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Tag: Godwin Obaseki

  • Obaseki finalises investment with Chinese firms

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is finalising investment decisions with partners in China for the development of the Edo Modular Refinery, Benin River Port and the Benin Industrial Park, on the sidelines of the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

    The governor is in China, with Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, who led the country’s delegation to the summit, where it is expected that both nations will strengthen investment ties and boost bilateral trade.

    The state government had earlier signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some of the company’s during an earlier visit to China, and the input from the Federal Government for the projects would clear the way for their take-off.

    The Chinese companies include the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited, which has concluded preliminary work for the commencement of the Benin River Port, in Gelegele.

    Three developers have been penciled down to spearhead the development of the Benin Industrial Park while a Chinese consortium made up of Peiyang Chemical Equipment Company of China (PCC), SINOPEC International Petroleum Service Corporation (SIPS), which is a subsidiary of SINOPEC, the top chemical giant in the world and African Infrastructure Partners (AIP), are to develop the Edo Modular Refinery, which is expected to gulp N2.1 billon.

    Before leaving for China, Governor Obaseki had approved at the last state Executive Council (EXCO) meeting the sum of N700 million to be invested in the Edo Modular Refinery project from the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) fund, deepening the state government’s commitment to the project.

    The deal for the 5500bpd modular refinery has a component that provides for a fabrication yard, which will train Edo citizens on welding, refinery operations and fabrication works to enable them participate in the construction of the refinery as well as its operation.

    With the agreements, it is expected that the investors, will soon arrive the state for the kick-off of the projects, after the state obtains all necessary regulatory approvals.

  • Obaseki charges ‘Not-too-Young-to-Lead’ campaigners on entrepreneurship

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged youth to remain committed in their quest to add value to the society, noting that the ‘Not too Young to Lead’ campaign should motivate more youth to become entrepreneurs.

    Obaseki who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Special Duties, Hon. Mika Amanokha, made the submission when he received members of Today’s Youth Organisation in Benin City, Edo State.

    He commended youths for spear-heading the ‘Not too Young to Lead” campaign, adding that the youth should take the advocacy to other spheres of the society, and not restrict the campaign to the realm of politics.

    Read Also: Obaseki stops 10% Administration of Estate Fee

    The governor said, “If we all focus on politics and political offices, at what point do we begin to build business leaders? At what point do you begin to build careers? ‘Not too Young to Lead’ should be all encompassing, as leadership is not just about political offices.

    “You do not only become a leader by being a political office holder. If we narrow this advocacy to politics and political office alone, we will miss the point because political office holders do not make up 10 percent of the Nigerian population.”

    He tasked them to begin to look at successful businessmen and women and draw inspiration from how they started their ventures. He asked: “At what age did they start building their own businesses? What are the factors limiting young people from building such businesses today? What can be done to eradicate these factors?”

    Obaseki noted, “If we centre our advocacy around these questions and get answers; young people with their energy, enthusiasm, innovations and resilience will become leaders in the economy, technology, arts, agriculture and so much more.”

    Obaseki urged youth with interest in holding political office to participate actively and ensured that they are counted in decision making process at the grassroots, and assured that “this administration will remain youth-friendly with a very significant number of young people as Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants.

    National Coordinator, Today’s Youths Organization, Mr. Joseph C. Brown, commended the state government for its youth-friendly policies and the support for the group’s youth skills acquisition programme.

  • 2019: Edo Central aspirant denies stepping down

    An Edo Central Senatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), Mr Theophillus Okoh, has denied reports that he has been forced to step down.

    Okoh told newsmen that he didn’t agree to step down from the race after a meeting with Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    He said no aspirants in Edo Central can boast of his political structure in Esan land.

    Okoh said Governor Obaseki however expressed reservation over the support for his aspiration.

    According to him, “It is very wicked rumor and a way to sabotage my campaign. I never did or promised the governor that I am collapsing my structure.

    Read Also: 100 PDP aspirants jostle for 24 assembly seats in Bayelsa

    “I met with Obaseki quite alright. We had an argument and I told him that I was running but he had his reservation about my aspiration.

    “I met with leaders of the party in the state including Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who told me that the leadership of the party will not impose or nominate candidate for us in Edo Central.

