TheNewsGuru

Tag: Edo State

  • Peter Obi embarks on “mission impossible” to Edo State

    Peter Obi embarks on “mission impossible” to Edo State

    Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi on Saturday narrated a bitter experience he had while travelling to attend the burial ceremony of Mrs. Ebaidebheki Esakhaigbe in Edo State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mrs. Esakhaigbe is the late mother of Gen Cecil Esekhaigbe, who the 2023 presidential candidate claims is his “great friend and brother”.

    Peter Obi disclosed that he set out on the journey at 8 am but that little did he know that it would be a “mission impossible” due to the deplorable state of the road.

    Sharing photos of the deplorable road, Peter Obi wrote: “Today, again, I came face to face with the deplorable state of Nigeria roads as my desire to join a great friend and brother, Gen Cecil Esekhaigbe, in Esan Central of Edo State, who was burying his mother was married by bad roads.

    “I had set out at 8 am by road to Esanland to join him and bid his beloved mother, Mrs. Ebaidebheki Esakhaigbe, farewell, but little did I know that it would be a mission impossible. Due to my previous experience with bad roads, while going to the place previously through Benin, I decided to avoid that route entirely and go through Agbor.

    “On getting to Agbor Junction, I turned toward the direction of my destination. However, I was shocked by the very bad shape of the road which was almost not passable by car.  I persisted and continued on the journey for about 25 minutes into the road until it became completely blocked by a faulty trailer that had impeded movement, causing a great gridlock.

    “Then, I decided to take Ugoneki Road, which would have also led me to my destination. Again, getting to the road was another nightmare, making my journey impossible. The poor condition of many Nigerian roads breaks my heart. Though it was impossible for me to physically attend, I remain in earnest prayers with my brother, Gen Cecil, for a successful event.

    “I use this opportunity to continue to plead with our political leaders, at all levels, to concentrate on maintaining, rehabilitating, and reconstructing our existing roads and other infrastructure rather than embarking on new projects that will never be completed. I look forward to the day when Nigerians will be able to travel freely and safely on good and well-maintained roads in New Nigeria that is Possible”.

    See photos below:

  • Lady who killed ex-lover, his friends with a plate of pepper-soup, arrested after escaping jungle justice

    Lady who killed ex-lover, his friends with a plate of pepper-soup, arrested after escaping jungle justice

    The Edo state police command has arrested a 16-year-old girl who killed her ex lover and his four friends with a plate of pepper soup laced with poisonous substance.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) had reported how the lady, identified as Aisha Suleiman, who was trying to get back at her now deceased lover for ending their relationship, allegedly gave him a plate of poison-laced fish pepper soup, which he shared with his friends.

    Their lifeless bodies were found in a room in Afashio Community, Uzairue, Etsako West LGA.

    Confirming the incident, the Edo state police spokesperson, Moses Joel Yamu, in a statement said they received a distress call on October 29, indicating that the accused lady was about to be lynched by some young men from the community.

    Yamu said the police arrived and rescued the suspect. He added that the case was transferred to the state criminal investigation department for “discrete investigation”.

    The statement reads in part, “The command received a report on 26/10/2024 at about 0730hrs, from one Mr Elogie Ezekiel of Afashio community, that at about 0630hrs of same date, he went to check his son named Emmanuel Elogie 19yrs at his apartment.

    “That upon gaining entrance into the apartment, he met the lifeless body of his son’s friend named Nurudeen surname not known ‘m’ at the corridor, he went further and met the lifeless bodies of his son with his girlfriend Ada Samuel ‘f’ 16yrs on the bed in the bedroom, while another two (2) of the son’s friends named Samuel Ayegwalo and Jeffrey Ayegwalo who turned out to be siblings found in the sitting room. They were evacuated to the hospital where the Doctor confirmed them dead.

    “On 29/10/2024 at about 1710hrs, operatives of Jattu Division received information that a girl later identified as Aisha Suleiman ‘f’ 16yrs alleged to have caused the death of Emmanuel Elogie and four (4) others with food poison was about to be lynched by some young men from the community.

    “They mobilised to the scene, rescued the suspect to the Station and the case was transferred next day to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discrete investigation.”

  • Edo: Obaseki tells Okpebholo not to reverse his reforms

    Edo: Obaseki tells Okpebholo not to reverse his reforms

    The outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has expressed optimism that some of his administration’s reforms will outlive the incoming government of governor-elect , Monday Okpebholo.

    Obaseki, whose second and last tenure would expire on Nov. 11,expressed the optimism in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

    Speaking on concerns about continuity of some of his reforms after his administration, Obaseki said that his government had made efforts to institutionalise some of them.

    Obaseki said: “The people are very aware of our reforms and legacies we are leaving behind. I don’t think because there is a change in government, they will change some of these reforms.

