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Tag: Obaseki

  • Obaseki signs CDA Bill into law, meets with Oba Ewuare II

    Obaseki signs CDA Bill into law, meets with Oba Ewuare II

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaski yesterday signed into law a bill prohibiting forceful and illegal occupation of landed property by Community Development Associations (CDAs).

    The governor, after the ceremony, visited the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, to present a copy of the law to him.

    The monarch, during his coronation, decried  land grabbing, which characterised the CDAs.

    He said it also affected land acquisition and development by residents and investors.

    Oba  Ewuare called for the  scrappign of CDAs.

    Presenting the bill to the governor for his signature, House of Assembly Speaker Justin Okonoboh said the law was not only about prohibiting CDAs in the state but also about prohibiting forceful entry into people’s landed property and protecting widows’ rights to their husbands’ property.

    The governor said the bill was historical and would make the state more receptive to investors and set it on course for more development.

    He said: “My administration believes that the way to sustainable development is to unleash and nurture our productive energy and that of investors. Investment will not thrive in a lawless environment. It is a thing of pride that we signed this bill into law’’.

    Obaseki hailed Oba Ewuare for supporting the law.

    He said: “Our land tenure system, before and during the colonial era, was rated as the best. But it had been turned around by nefarious activities of CDAs. It was, therefore, a thing of joy during your coronation that you undertook the task to pull down the CDA structure.”

    The governor urged the state’s Chief Justice and security agencies to support the implementation of the law.

    He added that a task force, chaired by a retired Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, had been constituted for the enforcement and supervision of matters related to the law.

    Noting that many of the youths, who would be affected by the Bill would be empowered, Obaseki urged the public to be familiar with the provisions of the law and abide by them.

    The governor said ignorance of the law was no excuse.

    Oba Ewuare II said the new law signified a major milestone in the Obaseki-led administration.

    The monarch hailed the governor and the House of Assembly for swiftly passing the Bill into law.

    He attributed this speed to the governor’s readiness to develop the state.

    Oba Ewuare said: “I want to say that today is historical and I am personally overwhelmed. I was really upset with the activities of CDAs in the state. I saw the need to tackle the issue of CDAs as their actions became destructive. The governor bought into the idea and decided to draft a bill to criminalise their activities. I want to commend him for this step as many people expressed doubts about his willingness to work with the palace. But he has dispelled such fears.”

  • Obaseki commiserates with Sunmonu on wife’s death

    Obaseki commiserates with Sunmonu on wife’s death

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has condoled with former Country Chairman of Shell Development Petroleum Company, Mutiu Sunmonu, over the loss of his wife,  Olufunke.

    He said: “When I found out of her passing, I was immediately weary in my spirit. As a husband myself, I know that no man deserves to lose his wife and friend at such age. Mr Sunmonu has been a friend to me, and I feel with him the deep loss he must feel at this time.”

    Also, Obaseki urged the Sunmonu family to take heart and bear their mother’s  death with good courage.

    He prayed God to give them the strength to scale through the sad occurrence.

    The family announced the passing of Mrs Sunmonu on April 3 after a brief illness.

    A statement by the family said  a funeral service will hold on April 20.

  • Dear God-win Obaseki (2)

    There couldn’t have been a better time than now to discuss the way forward for sport in Edo State. Indeed, last month, the ancient city of Benin was throbbing with excitement in celebration of the man who made sports the DNA for Midwesterners, Bendelites and Edo indigenes, the late Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, whose remains were buried after an illustrious era. The late Ogbemudia revolutionalised sports, essentially as a recreational platform used to sensitise people to be healthy.

    Watching how Nigerians celebrated Ogbemudia’s exit on television produced goose pimples on my skin because it showed that he meant many things to many people. He was a statesman worthy of emulation. Therefore, the governor God-win Obaseki-led administration should prioritise sports as a tool to take the youths off crime and a platform to create wealth for the people who identify with the marketing windows sports offer, with an enduring template.

    It was quite a spectacle watching Obaseki tee-off on the golf course in Benin penultimate Sunday. He walked with confidence and took his shots perfectly even though he embraced the game as an adult. As the governor walked down the course, I was convinced that he could provide the puzzle of returning the state to its apogee in sports.