    “I want to put it on record that that I have not collapsed my structure. My structure is intact and working. I have structure more than any other person in Esanland ”

    “I am not going to step down for any body for any reason. I am going to run. The governor assured that they will provide a level playing ground for all aspirants”.

  • Voter Registration: Edo workers defy heavy downpour

    …lament slow pace of work by INEC

    Thousands of workers defied the heavy downpour on Friday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, to take advantage of the work-free day declared by Governor Godwin Obaseki, and register in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Some of the workers interviewed, commended the Edo State Government for declaring Friday work-free and explained that they had to take advantage of the opportunity to register and participate in future elections.

    Mr. Eboigbe Wellington, who spoke to journalists at the INEC Registration Centre located at Asoro Slope, Ekehuan Road, Benin City, decried the slow pace of work by officials of INEC and called on the federal government to extend the registration deadline to enable more people register.

    He also said that the heavy and persistent rainfall in Benin City has discouraged many people from coming out to register as the INEC centres have no place for people to take cover when it rains.

    Read Also: INEC lost millions of naira to flood in Edo

    “The heavy rainfall has not helped matters. People have no place to hide when it rains and as you can see, many of us are drenched while looking for where to hide from the rainfall,” Wellington said, and commended the governor for declaring Friday a work-free day.

    Mr. John Ohenhen, who was also at the INEC Registration Centre at Asoro Hill, Ekehuan Road, said he was at the centre to collect his voter card having registered in December 2017.

    He urged INEC to deploy more officials to make the registration process faster.

    The trend in other parts of the state was the same as workers turned out in their numbers to register before the expiration of the deadline by the electoral body.

  • Flooding: Obaseki assesses impact, distributes relief materials

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday, dispatched a team of officials, headed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Yakubu Gowon, to take a tour of areas affected by flash floods occasioned by the heavy and persistent rainfall in the state.

    The assessment, according to the government, is to ascertain the degree of destruction caused by the flood and deploy intervention to mitigate the impact of future rainfall.

    Places visited by the state government’s team include: Erediauwa Road linking Upper Sokponba and Sapele roads in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Ivbiotor, and Ehigiamusoe streets also in Ikpoba-Okha LGA. Others are Akugbe and Edebiri in Ikpoba-Okha as well as Idumwunowina on Auchi Road.

    Speaking to residents in areas hit by flood, Gowon explained that the governor shares in their pain and loss and assured that relief materials would be delivered to them to cushion the effect of the disaster.

    “The state government is aware of your plight and will send relief materials to reduce the effect of the havoc caused by the heavy rainfall. We are here to assess the degree of the damage caused by the heavy downpour,” he added and urged the victims to be calm as help is on the way.

    He explained that some roads and drainage systems in the state have been awarded to contractors for reconstruction, and called on all those affected to stay calm as the government will surely come to their aid by providing relief materials.

    Read Also: Police arrest suspected attackers of Obaseki

    “We have already started distributing relief materials to those affected by rainstorm since March this year and same will be extended to you as we treat all our citizens equally.”

    The Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osayande, commended governor Obaseki for his prompt response to their call for help.

    He assured that the local government administration will ensure that the people dispose their waste properly and clear the drains.

    A victim of the flood at Evbomodo Community, Mr. Osaro Otabor, thanked the governor for sending people to assess the destruction caused by the heavy downpour.

    The governor’s aide was accompanied on the assessment tour by officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Ministry of Environment and Sustainability officials.

    Recall that the state government recently distribution relief materials to communities affected by windstorm in Esan West and Owan West local government areas, as well as in other parts of the state.

    Hon. Yakubu Gowon, handed over the relief materials on behalf of the state government to chairmen of the two local councils in Benin City, the state capital.

    He explained that Governor Obaseki has fulfilled the promise he made shortly after the disaster, to assist the affected communities.

    “This is a continuous exercise; as at date, we have donated relief materials to communities in about 12 local government areas and we have been receiving letters of appreciation from the beneficiaries.

    “While some states in the country that experienced similar disaster are still waiting for the support of the federal government, the Edo State government has gone ahead to render assistance to these communities,” he said, while handing over the relief materials to the local councils’ bosses, recently.

  • ENAW 2018: Delegates upbeat as Obaseki parades Edo-BEST

    …seeks support of Diaspora community

    In a concerted effort to get the buy-in of the state’s Diaspora community, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will be showcasing the revolutionary Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme and the 1800-unit Emotan Gardens project, among other growth and development enablers at the Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW) Convention in Canada.

