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Tag: Godwin Obaseki

  • Workers’ day: Obaseki approves N1.5bn Paris refunds for payment of arrears

    Workers’ day: Obaseki approves N1.5bn Paris refunds for payment of arrears

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo has approved the use of N1.5 billion from the Paris Club refunds to offset part of N2.5 billion salary and pension arrears of local government workers in the state.

    The governor announced the decision during May Day celebration in the state which held at the University of Benin Sports Complex in Benin on Tuesday.

    Obaseki said his administration was committed to the welfare of workers.

    “I have instructed that all outstanding salaries and pension arrears owed local government workers be paid before the end of this year,’’ he said.

    The governor said his administration had successfully paid batches 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the state pensioners.

    He promised to increase the monthly allocation of N100 million for the payment of pension arrears to N200 million with effect from Tuesday.

    He said plans were on to enrol all local government staff in the contributory pension scheme like their counterparts in state service who were already captured in the scheme.

    Obaseki said every worker who deserved promotion would be promoted to encourage productivity in the service.

    The governor also promised to provide a new printing press for the state-owned Nigerian Observer newspaper company within the next three months.

    He also said the government would set up Edo State Civil Service Training Institute and get it ready before the end of the year.

    In their speeches, Mr Emmanuel Ademokun, the Edo Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress and Mr Marshall Orhue of Trade Union Congress, commended the governor for the prompt payment of workers’ salaries.

    They also lauded the governor’s efforts in infrastructure development, reformation in the state Basic Education sector and economic reforms.

    Ademokun, however appealed to the state government to immediately commence recruiting staff into the state Ministries, Departments and Agencies to strengthen the workforce.

    He also called for the implementation of the new technical cadre approved by the National Council on Establishment for the state health sector.

    On his part, Orhue called on the governor to give attention to issues affecting some state establishments and improve the working conditions of permanent secretaries.

    The May Day celebration was based on the theme, Labour Movement in National Development: Dare to Struggle Dare to Win.

     

  • Obaseki converts ICE to tech-innovation hub

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government has converted the Institute for Continuing Education (ICE) in Benin City to a technology innovation hub, as part of initiatives to engage and develop skills of the teeming youth population in the state.

    Obaseki disclosed this at a two-day workshop organised by the state government in partnership with First Bank of Nigeria, for young entrepreneurs as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state, at the weekend, in Benin City.

    He noted, “In a few months’ time, the state government will set-up the first technology innovation hub with thousands of computers supported with high-speed connectivity. The state will invite technological companies to provide support services at the hub.”

    The hub, he said, “will serve as a facility for training youths in the state. It would also be used as a centre for follow-up training for youths who are participating in similar training programmes organised by the state government in partnership with the First Bank of Nigeria.”

    Obaseki explained, “The state government has decided to reposition the former Institute of Continuing Education into an advanced learning centre and an innovation hub. Work has started and, in few months, the Centre will be ready with computers and equipment for the training of our youth.”

    The governor also tasked youth in the state to register on the EdoJobs portal, noting, “The portal was created to provide data from which youth who will benefit from the state government’s job and wealth creation initiatives will be selected.”

    He added that the state will retrain youth to be able to realise their potential, noting, “We are trying to correct the faulty education and prepare our youth to compete favourably with youth in other parts of the world.

    “We will not lament and continue to make excuses as we have drawn the line to make youth in the state productive. The next generation of children in the state will have world class basic education that will see them through life.”

    Obaseki noted that the state will continue to partner with firms like First Bank of Nigeria to provide youth with remedial knowledge and skills to make them employable and become entrepreneurs.

    Chairperson, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, commended the governor for his people-centered policies, noting, “The state is fortunate to have a governor whose heart is with his people. He has the right network with firms that can assist youths create wealth for themselves.”

    Awosika tasked youth in the state to embrace the job and wealth creation initiatives of the Godwin Obaseki-led administration. “If youth do not see good in Nigeria, then you cannot get anything good from her. Within the same Nigeria, people are creating value from what the likes of Obaseki are putting together for youth,” she said.

     

  • Edo Govt. to engage 3,600 youths in public works scheme

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed plan by the state government to engage 3,600 youths from the 18 local government areas to strengthen the state’s Public Works Volunteer (PUWOV) scheme.

