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Tag: Godwin Obaseki

  • 2018 Hajj: Gov. Obaseki charges intending Muslim pilgrims of good behaviour

    2018 Hajj: Gov. Obaseki charges intending Muslim pilgrims of good behaviour

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday charged the 130 Edo State’s intending pilgrims, comprising 77 females and 53 males, to be good ambassadors of the state and country in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

    Obaseki, who gave the charge in his farewell message to the pilgrims at the Hajj Camp Ground in Benin City, the Edo State capital, assured that his administration is committed to the overall wellbeing of all Edo people and residents.

    He urged the pilgrims to make the state proud through their conduct in the holy land.

    “God has been good to us in Edo State as we have lived peacefully with one another. The peaceful coexistence is as a result of prayers by Edo people and residents, and we are determined to create a state that will be fair to all,” he added.

    The governor commended the Sheikh Ibrahim Oyarekhua-led Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for the transparent manner it has handled the affairs of the board in the last one year.

    “I am proud that I made the right board appointments with the amount of progress the board has made under the present leadership. I am delighted at the board’s performance and I donate a bus to the board to enhance its performance.”

    Obaseki saluted the 2017 Amiru Hajj, Abdulfatai Enabulele, whose detailed report, according to him, helped his administration in planning this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He pledged that his administration will support the intending pilgrims to ensure they are comfortable before their departure to Lagos next week.

    The 2018 Amiru Hajj and Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru Adjoto, commended the Edo State governor for approving the reconstruction of the Hajj Camp and road leading to the camp.

    “As Amiru Hajj, I will ensure that our pilgrims are protected, secure and safe in the holy land while performing the Hajj,” the speaker said, and made a case for the decentralisation of the Hajj operations by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to forestall unnecessary delay in the air-lifting of pilgrims to Mecca.

    The chairman of the board, Sheikh Ibrahim Oyarekhua, thanked the governor for the appointment, and disclosed that the over eight million naira debt his board inherited has been cleared.

    He explained that Edo State pilgrims used to pay the second highest fare to Mecca, and informed that the efforts of the board, with the support of the Amiru Hajj, have brought down the cost, as the state now pays the cheapest fare to the holy land.

     

  • Headteachers to assume role of CEOs in Edo schools

    Headteachers to assume role of CEOs in Edo schools

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has approved the commencement of training for 5000 school teachers on the use of digital technology in teaching, as part of the ongoing reforms in the state’s education sector.

    The training, according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic Education and Acting Chairman Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, “is a component of the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) initiative, geared towards providing qualitative Basic Education for every Edo child using correct and up-to-date pedagogy in schools.”

    The training is coming on the back of the huge success of the pilot programme where 2,000 teachers were trained on the use of handheld digital devices for teaching, a skill that has been in use in the pilot schools in the state.

    Dr. Osa Oviawe explained that Edo SUBEB will commence the teacher training programme on Monday August 6, 2018.

    She assured that “data gathering and planning for the phase 2 training have been properly executed, adding that the teachers are eager to participate and become Digital Teachers.”

    The SUBEB boss said: “Edo-BEST Programme will be expanded to over 60 per cent of public primary schools across the state and will cover Kindergarten to Primary Six. Five thousand (5000) teachers drawn from the selected schools will be trained in three batches.

    In addition to teacher training, Osa Oviawe said “Headteachers will also receive training on school management; going forward, we aim to instil a strong culture of maintenance in our schools.

    “It is no longer going to be okay to allow school furniture, for example, to completely deteriorate until the point where fixing it is no longer an option. From when the first screws become loose, headteachers will have to report it.

    “We are building a system of scheduling maintenance for every component of the school, from roof, flooring, whiteboards etc. Governor Obaseki has said that Headteachers are the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of schools and we want to assist them to better manage our schools.”

     

  • Gov. Obaseki: How we are repositioning economy, TVET in Edo

    Gov. Obaseki: How we are repositioning economy, TVET in Edo

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the absence of a robust, well-modelled quality technical and vocational education is responsible for the frightening national unemployment figures.

