₦airaland Forum

...

..

.

- More Photos -

…As varsity lauds developmental strides in Osun

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.


- Photo 1 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (2nd right); Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); Visitor to Samuel Adegboyega University, Pastor (Dr.) Emmanuel Awojide (2nd left); Chancellor, Samuel Adegboyega University, Pastor (Dr.) Gabriel Olutola (left); and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Samuel Adegboyega University, Overseer (Dr.) Olusola Okebukola (right); during the Special Convocation for the Conferment of Honorary Doctor Degree in Public Administration, on Governor Aregbesola, at the University campus, in Ogwa, Edo State.

.

--

-

Obaseki Forecasts Sustained Capital Market Resilience, Lauds Adekoje At Investiture

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has described Nigeria’s capital market as one of the most formidable institutions for finance mobilisation, providing opportunity to raise long-term capital from sectors of the economy with surplus for new projects that will help expand and drive industrialisation.

Governor Obaseki said this in a lecture themed the importance of capital market in the economic development of Nigeria, delivered at the Investiture Ceremony of Mr. Adedapo David Adekoje, as the 10th President and Chairman of Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, in Lagos.

He described Mr. Adekoje as a consummate stockbroker, who has contributed immensely to the maturity of the capital market, the institute and to the development of Nigeria.

He continued, “With over two decades’ experience of building and leading integrated and marketing operations for high profile companies such as Halifax Building Society (now Halifax Bank) London; Trade Bank, Nigeria, where he was seconded to their stock-broking firm - Professional Stockbrokers Ltd; his personal and official contributions to the Chartered Institute of Stockbrockers leave us in no doubt that he has very well planted enviable footprints in line with the most desirable, beneficial and acceptable outcomes currently required in taking the Institute and indeed our nation to a globally respectable and prosperous clime.”

On the impact of the capital market on Nigeria's economy, Governor Obaseki said, “Mobilising resources for national development has for long been the central focus of development economists. As an Institution, which specializes in mobilising finance from the surplus sectors to the deficit sector, the capital market is one of the most acknowledged, resilient and result-oriented means of raising long-term capital for financing new projects, expanding and modernising industrial prospects.”

He argued that even with the buoyant opportunities inherent in the capital market, reaping the full benefits is still largely hinged on the efficient performance of the stock exchange, public understanding of the very specialised and organised nature of the capital market and availability of domestic savings and inflows of foreign capital.

He said, “Critical to the growth of any economy is savings and investments which must be given due attention. For sustainable growth and development, fund must be effectively mobilised and allocated to enable businesses and governments harness their optimal output. When capital resources are not available or provided to needed areas where demand is growing and capable of increasing production and productivity, the rate of expansion of the economy often suffers from equally dire consequences on the employment rate.

Explaining that the capital market provides long-term non-debt financial capital to drive business growth, he said, “With this provision, the capital market enables companies to avoid the burden of debt financing, which leads to higher production cost, inability to produce highly competitive goods or to finance the cost of deriving better innovative ways of production.”

Noting that the capital market was a huge resource during the recapitalisation of Nigerian banks, he said, “There is no doubt that the Capital Market of Nigeria is very resilient. During the banking consolidation which required banks to increase share capital from N2 billion to N25 billion and another round of consolidation which made some of them increase shareholders' funds to over N100 billion, Capital Market contributed immensely to market capitalisation.

“By March 2008, market capitalisation was in excess N12 trillion while the NSE all share index exceeded 62,000 points. One of the lessons from the banking consolidation is the absorptive capacity of our capital market which stood the test in meeting issuers’ aspirations of raising huge funds from the market. The market also provided a platform for the subsequent acquisition/merger that ensued. What all these symbolise is the efficiency of the Nigerian capital market.”

- Photo 1 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (2nd from left); President and Chairman of Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr. Adedapo David Adekoje (left); Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema (3rd from left); Group Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa, Ike Chioke (right), at the investiture of Mr. Adekoje as the President of Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, in Lagos.

..

.

- Other Photos -

- Photo 2 -
R-L: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Manager, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, Michael Forson; WASH Specialist, Mohsena Islam; and WASH Supervisor, Orebiyi Olabisi; during the courtesy visit by the UNICEF-WASH team, to the governor, at Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

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.


- Photo 1 -
R-L: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Manager, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, Michael Forson; WASH Specialist, Mohsena Islam; and WASH Supervisor, Orebiyi Olabisi; during the courtesy visit by the UNICEF-WASH team, to the governor, at Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

..

.