    Speaking at a one-day, well-attended Youth Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Leadership Seminar organised by the state government in collaboration with the youth wing of the Edo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) at Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area, Obaseki urged the youths to take their place in the development of the state and nation.

    He noted that the seminar with the theme “Owning Your Future,” was designed to integrate the youth in the overall development of the state, as the government is in talks with the heads of local government councils to engage at least 200 youths from their local government areas.

    “The youths will receive world class training on security; traffic management and other areas related to law and order,” he added.

    The governor assured that youths are very strategic in his economic development plan for the state as he is committed to engaging them in productive activities to enable them contribute positively to the development of the state

    “In the last 15 months we have employed over 45,000 Edo youths through Edo Jobs portal and we are calling on more youths to register as we have created a friendly business environment for investors to create more opportunities for the youths.”

    Obaseki said his administration is ready to change the narrative that youths are better used as thugs and train them to be self sufficient and employers of labour.

    “Politics must be used to expand the base for millions of youths who are the productive population,” the governor emphasized.

    He noted that in the last 15 months, his administration has been able to win the hearts of the people through improved security; orderliness and the prevailing friendly environment for investors who are flocking to the state to invest.

    He charged youths in the 192 wards across the state to prepare business proposals that are well tailored to business ideas within their locality as he will recommend them to investors to finance them.

    Earlier, the APC Youth leader in the state Hon. Valentine Asuen, urged the youths to leverage on the business opportunities being provided across the state.

     

  • Edo Govt. trains senior civil servants on PER

    In line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s ongoing reforms of the state civil service, the Edo State government has trained senior civil servants on Performance Evaluation Reporting.

    Speaking at the workshop held in Benin City, Edo State capital, Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Gladys Idahor, who represented the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said the training was to acquaint senior civil servants with requisite knowledge for annual evaluation of junior civil service officers.

    She said the training became necessary to ensure that the promotion of civil servants in the state does not suffer unnecessary hitches because of poor knowledge of Annual Performance Evaluation Reporting (APER).

    The one-day training themed: Appreciating the Rudiments of Annual Performance Evaluation Reporting was organised for senior officers in the civil service. It focused on Civil Service Ethics in Assessment of Workers’ Annual Performance.

    Idahor said, “The state government will not tolerate sentiment and bias either in form of personal interest and undue gratification among senior officers evaluating junior officers for promotion. The training will broaden knowledge of officers in-charge of Annual Performance Evaluations Report (APER) Form.”

    Noting that the government is determined to sustain ongoing reforms in the civil service, she urged participants to leverage on the opportunities provided by the training to acquaint themselves with up-to-date knowledge of Annual Performance Evaluation Reporting in line with international best practice.

    Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Establishments, Training and Manpower Development, Barr. (Mrs.) D.O Enakhimion, said the training provided top civil servants with modern methods of processing the APER form.

    Mrs. Enakhimion urged the officers to put the knowledge acquired to good use to improve the state civil service in line with the objectives of the state government.

     

  • Nigeria America Chamber of Commerce set to build AGOA Export Park in Edo

    The Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has expressed readiness to partner the Edo State Government in the development of an export zone to explore opportunities in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

    This was disclosed by delegation of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce led by the chamber’s Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abayomi Adigun, on a courtesy visit at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

    Alhaji Adigun said the chamber reached a decision to set-up the AGOA Park in Edo State to facilitate export of Nigerian products to the United States of America.

    Adigun said the NACC will partner with the state to promote investment in tourism, sports and entertainment, adding, “NACC has the capacity to assist the state in training women and youths through workshops and seminars which will focus on economic empowerment.”

    Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki said the project will expand opportunities for industries as well as small and medium scale enterprises to be situated in the Benin Industrial Park complex.

    He noted that the visit by the NACC was timely, as the state was committed to attracting investments that will exploit her abundant natural endowments and engage the teeming youth population.

    According to him, “The state’s institutional reforms would serve as enablers for sustainable industrial growth which would create prosperity for the people. We are ready to partner with NACC to explore opportunities offered by the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and promote the economic potentials of the state on the global stage.

     

  • Why Edo Govt. will not handover schools to missions yet – Obaseki

    Why Edo Govt. will not handover schools to missions yet – Obaseki

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government will not hand over schools to missions or other stakeholders yet, because the state is still gathering data and studying the outcome of such experiment in the past, amid other issues that must be addressed.