    Governor Obaseki said this while delivering the 2018 National Alumni Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, in Trenchard Hall, Ibadan, on Friday.

    Other eminent Nigerians that have delivered the National Alumni Lecture include former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Grace Alele-Williams; the immediate-past National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigi-Oyegun; the late Chief Bola Ige and Gamaliel Onosode, amongst others.

    In the lecture entitled, Technical Education and Skills Acquisition As Imperative for Youth Empowerment, Obaseki said that a lot has to be done to change the perception of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by fostering public support, redesigning the institutions and putting them under quality management.

    On his return to the school for the Alumni Lecture, the governor, who graduated from the university in 1976, said “It is indeed a great pleasure to return to this great institution, an intellectual haven that molded me in the very best traditions of research, leadership, administration, the arts, understanding of the values of life and the centrality of human progress as the measure of labour.”

    According to him, “we have neglected technical and vocational education for far too long. The discrimination that polytechnic graduates still suffer after graduation is a clear illustration of this situation. Many technical schools have been converted to regular schools to produce all sorts of “certificates”.

    “Others are simply glorified institutions with nothing technical about them; certainly not in the curriculum, not in technology nor in the faculties, facility and general infrastructure. In this way, we have gradually lost the vision and mission of producing a cadre of skilled young Nigerians to perform technical responsibilities in government, industry and general services.

    “It is no wonder therefore, that many foreign investors bring their own staff using legal and underhand tactics to comply with or evade the quota system for expatriate labour.”

    On reforms in the TVET sub-sector in the state, he said, “We closed and redesigned the Government Science and Technical College in Benin, and we are currently rebuilding it to reflect contemporary requirements for a full-fledged technical college. We have equally redesigned the courses to make them demand-driven. The World Bank being impressed by these strides has contributed 1.2 Million Dollars (400 Million Naira) to this project and is set to invest an additional 2.7 Million Dollars (one billion Naira) in the coming year.”

    He said the state government is carrying out surgical restructuring on the tertiary institutions, which include the restructuring of the state College of Agriculture into three new campuses in Iguoriakhi (Edo South), Uromi (Edo Central) and Agenebode (Edo North) as well as the Edo State Polytechnic in Usen (formerly Institute of Management and Technology), which is being repurposed to serve the needs of the state and the private sector.

    On the state government’s job creation drive, he said, “In order to further create stronger linkages between industry and job seekers, one of the first initiatives of my government was to create EdoJobs, an initiative that has now evolved into a Skills Development Centre. The objective was first, to obtain data on the numbers, qualifications, locations, and interests of Edo youths. Second, was to provide training and employability support, and the third was to match the trained youths with private sector employers through the new synergy we have established. So far, over 45,000 jobs have been created through self-employment or placements with the private sector.”

    Noting that there has been an aggressive drive to reposition the state as an investment destination, he said, “The State Government has designed a development strategy based on widespread consultation with stakeholders. Based on our six thematic pillars – Institutional Reform, Economic Revolution, Infrastructure Development, Socio-welfare Enhancement, Environmental Sustainability and Culture and Tourism.

    “We have commenced the design and the development of a 996 hectares Industrial Park and development of the Benin River Port. We have also successfully launched a new industrial programme including revision of incentives to investors, introduction of new technology in revenue collection, establishing a Public Private Partnership office and an Edo Investment Promotion Bureau, initiating an Ease of Doing Business campaign and establishing an Industrial Park.”

    Earlier, the National President, University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Dr. Kemi Emina, said that Governor Obaseki’s leadership style in Edo stood him out for this year’s lecture.

    Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, said that the number of graduates produced yearly requires a well-planned strategy to integrate them into the Nigerian economy.

    Olayinka said graduates would need to augment their education with technical education and vocational training to be able to surmount the challenge of unemployment.

     

  • Job Creation: Obaseki assures Edo youths of preference in new economic order

    Job Creation: Obaseki assures Edo youths of preference in new economic order

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured qualified youths in the state of preferential treatment in the new economic order taking shape in the state.

    TheNewsGuru reports Obaseki gave the assurance during the courtesy visit by the Association of Esan Professionals (AEP), at Government House, in Benin City.