    So, what were the sports that the region used as its hub?  I dare say Athletics (the competitiveness among schools at all levels), lawn tennis (Ogbe Hard Court tournament driven by corporate sponsorships), football, swimming (essentially for the number of medals which helped successive states to win the National Sports Festivals) and boxing served as the medals’ haul platform. With time, others sports, such as cricket, golf (seen by many as elitist), hockey, table tennis (especially with the influx of Moji Kuye, Sunday Eboh et al after one of the National Sports Festivals) and volleyball (anchored on the incredible talent of Tony Oghuma aka Wahala).

    What the late Ogbemudia did with football was crucial as he reawakened the rivalry among the regions with the emergence of clubsides, such as Ika Rangers which later became Midwest line FC, Ethiope Publishers Football Club, which metamorphosed into the great New Nigerian Bank FC and Warri Wolves, rebirthing as NPA Seasiders. There was also the Eselemo Diamonds in Warri, Ubulu-Ukwu City Diamonds and, of course, the revered AsabaTex, which was managed by the Asaba Textile Industry. There were the P&T Rockets of Benin, McDermots of Warri and, of course, the Great Bendel Insurance of Benin, formerly known as Vipers FC. Not forgetting Rubber Board, which became Flash Flamingoes, owned by Senator Patrick Osakwe, NNPC FC of Warri, Niger Valley FC, owned by the late Agbazika Innih and Nigeria Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) of Benin. The ripple effect of these clubs flung around the old Bendel State was that young boys combined going to school with playing soccer. Younger boys emulated those who did this successfully. But these boys could not have qualified to play for these clubs, if there wasn’t a nursery that discovered them (from school competitions) and trained them. But the clubs picked them up without recourse to those who discovered them. Soon, the nursery died. And the boys looked elsewhere. This didn’t help the industry.

    It is this nexus that the governor can fill by insisting on the emergence of a regulatory body that will ensure that the production chain isn’t lopsided. In constituting a regulatory body, we must guide against full government ownership of the clubs. We should restrict the government’s involvement to providing the infrastructure, the enabling environment for the regulators to run soccer as a business not as a mobiliser of people for social and political reasons.

    At a stage in the country’s soccer development, Bendel State had three top division sides, namely Bendel Insurance FC, Flash Flamingoes and New Nigeria. Their eventual eclipse started with the demotion of AsabaTex, then Flash Flamingoes, which went back to Rubber Board FC until its demise. While these teams were demoted, it suited those in government then to celebrate instead of working towards getting the teams new sponsors. With time, Bendel Insurance got relegated. The team still totters because it doesn’t have a blueprint for growth. Things only look up for Bendel Insurance when the governor loves sports.

    Those who managed the clubs didn’t think it was necessary to take them to the Stock Exchange for proper and regulated sponsorship, with the government’s cash coming as a means of support. They didn’t want anyone to know the clubs’ worth since with government cash, it didn’t matter if what was given was accounted for or not. When the teams won trophies, nobody was interested in the details of expenditure. Emphasis was laid on how to reward the players and coaches, having achieved the goals set for such teams.

    Today, the story is different – no thanks to the global recession. Governors are driven by people-oriented tasks meant to garner votes from the electorate in subsequent elections. Most governors see football, albeit sports as a social service. But in other climes, sports, especially football, is big business.

    Sadly, most of our pre-historic facilities cannot be used in the 21st century. What it means is that there is the urgent need to recapitalise the industry to get funds to upgrade these derelict structures that litter Edo State, I dare say. And I don’t think that the governor is ready for any gigantic project soon.

    Football has been left in the lurch since it was driven by the passion of the government which owned 80 per cent of the teams rather governors creating the enabling environment for the teams to thrive when they leave office. Our inability to fill this lacuna explains why people’s attention has been turned to the foreign leagues, with our grassroots players seeking to play in Europe instead of polishing their game here.

    In setting up a template for Edo State sports, Obaseki should use Bendel Insurance FC as the beacon of whatever plans he has. Bendel Insurance FC represented the symbol of Bendelites. Bendel Insurance FC is tottering today because it lacks a regulator to provide the indices for it to compete. I will suggest that Obaseki should revive the parent company of the club (Bendel Insurance Company) and then allocate enough cash to it.

    With such a regulator and a well packaged product, it will be easier to approach the Stock Exchange to do business, knowing the team’s followership in the past. Regulators must be transparent and be ready to account for the cash collected from the new initiative for a sustainable growth in the team. This is one of the ways to persuade people to identify with the team if it has stocks at the Stock Exchange. This explains why the Americans have invested in Manchester United and Liverpool, for instance. Russians now see Chelsea as their team because one of them owns it and, of course, the Thais are investing heavily in Leicester City, not forgetting the Sheiks’ quantum investment in Manchester City, among their many sports businesses.