    Obaseki made the submission when he received the National Executive Council members of Annunciation Catholic College Irrua Old Boys Association (ACCIOBA) led by the association’s National President, Dr. Frank Odafen, on a courtesy visit to Government House, in Benin City.

    Governor Obaseki said, “The state will not relent in tackling challenges confronting the education sector. We have started implementing reforms to improve access to quality education at the basic level, because we believe education has always given the state a competitive advantage.”

    He noted that more funds will be sourced to improve basic education, which is the foundation of a vibrant, knowledge-driven economy, adding “Part of the reforms to improve the sector is the reassigning of the Commissioner of Science and Technology, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale to oversee the Education Ministry four weeks ago. We have also appointed consultants to assist the state in sourcing resources to enable us address the challenges confronting the sector.”

    On the request that the Annunciation Catholic College (ACC), Irrua be handed over to Old Boys of the school and the Catholic Mission, Obaseki said government holds the school in trust for the people, and that such move would require extensive stakeholder engagement.

    He said “As governor, I am to uphold public trust. I swore to uphold the constitution which empowered me to hold certain assets of the state in trust for the people. I am not at liberty to give out such assets.”

    “We are still gathering data and studying the outcomes of the handover of schools carried out as experiments few years ago. The exercise has raised several issues that must be addressed,” he said.

    National President, ACCIOBA, Dr. Frank Odafen, lauded the governor for the infrastructural development across the state, noting, “ACCIOBA as a group, will support ongoing reforms to improve education in the state. We will join hands with government to return Edo to its glorious past when it topped list of states in the country with access to quality education.”

    He added, “We will continue to contribute our part in improving education, as we have built halls, constructed roads, perimeter fencing, offered scholarships to students and facilitated payment of salaries to ten teachers in Annunciation Catholic College, Irrua.”

     

  • Edo commences construction of 20 tech-driven Primary Health Centres

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state has concluded plans to begin construction of twenty technology-driven Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state before the end of the month.

    Obaseki disclosed this when he received board members of Lily Hospital, Warri and Benin Centres, led by the Acting Chairman, Dr. Ovadje Oviemo, on a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

    He said, “This month the state government will roll out the first 20 Primary Healthcare Centres. The plan is to ensure equitable distribution of healthcare centres across the state in the next 20 to 30 months. With this, we will be certain that at least one Primary Healthcare Centre is sited in each ward across the state. We intend to construct between 200 to 250 PHCs in the state.”

    Obaseki noted that the centres will be fully equipped with basic technologies to facilitate collection of data and also serve as facilities to train community health providers to improve access to quality healthcare services in rural areas, adding, “This administration has studied the entire healthcare chain and decided to focus on strengthening the basic healthcare system.”

    He said the state’s Health Insurance Bill which will make health insurance compulsory, affordable and accessible for residents is in the final stage of passage into law.

    He added, “It is no longer fashionable for Nigerians to continue to travel abroad for medical treatment. Therefore, it is important for governments to provide access to quality and affordable healthcare services for the people within the country.

    “As a government, our strategy is to use the State Health Insurance Scheme to provide access to quality and affordable healthcare for Edo people. We are working with healthcare providers and consultants to re-think the state healthcare system to complement other economic development initiatives.”

    Obaseki said it was encouraging that the government has continued to receive requests from investors, who have expressed interest to partner with government to develop the health sector.

    Dr. Ovadje Oviemo who led other board members of Lily Hospital on the visit, said “Lily Hospital facilities in Edo and Delta states are being developed to serve as multiple specialist centres and is modeled after the Aravind Hospital in Madurai, India. The centres will offer healthcare services in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.”

    He said the hospital has upgraded its facilities with modern equipment for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other similar services, adding that plans have reached advanced stage for an In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) center to promote reproductive healthcare.

     

  • Edo Govt to run multi-campus college of education

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed plans to restructure the state’s tertiary education scene for the training of teachers with competencies in different knowledge and skill areas, especially basic and technical education.

    Obaseki disclosed this when he visited the Abudu College of Education, in Orhionmwon Local Government Council, for an on-the-spot inspection of infrastructure at the institution.

