The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Governor of Edo State

  • Edo to partner CIBN on Capacity Building

    Edo to partner CIBN on Capacity Building

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has expressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) to enhance the capacity of civil servants in the state.

    He made this known while receiving members of the Institute, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, in Benin City, on Monday.

    Obaseki said his administration has finalised plans to launch the state’s Civil Service Training Institute and a training programme for Directors of Finance and Administration in the Civil Service that will expose them to current industry trends.

    He described the institute as a “very important and significant player in the banking sector, with a lot to offer in capacity building.”

    He said: “Almost every bank in Nigeria has a branch in Edo State and, as a government, we will leverage on this advantage by partnering with your institute to help us achieve our goal of making the state a regional banking centre. As a government, our role is to create an atmosphere that is attractive for business and this has informed some of the decisions we have taken since we came into government.”

    “We are in government to create a clean and secure environment, streamline our revenue collection process and rid our cities of traffic congestion so that people can move around easily. For us to sustain these, we need to collaborate with your institute,” the governor added.

    Earlier, the leader of the delegation and President/Chairman of the Council, CIBN, Prof. Segun Ajibola, commended the governor for the achievements recorded so far in the state. He said the visit was one of the mandates of the institute, which requires them to liaise and meet with critical stakeholders who have a role to play in moving the nation forward.

    He expressed his appreciation to the governor for appointing members of the institute to his cabinet and noted that the governor’s efforts in electricity generation was worth commending as well as other achievements.

    “We appreciate the leadership quality of the governor especially in the planned development of the Gelegele Sea Port in the state as well as other projects designed to improve the life of the people in the state,” Ajibola said

     

  • Obaseki seeks campaign in Ozone Layer Preservation

    Obaseki seeks campaign in Ozone Layer Preservation

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has called on frontline international and domestic environmentalists, heads of states and other stakeholders in the fight for a safer environment for human habitation, business, work and leisure, to galvanise more of the global poor to join in the fight.

    Obaseki made the call on the occasion of the   International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, observed on September 16.

    According to the governor, “poor people are more in number especially in third world countries and should be galvanised to join in the global effort to preserve the ozone layer and the environment.”

    He further said that “the failure to appreciate the crucial role of the mass poor across the globe in our collective fight to save the environment, accounts for the seemingly slow pace in achieving the desired goals.”

    Obaseki explained that some of the practices popular among the mass poor of the earth, like bush burning, felling of trees are partly responsible for global warming, with strong link to the depletion of the ozone layer.

    He lamented that “several used home appliances and industrial equipment made with chemicals that destroy the ozone blanket find their way to third world countries and are used by poor people who do not have the capacity to destroy them in line with global conventions, when they are beyond repair.”

    He maintained that all hands must be on deck in the education and mobilisation of the poor people in the campaign, if measured success can be achieved.

    The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.

    This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer), an international treaty that protects the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.

     

     

     

  • Obaseki fetes Falconets, Tanzanites after U-20 World Cup match

    Obaseki fetes Falconets, Tanzanites after U-20 World Cup match

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Saturday, hosted the victorious Falconets and their Tanzanian counterparts to an elaborate Dinner at the Government House in Benin City, to foster strong brotherly relationship between Edo people and their guests from Tanzania.

    Obaseki who watched the 3-0 triumph of the Falconets over the Tanzanites at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, congratulated both teams for their spirit of sportsmanship and the level of professionalism displayed by the match officials.

    He urged guests at the Dinner to see the soccer encounter as a means for promoting and strengthening the bond of brotherhood among Africans and not just a competition.

    He explained that his administration was determined to harness all the gains inherent in sports tourism by making the state the preferred destination for sporting events and develop young people who are endowed with talent for sports.

    “It is all about promoting brotherhood and Africa. The purpose of the game is to help us bond better as a continent,” the governor said, and added that as hospitable people, his administration was ready to accommodate as many Tanzanites as are willing to make Edo State their home.

    He disclosed that one of the strategies being deployed to boost sports development in the state is to discover those with sporting talent at a young age. “Our strategy in our overall plan to make the state number one in sports is to catch them young,” he stressed.

    In his response, the High Commissioner of Tanzania in Nigeria, Elias Mwandobo, commended the Nigerian Football Federation for the warm reception they were given in Abuja and the exceptional hospitality the Edo State government extended to them in Benin City.

    Mwandobo also commended both teams for putting up a good performance to the delight of the spectators, noting that the country was ready to play host to the Falconets come September 30 in Dar es Salaam for the second leg of the game.