    Athletics almost caught people’s attention like football because the state had experts who understood that the sport thrives through competitions. These experts trained coaches and sent them to the grassroots. Besides, they encouraged their American mates to be employed by the Sports council. Soon, Ogbemudia Stadium became a beehive for athletics and clubs. Schools’ inter house sports competitions were like the National Sports Festivals, especially the invitational relays for boys and girls. With time, former athletes became coaches, largely because the good ones were encouraged to head for America to continue what they had started here. The transition was seamless because of the structures. Everyone looked forward to the annual Mobil Athletics Classics to watch our athletes sprint for glory.

    Ogbe Hard Court was a watershed for sports. It brought many international lawn tennis stars to the state. But there were other extras that made it unique, courtesy of the brands of companies which exploited the tournament to connect with their consumers on the social platform. Reinventing Ogbe Hard Court with the new musicians will be fine, except that the tranquility desired for maximum concentration by the players could be breached by a few. Perhaps a dance show involving Chris Daniel, Davido and Sir Victor Uwaifo before the matches or after could give the tourney the fillip of growth.

    I was excited seeing Uyi Akpata playing the forward defensive stroke in a cricket game in Benin City. Akpata was an opening batsman and a swing bowler as a young man. I wasn’t surprised because he was following the tradition. However, my excitement stemmed from the fact that he was the chairman of the Edo Cricket Association. It simply means that the body won’t be lacking funds to prosecute its programmes since Akpata is a big player in the corporate world. Akpata symbolises the calibre of chairmen who should run Edo Sports in the 21st Century.

    The spiral effect of Akpata’s chairmanship is that those who would belong to the Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC) will be men of means who don’t see the commission as an avenue to enrich themselves. Since they have jobs, they will seamlessly work with the Commission’s CEO and the secretariat to achieve results.

    With such men of honour (Akpata et al) at the helm of the commission’s affairs, assessing the governor will be a piece of cake since they belong to the same league. And the governor won’t bat an eyelid in approving their requests which will be far-and-wide-apart as the dentition of the centenarian. Besides, it will be easier for the Edo State Government to convince the Stock Exchange to key into its commission’s noble initiatives, knowing that with such men, accountability will be no problem.

    Boxing is one of the sports that gave Bendel its glory, with many non-indigene boxers coming to live in the state. Isaac Ikhuoria won a bronze for Nigeria. I would have loved to expatiate on boxing except that dwelling on it brings tears down my cheeks. I feel sad that ex-champion Davidson Andeh is history. No one knows his whereabouts. He disappeared like ice-cream kept under the scorching sun. It is so painful. Davidson Andeh, where are you?

  • Obaseki launches ORACLE, digitalises civil service

    Obaseki launches ORACLE, digitalises civil service

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has launched the State Integrated Information Management System (SIFIMS) to enhance and actualise his administration’s vision of a repositioned electronically driven Civil Service in the state.
    Governor Obaseki, who flagged off the system at the Edo State Government House in Benin City, said the system was significant because it marked a new era, which was made possible by the courage of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who paved its way.
    He continued that SIFIMS is a revolution and that it was a bold step for Edo State to launch a system of this nature, stressing the need to reposition the civil service because it was important to any nation that wanted to grow.
    “Nigeria worked because the civil Service worked. The civil service worked because there were processes and systems that made it work. This provided the platform for the successes recorded by the government, which were deliberately implemented and enforced,” he said.
    He called on the people to embrace the technology, saying that the government would make the process simple.
    He said, “SIFIMS is our first attempt to get government to work again more transparently and effectively. There is nothing new but only automating what should have been and updating the processes in the civil service”.
    Obaseki disclosed that his administration had completed the process of acquiring 1,000 units of computers and the first 300 were ready for deployment to make connectivity possible, as it would enable his administration run an e-government.
    He promised to complete the Block C section of the Secretariat this year and fence it round from the ministry of works in Sapele Road to the High Court Complex saying that his administration would provide wireless internet connection to offices to ease work in the Civil Service.
    Meanwhile, the Accountant General of Edo State, Mr. Isaac Ehiozuwa commended Obaseki for his commitment and determination to run and ensure transparent and effective governance through the system.
    He said all is set to run the system in the state as all those concerned have been fully trained and all financial transactions of the state would be done through the use of the computers.