    According to Obaseki, “in the plan, the state is to operate the Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor, as well as multi-campus College of Education with sites in Igueben, Abudu and Auchi.

    “While the Abudu campus is to serve as Special Training Centre for teachers at the Basic Education level, the campus at Igueben will focus on training teachers for technical and secondary education.”

    He said the state government has concluded arrangement to remodel the college in Abudu, noting, “After revamping this institution, it will serve as a centre for training and certification of new sets of teachers for the basic level of education. This will prepare the teachers to adopt modern teaching methods at that level of education.”

    He added, “We are here to review the plans and designs, which will give way for the remodelling of the campus. This visit will prepare way for the contractors to be mobilised to site immediately. The rehabilitation work at the college will not affect academic work as the campus is currently not in session.”

    He noted that government has a funding plan for the college, which will serve as training centre for basic school teachers, who are instrumental in the state’s government drive to revive public primary education.

    Noting that training has already commenced for some teachers in pilot schools at Benin, the state capital, Obaseki said, “The training will prepare teachers to apply new methods of teaching, which the state government has introduced at the basic level of education. About 2000 teachers from 300 schools are participating in the pilot phase of this training programme.”

    The governor explained that in the long-term plan, the state plans to continue with the training of teachers, noting, “The training of teachers will be on a permanent basis as we intend to have a system that focuses on special training for teachers at the basic education level.”

     

  • Gov. Obaseki swears in 2 new judges in Edo

    Two High Court judges, Orobosa Omotoso and Terry Momodu, were sworn in on Monday by Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo.

    Speaking at the occasion, Obaseki said that his administration remains committed to strengthening the state judicial system for optimal justice delivery and sustenance of the democratic process.

    He said: “We realize that without an effective judicial system it will be impossible to practise our democracy.

    “We are proud of the reputation of the entire judiciary in the Edo State for its independence, integrity and its industry.

    “We constantly celebrate the fact that at a certain time when allegations were being regularly made regarding judges, our judiciary remained well respected and scandal-free.”

    He expressed optimism that the newly sworn in judges would build on the legacies left behind by their predecessors.

    Omotoso, in her response, commended the governor for his administration’s resolve to re-position the state’s judicial system.

    She pledged the commitment of the new judges to the discharge of their duties to the best of their abilities.

    Omotoso was born in 1967 and called to the bar in 1989 while Momodu, also born in 1967, was called to the bar in 1991.

     

  • Govt pays Libya Returnees 3 months stipends

    Govt pays Libya Returnees 3 months stipends

    The Edo State government has approved verification exercise and payment of three months stipends for new batch of Libya returnees of Edo State origin.

    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Anti-Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration, Solomon Okoduwa, disclosed this during the verification exercise.

    “The approval for the verification exercise and payment for the new batch of returnees are part of the promises made by the governor to assist victims of human trafficking and illegal migration and reintegrate them into society,” he noted.

    Okoduwa said since the first two batches of returnees were received by the state government between 7th and 15th November 2017, and that the state has recorded 26 other batches totalling 3,165 returnees.

    “The verification exercise for the new batch of returnees will be processed in the next 12 days, after which payment of their stipends will commence.

    “Each returnee will be paid a stipend of N20,00 per month for three months. Among them, pregnant women will be entitled to N25,000 each, while those with babies will get N30,000 each,” he said.

    Okoduwa assured the returnees that they will get their stipends, urging them to follow the required procedures to get verified.

    Assistant Secretary, Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration, Lilian Garuba, said “The returnees who had been verified have been paid. The verification is a precondition for getting the stipends, so we encourage them to come forward for the exercise.

    She added, “Those who are yet to be verified should be patient. We assure that the taskforce is working to ensure that the directive of the governor is fully carried out. The exercise is to ensure that we monitor the progress of reintegration and follow up where necessary.”

    One of the returnees, Idemudia Grace confirmed that she has gotten her pay for a month, adding, “I am here for another round of verification to receive the second payment.”

    Oghogho Moses, who turned up for the exercise, commended the governor for keeping to his promise to pay returnees three months stipends.

    “Obaseki has done well for the returnees, he is the first if not the only governor in the country to make provision for stipends to returnees and other packages to assist the returnees’ reintegration into the society,” he said.