    The four-day Toronto convention, the 27th in the series, will hold from August 31 – September 3. It is arguably the single largest gathering of Edo professionals in the Diaspora, making it a key stakeholder in the state’s affairs.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki, will lead the state government’s delegation to the Toronto convention and will be showcasing a bouquet of projects, which needs the input and buy-in of the Diaspora community.

    Among the star projects listed to feature in the governor’s discussions is the Edo-BEST programme, for which approval has been given for full roll-out in three oil and gas producing local government areas, comprising Ovia North East, Orhionmwon and Ikpoba-Okha. A pilot phase is running in select local governments across the state. However, more investment is needed for full roll-out across the state.

    An initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, the Edo-BEST programme, will develop a highly-skilled teaching workforce 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 is expected to leapfrog the basic education delivery systems by leveraging technology in education provision and to gather and utilise accurate and timely data to drive policy and planning decisions.

    Read Also: I spoke my mind to Obaseki – Ex-Commissioner

    In the programme, every teacher will receive 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 other project is the 1800-unit Emotan Gardens, an ambitious real estate project, that seeks to rejuvenate the state’s real estate sector and provide affordable housing to residents and those in the Diaspora. The state government is developing the estate through the Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA) in partnership with MIXTA Africa, a renowned real estate and property development company.

    Executive Chairman, Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA), Isoken Omo, in the build up to the convention, assured that a mix of engagement strategies would be deployed in the state government’s effort to meet the housing and other needs of Edo people in the diaspora.

    According to her, “The Edo State Government and her partners are upbeat about the Emotan Gardens and similar housing projects coming on stream soon. It is an opportunity many of our people have been waiting for to acquire decent housing through a very transparent process devoid of encumbrances.”

    She explained that “the appeal of Emotan Gardens has been phenomenal, as would-be subscribers are just waiting for us to open sales. Governor Obaseki is passionate about this product and will be exhibiting it at the ENAW Convention.”

    Another sector expected to be featured by the government at the ENAW Convention is the ease of doing business, specifically in the built sector, following the signing of the Private Property Protection Law, which has abolished the activities of Community Development Association (CDAs).

  • Obaseki abolishes 10% estate administration fee

    …fee now to be deducted at point of receiving benefits

    Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has issued an Executive Order altering the provision of Order 53, Rule 11, Paragraph 21 of the Second Schedule of the Edo State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012, that made it mandatory for persons applying for letters of Administration to pay 10 per cent of the total value of the property in advance, as a condition for the issuance of Letters of Administration.

    Obaseki said the new Executive Order No: 1 of 2018, with August 1st commencement date, is a response to the plights of many beneficiaries and next-of-kin of deceased and retired government workers who cannot collect their entitlements due to their inability to pay in advance, the required 10 per cent of the value of their entitlements, as condition for the issuance of Letters of Administration.

    The governor stated in the Executive Order: “Whereas, Order 53 Rule 11 and paragraph 21 of the Second Schedule of the Edo State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012 made it mandatory for persons applying for Letters of Administration to pay 10 per cent of the total value of the Property as a condition for the issuance of Letters of Administration.

    “Whereas my attention has been drawn to the plight of many applicants who as beneficiaries and or next-of-kin of deceased Government Workers/Pensioners are unable to process and obtain Letters of Administration to collect their entitlements.

    Read Also: Eid-el-Kabir: Obaseki felicitates with Muslims

    “Now therefore, I Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, Governor of Edo State, in exercise of the authority vested by the Constitution and other laws enabling me in that behalf, do hereby order and direct as follows:

    “Deduction of the 10 per cent Administration of Estate Fee at source and remittance of same to the Probate Registry by the relevant organ of Government is hereby approved to alleviate the suffering and stress encountered by beneficiaries and relatives of deceased Government workers/pensioners.

    “This order shall be enforced and complied with by all persons, Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Edo State concerned with or empowered to administer all matters relating to this order.

    “This order is effective upon signature and shall remain in force, unless amended, modified, terminated or rescinded.”

    With the new Executive Order 1 of 2018, next-of-kin and beneficiaries of deceased government workers/pensioners, now have unfettered access to their property as the mandatory Letter of Administration fee, being 10 percent of the total value of the property, will be deducted from the value of the property at point of receipt.