  • Obaseki’s rescue mission in Edo

    The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and perhaps the best way to keep your mind productive is to ensure that your hands do not stop working.

    In Nigeria, for the most part, the prevailing socio-economic, ethno-religious and political challenges take their root from these two sides of the same coin: Idle hands and wasting minds.

    Call it the insurgency in the north-east, which has claimed the lives of over 30,000 people and displaced over two million, with an estimated economic loss of $9 billion, representing around 50 per cent of Nigeria’s budget for 2017, or any of the other less analysed restive situations around the country, they all take their roots from idleness of a large proportion of the population, particularly young people.

    Unfortunately, these very counter productive socio-economic upheavals have spread across the entire country in the form of herdsmen-farmers fatal clashes across the north-central regions of the country and militancy in the Niger Delta which almost brought the country to its knees recently.

    With the atrocities caused by terrorism in the north and militancy in the delta area already well documented, the rising problems of violent thuggery and gangsterism which are equally deadly and devastating to socio-economic and political cohesion in states like Edo, are creeping in subtly, poised to become an intractable problem in the near future that will result in national emergencies if not checked.

    In Benin City and other parts of Edo State, the names of these thugs and gangsters, some of who now lay claim to some form of political relevance which is actually non-existent, dot the societal horizon.

    Ask these fellows and their likes what they do for a living, or what skills they possess with which they ply one trade or the other, for their economic survival and the answer you are certain to get is…….wait for it……., NOTHING. They have no jobs, no vocations, no trade.

    Yet, you see these hoodlums move around in top dollar SUVs, build expansive houses with wives and children spread across the various local governments of the state.

    If you thought that these people seeming to live in opulence without any commensurate productive effort is a tragedy, then more tragic is the fact that the younger generation have idolised  and projected these thugs firmly as their role models. This poses potent threat to posterity and must be addressed.

    If a survey is carried out in the sub-urban and parts of the urban centres of Edo State to determine what children want to become when they grow up, the outcome will likely be shocking.

    Those days are gone when children wanted to become doctors, lawyers, engineers and scientists when they grow up. Now they want to be community thugs and local tyrants, who now somehow seem to be the ones with all the money, fame and power, for creating absolutely zero economic value.

    However, judging by some steps that have been taken by the Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, since he took office, it seems like he has set out to adjust some of these maladies.

    A good example is his decision to return the responsibility of revenue collection in local governments across the state to local government employees.

    Obaseki’s argument anchored on the fact that only parties empowered by the laws of the land should carry out constitutional activities like collection and remitting of government revenue is sound to any fair-minded person.

    But for the thugs and gagsters who have made government revenue collection their forte and have in the past amassed mind-boggling wealth for themselves as a result, Obaseki has murdered sleep.

    Threats are being issued and efforts are being made to stir up violence in the state with the instrumentality of proliferating secret cult groups across the state, as well as activities of other criminals.

    Some politicians and interest groups seeking undue relevance in government and in the polity have also thrown their subtle or sometimes brazen support behind these aggrieved thugs who have been nothing but leeches to the government for decades. There are also allegations that major security agencies that are supposed to be unapologetically on the side of law and order, are sometimes in passive support of these hoodlums, conferring with them and treating their criminality with kid gloves.

    They want the waste to continue, because when there is chaos and disorder, people receive patronage that they do not deserve.

    Each of these individuals consider themselves as power blocs in the state and they demand to be courted ‘one-by-one’ by the governor. When they are told that the appropriate thing to do is to form themselves into interest groups with productive agenda, they get offended. Their intention is to reduce the responsibility of governance in the state to continuous frolicking with individuals towards satiating each person’s selfish needs. This will never be a sustainable approach to governance.

    The biggest mistake being made by these people is that they have failed to understand the resolve of the Edo governor to stick to only decisions and activities that are in the best interest of the majority of the Edo people instead of satisfying the greed of a handful.

    The old model of governance made popular by some Nigerian governors, where state chief executives seem to strengthen their political security, simply by patronizing individuals who have created some mobster status for themselves, as well as some so called political leaders and godfathers, is never in the interest of the larger population of any geopolitical entity.

