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Tag: Gov. Godwin Obaseki

  • Edo Govt. promises to tackle challenges confronting housing sector

    Edo Govt. promises to tackle challenges confronting housing sector

    Gov.Godwin Obaseki of Edo says his administration will tackle the lingering challenges confronting the housing and real estate sector in the state to ensure affordable houses for people living in Edo.

    The governor made the promise on Friday in Benin night while delivering his closing speech at the end of a 2-day workshop on Housing/Real Estate.

    The workshop, entitled, “Quest for Adequate and Sustainable Real Estate for Edo People” was organised by the state government.

    Obaseki said the problem facing the state in the housing and real estate sector was that of violation of law and order by the people, noting that the system would not work effectively without people abiding by the laid down law and order.

    According to him, the state has law governing land but that over the years, people took laws into their hands, violating property laws, invoking jungle law and indulging in appropriating land to themselves.

    He also said that the present administration in the state was ready and open for housing business and had commenced the process of developing the Benin Master plan to clean up the system,

    The governor also said his administration had taken housing issue very serious and would implement the outcome of the workshop and make housing for the people a reality.

    “We have the human capacity; we have the unique opportunity in terms of our location.

    ’Our location has given us greater opportunity as the entire key ingredient needed to create a modern society exists in our state.

    “We have the capacity to drive major economic growth of the state.

    ‘’I am very confident that the quality of participants that gathered for this workshop has the experience to help the state move to the desired level in the area of housing,” he said.

    The Chairman of the workshop, Alhaji Ali Magashi, said the essence of the workshop was to create a road map for the governor to have a well integrated and planned housing development for the state.

    He said, ‘’There is need to start with planning; you need an urban planning and urban renewal.

    ‘’You need to open up new estate, provide land for developers to put money and create financial structures for people of the state to get their new homes”.

    He commended the state governrnment for the workshop and called on the governor to ensure implementation of the outcome of the workshop to achieve the desired result.

  • Obaseki commences reforms in state civil service, launches SIFIMS

    Obaseki commences reforms in state civil service, launches SIFIMS

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has said that having a transparent and accountable civil service was necessary to drive good governance in the state.

    Obaseki stated this while inaugurating the State Integrated Financial Information Management System (SIFIMS) in Benin on Friday.

    He said his administration was implementing SIFIMS to bring about reforms in the public service.

    “Today is a significant day for us as a state as we have decided to launch our public service into a new era.

    “This would not have happened if not for my predecessor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, who saw the need for a technology driven society.

    “Nigeria ‘worked’ before the civil war era because the civil service worked and the civil service worked because the right processes were put in place.

    “We have decided to re-enact a process that will get government to work in the state,’’ he said.

    Obaseki said the new process, which is technologically driven, would help to checkmate waste and conflicts in the state civil service.

    He said it would also promote better budgeting and procurement processes as well as a better management of the state’s limited resources.

    The governor admonished the civil servants on the ethics of their job urged them to key into the new process, own it and make it work.

    “We have completed the process of acquiring 1000 computers for the sector. We want to ensure the provision of notebook pads for level 15 officers and above.

    ‘’We want to complete the Block C section of the state secretariat, provide wireless internet services in public offices and rebuild the ICT training centre in the state,” he said.

    The Accountant General of the state, Mr Isaac Ehiozuwa, said plans had been completed to kick start the new process in Edo.

    Ehiozuwa said the various directors in the department of administration, finance and accounts, permanent secretaries and other key players in the state’s civil service, had been duly trained to key into the process

     

  • Obaseki seeks to strengthen state’s judicial system

    Obaseki seeks to strengthen state’s judicial system

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo said no meaningful development would be achieved in the state without strengthening the judiciary.

    Mr John Mayaki, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor said in a statement on Saturday in Benin that Obasaki made the remark at a workshop on judiciary held in Benin.

    According to Obaseki, strengthening the judiciary is sine qua non for economic development.

    He said “we cannot pursue the goals we have set for ourselves without strengthening the administration of the judiciary.

    “Repositioning Edo and make it an economic hub will be difficult if we do not have
    legal system to protect property right and ensure contracts and things the law can do for us.”

    The governor added that the state would uphold the independence of the judiciary as evidenced in the over 600 per cent increment in 2017 appropriation bill for the sector.

    He explained that the essence of the judiciary workshop was to acknowledge the challenges confronting the sector in the state and to proffer solutions to them and come up with a master plan.

    Mayaki stated that Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana, at the workshop, with the theme “State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice in Edo
    State” advocated proper remuneration for judicial workers to build confidence in the nation’s judicial system.

    Falana said election petition cases should be handled by justices of the various High Courts in states.

    He said restricting the functions of state chief judges to only administrative functions was unhealthy for the system.

    Also, a former governor of Edo, Prof. Osariemen Osunbor, said there was need for government to publicise the revised laws of the state.

    Osunbor said it would keep the people abreast with the judicial system.

  • Major oil companies neglect host communities – Obaseki

    Major oil companies neglect host communities – Obaseki

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has decried the poor attitude of multinational oil companies operating in the state toward the welfare of their host communities.

    Obaseki made the disclosure while hosting the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (UpStream)when the committee members paid him a courtesy visit on Friday in Benin.

    According to him, the impact of multinational oil companies operating in the state is not felt anywhere.

    He said that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company was the heart of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and was located in the state but that its impact was never felt in the state.

    The governor lamented that other multinational companies operating in the state were similarly, not making any impact on the economy of the state.

    “To us, this is an issue of concern and we want the house and indeed the National Assembly to look into it.

    “Companies operating in states should be made to contribute and add value to their host states, while federal agencies should be encouraged to do more for the states.’’

    The governor told the committee members, led by the committee Chairman Sen. Omotayo Alasodura, that the most salient issue in the state was the availability of security.

    He said that there was no record of violence or attacks on oil facilities in the state, a development that should have made the companies to make a positive impact in their host communities.

    Alasodura said that the committee members were in the state for an oversight function on some federal institutions in the state.

    He congratulated the governor on his recent election, expressing his optimism that the governor would build on the legacies of the previous administration.

    Some of the senators on the visit include Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi, Clifford Ordia and Francis Alimikhena.