  • I spoke my mind to Obaseki – Ex-Commissioner

    A former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Barrister  Ken Ihensekhien, has said that he boldly spoke his mind to Governor Godwin Obaseki for the interest of the All Progressive Congress in Edo Central Senatorial district.

    Ihensekhien said his words should not be misinterpreted to mean that dislike the governor or responsible for the attack on Governor Obaseki after a meeting at Irrua, headquarters of Esan Central local government.

    In a press statement made available to journalist, Ihensekhien said those linking him to the attack on Obaseki were misguided.

    The former commissioner stated that some of the APC leaders present at the meeting were not courageous enough to speak their minds even though they habour serious misgivings in their minds about the APC administration in the state.

    He urged APC leaders in Edo Central not pretend about the fact that they need to do more to be able to defeat their opponents in the area during the forthcoming general elections.

    According to him, “To put the record straight, I was present at the meeting with His Excellency, Governor Obaseki at Irrua and those present will attest to the fact that I spoke my mind boldly and sincerely.

    Read Also: APC leaders condemn attack on Obaseki

    “Some APC leaders instead of burying their heads in shame for behaving as cowards, but have decided to turn around to vilify and blackmail me for speaking my mind.

    “Therefore, I wish to state unequivocally that I never at any given time asked or sponsored the person or persons to molest the governor, an action I am totally against.

    “But if some disgruntled leaders of APC have genuine reason to believe that I have hands or that I played any role on the attack on the state governor, they should come up with their facts and evidences or otherwise keep quiet and repent from blackmailing innocent politicians, especially my humble self.”

  • Obaseki vows to stamp out human trafficking, illegal migration

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has pledged to stamp out the menace of human trafficking and illegal migration from Edo State, as the government has set up necessary legal and institutional framework to combat the scourge.

    The governor also called for strengthening of transnational ties between state and non-state actors to end modern slavery and other ills, which benefit from human trafficking.

    Obaseki made the commitment in commemoration of the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition, which is marked on August 23, every year, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), to remember the Transatlantic slave trade and its abolition.

    Obaseki said that though slavery may have been abolished centuries ago, it continues to rear its head in the guise of human trafficking and other forms of forced enslavement for social and economic gains.

    According to him, “On this day, it is important to recall the milestones recorded in the fight against human trafficking, a trend that almost deprived us of our youth population, which had foreshadowed a dim future for us. As we mark this, we are forced to signpost the modern version of this societal ill: human trafficking.

    Read Also: Esan APC leaders condemn attack on Obaseki

    “To stem this, we set up the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking; enacted the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law 2018 and set machinery in motion for top-of-the-range basic and technical education in the state.

    These are geared towards curbing the trend of human trafficking and ensuring that our young ones get the best of education in the state to make them competitive at home and abroad.”

    He said that the state government’s rehabilitation and reintegration programme is geared towards restoring the dignity of those that may have been caught in the web of human trafficking, as efforts are in top gear to ensure that they settle back properly into society.

    He called on the international community to continue to support the state government’s effort and urged for more support for governments working to curb all forms of slavery.

    The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition had its maiden celebration in Haiti on August 23, 1998.

  • Obaseki visits APC leader, Amegor over son’s death

    The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has paid a condolence visit to the Edo South Senatorial leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Gentleman Amegor, over the death of his son, Uyi Amegor.

    The late Uyi Amegor, was the Vice Chairman of Egor Local Government Area, until his death.

    Obaseki was accompanied on the visit by his Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, and the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu.

    The visibly shaken governor, who could not speak to journalists, spent some time condoling with the Amegor family at their Siluko Road residence, in Benin City, the state capital.

    Read Also: Police arrest suspected attackers of Obaseki

    Recall that when news of Uyi Amegor’s death broke earlier in the week, the governor expressed rude shock at the news and said he was taken aback by the passing of Hon. Uyi Amegor.

    “I commiserate with his family, Edo South Leader of our party, Gentleman Amegor and the people of Egor local council. We lost Mr. Uyi Amegor at a critical moment of our development as a state, when he was working with the team at the local government to re-position local government administration. It is indeed a great loss to the people of Egor local council and the entire state,” Obaseki said.

    He pledged that the Edo State Government and the entire APC family will stand by the Amegor family through their trying moments and prayed that God grants the family the fortitude to bear the huge loss.