    The most essential, yet most limited resource available to a governor or a president for that matter is his time. Instead of spending it courting the approval of a few individuals in the name of political survival, it must be spent meeting the manifold and dire needs of the teaming populace with the people left to judge in the fullness of time, who has served them well and who has betrayed them.

    Having analysed the problem, Obaseki seems to clearly understand that among the negative actors comprising the thugs, mobsters and the seemingly responsible politicians who support them are many who are largely victims of the system, so he is therefore developing models that can return them into the state’s productive economic cycle.

    He has identified the need to create massive amounts of jobs and is deploying a clear strategy to ensure that millions of decent jobs are actually made available. The idea is that people mostly want to be honest and decent as long as in their honesty, they can be gainfully employed and be given the dignity deserving of responsible members of the society.

    Obaseki’s foray into the development of the Azura-Edo power plant is clearly part of the overall strategy. It is a 450MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine power station being constructed near Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria.  It is the first phase of a 1,500MW Independent Power Project (IPP) facility located on a 100-hectare site, large enough to accommodate future expansion of the power plant.

    The plant is situated close to Nigeria’s main trunkline, the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS), which is only 1km from the Azura-Edo project site.

    With power generated and effectively deployed in Edo State, the governor is working on industrial zones that will receive the power evacuated, along with favourable tax regimes and massive human capacity development through revamped global-standard technical education.

    When all these come on stream, it is expected that labour will move from thuggrey, gangsterism and the prevailing wasteful ‘community youths’ system in different suburbs in Edo into technical and vocational schools for skills acquisition that will help them benefit from an actively evolving economic climate.

    Many have said that by trying to change this very negative status quo, which puts money where no real value is created, out of fear of a political backlash, Obaseki is trying to commit political suicide. But the governor himself seems to have effectively counted the cost and is resolved that it is always a suicide mission when anyone attempts to put the interests of the helpless many over those of the ‘privileged’ few.

     

    • Ajayi, a social commentator writes from Benin City
  • ‘Obaseki has done a lot in his first 100 days’

    ‘Obaseki has done a lot in his first 100 days’

    John Mayaki  is the  Chief  Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor  Godwin  Obaseki of  Edo State. In this interview, he speaks with OTABOR OSAGIE on the achievements of the governor in his first 100 days in office. He also refutes the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the governor has refused to constitute his executive council because of selfish reasons. 

    It is over 100 days since the Governor Obaseki administration took over in Edo state. How has the journey been?

    It has been a whirlwind of sorts. When you work for a governor, who is serious and intends to industrialise the state and even create nothing less 200,000 jobs, not to talk of providing 24-hour power supply, then, frankly speaking, you’ve got your work really cut out for you.

    Governor Obaseki, because of the huge mandate he has to fulfil to the people of Edo State, barely rests.  He is always working. One minute, he is in one meeting, another minute, he is in another meeting. All these meetings are always with stakeholders in the different sectors he has identified for the development in the state.

    After each of these meetings, the people of Edo also need to be carried along because the governor called me specially one day and told me that he wants his government to be all about transparency. He wants the people of Edo to know exactly what is going on because information is key. He even promised to support the media in every way he can.

    So, as I said before, you’ve got your work cut out for you. You cannot rest if he has not rested; that would be irresponsible of you.

    Yet, I will gladly do it over and over again, because I have a sense of fulfilment being a part of the team that I know will move Edo State to the next level. I have a sense of fulfilment in knowing I am serving the land of my fathers in any way possible.

    Governor Obaseki is not a difficult man to work with, if you know what he wants from you. In hundred days, he has done so much for the state. If I start to outline and explain for you here, you’d marvel and agree with me when I say it is a privilege to be a part of the team that will move Edo State to the next level. More than hundred days of toiling to increase the people’s living standards, I feel more connected to the people of Edo State as I do my bit to improve the state. What would you call it; labour of love?

    The governor is yet to constitute his cabinet and the PDP said that the inability of the governor to appoint commissioners and board members during the period in question was to facilitate his mismanagement of state resources…

    You see, I don’t want to dismiss anybody’s opinions as irrelevant. But, when the opposition party has refused to do its job constructively, then I have to tell you to that they are getting more exuberant and carried away in their duties than they should be. It really is not good for the state when the opposition cooks up falsehoods and begin to propagate it.

