The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Governor Godwin Obaseki

  •  Edo drivers commend new tax system

     Edo drivers commend new tax system

    Members of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Edo state have commended the state government for its introduction of a new taxation policy to collect levies from commercial drivers.

    They said the government policy has not only sanitized the system but has also saved them from harassments they hitherto faced from those previously saddled with the responsibility of collecting the taxes.

    A taxi driver at the Ikpoba Hill motor park, Mr. Courage Omeben, who commended the peaceful manner adopted by the government tax collectors in the collection of the levies, also advised commercial drivers in the state to cooperate with the government by paying their taxes willingly and promptly.

    He said, “The establishment of government tax force to collect taxes from commercial drivers in Edo state is a welcome development for us. Prior to the inauguration of the force, we usually faced different kinds of harassment from area boys who used to collect the money from us. Before, if those people ask you for money and you don’t give them, they would fight you and even break your side mirror.

    “The approach now being used by the government tax force is very good. Even if you don’t want to pay the way and manner they would use to approach you would make you to pay. As you pay, they give you receipts. I want to appeal to other commercial drivers in the state to cooperate with the task force for prompt and easy collection of the levies”.

    Another commercial bus driver, Edos Oyaruwa noted that the introduction of government task force for the collection of taxes from commercial drivers in the state has stopped extortion of the drivers.

    He lamented that many drivers used to pay exorbitant and multiple fees for taxes.

    “Before we used to pay between 1500 to 1600 to tax collectors at different locations. But now, the highest we pay daily is 200. Once we pay that, nobody will ask us for money again till the following day, “he said.

    Meanwhile, a commercial driver, Osaghe Pedro who also commended the tax system has urged the state government to build motor-parks for commercial drivers in the state. He lamented that very few commercial bus operators have motor parks in the state.

    He noted that the essence of paying taxes is for the government to provide some infrastructures such as motor parks for commercial drivers.

    Commenting on the level of compliance by the drivers, a member of the task force at Oredo local government Area, Etinosa Uyinmwen said although some of the drivers do comply with the government tax collectors, but majority of them try to escape the payment by giving one excuse or the other.

    It would be recalled that on January 1st, 2017, Governor Godwin Obaseki outlawed the use of private revenue collectors in the state.

    He introduced the cash less system and ensured that only staff of local government councils are used to collect the taxes.

    Obaseki recently acknowledged that the revenue base of the state has risen with the new system as N500,000 was being realised from nine points in Oredo local government whereas only N45,000 was remitted from the nine points.

     

     

  • Edo raises committee on accreditation of Nursing, Midwifery School

    Edo raises committee on accreditation of Nursing, Midwifery School

    Edo State Government has set up a committee to work out modalities for the re-accreditation of the state owned School of Nursing and Midwifery.

    The committee is also to ensure that the school become a world class institution.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki who stated this when he received executive members of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) said the accreditation must be done before the end of September.

    Obaseki promised to collaborate with members of NANNM to make the state a hub for Nursing and Midwifery.

    His words, “I believe that when we reposition the school will be able to train our people to address quackery in the state and raise the standard of health in the state.

    “A lot of work is begin to reposition the healthcare system in the state. We will do the right thing to put the State back on track in terms of health.”

    Chairman of NANNM, Mrs. Catherine Eseine, highlighted their challenges to include quackery and discrimination against Nurses in headship of Primary Health Care as coordinators in the local government.

     

  • Obaseki orders NDDC contractors to stop work

    Obaseki orders NDDC contractors to stop work

    …NDDC: It is a good step

     

    Few days after the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) asked its contractors to return to projects site, Governor Godwin Obaseki has given a counter directives to the contractors ordering them to stop work immediately.

    Obaseki had in March said his administration would not allow NDDC execute any projects in the state without meeting the state’s specifications and designs.

    In a press statement signed by Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, the NDDC contractors were given seven days to submit the design drawings, Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation of their respective projects to the State Ministry of Works.