    The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt.  Hon. Philip Shaibu, expressed his appreciation for the successful hosting of the match and emphasised that Edo State was not only a destination for business investments but the new destination for sporting activities in Nigeria.

    In his remarks, the Edo State Commissioner for Youths and Special Duties, Hon. Mika Amanokha, congratulated the state government for contributing three players of Edo origin to the U-20 female national team.

    The commissioner said the state was ready to groom sports loving youths who will represent the country both at national and international competitions.

    The Falconets’ 3-0 win was the first leg match in their African qualification campaign for a place in the finals of the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

  • Obaseki inspects ongoing road projects in Edo central 

    Obaseki inspects ongoing road projects in Edo central 

    …laments deplorable state of Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi road

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Friday inspected about 10 on-going road projects in Edo Central Senatorial District of the state as well as the failed portions of the Benin- Ehor -Ekpoma- Auchi expressway.

    Obaseki, who was accompanied by top government officials including the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Osahon Amiolemen, in the tour that lasted till around 9 pm, said his administration was determined to complete the projects in Edo Central immediately after the rains.

    “We have about 10 ongoing road projects in Edo Central Senatorial District and we are here to see how much progress has been made by the contractors because their payment is being organised.

    “We are worried about the state of these roads and will ensure that they are completed in the shortest time possible. The anticipated progress was hindered by the heavy rainfall, which is unfortunate. We will make sure that the roads are completed this season,” Obaseki assured

    He lamented that despite the fact that Edo State has produced two ministers of works in the recent past, the Edo axis of the Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi expressway, was in a scandalous state as the two former ministers of works from the area could not use their influence to draw federal government’s attention to dualise the road.

    “It is a tragedy that Edo State had the rare opportunity to produce two ministers of works, who are from this area, but they failed to dualise the road, which is the main artery connecting Edo State with the northern and other parts of the country.

    “It is really unfortunate. We will do our best and will continue to appeal to those who are in charge to come to our aid,” he said.

    Some of the on-going road projects inspected were the Idumebo-Ihumudumu-Royal Market Road and the Uselu -Ewohimi road.

    The governor promised to visit the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to mobilise the contractors handling the Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma Expressway project back to site.

    The governor had to go through Okwo and Okha Villages in Uhunmwode Local Government Area to avoid the failed portions along the Benin-Ehor axis of the Benin -Ehor-Ekpoma-Auchi Expressway.

    Mr Joel Egbon,  project Engineer, handling the Idumebo-Ihumudumu-Royal Market road, said discussions were ongoing to complete work on the road after the rains.

    During the tour, Obaseki stopped at Ehor Fruit Juice company,  which used to be a state government asset but now in a state of receivership.

    The governor regretted that the company after being set up and commissioned by the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party-led administration never functioned, before it was sold to a private investor.

    He said his administration would not allow any state-owned assets to rot, and will rehabilitate them for the economic benefits of the state.

     “It is the goal of my administration to avoid wastes and we are determined to bring economic life to communities in Ehor and Edo State at large” the governor said.

     “Ehor fruit juice factory was set up as a processing facility to add value to pineapples for which farmers within Ehor locality in Uhunmwode Local Government Council are known,” he added.

  • International Day of Democracy: Obaseki tasks leaders on masses’ welfare

    International Day of Democracy: Obaseki tasks leaders on masses’ welfare

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has tasked global leaders and other players in the democratic space to translate democracy to tangible pro-people policies and programmes that will lift the poor masses from poverty.

    Obaseki threw the challenge at international and domestic political actors on Friday, as the world commemorates the International Day of Democracy.

    According to the governor, “the essence of democracy and all its support institutions must be to protect the weak, distribute resources and wealth equitably, and mobilise every stratum of society to participate in the decisions that mould our lives.”

    He stressed that “until a strong nexus between democracy and the good of the masses is established, democracy as a political theory or philosophy will remain an elite past time.”

     Obaseki said the choice of this year’s theme: “Democracy and Conflict Prevention,” was timely, considering the developments across the globe.

    Obaseki recommended that: “A proactive approach that can scientifically pre-empt conflict from feelings of discontent, displeasure and prompt resolution of the issues, have proven to be the best way to conflict management, than a reactive approach that waits for conflicts to occur before attending to them.”

    He explained that “conflicts do not just happen, irrespective of the part of world we find them. Leaders must be alive to expressions of disaffection even from the worst critics, as democracy is about people’s participation in conversations that will ultimately enrich governance.”

    He emphasised that global peace is possible, if world leaders would do more in connecting with the electorates.