- More Photos -

- Photo 2 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (left); and representative of the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engr. Louis Edozien, at the 4th National Council on Power, held in Benin City, on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Obaseki Accuses BEDC Of Frustrating Power Purchase Deal For Edo, Decries Poor Service, Over-Billing

...sues company for criminal negligence

The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday accused the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) of frustrating a power deal with Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company Limited, to supply electricity to government offices in the state capital.

Obaseki who disclosed this at the 4th National Council on Power event, holding in the state, decried the poor supply of electricity to the state, the company’s resolve not to supply pre-paid meters to electricity consumers and its culture of over-billing its clients.

According to the governor, BEDC in the last 12 months has been writing petitions against the deal sealed between Edo State Government and Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company Limited, for the purchase of five megawatts of electricity to light up government offices in Benin City, and stressed that the petitions have hindered the success of the purchase agreement.

He explained that no community in the state enjoys more than eight hours of electricity supply daily despite her status as the power hub of the country.

“195 communities have never seen electricity as BEDC is not ready to extend electricity to these communities. 128 communities have issues of collapse of infrastructure which BEDC is not prepared to fix. 219 transformers purchased by the state government and the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as replacements for faulty transformers are yet to be installed by BEDC,” Obaseki said.

He informed that the electricity distribution company has continued to deliver poor services to Edo people and maintained that evidence abound of deliberate attempt on the part of BEDC not to sell or distribute meters to customers.

He added that as a government “we have extended our cooperation to resolve some of these problems, but the company has remained uncooperative.

“The people are over-billed with the estimated billing system of BEDC. We lost a student due to the negligence of BEDC, for refusing to fix a pole that was knocked down after receiving money to fix it. I have instructed the Attorney General of Edo State to file charges of criminal negligence against the senior management of BEDC,” Obaseki said.

Earlier, the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Louis Edozien, expressed his appreciation to the people of Edo State for the hospitality extended to the power conference participants.

He lauded Obaseki’s approach to governance as attested to by Edo people and residents, and explained that the country currently produces 7,000MW of electricity, but regretted that it is only able to distribute 5,000MW, leaving the country with unused 2,000MW, due to transmission challenges.

- Photo 1 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (second right); representative of the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engr. Louis Edozien (right); Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Taiwo Akerele (middle); Commissioner for Energy and Water Resources, Hon. Yekini Idaiye (second left); and Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Osaze Osemwegie-Ero, at the 4th National Council on Power, held in Benin City, on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

..

- Other Photos -

- Photo 2 -
Edo State Governor's reception for the Market Women Association in Edo State during their solidarity march to Governor Godwin Obaseki, at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

Market Women, NURTW Stage Solidarity Marches To Edo Govt House, Laud Obaseki’s Achievements

...hail removal of thugs from markets, parks

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.”

- Photo 1 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right), addressing members of the Edo State Chapter of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, during a solidarity walk by members of the union to the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

---

--

-

- Other Photos -

- Photo 2 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (left),addressing members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, during a solidarity walk to the Government House in Benin City, on Monday, July 23, 2018.

To boost the profit margin of traders in the state, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has reduced by 40 per cent the levy paid in selected markets.

Obaseki announced the cut when he received members of the Market Women Association led by Madam Blackie Ogiamien, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State.

In a related development, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state have thrown their weight behind Governor Godwin Obaseki for delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

According to the governor, traders who would benefit from the cut are those whose businesses are not viable in Agbado, Oliha, Ogiso and Uwa markets in Benin City, the state capital, and declared that traders who were paying N5,000 before the announcement, will now pay N3,000.

He assured market women that his administration has made double ticketing and touting history in the state, noting that he would give priority to Edo citizens on job creation.

He said that in the coming months, the state government would ensure that power, water and sanitation issues receive the desired attention in all the markets within Benin metropolis.

Obaseki said that traders who trade in densely populated areas would have access to health care services.

He urged the traders to support his administration’s effort to eradicate child labour in the state by reporting suspected cases to the appropriate authority.

Earlier, the leader of the traders, Madam Blackie Ogiamien, commended the governor for the steps taken to spread development across the state, adding that Obaseki’s governance style is worth commending.

She lauded the governor’s resolve to address double taxation and touting which place much burden on the traders, noting that the gesture would increase their profit.

The State Chairman of NURTW, Mr Odio 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.

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

The union leader said: “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.”

In his remark, the governor expressed appreciation to members of the union for their support and assured that: “My 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.”



- Photo 1 -
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right), with the Market Women Association leader, Madam Blackie Ogiamien, during a courtesy visit by traders to the governor at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State, on Monday, July 23, 2018.

---

--

-