    Now, thank God you have a credible command of the English Language. What is the meaning of ‘inability’? The word means you do not have the capacity to do a particular thing. To allege that Governor Obaseki did not have the capacity to appoint commissioners and board members during that period is wrong.

    So, inability is not really the word they should have used. I think they mean delay. In this case, there is delay but is it a crime? Although we all eager to have commissioners appointed but we also have to grapple with the dynamics of the process otherwise the outcome will not be palatable for both thte government and the people.

    It is necessary for human beings to calm down when there is heat and pressure. You’ve heard of the aphorism ‘more haste less speed’ haven’t you? You will also have seen that when you are under pressure and in a hurry, you tend to get many things wrong and also forget many salient things.

    The governor could have done it, but he decided to involve the party members in the selection of commissioners and board members, which is another reason why the process took quite some time. He already said that anyone who wants appointment as a commissioner should apply through the party at the local government and the ward level. This way, he has eliminated any charge of nepotism that may come up, and he has involved the party members too in the appointment process.

    The various workshops this administration has embarked upon is to articulate, among other things, a blueprint for each of the ministries such that whenever the commissioners come on board, they already have a clear grasp of what their jobs will be and this will enable them key into Governor Obaseki’s administration policy thrust.

    In a couple of days, or within the week, he will forward some names to the House of Assembly, and before long PDP will have to start looking for another reason to criticise the governor.

    Meanwhile, all this talk of mismanagement is ridiculous. To argue that not appointing commissioners is to facilitate mismanagement is illogical. Today, the PDP is being probed here and there for corruption and mismanagement but they had commissioners and ministers in place then. And so, a government that will be corrupt will be corrupt, commissioners or no commissioners. But our government is focused and judicious in the use of scarce resources.

    We have asked those people holding press conferences and brandishing documents to respect people’s intelligence by even making effort to back their claim with some legitimacy.

    So, if I go and use Photoshop or PageMaker to create document and I hold press conference, I have become a fighter for democracy. Mismanagement! Indeed!

    The party also accused the former governor of visiting Government House frequently in recent times, accusing him of monitoring the governor’s activities. How true is that?

    Governor Oshiomhole’s visits to the government house have been few and far between. I am not sure if he has come up to 2 or 3 times to Government House. Is it not therefore a malapropism to say he has been paying frequent visits to the same Government House?

    Comrade Oshiomhole has right to visit the Government House and so is any Nigerian, even you can visit and nothing would be wrong with it. However, I want to advise people not to wait on the CPS to come out with statements debunking claims by the opposition party before they know that PDP in Edo state gets sometimes carried away in doing their job as the opposition.

    Comrade Oshiomhole has right and I think he qualifies to advise this government correctly. Governor Obaseki knows his onions. He is an intellectual governor, he is a ready and agile governor. Go and try him.

    Comrade Oshiomhole is a member of the APC and he comes to the Government House for only important issues like the last APC Caucus meeting. He is not monitoring the governor’s activities any more than you are.

    Anyone telling you that he comes to Government House to do vigilante over Governor Obaseki’s governance is just being troublesome and economical with the truth.

    You recently said, “After 100 days, surely it is clear to every critic that while Obaseki respects former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, he is not going to replicate his administration”. Can you shed more light on this statement?

    Oh, there should be no controversy there. I did not meant it in a negative way. I was hitting out at critics. I was clarifying that Governor Obaseki, even though he respects Comrade Oshiomhole, is still his own man. He has his own style of leadership.

    Therefore, his government is based on continuity. He promised to continue the good works of Late Dr Ogbemudia and former Governor Oshiomhole, but he never said he would base his administration on replicative governance.

    Security is one of the cardinal responsibilities of any administration. A former council boss, Sulaimon Afegbua was assassinated in broad daylight few days ago. What is the governor doing in this area to attract investors to the state?

    I don’t know if you read the governor’s statement reacting to the news. He was absolutely furious. In the first place, that area along Benin-Auchi highway is a hot spot and the governor recently met with security chiefs in the government on how to deal with this menace. Very soon, we shall overcome that as we need not discuss security issues and strategies in the media however, within the city, there is safety and security and above all, Edo state is still the safest state in the geo-political zone.

    In the area of attracting investors, we all will soon begin to see the result of the few trips the governor embarked upon recently. We visited Okpella and Auchi a couple of weeks ago in the company of investors over fertilizer. We visited Illushin over massive rice production with investors. We visited Amahor. We’ve signed power agreement with Siemens. We’ve set up a committee on gelegele among others.

