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Tag: Godwin Obaseki

  • Obaseki inspects new Specialist Hospital, High Court

    …sets December completion date 

    Edo State Governor Mr.  Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday was at the State Secretariat to inspect ongoing building projects and assured that the new High Court and Secretariat buildings will be ready by December.

    The governor who was also at the new wing of the Specialist Hospital in Benin City, disclosed that his administration has started test-running the facilities to prepare the hospital for a smooth take-off by the end of the year.

    The governor added that a lot of departments will be moved from the old buildings to the new wing of the hospital while some of the old buildings will be refurbished to house the state’s primary healthcare board.

    “We have set up a Primary Healthcare Board, separate from the Hospital Management Board,” Obaseki said.

    He added that his administration is doing everything possible to ensure that the High Court extension is completed by the end of the year.

    Read Also: Osun victory shows APC is preferred party – Obaseki

    “We have received feedback from judges that will use the facilities and we are incorporating their feedbacks and reactions into the design to enable the contractor make the necessary adjustments before leaving the site,” he said.

    On the office of the Accountant General, the governor said “We saw the abandoned building at foundation level, we looked at the design, redesigned it and commenced the construction which will now house the office of the Accountant General and will be called Treasury House, on completion.”

    He maintained that the building was abandoned for years and assured that his administration would ensure that there are world class facilities for workers in the state to ensure efficient service delivery.

  • World Teachers’ Day: Obaseki lauds teachers’ contributions to development

    ..restates commitment to improved welfare

     …says better days ahead with sustained collaboration of Edo teachers

     

    The Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has lauded the contributions of teachers to human and societal development across the globe, assuring that his administration is committed to improved teachers’ welfare with sustained collaboration of Edo teachers.

    Obaseki gave the commendation on the occasion of the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day marked on October 5, each year.

    “On a day like this, we must acknowledge the role teachers play in upholding the trust that parents and the society have  in teachers.

    “Teachers are special people and deserve to be celebrated for their immense contributions to human and societal development. Daily, they painstakingly groom, nurture and mould minds and equip generations with legally and socially approved practices, skills, norms and values,” the governor said.

    He emphasized that “Teachers set the tone for society’s growth and development. The quality of our human capital is measured by the quality of teachers and their disposition to raising generations of thoroughly bred youths that are sound, both in character and knowledge and are ready to take their place in the global space.”

    Obaseki explained that “In Edo State, we have identified the critical role of teachers in our growth plan and this informed our decision to birth the Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, that has kick-started a series of reforms in the education sector.

    Read Also: Victory shows APC is preferred party —Obaseki

    According to him, “Edo-BEST programme is developing a pool of highly-skilled teaching workforce for the state, by training, supporting and motivating Edo State teachers to succeed in the classroom of tomorrow; enhance the Edo State Basic Education curriculum thereby empowering children to compete effectively in the world of work.

    “The programme has started leapfrogging the basic education delivery systems by leveraging technology in education provision, gathering and utilizing accurate and timely data to drive policy and planning decisions.

    The governor added that “In the programme, every teacher receives tablets loaded with digital lesson plans for every lesson needed for each day. Head teachers are given smart phones and provided with monthly data to enable them use the software in the smart phone to register all children and take attendance and manage teacher performance in each classroom every day.”

    The United Nations said that Teachers’ Day which is held annually on October 5, since 1994, “commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

    “This Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.

    “The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching and research personnel in higher education.

    “With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education, and the dedicated target (SDG 4.c) recognising teachers as key to the achievement of the Education 2030 agenda, WTD has become the occasion to mark progress and reflect on ways to counter the remaining challenges for the promotion of the teaching profession.

    “As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day this year, we take this occasion to remind the global community that “The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.

    “This theme was chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), where education is recognised as a key fundamental right. A right that cannot be fulfilled without qualified teachers,” the global body said.

  • IGR: Edo deploys Tech-based revenue collection scheme

    The Edo State Government has deployed its innovative technology-based revenue administration scheme which automates the entire process of revenue administration from capture, profiling, assessment generation and notification through to cashless settlement and is set to boost internally generated revenue in the state by expanding the tax net and enhancing payment convenience for citizens.

    The State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, explained that the new scheme will eliminate man-made barriers and other extraneous variables that interfere with the revenue collection process.

    According to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edo Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), Mr Igbinidu Inneh, the innovative solution christened Edo Revenue Administration System (ERAS), “is being delivered as part of the strategic institutional transformation of the EIRS and feeds off the Governor’s objective to transform Edo State into an innovation hub.

    Inneh explained that “The ERAS solution is a distributed revenue administration system which seeks to solve the challenges faced by revenue authorities in Nigeria for Edo State.”