    He said that youths sponsored by AEP for training on welding and fabrication would be linked to firms where their skills would be put to effective use.

    “I want to assure you that we will support you and give priority to the youth whose training on welding and fabrication you sponsored, particularly on the projects we are working on.

    “I believe that the modular refinery where work has already started will require fabrication work. We will be introducing them to our partners in that transaction,” the governor told his guests.

    He commended members of the association for sponsoring youths for the training, noting, “I thank you for your selflessness and interest in our people. You have been able to raise money from your own resources to train youth on welding and fabrication and it is most commendable.”

    “Thank you for the effort you are making. I want to inform you that we will obtain their data for our job portal, EdoJobs, and see how we can match them with jobs in the state,” he added.

    Earlier, President of the association, Mr. Sam Obaze, explained that the group’s decision to sponsor 10 youths from Esanland at the Petroleum Technology Institute (PTI) in Warri, was to complement governor Obaseki’s initiative to engage youths in productive activity.

    Obaze said, “I wish to reiterate that your desire to engage Edo youths productively received a boost when 10 Esan youths, sponsored by our association, were decorated with PTI’s Skills Acquisition Proficiency Certificates in welding and fabrication, after nine months of training.”

    He commended the governor for reinstating the Onojie of Uromi, noting, “the people of Esanland thank you most sincerely for this gesture and wish to assure you of our continuous and sustained support.”

     

  • Relief, excitement as Obaseki awards reconstruction of Ugbor-Amagba Road

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has announced the award of contract for the reconstruction of Ugbor- Amagba Road in Benin City, which will bring to an end the frustration experienced by users of the road.

    Obaseki who made this known during a courtesy visit by the Registrar, West African Examination Council (WAEC), Dr. Uyi Uwadiae, in Government House, Benin City, assured that the reconstruction work would last 12 months.

    The governor explained that the request for the reconstruction of the Ugbor-Amagba Road received the blessing of the Edo State Executive Committee, in line with his administration’s commitment to invest in infrastructure and enhance the quality of life of Edo people and residents in the state.

    Earlier, the WAEC Registrar, expressed his excitement about the governor’s decision to reconstruct the Ugbor-Amaga Road, which also links the South-South Computer-based Centre of the examination body.

    Uwadiae explained that following the federal government’s approval to partner with WAEC in setting up Computer-based Test Centres in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country, the South-South Centre was sited in Ugbor area of Benin City, and would take six hundred candidates.

    He noted that the road, when constructed will make access to the examination facility easier for candidates.

    Uwadiae maintained that the decision to bring cutting-edge technology to the doorsteps of stakeholders in the education sector was informed by current global trends such as e-testing and e-marking.

    Obaseki further assured of his administration’s readiness to extend other forms of support to WAEC in order to raise the standard of education in the state.

    He shared with his guests, the progress so far recorded by the state with the deployment of technology in teaching, a component of the Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme.

    He charged the WAEC registrar and other members of his team to address the issue of examination malpractice among students.

     

  • Aregbesola’s Doctorate degree award thrills Gov. Obaseki

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has congratulated his Osun State counterpart, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on the honourary doctorate degree (PhD), Honoris Causa, in Public Administration, conferred on him by the Samuel Adegboyega University, in Edo State.

    In his remark at the Special Convocation Ceremony of the university, in Ogwa, Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, Obaseki urged the Osun State governor to continue with the humanitarian work that stood him out for the award.

    Noting that the award symbolises unity among members of the different religions in Nigeria, the Edo State governor saluted the university for acknowledging Aregbesola’s contributions to the educational development in Osun State.

    The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ben Aigbokhan extolled the qualities of governor Aregbesolo, which he said stood him out for the honorary degree.

    He commended the recipient for his contributions to the development of Osun State, which he said currently ranks among the first five states with the lowest unemployment rate and second on human capital development.

    He urged the governor to continue to do his best in promoting a healthy university tradition, in his efforts to bring good governance to his people despite the challenge of limited resources.

