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Alleged Cable Theft: Edo Community Thrown Into Darkness; Monarch Fingers BEDC Officials

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The Traditional Ruler and residents of Ugbegun community in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State have cried over an alleged vandalization of Benin Electricity Distribution Company , BEDC, a development that has thrown the community into total darkness for over six weeks.

The community also fingered a staff of BEDC caught vandalizing armored cables.

They explain that the suspect was handed over to the police for prosecution but was later said released in a suspicious manner which further worsened the situation.

They claimed the action of the community leaders and vigilantes in apprehending the said BEDC staff and handing him over to the police was behind the reasons why the BEDC officials had remained adamant in restoring electricity to the “peaceful agrarian community. ”

READ ALSO: Edo Community Expresses Concern Over Rise In Insecurity, Herdsmen Attack

According to the community, the plan to cover up the crime perpetrated by the said officials has crippled business activities in the community, calling on the BEDC management and other relevant authority to come to their aid.

Speaking on the development, the traditional ruler of Ugebgun, His Royal Highness, Samuel Obade (JP) and the Itohan of the community, Chief Mathew Emiohe lamented over the suffering of the community due to non-availability of electricity occasioned by the cable theft.

Obade said, “We have been mandated to defend our facilities in our domain and that we have always done. Sometimes in August we increased our vigilance arising from what we heard from neighboring clans and we caught someone in Ikiogbe substation but he ran away. We caught the second person vandalizing armored cable at the sub-station and was handed over to the police.

RRAD ALSO: Hope Rises For Edo Residents As Oshodin Drags Akobe To Stage

“This last one that happened was the Engineer in charge of Igueben sub-station called Charles. The vigilante saw him red-handed. A day before they saw him take a ladder from someone’s house, climb the high tension and loosen the cable with the pretense that he was clearing grass around the transformer.

“We have a force station in Ugbegun with over five staff and if he has no ulterior motive he should have ask the staff to come and clear grass around the sub-station. The vigilante saw Engineer Charles on motor bike with another person behind him holding the armored cable. We called in the police but they were neither here nor there.”

Corroborating the position of the traditional ruler, Emiohe called for the immediate restoration of power, saying residents have been thrown into total darkness since the theft.

Contacted, the Public Relation Officer, BEDC, Evelyn Gbewen, denied knowledge of the incidence, saying they are yet be briefed on the matter.

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NECO Awards Scholarships To Best Performing Candidates In 2022, 2023 Exams

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The National Examinations Council, NECO, has awarded scholarships to a total of 14 best performing candidates in the 2022 and 2023 examinations at all levels across the country.

The Registrar/ CEO of NECO, Prof Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi made the disclosure during the Council’s Productivity Award ceremony held in Minna, Niger State.

According to him, the best performing male and female candidates in SSCE 2022 are Asiru Ahmed Opeyemi from Crescent International High School, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, and Obidibo Chioma Blessing.

READ ALSO: NECO Indicts 93 Schools For Cheating, Blacklists 52 Supervisors

Okafor Chima Christian from Saint Paul Academy, Jos, and Benson Ifebube Chelsea, from Renaissance Garden Secondary School, Ago-Okota, Lagos, are the best performing students for the 2023.

In the Basic Education Certificate Examination category, for 2022, Akintola Samuel Oluwadaresimi of Apostolic Church College, Sango, Ibadan, and Onochie Chiamada Francis of Igbenedion Educational Centre, Benin, topped the chart as the best performing students while Ekwueme Ikechukwu Excellent from Kimota Science College, Gboko, and Owuye Faheeza Oluwakemi of Maryland Comprehensive School (Junior), Lagos, emerged the best in 2023.

Similarly, the best performing candidates for the National Common Entrance Examination are Bokare Lemuel Ogheneyobre of Kingskidies Nursery and Primary School, Warri, and Chika Ugu Anastasia from Nana Primary School, Warri.

