₦airaland Forum

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, on Thursday, described himself as a political activist in government for the service of the people.

This was as members of the ldunwinye Landlords Association, Aruogba, Benin City, on Thursday, pleaded with the deputy governor to contest the Edo Governorship seat in 2024.

The association said if Shaibu fails to run, it will go to court to compel him.

Shaibu made the remarks when he hosted executive council of the association, led by its Chairman, Comrade Samuel Igbinoba, at the Government House, Benin City.

He said he will continue to look up to God for guidance and direction in the course of his political journey, while sustaining his quest for an egalitarian society, adding that it was his focus during his years in students activism.

His words, “I welcome and thank you for your kind words. It’s only God that can shape the affairs of men. I’m happy to see one of those group of persons God has been using to pray for me. Prayer is most important because it has been shielding us, even in this very delicate political journey.

“I have been consistent in terms of what I want to achieve.I have always preached one thing which is love and without that, whatever we do amounts to nothing.

“I am a very quiet and gentle person, but fortunately or unfortunately, God’s assignment for me is to be the way I am now. This is as a result of the oppression and injustice being meted out to the people which l cannot stand. This has strengthen me as an activist, meaning, making the system work is my main goal.”

Citing America as an example, Shaibu said the people grew to a stage where they don’t expect what the country could do for them, rather, what they could do for America, noting, “this is because they have a conducive environment and their government made that happen by making all life matter.

“I am in politics for service. I am in politics to make my fellow humans comfortable and live up to the expectations of what I wanted Government to do in time past – that has kept me going because I remember what my fight has been.

“We need to pray for our leaders always , pray for political parties to have men of good conscience who will produce responsible representatives at all levels of government.

“As far as I remain Philip Shaibu, in everything I do, everywhere I go, I will continue to do the will of God.

The Deputy Governor promised that government will address the Association’s request for an electricity transformer very soon and solicited for prayers for the present administration.

“Let me enjoin our people to keep praying for the Government, Mr. Governor and my humble self, including other officials of Government for us to finish well and end strong”, Shaibu added.

Earlier, the Association’s address, read on behalf of the Chairman by Dr. Dan Oyoboh, chronicled the antecedents of Shaibu from his years as a student activist at the University of Jos, member of the State and Federal Parliament, to his present position as Deputy Governor of Edo State.

The Association applauded Shaibu for his unwavering loyalty to his principal, Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki and their commitment towards making Edo Great again.

The Association also commended the present administration for the construction and completion of the ambitious lrhirhi-Ebo-Aruogba-Okhoromi-Ogheghe road which has opened up several communities in the area, while appealing for the donation of an electricity transformer in Aruogba to boost power supply and promote economic growth in the locality.

The ldunwinye Landlords’ insisted that the Deputy Governor has been consistently commited to the people in his political career, noting, “we are pleading with you to contest for the Governorship seat in 2024, otherwise,we will have no option than to go to court to compel you to contest.”

Highlight of the courtesy visit was a special prayer session, led by Reverend Sylvester Osagie for the Deputy Governor and his family.

Road crash: Shaibu inspects Ovia River bridge, rescues accident victims

...assures state govt's readiness to fix the deplorable federal road

The Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, on Monday, saved the lives of some victims involved in an auto crash on the popular Ovia River bridge, along the ever-busy Benin-Ore-Lagos expressway in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state.

Shaibu was on an inspection to Ovia River to see the level of damages on the road which has caused multiple accidents in recent times, following last Thursday’s ghastly accident that occurred on the bridge involving a Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus and a truck, where no fewer than 11 persons lost their lives.

Accompanied by the Commissioner for roads and bridges, Hon Osaze Ethan Uzamere, Shaibu joined to rescue a lady trapped in the middle of the bridge who was involved in another accident that occurred today, involving a truck, a Siena and Lexus car.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck driver lost control due to over-speeding and hit the commercial Siena bus from the rear while the Lexus 350 car went off-balance and obstructed another car in front of it.

Shaibu joined to rescue the helpless accident victims who were immediately rushed to the hospital by a team of Federal Road safety Corps (FRSC) officials, while he paid divers to enter the river to rescue those whose vehicle fell into the river.