    By the time all these programmes, initiatives and policies translate into reality – such as employment, youth development, tourism and agriculture, Edo people will become so busy that they will be the ones calling for a rest.

    The governor promised to create 200,000 jobs after four years. How much of this has been achieved in the last 100 days?

    In the last 100 days, I can assure you that the template has been set and the rest will come into place like a chain reaction. Already, people are registering on an online portal for the Edo jobs programme. Those that will become agripreneurs cannot do it alone, so they will have to employ more people.

    In fact, as far as agriculture is concerned, such as rice and maize farming, piggery, among others, you will begin to see the manifestation of the groundwork the governor has laid.

    His trips overseas was to meet with investors with splendid records of accomplishment – I don’t mean the portfolio investors – coming to invest in the state. We have Azura already in the state employing people, and we have signed another MoU with Siemens already.

    There is also the waste to wealth initiative and environment cleanliness programme that will engage our youths. There really should not be avenue for people to remain idle in the state. No less than 14,000 people have been engaged already in the federal government N-Power scheme and another 2000 will be engaged in traffic management and control by the time the modalities are perfected.

    Meanwhile, other avenues, like the concrete technology for constructing roads and the electronic method of tax collection may provide as many as 20,000 or more jobs in the state. For the concrete technology, we collaborated with AG Dangote and they have already trained about 50 in the state. Our governor has already promised to empower them to be able to stand on their own and they are the future local content contractors that will be engaged in the construction and repairs of our roads and drainages.

    Even Benin Technical College – by the time the school is remodelled and curriculum-tailored in such a way that will make graduates self-reliant and productive, they will start employing and engaging the youths.

    I am sure it will interest you to know that we are tracking all these through the ongoing registration of the Edo Jobs initiatives in the 18 local government areas.

    So people need to understand that this is just the formative stage of the 200,000 jobs. After one year, people will understand that the governor really meant business with this 200,000 jobs issue.

    Governor Obaseki signed N153 billion budget into law recently. How did he hope to finance this in view of economic recession in the country?

    Well, the governor himself in his budget speech has addressed this budget issue. In that speech, he said that he had already taken the country’s current economic recession into consideration as the expected receipts from oil, which funds the federation account from which the state will draw part of her revenue, has been benchmarked at the least value in the history of budgeting in recent times.

    The revenue estimates are based on a $42.0 benchmark for crude oil and average daily production of 1.9 million barrels per day and expectations of improved performance of Internally Generated Revenue.

    If the price of crude oil goes higher than expected, then the excess, added to the accruing 13% derivation, will be a boon to the state.

    This Budget would have a deficit of N25 Billion for 2017, which is within the acceptable threshold. Mainly external borrowing from the third tranche of the World Bank budget support facility will fund the deficit.

    Hence, we will maintain a balance of capital to recurrent expenditure (50%: 50%) in line with our plan to spend our way out of recession.

  • Obaseki flags off 2017 NIPDs in Edo

    Obaseki flags off 2017 NIPDs in Edo

    Edo State governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Friday, flagged off the 2017 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) at New Benin Market, in Benin, the state Capital.

    Addressing the women at the market, Obaseki stressed the importance of immunisation, urging them to get their children up to 5 years of age immunised.

    The governor said that his administration was committed to strengthening immunisation activities as it provided a holistic approach to the prevention diseases through vaccination, thereby reducing infant and child mortality.

    He said: “I understand that the state achieved 76% immunisation coverage as at February this year. I want to assure you that my administration will make it 100% by improving health service delivery in the state”.

    This was as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health; Dr Peter Ugbodaga said that the NIPDs would complement the routine immunisation programme in the state.

    He also revealed that the choice of flagging off the programme in a market was to ensure that no child was omitted as the health team moves from house to house.

    He advised parents, especially mothers, to allow their wards receive immunisation noting that unimmunised children would predispose the state to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

    In addition, the governor revealed that the government was working to improve health and living standards in the state.

    “We are commencing the implementation of the Save a Million Lives Programme in the state to ensure that maternal and infant mortality is reduced. We intend to set up a telephone line to allow people report cases of childbirth, and ensure that immunisation follows for the children. We want to also ensure that every market has a primary health care centre with a nurse and necessary facilities and also provide water in our markets as a way of reducing health challenges”, he said.