READ ALSO: Over 74,000 Candidates Register For 2023 NECO SSCE External Examination – Registrar GCE

Winners in the gifted children category include Njoku Obinna Adrian of Rosai Kid Montessori School, New Owerri, and Anikwu Princess Kamsiyochukwu from Springfield Academy, Awka.

Also, some staff of the Council, who distinguished themselves in their various areas of duty, were also honoured and given awards by the organization.

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144, 910 Cases Pending Before Federal High Court In New Legal Year

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The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Tsoho has revealed that a total of 144, 910 cases are pending before the court in new legal year.

The Court in the last legal year had 15, 025 cases filed before it by litigants out of which 12, 870 were effectively disposed off leaving a balance of 2, 155 suits.

At the opening of the legal year of the Court in Abuja on Monday, the Chief Judge explained that the court carried over 142, 755 cases from 2021 to the 2022 legal year, adding that in the 2023 legal year, 15, 025 fresh cases were filed by various categories of litigants.

READ ALSO: Police Recover Locally Fabricated Firearms In Enugu State, Arrest 4 Suspects

He noted that the Court would be going into the new legal year with the 144, 910 suits but expressed optimism that judges would rise up to the challenge of disposing the cases as quickly as possible.

The breakdown of the carried over cases showed that 42, 784 are civil cases, 36, 061 criminal matters, 41, 447 are motions while 24, 618 are fundamental rights enforcement suits.

Justice Tsoho who put the current number of judges on the bench of the Court at 95, thanked them for the speedy manner pre-election cases of the 2023 general elections were handled within the time allowed by law.

READ ALSO: Bandits Attack FCT Residents, Abduct Woman, Three Children

We must dispense justice with integrity and without bias, we must display utmost competence and courage as well as dispose cases speedily.

“The Federal High Court will surely rise to the challenges of the future with the same tenacity and commitment that have defined its path thus far,” he said.

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P&G Exit: More Firms To Shut Down Operation – MAN Warns

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The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria says more firms would shut down operations if the federal government failed to address the challenges such organisations face in the country.

Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, disclosed this on Monday while reacting to the planned exit of Procter & Gamble (P&G) from Nigeria in an interview on Channels Television.

He attributed it to the numerous challenges manufacturers face in the country’s difficult operating environment.

READ ALSO: Auto Crash Kills One, Injures Other In Ogun

“We received the news with sadness but it was not unexpected.

“Manufacturing in any economy is a strategic choice and the government must decide if it wants the country to be industrialised. If so, it must take all necessary steps to remove the binding constraints that hinder the sector’s performance. Nigeria has not done so, so we see closures.”

Ajayi-Kadir stressed that the exit of P&G is just the latest in a string of manufacturers leaving the country. He noted the need for the government to take immediate action to address issues like poor infrastructure, inconsistent policies, and limited access to finance.

“Gamble, it’s news because it’s GlaxoSmithKline; it’s news because they have been in the country for a very long time,” he said. “But several others have quietly closed down, and the reasons are avoidable.”

While expressing regret over the departure of the large companies, Ajayi-Kadir said it was an opportunity to focus on promoting local manufacturers. He believes empowering existing manufacturers will result in a more sustainable and enduring industrial sector.

READ ALSO: Groom, 25 Others Arrested As NDLEA Burst Drug-fueled Wedding Reception

I think there is a strong lesson to be learned here,” he said. “The big ones leaving are the multinationals, which should send a clear signal to the government. We need to be strategic in what we promote. He is unlikely to go anywhere if you have a challenged local manufacturer. That is why we say foreign direct investment is excellent, but it should come secondary to empowering the local investor, the existing manufacturers because that is what is enduring.”

The MAN DG reiterated his concern about the future of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

He urged for clear and decisive action from the government to prevent further exits and ensure the sector’s long-term success.

DAILY POST reports that nearly 5,000 jobs are threatened as P&G plans its exit from Nigeria.

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