The Deputy Governor also saw to the immediate removal of all the vehicles involved in the accident from the road to prevent impeding the free-flow of traffic on the bridge.

He expressed readiness of the state government to fix the dilapidated Ovia road, noting that the government will immediately carry out palliative measures on the road through Levante Construction Company (LCC).

The Deputy Governor, however, appealed to the motoring public to always ensure that their vehicles are in good condition, particularly the brake system before driving on the road.

Shaibu had last Friday, following the Thursday’s accident that claimed lives on the Ovia river bridge, noted that the state government was ready to repair deplorable federal roads across the state to prevent accidents and waste of time on the roads.

Innoson Group, owners of Innoson Motors, says the authorities should allow children of the poor breathe in the case of allegations of UTME scores forgery levelled against Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB).

Recall that Ejikeme, an indigne of Anambra state, recently paraded herself as the top scorer in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which saw Innocent Chukwuma, Innoson Motors’ founder, honouring her and awarding her N3 million scholarship up the the university.

However, JAMB in a statement on Sunday, accused Ejikeme of manually inflating her UTME result from 249 to 362 and used her inflated score to attract the N3m scholarship recognition from Innoson Motors.

JAMB noted that Ejikeme was set to be awarded by the Anambra State Government before she was exposed, vowing that the candidate will be prosecuted and have her original result withdrawn by the board.

“The most pathetic of them all is the case of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, who claimed to have scored 362 in the 2023 UTME and was awarded a N3m scholarship by Chief (Dr.) Innocent Chukwuma.

“She was even set to be honoured by the Anambra State Government when one of its top officials put a call through to JAMB to confirm her claim only for the Board to reveal that Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma had actually scored 249 and not 362 she claimed.

“She had manipulated her UTME result to deceive the public to fraudulently obtain a scholarship and other recognitions,” the statement by JAMB said.

Reacting via his official Twitter handle, Head of Corporate Communications, Innoson Group, Mr Cornel Osigwe, asked that the poor should be allowed to breathe, even as he called for an investigation into the case.

“The girl I met doesn’t have the brain and capacity to manipulate her result. There is more to this story. A proper investigation needs to be done. Abeg let the poor breath.

“That girl was one of the most brilliant in her school, according to the Principal, her parents couldn’t even afford to pay for her WAEC and NECO Exams. Of what advantage will it offer her to manipulate her JAMB score? Let the poor breathe pls,” he tweeted.

Ajibade123:
I am curious
If they discredit the department what will happen to the lecturers?

adioolayi:
The entire academic staffs and the current students should be up to 1000 in total na?

Let everyone, including the HOD, levy themselves with a sum of #2500 each...the money go complete.

That's if they are truly serious about getting accredited.

People wey FG dey owe over 8 months abi?

Controversy has trailed the unfortunate death of Francis Anuide, the 23-year-old final year Chemistry male student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), who drowned in the Ekosodin River located in an off-campus community near the institution, Thursday.

METROWATCH, Friday broke the news on how Anuide drowned in the River after himself and two other male colleagues, Samson Kennedy and Wilfred Emmanuel, 200-level Biochemistry and 500-level Optometry students respectively, went on a leisurely swimming trip to the River Thursday.

Anuide’s body was recovered from the River by local divers on Saturday, two days after the tragic incident. However, the discovery of blood on the lips and the peeling of the skin around the neck region of the deceased raised suspicion amongst family members and relatives who demanded for an autopsy.

Further examination of the body also showed the victim’s corpse was swollen, apparently from the significant amount of water it had absorbed. There were visible signs of distress from the struggle in the water. But the divers attributed the cause of injuries on the neck region to a rope that they had entangled around the victim’s neck while underwater in order to drag the corpse out.

Earlier, the locals demanded that the body, after some rites and rituals have been carried out and respectfully wrapped in a white linen, be buried by the river bank in line with custom and tradition. But the family of the deceased insisted on carrying out an autopsy before the burial. A grave had already been dug at the river bank for the burial before the objection from family members of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the remains of the undergraduate have been deposited at the morgue for the autopsy, while the case has been transferred from the BDPA, Ugbowo police division to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) alongside the two surviving colleagues of the victim who were earlier arrested in connection with the incident for further investigation.

https://metrowatchxtra.com/2023/07/02/controversy-as-body-of-drowned-uniben-final-year-student-is-recovered-metrowatch/

Lala Seun Mynd44

Controversy has trailed the unfortunate death of Francis Anuide, the 23-year-old final year Chemistry male student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), who drowned in the Ekosodin River located in an off-campus community near the institution, Thursday.