    “Even if the government this is coming doesn’t support or encourage them as we used to, they (reforms) will not disappear.

    “Beyond this, in the reforms we have undertaken, we have institutionalised or started the process of institutionalising some of them.

    “The people know, and I doubt if they will keep quiet for long, allowing things to go back to what it used to be without complaining or shouting. I’m optimistic that they (reforms ) will last,” he said

    He said that workers and parents, whose children were enjoying EdoBEST e-learning education and other initiatives, would not allow the incoming All Progressives Congress -led administration to tamper with them.

    He said that his administration had restored respect to civil service, revolutionalised education,improved electricity, internet connectivity and road infrastructure ,among others.

    According to him, the role of government is to provide infrastructure and to create an enabling environment for citizens to do what they need to do.

    “What are the critical infrastructures we need today? Fundamentally, in Nigeria, people need electricity, connectivity, and roads,” he said.

    The governor said that with robust partnership with the private sector, the state government had succeeded in encouraging electricity generation by attracting firms like Azura and Ossiomo Power.

    He said that this was to create the state- own electricity markets and to encourage investments in distribution of power within the state.

    Obaseki said that his administration had ensured stable electricity to power public institutions and infrastructure in metropolitan Benin city.

    “We are lucky in a way in Edo,  because of our location, we are a core, a hub for electricity. Edo is the cheapest point to generate electricity because it costs about a million dollars for a kilometer of gas pipeline.

    “And it also costs about a million dollars for a kilometer of transmission. Edo is that point where electricity transmission meets gas transmission. So, if you generate electricity in Edo today, you can upload and sell it into the grid.

    “Edo also has the largest onshore reserves of gas. Most of our gas is either deep offshore or in the swamp,” he said.

    According to him, Edo remains one of the few states that can have their  own electricity market.

    Obaseki said that his administration also prioritised fibre optics infrastructure for connectivity across the 18 Local Government Areas in the state.

    He said: “In today’s world, without connectivity no country is going anywhere in the world. So, we have also invested heavily in this to give  access. We built networks across all the 18 local governments in the state.”

    Obaseki will hand over to Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following his victory in the Sept. 21 governorship election in the state.

  • What my administration would be remembered for – Gov Obaseki

    What my administration would be remembered for – Gov Obaseki

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Sunday said that his administration would be remembered for restoring respect and credibility to the State’s civil service through bold reforms.

    Obaseki, who spoke with newsmen on Sunday in Lagos, said he had been able to transform the service to one of the most respected and best motivated in the country.

    He described the civil service as a critical vehicle for the implementation of government policies and vision.

    Obaseki said before the coming of his administration in 2016, there was so much decay in the civil service and that things were not just working.

    He said things were so bad that civil servants depended on filling stations  to use toilets as the ones in their offices were bad.

    According to him , his aggressive reforms have changed the situation completely.

    “The owners of government are the civil servants. What we had done for some 30 years or 40 years was to denigrate them, to make them feel like they are the problems. We had not encouraged them.

    “We had  not supported them. We had  not enhanced their ability to deliver. When you go into areas where they worked in those years, you would not encourage your children to go into the civil service with the infrastructure on ground.

    “When I came into office, sometimes, you call an officer, and ask ‘where is so-and-so?’The answer would be, she is not on seat, or he is not on seat. He or she has gone across the road to a filling station to use the toilet, because the toilets in their own offices are bad.

    “One of the things we did was to restore respect, credibility to them. And today, you want to be a civil servant in it, because their offices are perhaps the best office or workplaces. They have everything,” Obaseki said.

    The outgoing governor said that all civil service operations in the state had also become digitalised and no file gets missing again in offices.

    According to him, if anyone imagines government as a vehicle that is moving people in a certain direction, then the engine of that vehicle is the civil service.

    “if that engine is faulty, that vehicle is not going to move anywhere. It is going to be stalled all the way.

    “So, from that perspective, one has to understand that for government to work, the civil service, the bureaucracy, has to work.

    “Whatever government has decided it wants to do, whatever the policy, the people that will make it happen are the civil servants. And they have a process through which they make it happen.

    “So, if that institution is not working, if it is being castigated like we have done in the past, if there is uncertainty, of course, you will get much out.” he added.

    Obaseki ,who noted that his administration had invested heavily in training and retraining of civil servants, said that workers in the state had access to uninterrupted electricity and Internet facilities in their offices.

    “We have connected fibre optics. So there is high-speed internet. Now, we have gone digital. So they don’t carry files again.

    “No file gets missing in their door. Your file will not be lost again, because everything is digital.

    “One of the things we have done is to set up the John Odigie Oyegun Training Centre for continuous training of workers ,” Obaseki said.

