of production – again cassava.

    Arithmetically, this translates to a manpower of 315,000 and up to 500,000 workers – this calculation in the agricultural entrepreneurial scheme is for 2 crops alone – and powered by Obaseki, the Chairman of Edo State Economic and Strategy Team of the Adams Oshiomhole-led government.

    This is where the effects multiplier comes in. To bring the picture of the concept clearer home, it refers to the increase in final income arising from any new injection of spending.

    In simple terms, if the beneficiaries of the different opportunities being created in the state, for example, opt to complete the building of their new houses with their salaries, the project injects extra demand and output into the economy of the state.

    Imagine that not a few businesses, including architects, suppliers of blocks, sand, water, iron rods, wood etc. will benefit directly or indirectly from the beneficiaries’ expenditure. The building of a new house, in other words, generates a new flow of income which includes wages and profits. The workers in turn engage drycleaners or washer men, lesson teachers, mechanics, artisans among others. They pay rents, if they are not building their homes. As for companies that have opened up in the state, their various host communities will benefit not just in terms of tremendous exposure but also in terms of increase housing needs and other infrastructure.

    As would be expected, the net effects of the development will extend beyond the frontiers of the state to neighbouring states. After all, economists will argue that when income is spent, the spending becomes someone else’s income which in turn stimulates another wave of demand and supply spawning investment by individuals, construction firms and business entities, not least saving by households – and ultimately the national GDP. The resultant boost in the GDP is called the multiplier effect.

    It seems fairly easy to appreciate the direct impact of the physical engagement of the workers in terms of their salaries and wages. This is a far cry from the multiple impacts spawned by the hospitable environment deliberately promoted by the Oshiomhole administration. It is in the understanding of the linkages that justice is done to the Oshiomhole legacy.

    Today, the economic potentials of Edo State have grown to humongous proportions – thanks to the creative policies of the Oshiomhole administration. Aside attracting investors to the state, there is no doubt that the foundation for the future has been firmly laid. In years to come, indigenes of Edo State will certainly remember the Oshiomhole years not just in glowing terms, but specifically as the golden years of its industrial transformation.

    This is where Obaseki comes in – the job-Armada – to within four years, create over 200,000 new jobs across the state through agriculture, entrepreneurship schemes, attracting investments for the development of industries and technical and vocational skills development.

  • PDP ‘ll bounce back in Edo, says Ize-Iyamu

    PDP ‘ll bounce back in Edo, says Ize-Iyamu

    Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu spoke with reporters in Benin City, the state capital, on his plan for the state and his chances at the poll. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    What gives you the confidence that you will win the governorship election?

    I honestly believe that, by the grace of God, if we have free election, the PDP will win this state. The reason is obvious: the present APC government in Edo has not done well. They have had the opportunity to prove themselves in eight years, for two terms. Today,  people are very disillusioned and very dissatisfied. Just some days ago, our pensioners went on protest to Government House.

    Even though the governor was in his office, he refused to see them. He refused to grant them access but it is interesting to hear what he said. The pensioners mentioned that many of them have not received their entitlements and that in the past seven months; at least, nine pensioners have died because of the frustrations and sufferings they are going through. The pensioners are a critical number in the state. They have families and dependants and I can bet you that with this situation, majority of the pensioners will not vote for them even if they decide to start paying pensions now, which is not even possible.

    To make it even more difficult, he (Oshiomhole) has closed the pension office which means they cannot process pension papers and send to him. Of course, these are experienced retired civil servants. They understand the game the governor is playing. Judicial service workers have not been paid their entitlements for over a year now. They went on a strike, asking that government should obey the court ruling which says they should enjoy financial autonomy. Even when they called off their strike, the governor declared that their entitlements should not be paid for the period they were on strike and it runs into months.

    The judicial workers as at today are complaining. Students who voted for him believing that he will make education more accessible, not only has he reduced the standards of education, he has increased school fees. So, on what basis are students going to vote for him? Okada riders who were at the forefront of the agitation to get him re-elected into government, the moment he came in, he banned them; but worse was the fact that he does not plan for them. There is no attempt to create an alternative for them. The only people he employed throughout his tenure were those youths he took under Edo Youth Empowerment Scheme.