    According to Aigbokhan, “The institution is committed to producing globally relevant, competitive and entrepreneurship-minded graduates.”

    The Vice Chancellor noted that the university is committed to providing comprehensive education for the intellectual and spiritual development of the students in preparation for leadership role and service to the society.

    In his remark, Governor Aregbesola expressed his appreciation to the university management for conferring the doctorate degree on him and urged parents and management of the institution to sustain the high standard of education, the institution is celebrated for.

     

  • Obaseki approves take-off grant for UNICEF-WASH programme

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the take-off grant and operational funds for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in the state, to deepen the project’s impact to Edo residents.

    Governor Obaseki disclosed this when the new Manager, UNICEF WASH programme, Michael Forson, and other officials of the programme paid the governor a courtesy call at the Government House, in Benin City.

    According to him, “As a government, we are fully committed to UNICEF-WASH programme. We will work with you to integrate our water-related development with the UNICEF-WASH programme.”

    He said there was need for UNICEF-WASH to present details of the baseline report to the state government, which would guide government in the planning process, noting, “We understand the impact of the programme on our people and your visit is very timely.

    “We are excited and would not mind if you share the entire details of the baseline studies with us to assist us in our development plans.”

    Forson commended Governor Obaseki for his administration’s commitment to inclusive development in the state.

    He lauded the governor’s leadership style and his implementation of sound policies that have brought development to the people of the state.

    He added that the state’s Commissioner for Water and Energy Resources has spoken on the administration’s commitment to UNICEF-WASH programme, which was further demonstrated with the release of N700 million counterpart fund by the state government.

     

  • Edo Innovation Hub maps sustainability path

    Edo Innovation Hub says it has trained no fewer than 724 entrepreneurs in less than three months of its operation to boost private sector activities in the state.

    The outfit, supported by the state-government, is a cluster for innovators and inventors in Benin City.

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki, at the launch of the hub in June, said that the state government set up the outfit to enable youths to strengthen the technology ecosystem in the state, adding that the intention was to leverage on technology for job creation and enterprise development.

    In a statement on Thursday, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation and Skills Development, said that the centre had in the last few weeks trained 724 entrepreneurs.

    “Two hundred females are being trained by Microsoft and Tech4Dev; 32 persons participated in LinkedIn MeetUp sessions to build a vibrant business community and leverage networking for local and international businesses.

    “Forty-nine budding app developers participated in Curators University’s Artificial Intelligence boot camp; 23 developers were trained by Hotels.NG on coding and app development.

    “Other partners include Makers Academy, who trained 40 students on robotics and 59 trained by Pan Atlantic University’s Enterprise Development Centre in entrepreneurship and innovation.

    “Siemens, Impact Hub conducted pre-hackathon orientation for 25 aspiring entrepreneurs in the power sector while Microsoft took 50 teachers on Basic Digital Literacy for Teachers.”

    Dare said that there was a sustainability plan in place to ensure that the private sector took the lead in the growth of the state’s technology ecosystem, adding that trainings and business incubation would continue at the facility.

    She added that ATC Nigeria donated three fully equipped ICT centre in Benin, Irrua and Ekpoma, to deepen the penetration of tech-driven development across the state.

    She explained that a good number of the firms at the hub had expressed interest for long-term partnership with the state government.

    According to her, the state government is exploring the option of a trust fund to sustain the hub.

    Drae said the facility houses the South-South Innovation Hub with two halls, five training rooms, six fully-furnished co-working spaces, four rooms with a total of 100 computers, offices, conference rooms and outdoor workspaces, among others.

     

  • Market women, NURTW stage solidarity march to Edo Govt House

    Market women and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Edo State have staged solidarity walks in support of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

    The leader of the Market Women Association, Madam Blackie Ogiamien, in their separate march, told the governor “We are here to express our appreciation to your leadership style. As keen followers of your administration, we salute you for your various initiatives which includes the promotion of cleanliness through the weekly sanitation introduced by your administration.

    “Many persons have attested to the restoration of law and order in the state capital. This has improved the free flow of human and vehicular traffic especially around markets. In the beginning it seemed like child’s play but today, we have seen the result.”