    According to the statement, “No NDDC contractor is allowed by the state government  to resume work until their designs and documents are scrutinized and certified by the Technical Committee set up by the government in this regard.”

    Commissioner of NDDC in Edo, Mr. Saturday Uwulekhue, in his reaction said the directive was to change the narratives, the negatives postures of the NDDC as regards execution of shoddy and substandard jobs in the state.

    Uwulekhue noted that part of the Act establishing the NDDC was that the commission should implement measures put in place by member states.

    He stated that any contractors whose designs and specifications did not meet the state requirement would go back and redesign them to be in line with the state masterplan.

    According to him, “We are poised to ensure the proper thing is done. We want everything to be done as specified in the Bill of Quantity. It is not for a contractor to come to Edo and do shoddy jobs like they did in Erediauwa, Amagba road and others. If the State is putting measures in place to correct the ills of NDDC, I am not against it.

    “We have over 300 projects in the state and few have been completed. NDDC has problem with implementation and execution. The contractors usually play smart during execution of projects.”

     

  • Obaseki vows not to owe salaries

    Obaseki vows not to owe salaries

    • Assures TUC, NLC of retraining

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State met with members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TLC),  on Monday, to mark the annual International Workers’ Day and readdress the relationship between the government and the labour force.

    This was at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, where the Edo State Governor outlined his plans for rejuvenating the civil service to loud cheers from hundreds of Union members gathered.

    Governor Obaseki appreciated what he described as “the strategic place of workers in the wealth creation process” of the state, disclosing that he would stand with both unions and their affiliates to improve working conditions and reward systems for workers in the state.

    I have no doubt that working together and putting the interest of our state first, we can rapidly reposition our state for peace and progress

    “Be assured that this Government will not take your support for granted. Our most valued asset as a government is our workers.  Labour and Government must collaborate to assist the Local Governments to restructure so they would be better positioned to address their perennial problems of unpaid salaries and pensions, low revenue generation and poor service delivery,” he said.

    He also added that it would be recidivistic if the government owed salaries to workers, so he would ensure that all salaries are paid by the 26th of every month.

    Gov Obaseki flanked left and right by the State TUC and NLC chairmen respectively exchange pleasantries with a worker at the stadium.

    While the TUC Chairman, Comrade Ohue Marshall had earlier commended the governor for his policies and urged him to devote even more attention to the civil service buildings, the governor responded by saying that the expectation of the people would be better met if the state’s most valued asset – the civil and public services – were performing effectively, efficiently and collaboratively.

    On that account, he, therefore, reiterated his vow to renovate the Palm House and State Secretariat, adding that the government was concluding plans for a new administrative building in the Government House.

    Nonetheless, to uptick productivity in the workforce, the governor revealed that the Civil Service Training School would be revivified and the state would invest in retraining its workers before deploy cutting edge technology as a tool to enhance service delivery.

    To accomplish his promises, the governor called on both unions to work with it in ensuring efficiency and productivity, as its efforts to curb waste in revenue and productivity had already witnessed internally generated revenue (IGR) double.

    He charged the workers that: “The Labour movement should draw inspiration from the patriotism, sacrifice and contributions of it past leaders and heroes to chart a new paradigm. Our administration has zero tolerance for corruption and inefficiency. I therefore expect a partnership that would eradicate such bad practices where they exist in the public and civil services. In this way, we can build and sustain a culture of accountability, transparency and productivity.”

  • Edo registers 150,000 unemployed persons

    Edo registers 150,000 unemployed persons

    Edo State Government said it has registered a total of 150,000 unemployed persons in the state under its Edo Jobs Initiaive.

    It said the registration of unemployed persons was the first step towards achieving Governor Godwin Obaseki’s promise to create 200,000 jobs within four years.

    Governor Obaseki who disclosed this while addressing workers Monday at the May Day celebration said his Agripreneur project which focused on major crops will employ over 40,000 people.

    Obaseki said the issues of non-payment of wages in the local government made him to commence direct oversight functions of local government administration in the state.