    The moment the second term election was in the kitty, he sacked them; over 7,000 youths. They are not going to vote for him. The farmers of the state are not going to vote for him. So, who are the people that will vote for him, apart from his party members? Even within his party, look at the way he has conducted himself. A man who openly accused his deputy of planning to assassinate him, you can imagine the gravity of such an allegation. His deputy was attacked in his own local government, yet not one of condemnation or sympathy from Oshiomhole. So, even his party is a divided house. Our confidence is the fact that he has failed woefully and you can see that every campaign he has gone to, rather than show Edo people his scorecard, he has resorted to name-calling; insulting Ize- Iyamu, insulting Chief Tony Anenih and everybody in PDP; but the truth about it is that the PDP is no longer in government.

    So, to continue to talk about the PDP when they were in government many years ago is laughable. The reason why you were elected was to correct what you felt was wrong with the PDP administration and you have eight years to effect that correction. If after 8 years, you are still complaining, it means that you have no clue. I can understand you are complaining a year or two years after; but eight years after you are still blaming PDP, then it means that you are not the right person for the job. Edo people sincerely believe that Adams Oshiomhole knows nothing about governance. It was a tragic mistake to have allowed such a person to be the governor of a state. At the best, maybe one of our unions can make him chairman but certainly, not the governor of Edo state. So, I can assure you that we believe we will win. if you take your mind back to the 2015 presidential election, the APC was demystified in Edo, which has resulted in the PDP having two out of three senators. We have five out nine members of House of Representatives. Many people do not know that of the 17 local governments that were announced in that election, PDP won 15 while the APC managed to win only two. That result tells a story. I believe that in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, if the election is free and fair, I think the PDP will do better than what they did during the presidential election.

    At what point did the Edo people realise that Oshiomhole was a mistake? given the fact that they voted for him twice?

    To be honest with you, in the first term, a lot of people applauded him. There appeared to be a lot of work in progress. Let me reveal something a lot of people are not aware of. The greatest achievement of Oshiomhole in his first term was the cosmetic renovation of schools. I call it cosmetic because when you renovate schools and there are no chairs or tables, no science laboratories, no teachers’ classrooms, then it is cosmetic. But even that renovation was a UBE scheme. 85 of the schools that were renovated were primary schools under the UBE scheme. The UBE scheme was an initiative by former president Goodluck Jonathan.

    Under that scheme, the then PDP-led Federal government contributed 60 percent of the funds that were used for that renovation. What many people did not realise was that the 40 percent counterpart funding that Edo state government brought was actually contributed by Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, a PDP governor, before the court removed him as governor. Before Osunbor left office, he had paid the 40 percent needed to access the 60 percent. So, when Oshiomhole came in as governor, he had billions waiting for him because the federal government had just released the money.

    After that money was spent, what has happened? His second term is almost over. how many schools were being renovated during his second term? The reason is not far-fetched. The counterpart funding was not paid so, the federal government did not release money. His second term has been a disaster. On road construction, when you do one road, people will expect that another one is coming; but the roads were deliberately chosen to deceive. He deliberately chose roads that a casual visitor will want to pass through without going deep into the city. So, if you land at the Benin Airport and you drive to Government House, and then, you drive back to the airport, you might have a very good impression about Benin on the state of roads; but if you take the pains to go outside the city, you will find out that the roads that have been done are less than three per cent. It will shock you to know that the road to the palace is in a deplorable condition.

    If not for the rains, I have contacted a construction company to go and fix it because it was a disgrace. We are planning a coronation of the new Oba.  Visitors are coming into the state and the road to the palace is impassable. If the road leading to the Oba’s palace is bad, you can imagine other roads. Before he came in as governor, we had pipe-borne water. Ikpoba River Dam was functional. Ojirabi Dam was functional; today they are no more.  Even the pipes that were procured with ADP loans for the Benin water expansion, they have mysteriously disappeared.  We have been told that they were sold, but the money is nowhere to be found in government coffers and nobody has raised any eyebrows about it. In the course of rehabilitating so-called roads, a lot of water pipes were destroyed. For any government now to bring water to Benin, it’s going to cost trillions because all the pipes for water have been destroyed. For the first time, we now have a government that has no plan for pipe borne water.