    Ogiamien maintained that “As mothers, wives and workers, your prompt payment of workers is quite commendable as it encourages workers to plan ahead and meet the demands of their families.

    “We market women commend you for demobilising street urchins and thugs or ‘agberos’ who were terrorizing our markets and making trading almost impossible. We commend you for restoring sanity in this area as we the market women now have peace and are able to do our business without any harassment.”

    She appealed to the governor not to allow for the return of thugs in the state, recalling the harrowing experiences they had in the hands of the thugs while they held sway.

    In his response, Governor Obaseki expressed his appreciation to the women for their support, and explained: “With the support of members of my administration, we stopped ticketing through which different groups were extorting market women. I never knew that my pronouncement would go far and restore sanity in the city, which has improved the total revenue collected by the local government monthly.”

    In a separate event, the Chairman, Edo State Chapter of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Odion Olaye, who led other members of the union on a solidarity walk to the Government House in Benin City, commended the governor for what he called “the good work Obaseki has done within a short time in office,” and assured that members of the union are behind him.

    “We are here to pass a vote of confidence on you as the governor of Edo State, because of the good work you are doing for us in the state. It is only those who are blind that will not see the good work you are doing. You are building roads, we are seeing the projects and our members are happy with you. We appreciate the good work you are doing with the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA), the vigilante group and the Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) programme.

    He urged those peddling falsehood to distract the governor to desist from the act and maintained that the governor deserved to be praised.

    In his remark, the governor expressed appreciation to members of the union for their support and assured that his administration is determined to make life more meaningful for the average Edo person.

    “My vision is to transform the economy and make the state viable for businesses to thrive. I have engaged contractors to rehabilitate and reconstruct roads across the 18 local government areas of the state.”

     

  • Edo Govt. reviews operation of old people’s homes, orphanages, others

    Edo Govt. reviews operation of old people’s homes, orphanages, others

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government is reviewing the operations of orphanages, old people’s homes, remand centres, schools for people with special needs and other such centres for vulnerable persons, for efficiency and improved impact.

    Obaseki disclosed this during the Foundation-laying ceremony for Baba Rabi Foundation at Uzairue, in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

    He noted, “We are reviewing how orphanages, old people’s homes, remand centers, schools for people with special needs, and centres catering for vulnerable persons are managed in the state. As a government, we will do all it takes to support people with goodwill as we are ready to work with them to help us reach out to more vulnerable persons in our society.”

    He commended the Chairperson of Baba Rabi Foundation, Mrs. Fatima Mede, on the initiative to build the facility, noting, “this is the kind of values people should celebrate. Even as a retired Permanent Secretary living off her gratuity and pensions, she considered it worthy to follow in the footsteps of her parents, Alhaji Baba Saliu Egele and Hajiha Rabi Saliu Egele, who were reputed for their philanthropy.”

    Obaseki said, “Mrs. Fatima Mede is an accomplished Edo woman who rose through the ranks to become a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning. We are proud of her and happy that she is utilising her experience to serve her people.”

    Earlier, the South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Major General In-Tae Lee (retd.), commended the Chairperson of the Foundation for her contribution to the development of the society, noting, “This effort is quite commendable as it is geared towards eradication of poverty in rural communities through agricultural development. Rural development is a part of the policies of South Korea as a nation. We will continue to support the center to improve the lives of the people.”

    On her part, Mrs. Fatima Mede commended Governor Obaseki and his entourage for taking part in the foundation-laying ceremony, adding, “The Foundation started as far back as 2006 with a focus to touch the lives of the people of the community.”

    She said there was need for more people to work with government, as such support will fast-track development in the grassroots, noting that the foundation is her way of contributing to the development of the state.

    According to her, the center will house a hospital for women and children, nursery and primary school, orphanage, vocational center, recreational facilities, which will serve the people of the community.

    The Etsako West Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Yakubu Musa, represented by his vice, Hon. Abubakar Imonekhe, pledged to provide support to the foundation, and explained that NGOs play vital roles in the social and economic life of any community.