    Tagged Project Dobberman, ERAS according to the technology partners, “in every sense has been delivered in an unprecedented record time in less than 18 months from conceptualization, partner selection to development and integration.

    “This is significantly ahead on time for the deployment of most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems anywhere in the world.”

    The EIRS boss noted that “the current tax base which grew within weeks of testing ERAS from just about 190,000 to over 250,000, will double within the first six months of operations and to one million within two years.”

    Read Also: Who gets Edo APC, PDP tickets?

    The visibly elated EIRS boss further said that “This accomplishment is truly one legacy Edo State will bequeath to the Nigerian Revenue Administration process  and indeed other emerging economies of Africa.

    On the project name ‘Dobbermann’, Mr. Inneh explained that it took its root from tax history and the strategy of Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, who first bred the Doberman Pincher dog breed  in the town of Apolda, Germany, around 1890 as the local tax collector. He ran the Apolda dog pound and aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections, which took him through many dangerous, bandit-infested areas.

     “It is simple to see that ERAS has been conceived, conceptualised and developed as the technological, modern day watch dog of government revenues.”

    He added: “The following revenue streams, Personal Income Taxes (PAYE and Direct Assessment), Withholding Tax, Land Use Charges, Consumption Tax, Vehicle Administration, Vehicle Insurance Policy Assurance, Business Premises (Regulations, Management and Control), Lottery Regulations, Stamp duties and other MDA services will be administered by the system.

    “And has payment solutions that cater for cashless and seamless transaction processing for both formal and informal sectors with online and offline features.”

  • BudgIT ranks Edo high on ability to meet monthly recurrent expenditure

    …Edo leads in covering all expenditure without borrowing

     

    The frugal allocation of resources by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in Edo State which has enabled the state to meet her monthly recurrent expenditure commitments has been applauded by independent researchers, BudgIT.

    The organisation’s favourable ranking validates investors’ rating of Edo State as an emerging investment haven with sound reforms in critical sectors such as land administration, company registration and the positive disposition of the government to investment, domestic and foreign. 

    In its “State of the States 2018 Report on the ability of States to Meet Monthly Recurrent Expenditure Obligations for January – June 2018,” BudgIT, a civic organisation, said: “Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Ondo are among the top ten states in our Index.”

    The organisation in its fiscal sustainability index analysis explained that “Index A looks at the ability of states to meet their recurrent expenditure obligation with state-owned revenue like value added tax, 13 per cent derivation and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). States like Rivers, Lagos, Delta, Bayelsa and Edo sit top of Index A.”

    On Index B which looks at the states’ ability to cover all recurrent expenditure without resorting to borrowing,  the organisation noted: “Interestingly about 16 states could cover the recurrent expenditure obligation without borrowing funds – a marked improvement over 2017.

    Read Also: BudgIT knocks NASS

    “In the first six months of 2017, only four states could effectively meet their recurrent expenditure without borrowing, selling assets or/and donor funds. States like Kano, Bayelsa, Edo, Rivers and Delta sit on top of the index.

    BudgIT added that “Edo State appears to have shown some initiative by trying to resuscitate its rubber and palm plantations in conjunction with the private sector, a move likely to increase earnings.”

    The plan is to “leverage on high-yielding varieties and long tradition of oil palm production to acquire about 100,000 hectares of land for the development of oil palm estates.”

    BudgIT advised that “the timelines in which this project will be achieved are crucial.

    It assured that “the Gelegele Seaport, which is to be transformed into a container port, holds great promise, if Edo aggressively revitalises her rubber industry – especially as the commodity trades at about $2,000 per ton.

    The organisation projected that “If Edo puts 400,000 hectares under rubber cultivation and invests in research to take yield above four tons per hectares, its rubber-based economy could top $3bn in the near term, on the back of efficient distribution through the seaport.”

    It further explained in the State of the States Report that “Despite increasing production capacity over the last seven years, Nigeria ranked 15 on the global production chart for rubber, as at 2016, with a capacity of 156,341 tons – a mere 1.19% of global output (at 13.15million tons).

    “This leaves a lot of market room, more so with the increasing application of rubber in the production of items such as stamp, shoes, mulch and roofing. Edo can therefore achieve increase output by putting the following measures in place: mechanised farming; standard storage facilities; stellar transportation systems; processing facilities and alternate point(s) of export/exit point from the country.

    “Formal trade agreements with any importing countries would also be a great advantage. Investment in rail infrastructure could also potentially open Edo’s economy to the Southwest and North-west corridor, ensuring smooth transfer of goods and services that in turn results in a larger transfer of funds into the public purse.”