METROWATCH, Friday broke the news on how Anuide drowned in the River after himself and two other male colleagues, Samson Kennedy and Wilfred Emmanuel, 200-level Biochemistry and 500-level Optometry students respectively, went on a leisurely swimming trip to the River Thursday.

Anuide’s body was recovered from the River by local divers on Saturday, two days after the tragic incident. However, the discovery of blood on the lips and the peeling of the skin around the neck region of the deceased raised suspicion amongst family members and relatives who demanded for an autopsy.

Further examination of the body also showed the victim’s corpse was swollen, apparently from the significant amount of water it had absorbed. There were visible signs of distress from the struggle in the water. But the divers attributed the cause of injuries on the neck region to a rope that they had entangled around the victim’s neck while underwater in order to drag the corpse out.

Earlier, the locals demanded that the body, after some rites and rituals have been carried out and respectfully wrapped in a white linen, be buried by the river bank in line with custom and tradition. But the family of the deceased insisted on carrying out an autopsy before the burial. A grave had already been dug at the river bank for the burial before the objection from family members of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the remains of the undergraduate have been deposited at the morgue for the autopsy, while the case has been transferred from the BDPA, Ugbowo police division to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) alongside the two surviving colleagues of the victim who were earlier arrested in connection with the incident for further investigation.

https://metrowatchxtra.com/2023/07/02/controversy-as-body-of-drowned-uniben-final-year-student-is-recovered-metrowatch/

Lala Seun Mynd44

Puss360:
Lol.... A final year student doesn't know he can't swim, yet still follow enter the water...
Had it been he didn't die, next year he will graduate abi?? And call himself a graduate... Na wa for education...
Anyways, Rip to the departed

Two students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) have been arrested by operatives of the Edo state police command following the alleged drowning of their colleague (name withheld), in Ekosodin River, located in an off-campus community near the school.

METROWATCH gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon after the trio embarked on a leisurely swimming trip to the Ekosodin River that fateful day. The deceased reportedly drowned after he got swept into the river by a strong current.

It was further learnt that the deceased was as a final-year male student of Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences; while the friends are 200-level and 500-level students of Biochemistry and Optometry, both males in the Faculty of Life Sciences.

In the wake of the incident, the BDPA, Ugbowo police division on Friday confirmed to METROWATCH that the two surviving students have been arrested in connection to the death of their colleague, and currently being held in custody for questioning and further investigation.

A police source said, one of the surviving students, in his statement, admitted his inability to swim, while the other claimed to have voiced his concern over how risky it is during rainy season even though he was eager to swim. However, according to them, the victim reportedly insisted on swimming and claimed to be a good swimmer.

Tragedy struck when the victim reportedly dived into the deepest part of the River and began to struggle, eventually drowning. All efforts to allegedly rescue their friend proved abortive. One of them, in his statement, claimed to have swam towards the victim but was dragged under the water by the boy, who was struggling for his life.

Desperate for help, the other surviving student claimed to have ran to seek help from nearby individuals, but they claimed to be unable to swim. Realising that they were unable to rescue their friend, both students reported the incident to men of the Ekosodin Vigilante, who subsequently involved the police.

Meanwhile, the tragic incident has thrown the entire University of Benin community into mourning. Though, Management of the University is yet to formally comment on the development.

However, as at the time of filing this report, the search for the victim’s body is underway, but as of now, has not yet been found.

University of Benin (UNIBEN) Geology Department has raised the alarm that the department is at the verge of losing its accreditation, while appealing for the public to come to its rescue.

The alarm was raised in a letter signed by the Head of the Department, Professor O. E. Imasuen, and addressed to all alumni of the Department, sighted by METROWATCH.

A copy of the letter obtained by METROWATCH on Friday dated 27th June, 2023 was titled: ‘Appeal for Fund to Save the Department of Geology, University of Benin’.