    On compensation and remuneration, Obaseki said that the state never waited for the Federal Government to set minimum wage for it before raising the minimum salary of workers to N70,000.

    “We just believe that, if you do not pay people well, you won’t get their loyalty,” he said.

    Obaseki said that his administration had provided incentives to workers, including provision of health insurance and building of a functional school system to give access to workers’children.

    The governor said that his administration never neglected retired workers as their pensions were paid regularly.

    According to him, his administration has prioritised policies to reinstate pride in the service and give workers a sense of belonging.

    “I am proud. It is like the kind of people, the kind of quality of staff I worked with in the private sector. So, that’s the reason why we did what we did.

    “And for me, if Nigeria is going to move forward, we must rebuild your civil service. It is about digitisation, data, Internet and artificial intelligence,” he said.

    The second and last tenure of Obaseki will end on Nov. 11. Obaseki will hand over to the governor .- elect, Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following his victory in the Sept. 21 governorship election in the state.

  • APC committee urges transparency in Edo handover

    APC committee urges transparency in Edo handover

    The APC Transition Committee, led by Dr Pius Odubu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the outgoing PDP administration of Gov. Godwin Obaseki for failing to provide necessary documents to facilitate a smooth transition process in Edo State.

    The Edo State government had previously denied withholding vital documents from the Edo Joint Transition Committee, established on October 18..

    However, in a statement in Benin on Thursday, Patrick Ikhariale, secretary to the APC transition committee, stated that both parties agreed to provide documents in hard and soft copies, yet the received documents were insufficient and lacking in detail.

    Ikhariale emphasised that Edo people deserved transparency regarding the state’s affairs, and this request was not an attempt to probe but aligned with international best practices for transitions.

    “The APC committee seeks critical information on: details on state-owned properties and resources, outstanding debts and financial obligations, active agreements and partnerships and omprehensive accounts of state expenditures and revenues.

    The committee refuted claims of demanding sitting allowances, calling them an attempt to mislead the public and shift focus from the transition process.

    He said in spite of facing delays and evasive behaviour from the government’s team, the APC team remained committed to completing its work. He urged the public to disregard misinformation from the outgoing government.

  • Pi-CNG clarifies CNG explosion in Benin

    Pi-CNG clarifies CNG explosion in Benin

    The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (Pi-CNG) has tasked motorists and the public to use only accredited CNG conversion centres to ensure their safety.

    The Programme Director and Chief Executive, Mr Michael Oluwagbemi made the call in a statement on Friday in view of the CNG explosion on Thursday at NIPCO CNG Station, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City.

    Oluwagbemi expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the victims of the explosion. He clarified that the incident was caused by an illegally modified CNG vehicle.

    “It was revealed that a thorough examination of the cylinder involved in the incident showed it had been welded, modified, and was not approved for use with CNG.

    “The police, regulatory authorities, and the management of NIPCO are conducting a detailed investigation into the incident, with Pi-CNG coordinating closely with them,” he said.

    Oluwagbemi said the incident underscored the importance of the upcoming Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System, a joint effort by Pi-CNG and relevant partners.

    He listed the partners to include the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the National Automotive Design and Development Council and the Federal Road Safety Corps.

    He said the monitoring system aimed at identifying and addressing bad actors in the ecosystem to ensure that the safer, cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable fuel source remains risk-free for everyone.

  • Three injured as CNG-powered car explodes in Edo

    Three injured as CNG-powered car explodes in Edo

    Three people have sustained various degree of injuries after a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered vehicle explode at NIPCO filling station along the Benin-Auchi Expressway, Edo State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, was traced to a cylinder that a welder had fabricated without proper approval.

    An attendant at the station told reporters that two others, a woman whose stomach was ripped open and another person whose foot was amputated due to the blast, are also receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Ugbowo.

    The welder has reportedly turned himself into the police.

    The source said, “The explosion occurred while vehicles were queuing to refill their cylinders at the station. The vehicle being attended to suddenly exploded.

    “One motorist suffered an eye injury, a woman’s stomach was torn open, and another person’s foot was amputated from the impact. They are all at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital receiving treatment, and we hope none of them will lose their lives.”

    Following the incident, a technician was assigned to inspect cylinders before vehicles were allowed to refill.

    Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of UBTH, Joshua Uwaila, said that he had spoken to the man with the eye injury, who was reported to be in stable condition.

  • Edo announces date to begin screening of 2011 LGA pensioners

    Edo announces date to begin screening of 2011 LGA pensioners

    Edo State Government has said that the screening exercise for local government pensioners, who retired in 2011, would begin on October 21.

    This is contained in a statement by Mrs Mary Omon Arewa, the Acting Secretary to the Local Government Staff Pension Board on Monday in Benin.