  • Obaseki commiserates with late Hayford Alile’s family

    …lauds contributions to Stock Exchange

     

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has condoled with the family of the late Apostle Hayford Alile.

    In a condolence message issued by the governor on Tuesday in Benin City, he said he was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of the former director-general of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and spiritual leader of St. Joseph Chosen Church of God.

    Obaseki said: “I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Apostle Hayford Alile, who was a father figure to me and clearly one of the finest personalities in our country.

    “Pa Alile was a courageous and incorruptible professional who championed the global outlook for the Nigerian Stock Exchange through several reforms and pioneered the revolutionary ideas which positioned the Exchange for international reckon.

    “He contributed significantly to the take-off and growth of the country’s organised private sector, through his visionary leadership on the boards of several leading companies across the country and left a good legacy everywhere he worked.

    The governor further said that “Pa Alile was a role model to many of us and we admired how he succeeded in striking a balance between Christian ministry, work and family.

    Read Also: Victory shows APC is preferred party —Obaseki

    “In retirement, his foundation, the Hayford Alile Foundation provided succour and empowerment to the under-privileged and gifted, through scholarships, grants and training.”

    “We have lost a rare gem in the transition of Pa Alile as a state and nation, but we are consoled by the Godly life he led and the indelible marks he left in the minds and hearts of millions of people.”

    Obaseki prayed that “God grants pa Alile’s soul, eternal comfort until we meet to part no more.”

  • Obaseki assures of sound environmental governance in Edo

    The Edo State governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has assured that the state’s new environmental policy will engender a regime of sound environmental governance that will deploy best practice in waste and water management.

    Obaseki, who gave the assurance on the occasion of the celebration of World Habitat Day, observed on October 1, each year, said efforts at repositioning the state’s environment to better serve Edo people and residents have begun yielding positive results.

    “The Edo State Ministry of Environment and Sustainability recently reviewed the activities of burrow pit and abattoir operators as well as those of sand miners across the state.

    “We have undertaken an aerial survey of the state’s land assets and were shocked at the degree of abuse and exploitation of our forests and natural resources,” he said.

    The governor stressed that: “We are resolute about restoring sanity to the sector to ensure we have an environment we all will be proud of, and which will outlive us.”

    He explained that the flash floods that have wreaked havoc in parts of the state are caused in part, by human activities and called on community and religious leaders as well as other stakeholders to support the state’s blueprint for the sector.

    Read Also: Victory shows APC is preferred party — Obaseki

    “At the recent expert session convened to review the Edo State Environmental Policy, I charged experts drawn from the United Nations’ specialised organisation to fast-track work on the policy that was tabled for validation. I am confident that when unveiled, the environmental challenges we currently face will be tackled head-on,” the governor said.

    The policy document which was prepared in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), according to Obaseki, would address environmental issues such as flooding, deforestation, amongst others.

    World Habitat Day is a day set aside by the United Nations to reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.

    The United Nations explained that “The Day is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

    “The focus of this year’s World Habitat Day celebrations is taking action to address the municipal solid waste management challenge. This year’s theme is Municipal Solid Waste Management with a slogan: Waste-wise cities.

    The global body added, “On October 1, 2018, and in the period before and after this day, a concerted effort will be made to: raise awareness that Municipal solid waste is a global challenge that all of us need to address; facilitate policy dialogue and form partnerships; promote innovative solutions to municipal solid waste management and mobilise resources to address the municipal solid waste challenges.”

  • Obaseki links Edo’s growing investor, voter confidence to open governance

    The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that there is a correlation between his administration’s open governance model and the growing investor and voter confidence in the state.
    Obaseki said this on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, marked on September 28, each year.
    He explained that “as a matter of policy, we publish all our reforms across the various sectors of the state and their outcomes online, for potential investors and the public to know what we are doing to develop the state.”
    The governor noted that “Information and communication technology and the information super highway have made it easy to communicate governance to members of the public.
    “We place huge premium on transparency and accountability and the efforts we have made in pension reform, health, education, job creation and other key sectors are in public domain. They can be accessed online.
    Commending the United Nations for setting aside a special day to celebrate universal access to information, Obaseki said information explosion remains a remarkable achievement in the 21st century, and urged global leaders to take advantage of the information superhighway and the new technologies to guarantee unfettered and unencumbered access to information, revolutionise governance and carry the electorates along on government processes, procedures, achievements and challenges.

    Read Also: Victory shows APC is preferred party —Obaseki

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said that “since 2016 it has marked the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), following the adoption of a resolution (38 C/70) declaring 28 September of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
    “IDUAI has particular relevance with the new 2030 Development Agenda, and in particular with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.10  which calls for ensuring public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms.”
    UNESCO said it hopes that the event will encourage more countries to adopt Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, develop policies for multilingualism and cultural diversity in the cyberspace, and ensure that women and men with disabilities are integrated.
    “These steps will further strengthen progress towards the 2030 Development agenda and pave the way for the creation of knowledge societies worldwide.”