Imasuen said the Department have been given a last chance to face the accreditation between 6 – 11 August by the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (CONMEG).

According to him, in order to prepare for the accreditation, the Department has to raise a minimum of two million, five hundred thousand Naira (N2,500,000.00).

He explained that the N2.5 million Naira would be used to cover accreditation fee, transportation, accommodation, feeding and other logistics for the CONEG accreditation team.

Imasuen said the biggest challenge now is that UNIBEN has stopped funding of accreditation by any professional body as it is now entirely up to the department to source for fund for accreditation of their programme.

The Head of Department, therefore, appealed to all alumni of the Department of Geology, UNIBEN to come urgently to the aid of the department for this accreditation and other teething needs of the department.

CONMEG is the professional regulatory body for Mining Engineering and Geosciences degree programs in Nigeria.

Two students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) have been arrested by operatives of the Edo state police command following the alleged drowning of their colleague (name withheld), in Ekosodin River, located in an off-campus community near the school.

METROWATCH gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon after the trio embarked on a leisurely swimming trip to the Ekosodin River that fateful day. The deceased reportedly drowned after he got swept into the river by a strong current.

It was further learnt that the deceased was as a final-year male student of Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences; while the friends are 200-level and 500-level students of Biochemistry and Optometry, both males in the Faculty of Life Sciences.

In the wake of the incident, the BDPA, Ugbowo police division on Friday confirmed to METROWATCH that the two surviving students have been arrested in connection to the death of their colleague, and currently being held in custody for questioning and further investigation.

A police source said, one of the surviving students, in his statement, admitted his inability to swim, while the other claimed to have voiced his concern over how risky it is during rainy season even though he was eager to swim. However, according to them, the victim reportedly insisted on swimming and claimed to be a good swimmer.

Tragedy struck when the victim reportedly dived into the deepest part of the River and began to struggle, eventually drowning. All efforts to allegedly rescue their friend proved abortive. One of them, in his statement, claimed to have swam towards the victim but was dragged under the water by the boy, who was struggling for his life.

Desperate for help, the other surviving student claimed to have ran to seek help from nearby individuals, but they claimed to be unable to swim. Realising that they were unable to rescue their friend, both students reported the incident to men of the Ekosodin Vigilante, who subsequently involved the police.

Meanwhile, the tragic incident has thrown the entire University of Benin community into mourning. Though, Management of the University is yet to formally comment on the development.

However, as at the time of filing this report, the search for the victim’s body is underway, but as of now, has not yet been found.

The Edo State Government has expressed sadness over the ghastly accident that occurred on Thursday around the Ovia river bridge, along Benin-Lagos expressway which involved a Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus and a truck, where no fewer than 11 persons lost their lives.

Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu who spoke on behalf of the state government, Friday, explained that the state government was ready to repair deplorable federal roads across the state to prevent accidents and waste of time on the roads.

Shaibu, who made the disclosure in a phone-in pidgin English programme on ITV/Radio Benin, on Friday, however, explained reasons why the state government refused to fix federal roads in the state.

He said the state government had embarked on Federal roads repairs in the past, but were not reimbursed, hence it stopped despite its importance to the socio-economic well-being of residents of the state.

“We don fix the road before, but federal government no pay us back the money; because dem say dem no approve am, so we com say we no go do again. Dem say dem no dey pay again”, Shaibu was quoted as saying.

He, however, said the state government was already in talks with the Federal Government to bring an end to incessant road accidents especially around the Ovia river bridge, along Benin-Lagos expressway.

University of Benin (UNIBEN) Geology Department has raised the alarm that the department is at the verge of losing its accreditation, while appealing for the public to come to its rescue.

The alarm was raised in a letter signed by the Head of the Department, Professor O. E. Imasuen, and addressed to all alumni of the Department, sighted by METROWATCH.

A copy of the letter obtained by METROWATCH on Friday dated 27th June, 2023 was titled: ‘Appeal for Fund to Save the Department of Geology, University of Benin’.

Imasuen said the Department have been given a last chance to face the accreditation between 6 – 11 August by the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (CONMEG).

According to him, in order to prepare for the accreditation, the Department has to raise a minimum of two million, five hundred thousand Naira (N2,500,000.00).