    Arewa  said the exercise, which would end on Oct. 25, would hold at the Local Government Staff Pension Board, Pension House, Kings Square, Benin from 8 am to 4 pm.

    She urged the pensioners to come with their Letter of Appointment, Pensioner Biometrics, Pension Identity Card and Pay Advice

    According to her, the screening exercise follows the approval of Gov Godwin Obaseki and the directive of Commissioner for the Ministry of Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Monday Osaigbovo..

    The  statement reads: ” The screening exercise will enable the State Government to screen and pay gratuity to pensioners on the payroll of the Local Government Staff Pension Board, who retired in 2011.”

    The Acting Secretary advised the pensioners to “endeavour to be present and punctual” at the screening exercise.

  • Establish your transition team – Edo govt tells Okpebholo

    Establish your transition team – Edo govt tells Okpebholo

    The Edo State Government has written to Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the governor-elect, requesting him to establish his transition team.

    This team will collaborate with the outgoing administration’s transition team to ensure a seamless transfer of power.

    In a letter dated Oct. 10, 2024, Secretary to the State Government, Joseph Eboigbe, stated that forming the team would facilitate meaningful discussions and vital information sharing between both parties.

    He said the move followed Gov. Godwin Obaseki’s inauguration of a 20-member transition committee in July, chaired by Eboigbe, to oversee the smooth transition of power and knowledge.

    The letter reads: “I hope this message finds you in great spirits. As we prepare for the transition of power, we believe it is crucial to establish a smooth and effective collaboration between your team and our current administration.

    “To facilitate this process, we invite you and your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to initiate the formation of your transition team at your earliest convenience.

    “Establishing this team will allow us to begin meaningful discussions and share vital information that will ensure a seamless transfer of responsibilities and continuity of governance.

    “We are committed to providing you with the necessary support and resources to make this transition as effective and efficient as possible.

    “Consequently, 14 October 2024 is proposed for the inaugural meeting for members of both Transition Committees. We look forward to your prompt response and to working closely with you and your team in the coming weeks.

    “Together, we can set the foundation for a successful administration that meets the expectations of our constituents. Thank you for your attention”.

  • Edo: Political parties disagree on election materials inspection

    Edo: Political parties disagree on election materials inspection

    PDP and APC have disagreed over the modalities and timing for the inspection of election materials used in the just concluded Edo governorship election.

    The election petition tribunal had ordered INEC to release all electoral materials used in the election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate for inspection.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that INEC had told political parties seeking  to inspect the materials used for the election to do so on Oct. 9.

    However, the inspection could not commence as planned due to an objection raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC), which argued that the voters’ register should be inspected first, before the BVAS machines.

    The APC also argued that since they were served with the schedule only a few minutes before the inspection, they did not bring their copy of the voters’ register.

    As a result, INEC postponed the inspection exercise until Thursday, Oct. 10.

    On Oct. 10, further complications arose when the State Chairman of the APC, Jarrett Tenebe, alleged that BVAS machines and voters’ registers had been brought into the INEC office using vehicles from the government house.

    Tenebe insisted that his party’s petition should be addressed before the materials inspection could commence.

    The argument was sternly rejected by representatives of the PDP, who insisted on the immediate commencement of the inspection.

    The PDP maintained that the APC’s petition could not supersede a valid court order and called for the inspection to begin.

    Due to the inability of the political parties, particularly the APC and PDP, to agree on the next steps, INEC adjourned the materials inspection indefinitely (sine die).

    Speaking to newsmen after the adjournment, Counsel to the APC, Barr. Victor Ohionsumua, stated that the APC would only return for the inspection once their petition had been addressed.

    Ohionsumua said APC Chairman submitted a petition to the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Anugbum Onuoha, the Commissioner of Police, and the Department of State Services (DSS) on Oct. 10.

    “We (APC) observed that BVAS machines and voters’ registers entered INEC a few days ago in Edo state government vehicles.

    “Based on this, we raised an objection that the petition must be resolved before we can proceed with the materials’ inspection.

    “The INEC legal officer wanted to proceed with the inspection without directives from Dr Onuoha.

    “We insisted that we must hear from the REC and that our petition must be addressed before we move forward.

    “During this process, the INEC office became rowdy, and we began hearing gunshots outside the commission.

    “For security reasons, the INEC Director of Operations decided to postpone the inspection sine die and ask us to return to INEC Oct. 11,” he said.

    Reacting to the situation, the factional Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, noted that the atmosphere at INEC’s head office was not conducive for the inspection to proceed.

    “The experience here is chaotic and not the right environment for such an important exercise to take place.

    “In my view, a level playing field should be provided for those contesting the outcome of the election.

    “As it stands, there is total disagreement between the APC and the PDP, and I do not believe any inspection will happen today,” he said.