  • Obaseki to electorates: Demand transparency from political leaders

    The Edo State governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has challenged Nigerian electorates to demand transparency from persons holding leadership positions.

    Obaseki threw the challenge during the launch of Open Niger Delta (OPENED) Campaign project in collaboration with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

    He commended ANEEJ for the OPENED initiative, which the governor said is in line with the state’s open government policy, and assured of his administration’s readiness to drive the campaign in the Niger Delta region.

    The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Taiwo Akerele, said the state has put in place institutional framework to ensure due process is followed in the execution of projects, adding that the state government publishes all contracts above N10 million as well as her annual financial statements.

    Read Also: Osun victory shows APC is preferred party – Obaseki

    Obaseki noted that behavioural change amongst citizens was essential in the fight against corruption in the country and advised the electorates to vote only leaders who are transparent and ready to deliver good governance in the country.

    Rev David Ugolor, executive director of ANEEJ, said OPENED project is supported by Bread for the World Protestant Development Service with the goal of mainstreaming Open Government Partnership (OGP) principles in the Niger Delta states.

    Ugolor explained that OPENED was designed to encourage states within the Niger Delta region to adopt measures that will improve transparency, accountability and good governance in the region.

    “Edo State has joined the OGP which requires that participating governments enter into a co-creation process with civil society to develop commitment in the fight against corruption, public participation in governance and empowerment of citizens,” he said.

     

  • Edo, WAEC train teachers to improve learning outcomes

    The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, has said that the Governor Godwin Obaseki led-administration will continue to focus on improving the capacity of teachers in the state, to improve their competence.

    The commissioner disclosed this while declaring open a three-day seminar themed: “The 21st Century Teacher and Pedagogical Shift in Basic and Secondary Education,” which was held across the three senatorial districts of the state and organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).

    Agbale charged the participants to demonstrate commitment to the training as it was geared towards equipping them with up-to-date knowledge, adding that participants stand to gain tremendously from the event.

    Read Also: Association to reward best teachers

    In his presentation, Prof. Francisca Aladejana of the Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, said the essence of the training was to ensure improved students’ performance in schools.

    Aladejana urged the participants to share their knowledge and experience with their colleagues in their respective schools after the training, to extend the gains to more teachers.

    She further said that factors such as the home front, peer influence, environment, facilities in schools, teacher factor in the classroom, could affect the overall performance of children in schools.

  • Gully Erosion: Obaseki partners FG, World Bank, European Investment Bank

    …as partners inspect Iguosa, Queen Ede sites 

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has secured the commitment of the Federal Government, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank in arresting gully erosion in parts of the state.

    Addressing journalists during an on-the-spot assessment visit to the gully erosion site at Iguosa Housing Estate, in Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state on Thursday, the Task Team Leader 1, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), World Bank Office, Nigeria, Dr.  Amos Abu, said governor Obaseki and his team presented  the devastating gully erosion as part of priority projects for which the administration wants the partners’ intervention.

    Abu said: “We are here with the Federal Government team, NEWMAP and the European Investment Bank for on-the-spot assessment of the situation at Iguosa.”

    He said the team has seen and assessed the situation and has full grasp of the urgency of the intervention needed.

    He assured: “The job will be done but not in one day, and it will be according to international best practice to enable it stand the test of time. The proposed partnership between the World Bank and European Investment Bank will further give impetus to the implementation of the federal government’s erosion and watershed projects all over Nigeria especially in Edo State.”

    Team Head of the European Investment Bank delegation to Edo State, Mr. Jaime Barragan, said the team which is led by the World Bank is visiting the gully erosion site so as to take leadership of the project and make it happen.

    Read Also: Obaseki to PDP: you are ignorant of international investment

    Barragan stressed the need for the community to be involved in ensuring the project is maintained.

    According to Barragan, the project is being implemented nationwide involving 19 states of the country, adding that “Priorities are set depending on urgency and importance. It is the state that has the crucial role in putting forward the project and once it’s available, we will throw in our support.

    The President, Association of Residents of Government Housing Estate, Iguosa, Prof. Franklin Ehigiator, expressed appreciation to governor Obaseki for attracting the World Bank and other partners to the gully erosion site, after promising to assist the community.   

    The team also inspected the erosion control project in Queen Ede and promised that the project will be designed by world class engineers to stand the test of time.

    Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, Mr. Emoedume Brai said before the World Bank’s intervention, other interventions carried out on the site in the past failed.