    Everybody in Edo state now have to rely on self-help; either you can sink a borehole, go to the River or wait for the rain to come. We are back to the Stone Age in Edo and that is why you can imagine the kinds of diseases that we have because the waters from the boreholes were not tested or treated. So, in the absence of water, light, jobs, what is going to make Edo to be interested in continuity of this government? The second term has been a disaster and Edo people cannot wait to push him out. In fact, they were hoping that the election which was done four years ago will be in July. They were very disappointed when INEC announced that the election will be in September. So, everyday, Edo people are waiting; they are counting the days. Every Edo worker wants this government to exit and they are praying frantically for that Election Day.

    Are you saying there is nothing you can credit to him as an achievements that is worthy of praise?

    It will be difficult. There are two areas that I felt he has tried. One was the internally generated revenue (IGR) which is key to the sustainability of any state. When he came in it was about N300m and he announced that it has gone up to N2.5bn. That to me, was something to applaud. However, that money has nosedived and the reason is not far-fetched. The government has not been able to put in place any machinery for attracting businesses or to sustain existing ones. The tax policy is arbitrary and punitive. So, Edo people are over-taxed and a lot of the money is going into private pockets. Lots of revenue collectors have resorted to self-help.  Money that ought to go into government coffers is going into private pockets. Sometimes ago, a member of the Produce Board resigned his appointment, saying that the Chairman of that board is collecting all the money meant for the state and putting it into his private accounts. Interestingly, the chairman of Produce Board is a nephew of the governor so he never bothered to investigate such a weighty accusation. His nephew is still chairman and nothing has been done about that accusation. So, I find it very difficult now to praise him on the IGR because of the fraud going on. At the same time, in terms of percentage, he has not even done any miracle. When we were in government in 1999, the IGR of the state was N26m, maximum was N30m. Before we left, we moved it to N300m. So, what they have done in terms of percentage is not even extraordinary when compared to what we did; but the reality is that the money has nosedived. What makes it even worse is that they collected $75m in one tranche and they collected the second one for the purpose of growing our IGR. They borrowed money from the World Bank to increase the IGR. After collecting the money, the IGR has gone down. So, something is wrong somewhere. They are going to make us pay for money they collected in growing the IGR, yet, the IGR is not growing. instead it is going down.

    The second area that I felt he should be praised was the attempt to deal with the flooding problem in Benin. I have often said in the past that the problem of Edo is not really that of bad roads. It has always been that of drainages. In the absence of drains, the roads cannot last. So, when he came up with this concept of a Storm water project, and I must tell you honestly, some of us encouraged him that for the first time, Edo will have a comprehensive masterplan that will tackle the flooding problem. By the time, that is done, it means that future governments will find it very easy to do roads. Tarring of roads is not difficult once you can deal with primary and secondary drains. So, when he took N30b, nobody complained; but at the tail-end of his administration, he announced to Edo people through his Commissioner for Environment that job cannot be completed in 30 years.

    Of course, he does not have a tenure of 30 years. He did not disclose the percentage of work the N30b can do, he only said the project cannot be completed in 30 years instead, he will be doing it in phases.  What this means is that after collecting N30b, he was telling us that he won’t be able to do what he has promised us. But what has shocked me for which I can’t give him credit is that apart from the fact that the completion date is no longer known, some people came to me and said the Ogba River, which is down Airport road,  where most of the water is channeled usually overflood its banks anytime it floods, going over the Bridge and even affecting houses. People around that area are beginning to move out of the area. I was alarmed.

    So, because I come from this place and passionate about it, I called some engineers and asked why the River is over flooded. They told me it is due to the water that is being channeled through the Storm Water project into the river. They said what is now obvious to them is that before they started a project of that magnitude, they never did an environmental impact study assessment.

    According to them, the volume of water coming into the River is too much. They said if they have done that, there are measures they would have taken to ensure that what is happening does not happen. They also said right now, the project is at 30 percent, by the time it gets to 50 percent, the water coming into that place will sack the whole of Iyekoba. The Ogunpa disaster that happened in Ibadan years back will be a child’s play. I think that was the Oshiomhole administration developed cold feet when they saw the signs that if they continue with that project, it will be a big disaster. As at today, nothing much is happening. How can any sane person applaud such a project?

    How do you intend to cope with the financial aspect of your campaign? Do you think you have the financial wherewithal to fight this battle?