    He stated that the pilot scheme he introduced for the collection of revenue for local government has yielded good results with daily income of over N500,000 from nine locations in Oredo local government against N42, 000 that was previously remitted.

    Obaseki vowed to ensure all revenues due to local government are collected to make sure workers and pensioners of the local councils are paid promptly.

    On the issue of Bendel Brewery, Governor Obaseki vowed not to use tax payers money to offset huge debts of the company.

    He said previous administration plunged the company into debt and he was not ready to pay the debt.

    His words, “People took so much money from the company and left huge debt. We will not pay the debt. We will rather redeploy the workers there and pay them their arrears.”

     

  • Why Edo ranking is low in National libraries rating – NLA

    Why Edo ranking is low in National libraries rating – NLA

    The National Library Association (NLA) has said that Edo State lost its pride of place in the national libraries rating due to rapidly declining staff strength, obsolete structures and books.

    It said the deteriorating nature of public and private library systems in the state was worrisome.

    Chairman of Edo State chapter of the association, Dr. Evelyn Omoluabi Idiodi, stated this when the association paid a courtesy visit to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    Dr. Idiodi recalled that the old Mid-Western region, later Bendel State Library Board did not only provide opportunities for knowledge development but also kept children from truancy.

    She called for the establishment of school libraries in all secondary schools in the state, explaining that it would not only create jobs, but also bring the state library system up to speed with the modern standards.

    In his reaction, Governor Obaseki expressed the state government readiness to establish e-library as a model to restoring library system in the state.

    Obaseki stated that his administration was set to collaborate with the association to  rethink and restore the library system in the state.

    He encouraged individuals to contribute to the library project by donating books, structures or funds to speed-up the development of public and private library systems in the state.

    He said, “What we are looking at is to rethink the library system. We can have many more books than we can store physically, we can store such electronically. We can have an e-library, using it as a model to re-enact our library system in the state.

    “I know of people who are currently investing on libraries in schools. I am speaking with an investor with the funding to come invest in the state. We must agree and come out with a plan and our project must not be too expensive”.

     

  • Lawmakers approve 12 Special Advisers for Obaseki 

    Lawmakers approve 12 Special Advisers for Obaseki 

    Lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly on Tuesday gave the nod to Governor Godwin Obaseki request to appoint 12 Special Advisers.

    The approval was sequel to a letter sent to the Assembly and dated April, 3.

    Majority leader of the house representing Owan East Constituency, Hon Foly Ogedengbe informed his colleagues that the governor was thorough in the selection of nominees to hold key positions in the state.

    Speaker Justin Okonoboh on his part said the appointments of the 12 Special Advisers would enhance governance in the state.

    The lawmakers also approved the appointment of Mr Raphael Okhani, Egbe Godwin, Efosa Edenene, Frank Osazuwa and Jona Ifada as chairman and member of the Edo House of Assembly Service Commission.

    This followed the expiration of the tenure of former members of the commission on March 20, 2017.

     

  • Edo Pensioners hail Governor Obaseki

    Edo Pensioners hail Governor Obaseki

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Edo State Council, Comrade Pullen Noruwa has commended Governor Godwin Obaseki’s effort on the recently concluded pensioners verification exercise by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), adjudging it as the best the country has had.

    Comrade Noruwa gave this remark on Wednesday when he led the executive members of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin City.

    He also expressed satisfaction at the hospitality of the process as participants were seen going home with extra packs of food, soft drinks and other items.

    Noruwa said the verification process was well organised and the welfare of pensioners was given due consideration during the process.

    The Chairman, however, appealed to the state government to review the state of the Edo State Pension Board by creating a Pension Bureau as alternative means to settle pension issues especially in cases of pensioners not able to access their files.

    Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki admonished pensioners to remain confident, adding that his administration is determined to pay all arrears owned to them.

    “I want to assure you that l am on your side. We have to make you comfortable; that is the service we owe you, as a government, having served the state.”