     “An international day of democracy is a day for all those elected on the platform of democracy to reflect on how good we are doing in implementing the mandate given to us by the electorates. It is a day to account for the trust and faith the people have invested in us,” he added.”

  • Oredo traders’ protest: Obaseki slashes store levies 

    Oredo traders’ protest: Obaseki slashes store levies 

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has ordered a reduction in the cost of shops in Oredo Local Government Area of the state following appeals by traders in the council.

    Speaking after a meeting with the traders at the Government House in Benin City, Obaseki, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, directed that owners of shops earlier charged N50,000, to pay a new rate of N40,000, while the partitioned shop owners are to pay N25,000.

    The governor said his administration was committed to sustaining the business-friendly climate in the state to grow existing businesses and attract more investors.

    Recall that traders in Oredo council under the aegis of Coalition of Traders and Artisans, took to the streets in the metropolis last week, to protest against the new shop rates in the council.

    The governor’s action is in line with a proviso in the new law that prescribes the new shop rates, which empowers him to entertain appeals from the traders and review the rates.

    The traders are to pay the new rates within a period of 25 days as contained in the new law.

    The governor advised the traders that an amendment of the new law was in the works and urged them to take advantage of the amendment process to make their case at the State House of Assembly when the matter comes up for hearing.

     

  • S/South Cooperation: Obaseki harps on strong team spirit

    S/South Cooperation: Obaseki harps on strong team spirit

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged development actors within the South-South Cooperation (SSC) framework to strengthen the existing team spirit among member states in the pursuit of market-led, knowledge-based economies that will engender sustainable development.

    The governor said this in a statement to mark the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, observed every September 12.

    The SSC is an alliance of countries in the Global South – countries lying South of the Equator — for the promotion of trade and development models in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains.

    Noting that while the modest achievements of the body are laudable, Obaseki stressed that “there is an increasing need to reinvigorate the team spirit among member states in the face of the common developmental challenges we all face – political, economic, social, environmental – in the bid to improve our human development index as countries of the global south.”

    He urged leaders of third world countries “to be more enthusiastic about fast-tracking efforts at joining the club of developed countries through peer review of developmental efforts, transparency and accountability, technical and other partnerships.”

    Such partnership according to the governor “is crucial as cooperation among developing countries and agencies in the Global South ensures that players share and build on experiences in healthcare, agriculture, education, urbanisation, security and scientific and technological innovations.”

    This conviction he said, “informed our visits to the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute in Medan, recently, to secure a partnership deal for the development of the oil palm sector in Edo State, in our resolve to make Edo State the oil palm capital of the country. “

    Similarly, the Edo State government paid a visit to Singapore to woo foreign investors and partners to bolster the state’s industrialisation drive in agricultural sector, trade and investment, technology, construction as well as key players in the environmental sector.

    Over ten actors in the organised private sector of Singapore as well as state-owned enterprises, met with the Edo State delegation.

    “We believe that their experiences are not so different from ours, as they have grown to where they are today, by tackling the same issues we now face in Nigeria, such as unemployment, rural-urban migration, and economic integration,” Obaseki said.

    The South-South Co-operation has grown to become a rallying point for developing countries, providing the platform for sharing developmental ideas.

  • Inflow of FDIs: Obaseki intensifies drive in Singapore   

    Inflow of FDIs: Obaseki intensifies drive in Singapore   

     

    …Investments in Agric, Tech, Trade top Agenda

     

    Over ten key players in the organised private sector of Singapore as well as state-owned enterprises, met with the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Friday, in the Asian country, as he intensified his quest for foreign investors and partners to bolster the state’s industrialisation drive.

     

    The governor’s meeting with the expanded group of industrialists was an opportunity for the Edo State government to build strong ties with the leading companies in Asia operating from Singapore, and attract them to invest in the state’s manufacturing, agribusiness, digital services, food processing and urban development sectors.

     

    The meeting was attended by the Singaporean Consul General to Nigeria, Haresh Aswani; Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to Singapore, Zainab Tani Zakari-Awami, while the business community was led by the Vice Chairman of the country’s apex chamber of commerce, the Singapore Business Federation, Shabbir Hassanbhai. 

     

    Other Singaporean industry actors present at the meeting were Chief Sustainability Officer, Wilmar International Pte Ltd., Jeremy Goon; Senior Vice President- Retail, Aalst Chocolate Pte Ltd., Cheah Klu Lye; Chairman, Crop Protection-Commercial, Asiatic Agricultural Industries Pte Ltd., Chuan Chek Chee; Group Senior Managing Director, Business Development (Middle East and Africa), Hyflux Limited, Kum Mum Lock; Regional Business Development Manager, Surbana Jurong Consultancies Pte Ltd, Mohammed Ail Fateh, and Manager, Middle East &Africa, Informational Enterprise Singapore, Aaron Goh, among others.