    The governor is not fighting me. He is fighting the people of Edo. He is fighting pensioners, civil servants, students even the market women, he is fighting them because foodstuffs from the rural areas have become so expensive. This is not the first time he is giving money to market women days to election. He gave them N100m before. How many market women benefited from that money? Has he bothered to ask for a detailed breakdown of how that money went? From my own investigation, even before that money left Government House, commissions were taken at the highest level. So, what came to the market women was a fraction and I am sure the same thing will happen to this N120m. But is it not a sign of insensitivity to be donating N120m at a time when pensioners are dying over their legal entitlements and the governor has refused to see them?  The media should ask him if the N120m he is donating is in the budget.

    Even if it is security vote, it is being wrongly applied. We must not for such abuses. Local government employees are being owed 18-20 months and nothing is being done, yet the government is dashing out money at a time when we are in dire financial crisis. So, Oshiomhole is not fighting me at all. If he thinks I am his only enemy, on election day, he will find out that he has many enemies. I don’t regard him as an enemy, I just see him as somebody who has plundered the state and the state must be rescued.  He is fighting Edo people and I don’t see how he can win.  To be fair to President Buhari, I think that he has maintained a level of statesmanship. I cannot see his hand in any election that has been done. The fact that he does not even come for campaigns shows that he wants to make a radical change and give some respect and dignity to the office of the president. I think what the governor is doing is name dropping. He said ‘ I will use EFCC to deal with Ize- Iyamu, I will use INEC’. These are the words he uses carelessly. Is EFCC an organ of the state?  But I want to assure the people of Edo it will not happen. Edo people are too enlightened and they are waiting eagerly for September 10.

    Do you have confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct a free, fair and credible election?

    Yes, we are worried about the INEC because of the inconclusive nature of all the elections. Whether you believe it or not, elections are very expensive. So, to do an election and it is declared inconclusive and you conduct it again and it is declared inconclusive is not the best. I think that the INEC just have to put its acts together. At least, let Edo election be different from the ones we have seen. Even, the Imo senatorial election that was held last Saturday was inconclusive. If you cannot do a state or senatorial election, how are you going to do a general election for an entire country? So, I think that even if these guys are learning, by now they should have learnt. If they need logistics support, they should ask; but the media must help us appeal to them to put their acts together. We don’t want a situation whereby on election day, materials are in abundance in a particular local government and in some other key or targeted local governments, materials are not forthcoming.  We know that these are things that can be done and they might pretend that it is due to logistics difficulties. It is difficult to explain why materials will get to Edo North before they get to Edo Central. They cannot be voting in Edo North and you said materials have not reached Benin. Something is wrong.

    How united is the Edo PDP and how can we avert violence in the governorship election?

    Our party is very united. I am sure you can also see the quality of our members. In fact, we have never been this united. The leaders of this state are in PDP. If you look at the APC, it is a one-man squad. If you go to their rallies, it is very boring because one man (Oshiomhole) begins the rally and ends. It is like there is no state chairman, no national chairman, and no woman leader. In fact, there is no gubernatorial candidate. The PDP in Edo is very united. The Ali Modu- Sheriff distraction was external. In Edo, there is no distraction at all, we are very focused.

    On violence, let me assure you that PDP in all fairness in Edo state does not have a history of violent conduct. We went through primaries, I am sure that you didn’t hear that somebody was slapped; but in the APC, even the deputy-governor with all his security cover was attacked. Security details attached to him were shot. That will give you inkling to where the violence will come from. We can assure you that we will not be violent and we will encourage our people not to be violent; but I can assure you that nobody can intimidate us. Violence is not one of our agenda but there is no level of violence that will make us allow anybody to rig us out. We will be vigilant and prepared.  I want to call on the security agents to talk to them. All the known thugs, we know where they are. We know those the governor has been holding nocturnal meetings with. Unfortunately for him, everything he does, his people in APC report to us.

    Did you at any time sign a pact or is there an understanding between you and Oshiomhole that you will take over from him?