He explained that the N2.5 million Naira would be used to cover accreditation fee, transportation, accommodation, feeding and other logistics for the CONEG accreditation team.

Imasuen said the biggest challenge now is that UNIBEN has stopped funding of accreditation by any professional body as it is now entirely up to the department to source for fund for accreditation of their programme.

The Head of Department, therefore, appealed to all alumni of the Department of Geology, UNIBEN to come urgently to the aid of the department for this accreditation and other teething needs of the department.

CONMEG is the professional regulatory body for Mining Engineering and Geosciences degree programs in Nigeria.

...seek deployment to Edo for NYSC one-year national service

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed that the Edo State Government will place Aminat Yusuf who graduated as the best law student from Lagos State University (LASU) with 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) on salary and sponsor her Law School programme.

The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service (HOS) Anthony Okungbowa Esq., said other benefits have been approved for the outstanding student.

According to him, “This is an update on our daughter, Aminat Yusuf after the Government of Edo State honoured her in respect of her academic performance in LASU for graduating with a perfect CGPA of 5.00.

“Following this achievement, the government offered her automatic employment and the governor has now approved other things for her beyond the employment.

“The governor has directed that Aminat Yusuf will be sponsored on scholarship for one year in the Nigerian Law School and that the government will be responsible for the provision of all her needs till she completes the programme.”

He added: “The governor also approved that for every month that she will be in law school, she will receive an up-keep allowance equivalent to the salary of a State Counsel, which is almost N200,000 naira.

“This is in recognition of the feat she achieved in LASU. We are proud of her achievement and hope she would join us after her law school programme as we will write to NYSC to ensure that she embarks on her one-year compulsory youth service in the State.”

https://metrowatchxtra.com/2023/06/28/aminat-obaseki-to-place-edo-born-lasu-first-class-graduate-on-salary-sponsor-law-school-metrowatch/

Lala Seun Mynd4

Management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has approved a downward review of the school fees payable by undergraduate students following the public outcry that greeted the recent hike.

Recall that UNIBEN, last week, increased her school fees with over 100 per cent with Science and Non-science new intakes expected to pay N190,000 and N170,00 respectively, instead of the former N73,400 and N69,900.

The development led to public outcry with students of the institution kicking against the austronimcal increment, while calling for immediate reversal of the school fee hike and threatening to occupy the streets.

However, on Monday, the UNIBEN management tactically reversed its decision on school fees increment by approving a downward review of the hiked charges for new intakes.

Checks by METROWATCH revealed that management has approved a reduction of N115,000 and N105,000 for first-year Science and Non-Science students respectively; and N95,000 and N85,000 for subsequent years.

The University of Benin (UNIBEN) Students’ Union Government (SUG) Vice President, Miss Idemudia Osasogie Divine, has left the University community in shock following her sudden resignation from office on Monday.

In her resignation letter obtained by METROWATCH, Divine said she and her team have failed the students who elected them into office, asking that the students should remain resolute, courageous and determined in their future bid.

Though she did not specifically state the resign behind her decision to quit office as the number two student of UNIBEN, her resignation, however, came amid the saga from the recent increment of school fees by the UNIBEN management.

Recall that the University of Benin recently increased her school fees with over 100 per cent for fresh students as Science an Non-science new intakes are expected to pay N190,000 and N170,00 respectively.

However, moments after her resignation letter hit the social space, the University management announced downward review of the school fees to N115,000 and N105,000 for Science and Non-Science students respectively; and N95,000 and N85,000 subsequently.

Earlier, there were concerns and agitations from students with many questioning the SUG perceived silence on the school fee saga. Although, the union had initially claimed ignorant of the development. They would later announce negotiations with the Management.

In the erstwhile Vice President’s resignation letter, Miss Divine admonished the students to be resolute in electing future student leaders who will not betray their interests but represent them well in their various capacities.

She exonerated the University management from the school fee hike saga, saying elected student leaders are to be blamed, even as she insisted that the Union she was hitherto the Vice President have failed the students who elected them into office.

Meanwhile, the decision of Divine to quit office as Vice President has been met with mixed feelings from students. While some commended her for taking the bold step as Nigerians hardly resign, others are demanding to know what really transpired.