     

    In his presentation, Obaseki paraded the ongoing reform in technical education, with the revamping of Benin Technical College that will produce resourceful and technology-savvy workforce for industries; the ease of doing business in Edo State, driven by laws that guarantee security of investments and profit repatriation and hospitable people with age-old heritage of hosting investors and visitors.

     

    He assured the Asian investors that Edo State was fast becoming a destination of choice for foreign investment as the All Progressives Congress-led government places high premium on the creation of 200, 000 jobs in the first instance, the religious adherence to the rule of law and the adoption of cost-efficient, technology-driven processes.

     

    The governor told his visibly elated hosts that the proximity of Edo State to Lagos State, the largest market in Africa was an asset, and so also is her rich soil and climate, which guarantees rainfall for over ten months of the year.

      

    He added that the state has “huge potential in agribusiness, as it is home to the biggest oil palm companies in Nigeria. The focus on diversified investments in agriculture, manufacturing, digital services and urban regeneration is an acknowledgement of the need to build a strong economy in Edo State, one that will have huge impact on the lives of the people through job creation and capacity building.”  

     

    Recall that Governor Obaseki recently sealed arrangement for the Tolaram Group to invest $50 million in oil palm and cassava production to be used in the company’s manufacturing industries, an initiative that is expected to create about 50,000 jobs in Edo State.

  • Edo, Tolaram Group mull $50m agro-allied investment

    Edo, Tolaram Group mull $50m agro-allied investment

    …As Obaseki engages Singaporean investors

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has taken his job creation and investment drive to Singapore, where arrangements are being fine tuned to attract a $50million worth of investment that will create 50, 000 jobs in the state.

    The deals cover investments in agriculture, specifically, oil palm and cassava to feed the processing plants of a leading Singaporean company, Tolaram Group.

    Other areas of the ongoing talks with Singaporean enterprises include infrastructure, digital services, real estate – the Edo New City Development project, amongst others.

    Obaseki is accompanied on the business visit by the First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kadiri Bashiru.

    The visit to Singapore is consolidating on an earlier visit to Indonesia, where the Governor sealed deals with the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute in Medan, to leverage on the institute’s research capacity in reinvigorating Edo State oil palm and allied industries.

    According to Obaseki, economic diversification into areas where the state has competitive advantage, like agriculture, is the key to job and wealth creation on a sustainable basis.

  • Obaseki set to revamp Agriculture, create jobs in Edo

    Obaseki set to revamp Agriculture, create jobs in Edo

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is currently in Indonesia to deepen his administration’s partnership with the Asian country, in a bid to revamp the agricultural sector and reposition the state as the oil palm capital of Nigeria.

     

    Speaking at the 101-year-old Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute in Medan, Indonesia, Obaseki said his administration was keen on diversifying the economy of Edo State by taking advantage of its oil palm industry.

     

    He stated that “with the present pace of research in the agricultural sector, oil palm can replace crude oil as a major source of food, industrial materials and energy.”

     

    Obaseki said already, discussions are in progress to develop a business case to reinvigorate the oil palm sector in Edo State at a commercial level, after the Edo State delegation was taken through the entire integrated process of oil palm production and processing.

     

    The Indonesian research institute is made up of an oil palm plantation, processing plant, laboratories, nursery and oil palm refining facility.

     

    The governor, who is accompanied by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kadiri Bashiru, said the visit would explore the possibility of reaching agreements with the Indonesian government to support the development of the oil palm sector in Edo State.

     

    Indonesia is currently the largest exporter of palm oil in the world and agricultural sector is the country’s most valuable export sector.

     

    The agricultural sector of Indonesia accounted for 32 per cent of the total labor force in 2016 and in 2013, the sector’s contribution to national Gross Domestic Product was 14.43 percent.

     

    In 2014, Indonesia’s production figure for palm oil was 33.5 million tonnes and the product accounts for 11 per cent of export earnings of $5.7billion.

     

    The choice of Indonesia for the strategic partnership, according to Obaseki, was informed by these statistics, including the fact that Indonesia is a global leader in palm oil export and is followed closely by Malaysia which came to Benin City to collect oil palm seedlings several years ago, precisely from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR).

     

    He assured that the visit would yield results that the Edo State agricultural sector requires to create jobs, raw materials for local industries, produce for export and time-tested research approaches to strengthen institutes like NIFOR and the College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi, which is being repositioned to support the agricultural sector.