    I never signed any pact with Oshiomhole that he will hand over to me. When we talk about betrayal, the betrayal is more general than personal. All the promises, all the hopes he betrayed. Remember that when people are criticising Oshiomhole, invariably they were criticising us because they didn’t know this man at all. Unlike almost all of us who were born and lived and went to school here, this man’s history is unknown. He only told us he came from a place called Iyamo but; we have not been able to trace those who went school with him.  There are many things we don’t know about him. Let me tell you, till today, Oshiomhole will tell you Ize- Iyamu is hasty; if he had not left the APC, he would have been a governorship candidate; but the reality is that it was far beyond my ambition. My ambition is nothing. My leaders will confirm that. Throughout our campaign to get the ticket of our party, I constantly said whoever emerges as a candidate of our party, I will support.  There was no time I ever said if I don’t get the ticket, there will be trouble. I told my people I have come into the PDP to stay. I left APC in May 2014 and this is July 2016. If it was governorship, I had enough time to remain in APC to get what I want. Even if I get the APC ticket, the damage Oshiomhole has done will make it difficult for me to win the election.  He has betrayed Edo people; he has betrayed those who helped him to get there, he has even betrayed APC members.  He said Ize- Iyamu should come and account for the money former President Jonathan gave him as Campaign Coordinator. Thank God, the money was sent to me as Campaign Coordinator.

    Are you not intimidated by the profile of Godwin Obaseki, the candidate of the APC, given his rich background?

    How can you be intimidated by a man you don’t see?  Every time the APC campaigns, the only man who is speaking is Adams Oshiomhole while the governorship candidate, Obaseki is pushed to the background. So, if the APC candidate is content with hiding under him, no problem. But when you say rich background,  I am surprised. What rich background? Are you talking about his financial or academic background?  With due respect, even if one wants to be modest, when you want to talk about governance, the best Obaseki can lay claim to is that he was chairman of a non-existent Economic team. I have been Chief of Staff, Secretary to Government. The experience I have he cannot (Obaseki ) cannot come near it.  The Economic team they talked about, have they ever told you who are the members?  How many times did they meet?  What were the policies they churned out?  For a state like Edo, with the level of economic mess that the state is in, it is shocking that somebody can stand up and say ‘ I was in charge of the Economic team’.  He said he is a technocrat. Technocrat in what sense?

    How do you intend to improve the IGR of the state, if elected?

    On the IG, the first thing we will do is we intend to block all the leakages. I gave you an example now where a major revenue committee is headed by the governor’s nephew who pays all the returns into his personal account as alleged by a resigning member of that committee. By the time we block the loopholes, I am sure that our revenue will be a lot better. But we are looking beyond that. Like I said, this government has excelled in wealth consumption at the detriment of wealth creation.  We will focus on agriculture, solid minerals, tourism, sports and diversify the economy of the state. The more businesses we encourage to come to our state, the more taxes we will get. We will create tax incentives to draw in companies knowing that two three years after, there will be an upward explosion in our revenue.

  • Edo South monarchs back Obaseki

    Edo South monarchs back Obaseki

    Traditional rulers from Edo South Senatorial district, have stated reasons why they will mobilise support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the poll.

    The traditional rulers, who endorsed, Mr. Godwin Obaseki said their decision was because “Oshiomhole has worked for our people”.

    Speaking on their behalf, Enogie of Ogiomo, David Igiehon said Adams Oshiomhole’s performance in the state will guarantee victory for Obaseki.

    Enogie Igiehon spoke when the campaign team of Obaseki stormed his ancestral home in Uhumwonde local government.

    Traditional rulers from  communities like Iguoboe, Emo,  Ogha,  Erhua, Osemwinda, Ibadan,  Ugoneki and others were present at the meeting.

    Igiehon said: “Adams Oshiomhole has worked and has shown us love since he came. We cannot disappoint him because he has worked for our people. we have roads, schools and a beautiful city now in Benin. So we are going to support his candidate because Obaseki will work like Oshiomhole.

    “We regard Oshiomhole as the political redeemer of Edo State who has come to redeem the State like Napoleon Bonaparte who came, Saw and Conquered his opposition for the overall benefits of his people”.

    He tasked Obaseki not to forget roads in Uhunwonde and presented a white chalk to him symbolising victory.

    Obaseki assured that, if elected, his administration will complete the on-going general hospital project in Uhumwonde.

    “This place is my ancestral home and I will not forget that at all. We will provide jobs for our youths and I will ensure that Oshiomhole’s legacies are not abandoned”

  • ‘I work in Edo for free’

    ‘I work in Edo for free’

    Candidate of the All Progressive Congress Mr. Godwin Obaseki has described as untrue claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he has been collecting salaries from the Edo State Government as the Chairman of the Edo State Economic Team.