    The governor, who expressed optimism that the rest of the process would be successful, said the only way to nip a future crisis in the bud that may originate from non-payment of pension was to key into the contributory pension fund to grant the pensioners access to their pension fund as soon as they are retired.

    In addition, he noted that action was being taken to ensure the 2014 and 2015 pensioners’ arrears were settled, saying that the Heads of Local Government Administration had been instructed to generate revenue to settle their current obligations instead of relying on a bailout from the federal government.

    He also disclosed that pensioners would adequately be captured to ensure that the government addresses the issues of pension harmonisation.

  • Obaseki, Okowa eulogise late Ogbemudia

    Obaseki, Okowa eulogise late Ogbemudia

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his Delta State counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa have said that the Late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia would be remembered for his numerous contributions to the development of defunct Bendel state.

    This was as the governors, receiving the remains of late Ogbemudia, a two-time governor of old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta) at the Benin Airport on Monday, referred to him as a friend to all.

    According to Governor Obaseki, he left a lasting legacy, which Edo is building on.

    ‘’He admonished me and assured me of his support during my electioneering period. I cannot forget the encouragement he gave me, without his open and clear endorsement, my campaign would have been difficult’’, the governor said.

    Meanwhile Governor Okowa described late Ogbemudia as a role model to politicians, noting that he still lives through his works.

    He said, “I want to condole with the family of the late elder statesman; he meant a lot to both states of Edo and Delta. We will remember him for so many things; as at today, a lot of things still stand in his name”.

    Speaking about his last moment with late Ogbemudia, Governor Okowa recalled that he had a quiet time with him in 2015, when he invited him to deliver a lecture during his birthday.

  • PDP accuses Obaseki of financial recklessness

    PDP accuses Obaseki of financial recklessness

    The People’s Democratic Party in Edo State has described the first 100 days of Governor Godwin Obaseki in office as a ‘classic example of how elected officials mismanage public offices.’

     

    It said Governor Obaseki has displayed what it termed the same arrogance, impunity that characterized the administration of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

     

    State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who spoke to newsmen while appraising Obaseki’s performance in the last 100 days accused Obaseki of running the state as a sole administrator.

     

    Obaseki who was the Chairman of the Economic Team under the administration of Oshiomhole was sworn-in onNovember 12 last year.

     

    Chief Orbih said it was ridiculous for Governor Obaseki to be collecting N3m monthly for medical attention when such amount of money was not given to the state owned hospitals.

     

    Orbih who displayed alleged vouchers approved by Governor Obaseki said the present APC administration has not been transparent and condemned the governor for spending the sum of N134million in December 2016 to purchase Christmas cards, Rams and other petty items.

     

    The PDP Chairman said Obaseki took the wrong steps since he assumed power by not revealing the true financial standing of state and what the Oshiomhole left for him.

     

    Chief Orbih challenged Obaseki to tell Edo people what he did with the N11.3bn Paris Club refund he received since last December.

     

    He condemned what he termed unlawful 14 percent deduction from workers’ salaries for the contributory pension scheme.

     

    His words, “We challenge Obaseki to tell Oshiomhole what he kept the $54m he collected from the Federal Government on December 31st, 2014. We have checked the record and there was no where it was reflected.

     

    “The Central Hospital that was commission by President Buhari is now a carcass and empty. Obaseki has requested for another N500m in this year’s budget for the completion of the hospital and another money to procure equipment.

     

    “On December 2nd last year the governor approved the sum of N191million which was paid in cash to a contractor who supplied two Nissan pickups, one Prado jeep and three ordinary jeeps.

     

    “It is not even the amount. If you look at the approval the bogus side of it is stated very clearly that the financial implications for the direct purchase of these vehicles by cash is authorized by the governor”.

     

    “He has established an unusual pattern of executing government jobs using Building Maintenance Officers, BMO to prepare bill of quantities for direct Labour execution of government projects”.

     

    When contacted for comments, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki, Mr. John Mayaki, said he was already preparing his response.

     

    He was yet to send his response to the allegations as at press time.