…orders arrest, investigation of Dr. Iyawe over alleged unethical practice, vandalism The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has pledged N25 million as intervention fund for the Edo State Sickle Cell Center, as part of efforts to reposition the facility for better service delivery. The governor also ordered the arrest of one Dr. Peter Iyawe, who the hospital management has accused of unethical practices by indulging some patients at the center in the abuse of drugs and thereby creating an army of addicts from the pool of patients he was supposed to care for. Iyawe is also accused of vandalism of hospital assets, insubordination to superior authority, among others. Worried by the harm that may have been done to the patients by the alleged unethical practices of the doctor, Obaseki directed that a petition be sent to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), to investigate the allegations against Dr. Iyawe and, if there is any basis for prosecution, he shoul...

As I tried to recall any leader in history who has shown so much concern for our institutions in Edo, my mind easily brought back some lines from Henry Barlow's poem, a satirical irony, "Building The Nation".  And I quote.....  "Today I did my share in building the nation. I drove the Permanent Secretary to an Important urgent function...." ...Off quote. My interest is to use these abstracted lines as a metaphor to underscore commitment to duty. Governor Godwin Obaseki's show of deep concern for the revival, re-engineering and repositioning of institutions that will outlive political innuendos is an act of nation building and has taken the front burner, perhaps for the umpteenth time. Follow my prop, and you will recall that on assumption of office on Monday, 14th November, 2016, at about 8am, Mr Obaseki was conducted round his office and introduced to his staff by the number one Permanent Secretary and Head of Service, Mrs Idahor Gladys. Next was a t...

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has praised civil servants in the state for their contributions to the development of the society as they work in the background to translate the policy of the state government into action. Obaseki said this when he hosted two retiring permanent secretaries, Rev. Samuel Uhuangho and Thomas Idahosa, to a dinner at the Government House, Benin City, the Edo State capital. Represented by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie Esq., he praised the leadership quality of the retiring permanent secretaries, who immensely contribute to the development of the state. “On behalf of the State Government and the good people of the state, I thank the retiring permanent secretaries for their dedication to duty, commitment, zeal and contributions in promoting the development of the state,” he said. Obaseki added that his administration will continue to appreciate civil servants in the state, who are working tirelessly in the ba...

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih in this interview with TAIWO AMODU in Abuja, speaks on the newly elected National Executive Committee’s members of the PDP and involvement of governors in the party.Excerpts: THE PDP  convention has been won and lost. Certain aspirants and chieftains of the party have been squealing against its outcome. What is the way forward? Well, let me start by congratulating all those who participated one way or the other in the election—those who offered themselves as aspirants for the various elective positions.  I also want to commend the National Convention Committee headed by  Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, for a very good job. From what I witnessed it was one of the best organised conventions that has ever taken place by any political party in this country.  The whole thing was done in an orderly manner; people filed out to vote and we also stayed back to watch the process o...

....the lawmakers also.received a letter from Governor Godwin Obaseki, requesting the House to confirm nominees for the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC). Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto, has complied with the order of the Supreme Court by swearing in Mr. Godwin Adenomo as the new lawmaker representing Ovia South West. The Supreme Court last week sacked Mr. Sunday Aghedo and ordered him to refund all allowances and salaries he earned as a lawmaker, and declared Adenomo winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries. Speaker Adjoto informed the lawmakers that Adenomo has forwarded copies of declaration of assets and liabilities to the Speaker’s office. “It is constitutional for every public office holder to declare their assets before taking oath of allegiance. “The house is in receipt of the Supreme Court judgment to the effect that Mr Godwin Adenomo be sworn in as the lawmaker representing Ovia South West,...

By Isaac Eranga, Uromi Husband to Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson, Prince Odianosen Okojie, on Monday led hundreds of his supporters in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the All Progressive Congress (APC), at Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. Other leaders alongside Okojie, included the PDP leader in Ward 2, Mr. John Ehiaguina Iyoha, Chief Ase of Uromi Kingdom and Mercy Johnson’s father in-law, Chief Okojie. The defectors were received by the APC leader in Esan North East, Prince Joe Okojie and APC chairman in Uromi, Mr. Vasco Agui. Speaking after his defection, Prince Odianosen, said he left the PDP because it is now a sinking ship. Odianosen said he decided to unite with his relatives in the APC to ensure victory for the party in future elections in the locality, adding that those who made Esanland a stronghold of the PDP are now in the APC. “I was a member of the PDP. I joined politics to deliver and develop people in the locality. The...

...orders CP to stop all activities at the mine The Edo State Government has ordered the immediate shutdown of the disputed Obu Mine site in Okpella community, Edo State, following a directive from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and to avoid the breakdown of law and order in the community. The State government directed security operatives in the state to ensure there are no operations in the mine site until the outcome of the suit, or pending further instructions from the supervisory ministry, which is the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel. Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki gave the order on Monday, when leaders of Okpella community paid a courtesy call at the Government House, in Benin City, to express their concern about the deteriorating security situation in the community. “I am very concerned, particularly because of the security implication of this impasse on Okpella community. The issues are clear; two entities cannot own the same asset, pa...