    Meanwhile, the Edo Coordinator of the World Health Organisation, Faith Ireye, commended the state for sustaining a Polio-free state for the past seven years.

    She said that the Organisation would continue to collaborate with the state to ensure that children lived healthy lives.

    She, however, called for more collective responsibility among stakeholders to ensure the eradication of Polio, noting that Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan were the only three countries in the world endemic to the disease.

    She added that the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) would be winding up its support for immunisation, calling on governments to start planning on how to take responsibility of the immunisation programme

  • Farmers commend Obaseki’s wife for empowerment

    The Edo chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has commended wife of Governor Godwin Obaseki, Betsy, for empowering women through Agriculture Initiative.
    The initiative, they said, would boost food production in the country.
    The state chairman of AFAN, Chief Emmanuel Odigie gave this commendation during an interview with newsmen in Benin last week.
    Edo Women for Agriculture Initiative was recently launched by Mrs. Obaseki in collaboration with the Bank of Industry, Investment Trust Company (BOI-ITC) to engage women in agribusiness ventures.
    The initiative started with the training of 500 widows on poultry production who were empowered with 20,000 chicks and feeds to start production.
    Odigie said the initiative was a welcome development as the role of women in agriculture production could not be overemphasised.
    He said that the initiative would not only serve as empowerment for the women but also make them employers of labour.
    ”The poultry initiative is laudable as the demand for poultry products such as eggs and chicken in the country is very high.
    “If the producers are able to remain in business, it will lead to job creation for more peoples who will be involved in the marketing and sales of the poultry products.
    ”It will also open new markets for poultry products in the state and discourage quest for imported frozen poultry products,” he said.
    He also suggested the incorporation of other lucrative agribusiness ventures into the initiative.
    He said: “Arable crop production should be incorporated into the agriculture programme as there are lots of arable lands in the state.
    “Snailery production is also a profitable business; with less than N10, 000 one can start a small scale production”.

  • Obaseki advises surveyors to keep to professional ethics

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo has advised surveyors in the country to adhere strictly to professional ethics in the discharge of their duties.

    Obaseki gave the advice on Wednesday while receiving members of the Edo chapter of Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) led by its state chairman, Mr Anthony Ekhator, in Benin.

    The governor decried situations where some surveyors gave approvals for erection of structures under high-power tension line and unauthorised places in the state.

    “There are series of approvals from surveyors; people building under high-power tension line have approvals from your professional colleagues, saying it is okay.

    “We have to look inward; I have a case where we refused to approve a plan for someone to build a petrol station in a housing estate.

    “But immediately the Adams Oshiomhole-led administration was over, the person smuggled the application back and got approval.

    “When we perpetuate this level of corruption, we are hurting ourselves.

    “It is our collective responsibility to build the state; as a government, we have the capacity and interest to make the state to work again,’’ he said.

    Obaseki said his administration was ready to re-direct things in the state, and was currently mapping out landmarks to produce the state master plan.

    “We need to draft a law to put clarity on mapping and Geographic Information System.

    “We have to start our planning process, because we need the data to develop a master plan and attract businesses to the state.

    “We have the will, but we need your professional support to set the standards and get things done rightly,’’ the governor said.

    Obaseki used the occasion to invite the institution to a workshop to be organised by the state government on infrastructure development and town planning.

    Ekhator, chairman of the institution, said the visit was to seek collaboration with the state government in determining and restoring the state`s assets.

  • NBA to Obaseki: Constitute your cabinet

    The Benin chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has urged Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to urgently constitute his cabinet to fast -track development of the state.

    It said Edo people are waiting for service delivery from the Obaseki administration.

    The Chairman of the Benin chapter of NBA, Barr. Ede Asenoguan, made the call at a round-table conference organized by the NBA with the theme: “Charting A Road-map For a Better Edo State.”

    Asenoguan said Edo must get it right in terms of good governance, adding that the delay by Governor Obaseki to constitute his cabinet might send a wrong signal to the people.

    He said,” Governance is a means for service to the people. This is not about setting up committees. Edo State must get it right. I believed God has a hand in the election of the present administration.”

    A Professor of History at the University of Benin, Prof. Eddy Erhagbe, who delivered the keynote address, said Governor Obaseki must be bold to engage stakeholders on the direction of his administration.

    Erhagbe noted that the Governor in the last 100 days had shown to be conversant with the expectations of the people through his style of governance and issues being tackled.