    He said vouchers displayed by the PDP at its rallies were misleading and tissues of lies.

    Obaseki insisted that he worked pro bono for the state for the past seven years.

    Speaking through the Head, Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Hon Abass Braimah, he urged the police to investigate the Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, to unravel the source of the fake vouchers.

    Braimah said: “We believe that Ize-Iyamu and Orbih are jealous of the credentials of Obaseki and because all they do in the party is business they can’t believe that somebody can make sacrifices for his people.

    “Orbih and his factional candidate are fond of fabricating lies, particularly when it comes to displaying fake tellers. When has Orbih become a staff of the Accounts department of the state government to be able to be in possession of tellers which are supposed to be an officials document. We are inviting the police to investigate the matter because the PDP are known for forgery and misleading the public.

    “Obaseki has not earned a kobo as salary from the state government and he should be commended and not persons who participated in the looting of the state treasury.”

  • Edo hires SANs to recover Avan Cement factory

    Edo hires SANs to recover Avan Cement factory

    The Edo State government says it has hired some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to pursue the recovery of Avan Cement factory.

    It accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration under former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of withdrawing $31 million from the state’s coffers and setting up the cement factory in the name of an individual.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole spoke on his administration’s plan to probe the cement factory when the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally was in Akoko-Edo Local Government.

    Oshiomhole said Edo State was given 15 per cent share, whereas 100 per cent of the factory’s assets belonged to the state.

    The governor said those involved in the illicit deal would be prosecuted.

    He said some people were arrested for attempting to sell the factory’s assets.

    Oshiomhole said: “All the problems we are facing today is as a result of the bad leadership of the PDP in Edo State during their 10-year reign and the 16 years they led this country. That is why we have told our people to monitor activities at the factory.

    “The last time I heard they were trying to steal the asset, after I revealed what I saw in the books, we arrested some of the guys and handed them over to the police. Given the natural endowment we have in Akoko Edo, when we bring that factory into operation by reclaiming the ownership from the thieves, we will employ our people there.

    “This is because you cannot take $31 million from the Edo State government’s account and set up a business and call it a private business. We will not accept that. It will be Godwin’s pleasure to bring that factory into work. He will create jobs with it.

    “The PDP killed our state. We can never go back to Egypt. Things are tough today in Nigeria because of how PDP looted this nation. Today, one fake pastor is coming from the godfathers that he wants to be governor. We will punish them with our votes.”

     

  • ‘I ‘m more qualified to rule Edo after Oshiomhole’

    ‘I ‘m more qualified to rule Edo after Oshiomhole’

    The United Progressive Party (UPP) flag bearer,  Adviser Sheddrach Nowamagbe, has said that he is the most qualified person to take over from Governor Adams Oshiomhole, because he is a musician and an entertainer.

    Nowamagbe, who spoke at the weekend, shortly after being presented with an award in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said he has what it takes to take the state to the next level, because of his credibility and his profession.

    He said he has done much for the people by kicking against corruption and social vices through his music, adding that the time has come for him to use his doggedness to further emancipate the poor masses from the hands of their oppressors.

    He said: “Oshiomole is a tailor, he has never sown any clothe in Government House. Obaseki is a banker and he is not going to the Government House to count money. Interestingly, Obaseki is supposed to be the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),but Oshiomole has taken over the job of campaigning for him.

    “Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, my close friend, is a pastor. He is not going to Government House to read the Bible. So, for that simple reason, I am number one among all those candidates.

    “Any time you see Oshiomole on stage, what does he do? Dancing! What of Ize-Iyamu? Singing and dancing! So, musicians always give joy. When you play music in the bush, snakes will refuse to bite you.

    “I have started my campaign. You do your campaign in different ways. It is not when you are making noise in the streets that you do your campaign. My name is a household name. They know me in the 18 local governments, 192 wards and 2,367 units. For that simple reason, anywhere I go, they recognise me. I have been doing my in-house campaign, ‘Jehovah’s Witness Campaign’.

    “I have been brutalised. I have murdered sleep, because of the ordinary people without a portfolio. Time has really come for me to use my doggedness to gain that position, most especially to deal with those past leaders who defrauded this state.”