The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy

  • Police nab official of fake recruitment agency in Edo

    The Edo State Government says the persons behind the fake recruitment agency that defrauded over 500 job seekers in Benin City, of millions of naira, for nonexistent jobs, have been arrested by the police.

    According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, an official of KAI Consulting, the fake recruitment agency has been arrested by the police.

    Read Also:Edo, security agencies to go after fake recruitment firm

    “The suspect, Benjamin Amachi Chukura, is a graduate of Public Administration, from Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma.

    “He claimed that his organisation wrote a letter to Edo State Government in November 2017 seeking recognition and partnership with the state on environmental issues.

    “Chukura told security agents that KAI Environmental is a voluntary organisation operating in Delta State with about 60 workers,” Osagie said.

    The governor’s aide further said that Chukura is being interrogated by the police to explain the roles of his colleagues in the employment scam.

    The news of the employment scam broke few days ago that over 500 job seekers in Edo State were made to pay over N10 million for jobs, by KAI Consulting, which claimed that it was recruiting workers for the Edo State Ministry of Environment and Sustainability.

    But the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability in the state, Omoua Alonge Oni-Okpaku, debunked the claim and said that all state government jobs are handled by EdoJobs, a government jobs portal.

    Media reports quoted Chukura as saying that KIA Consulting received 113 applications from applicants who paid them for training them in preparation for their recruitment into the government agency.

    He admitted that the Chief Executive officer of the agency collected about N180, 000.

    Some of the money collected from the unsuspecting job seekers include: N5,000 for Uniform; N2,000 for handout; N1,000 for Identity Card; N500 for examination fee; and another N2,000 for rank.

     

  • Obaseki orders closure of all dilapidated schools

    …Relocates pupils, teachers of Holy Aruosa Primary School to Agbado

     

    The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has ordered the shutdown of all primary and secondary schools with dilapidated structures in the state, to pave way for reconstruction work.

    Specifically, pupils and teachers of Holy Aruosa Primary School in Benin City have been relocated to nearby Agbado Primary School.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, said the decision to relocate pupils of Holy Aruosa Primary School, was informed by the shocking reports that despite an earlier relocation order given by the state government, teachers in Holy Aruosa Primary School ignored the order and went about their activities in dilapidated structures.

    “All such schools, with dilapidated structures have been shut down with immediate effect. Students and pupils in the affected schools are hereby relocated to other schools that will be announced soon,” the governor’s aide said.

    He explained that “the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., visited Holy Aruosa Primary School as early as 7: A. M. on Thursday, to announce the state government’s decision.

    Read Also:People with Albinism deserve our support – Obaseki

    “The state government has ordered an investigation to ascertain why the initial relocation order of the pupils with their teachers was not enforced.”

    According to Osagie, “One of the allegations being investigated is the suspicion that some teachers, who are refusing to be transferred out of the school, selfishly kept those kids in the school under unsafe condition.”

    On the ongoing reform in the state’s education sector, Osagie said that “on assumption of office in November 2016, Governor Godwin Obaseki ordered an inventory of facilities and the enumeration of primary and secondary schools in the state.

    “After the census, the schools were categorised into three: those in grade A are in good condition; those in B need little intervention and schools in grade C require total renovation.

    “It is obvious that Holy Aruosa Primary School and Osula Primary School, among others, fell in the third category and require urgent attention. The worst of them like Holy Aruosa were shut down.”

    He maintained that, “As is the culture of this administration, groundwork has already begun for this renovation process to commence, as only few months ago bid rounds were held for the rehabilitation of some of these schools.

    “The renovation work is expected to cover 1,200 public schools in the state, with the first batch of 230 schools captured in the pilot phase of the exercise.”

    He lamented that despite the huge investment in remodeling most of the schools by the Adams Oshiomhole-led administration, “some of them have been vandalised, with facilities looted by hoodlums.”

    To correct this anomaly, the governor spokesman said the Obaseki administration has made commitment to partner communities hosting government projects such as schools and hospitals to ensure they are protected from vandals.

    “We assure that work will soon commence at these schools within Benin metropolis and other parts of the state, and call on communities to protect the structures as soon as they’re built.

    “The state government will expedite action on the renovation work to ensure that our pupils learn in conducive environment, even as we roll out the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo BEST) programme to some of these schools in coming weeks” Osagie added.

     

  • ‘Edo prudent with debts, proceeds utilised to drive devt’

    The Edo State Government has flayed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for making unfounded claims of the state’s debt status, noting that the party was being mischievous with facts.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the state government has been prudent with external borrowings incurred since the All Progressives Congress (APC) came on board and has utilised all the credits judiciously to fund developmental projects.

    Osagie said a significant portion of the debts the state is currently paying off was incurred by the PDP government in the state at the height of its dubious foray into borrowing, for which it got so notorious in squandering, that several multilateral organisations blacklisted the state from their financing facilities.

    According to him, “As at today, Edo state is still paying a N30 billion debt taken from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the development of water infrastructure. There is also a Union Bank loan taken and put in the balance sheet of Edo Line. These are besides several other such borrowings, which officials of the PDP government took privately and converted to state liability. The State Government is still paying all these debts.”

    Osagie said that it was disheartening that an entity that exhibited the most primitive understanding of public finance would then come out to make unfounded claims about the prudent management of the state’s finances by a globally renowned investment banker.

    He said, “The PDP is still raising evil guts to talk about these debts, when in fact, they are the ones who threw the state into the debts. The PDP were so irresponsible in debts and loans that the World Bank placed a ban on Edo State government. These loans were of single digit interest and the moratorium ran into 10 years.”

    He noted that it was not until the APC came into government and reformed the state’s finance, that they were able to access these financing facilities from multilateral organisations.

    Osagie added, “It was during the reign of the PDP that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pulled out of the state because of the irresponsibility of the government at the time. The PDP lacks the credibility and moral standing to make any comment.

    “They are made up of people who lack the capacity to frugally allocate resources for positive outcomes. Debts at low interest rates are actually good for development and shows the state as viable. It is even better when the debts are used to fund developmental projects.”

    Read Also: Okomu expansion project to create 40,000 jobs in Edo

  • Accident: Obaseki wishes victims speedy recovery

    …thanks Edo people for prayers

     

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has expressed his gratitude to God and Edo people for their prayers, following the news of the accident involving a bus attached to the Press Unit of the Edo State Government House, on Wednesday, in Ugbowo area of Benin City, wishing the accident victims speedy recovery.

    “I received the news of the accident with great shock, especially when I learnt that a mother and her child of five years of age were involved. We are praying fervently for the quick recovery of everyone involved in the accident.

    “Thankfully, no life was lost. We have taken over the care of the child and his mother and other victims, we are in touch with the management of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where they are receiving treatment,” Obaseki said.

    He added that the few journalists that sustained injuries in the accident have been discharged after routine checks and treatment.

    The governor said he was moved by the torrent of messages and calls from friends, family members, Edo people and residents in general, to him, enquiring about the incident.

    “The calls and messages from people showed how much value we place on our common humanity as accidents can happen to anyone, irrespective of class and status. I appreciate the love and as a government, we will continue to do our best to transform the lives of Edo people and residents,” he added.

    Shortly after the accident on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, issued a press statement explaining the incident.

    He assured that an official of the state government was sent to the hospital to ascertain the degree of injuries sustained by the victims and interface with the doctors managing the victims.

    Read Also: Three injured in Obaseki’s convoy accident