News

Economic Hardship: Obaseki At Oxford University, Explains How He Grew Edo GDP To $26bn

Published

1 year ago

May 26, 2024

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has narrated how he grew the state Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to over $26bn in the last seven years.

The governor made this known during his keynote address at the Oxford University Conference 2024, themed, “Charting Africa’s Path Forward: A Journey of Possibilities.”

The conference was organised by the Oxford University Africa Society, at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Speaking on the economic hardships bedeviling Nigeria, Obaseki noted that it was necessary for the government of Nigeria to step back and advance critical policies that would enable people to create wealth.

Speaking on the sub-theme, “Unlocking Africa’s Potential: The power of public-private partnership,” the governor said he undertook radical changes that have transformed the state’s economy.

According to Obaseki, any government that intends to grow the economy needs to step back and advance policies that would allow the people the opportunity to create wealth.

He said , “How did we grow our economy? We focused on institutions. We focused on governance because that would help us organize ourselves. We reformed our civil service. We cleaned up our processes and digitized the way the government does business. Today, right on my desktop, I have most data on the government available at the click of a button.

“More importantly, we have worked on the human capital – the civil service. We have given them a sense of pride and made them respected. We have ensured that they are well remunerated. A few weeks ago, I announced the highest minimum wage in the country, even that is inadequate.”

He added: “We have focused on the bureaucracy. This is not for the benefit of the bureaucracy itself, but to ensure that it helps people realise their potential. Government is supposed to work for us as citizens. To do that, we need to have clarity. Government’s role is not to build the economy. Its role is to help citizens achieve their goals.”

Obaseki noted that his administration placed emphasis on creating the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state

He, noted: “We deployed seamless means of collecting fair taxes from the citizenry. We also undertook the task of repositioning the government to carry out its principal function, which is regulation.

“Government needs to understand that it needs to step back and create opportunities for people to create wealth and make money.”

The governor, while noting that there was a lot of emphasis on human capital development, he said: “It is people that make things happen; the government’s responsibility is to focus on the people and key to this is education.

“When we came into government in Edo State, we understood that it was not all about schooling. Education is not just about schooling, but learning. So we focused deliberately on foundational literacy and numeracy. If I have $100 to spend on education, I will spend $40 on basic education. We have focused on basic education in the last seven years and you can see the transformation in the kids. The children in Edo today learn 70 to 80 percent as much as their peers in Britain or America.

“Usually, everyone got an education for the certificates or to be employed. But we felt that was not right. Our people need to get educated to make them useful to themselves and the society. They need to be able to employ and sustain themselves.”

The governor also said his administration focused on remediation of the vocational education system, which had been broken and that as at January 2017, the rot had led to an exodus of over 30,000 youths who were waiting in Libya to cross over to Europe, according to data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

“It was a humanitarian crisis. Young people wanted to stay anywhere else but home. They had to travel. As a result, we were top of the list in human trafficking and irregular migration. That was a signal. We had to support them and get the data on why they were leaving. The data showed that the education system had been broken and had to be fixed, which is what we have done,” he added.

The governor also said that he had to focus on providing key infrastructure to drive growth, focusing on roads and bridges, energy and digital infrastructure, which were critical to expanding the state’s economy.

According to him, “We are right at the centre of the country. We are the cheapest location to generate electricity because we have both the transmission and gas grids running through the State. Today, we supply close to 13 percent of the total electricity in Nigeria. Most importantly, we have onshore gas and have attracted investment in electricity generation.

“We have Independent Power Plants (IPPs) running in the State. Also, in the last three years, we have built almost 2000km of fibre optic cable infrastructure running through the State. We are currently building an additional 300km of fibre optic cable infrastructure to connect schools and primary healthcare centres.”

News

Cherryland, Unifield, Divine Pattern Schools Shine At ITV 2025 Quiz, Debate And Essay Competition

Published

5 hours ago

July 5, 2025

Editor

Winners in the various categories.

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo, Benin

Cherryland Royal School, Divine Pattern Schools, and Unifield International School, on Friday, 4th July, 2025 won the Independent Radio and Television 2025 Interschool Quiz, Debate and Essay Competition in their respective categories.

The Essay Competition, with the topic: ‘There has Been a Growing Incidence of Gambling Amongst Youth in Your Country. Write an Article Suitable for Publication in a National Newspaper Stating Three Probable Causes, and Suggesting how this Problem can be Cured,’ was won by Oghogho Triumph of Divine Pattern Schools, while Eczema Praise of Cherryland Royal School emerged winner in the debate category with the topic: ‘The Youths of Today Are More Interested in the Pursuit of Pleasure than in Academic Work.’

The quiz, which was competed by primary pupils from various schools was won by Victory Ighotomare of
Unifield International High School.

Winners in the various categories in group photograph with the management of ITV/Radio

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Chairman of the occasion and Deputy Chief of Staff to Edo State Government (office of the deputy governor), Hon. Pius Alile, while recalling his primary school days, pledged scholarship to university level for winners in the various categories.

Alile urged the students and pupils to desist from social vices and face their studies, stressing that it’s through education that they can actualise their dreams in life.

In his short remarks, Managing Director, ITV/Radio, Engr. Elvis Obaseki, urged the students and pupils present at the event to face their studies, and above all be disciplined and well behaved.

He stressed that no matter how a student may be brilliant in life, such a student needs discipline to navigate through the journey of life, adding “no matter how intelligent you are, you must be well behaved and disciplined. This will take you far in life.”

The MD, who told the students and pupils that they cannot all be winners at the same time, said being present at the event, they are expected to take one or two lessons back home from the event.

Engr. Obaseki, who said “it’s not too good that none of our public schools are here,” promised, “next year, we will make everything humanly possible to bring our public schools so that the competition will be more interesting and fierce.”

Also speaking, Chairman, organising committee of the event, Dr. Sunny Duke, while expressing joy at the large turnout of schools in this year’s competition, thanked the management and staff of ITV/Radio for their support, and in particular the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion for creating the platform (ITV/Radio) through which young ones can actualise their dreams.

He also thanked the chairman of the occasion, Hon. Alile for offering the winners in the various categories scholarship, stressing that it has been his prayer and wish.

“Where I am today is because of the scholarship I won in JSS 2 back then. And today, that ambition and dream has been fulfilled with the scholarship for the winners of the quiz, debate and essay competition by Hon. Pius Alile, I’m overwhelmed,” Duke said.

The event was spiced up with dance competition amongst students and pupils, and on the other hand amongst teachers, and other side attractions.

News

Ex-gov Ohakim, IGP, Others Win Fundamental Rights Suit

Published

8 hours ago

July 4, 2025

Editor

In a judgment certified on 26th June 2025 and obtained by this reporter,

Hon. Justice Binta Mohammed of the High Court of the Federal Capital has dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by one Lady Chinyere Lilian Amuchinwa on 4th May 2022 against six parties, including a former Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Alaikum; and the Inspector-General of Police.

The judgment was certified on 26th June 2025 and obtained by newsmen

The suit stemmed from Lady Amechinwa’s claims that Dr Ikedi Ohakim and another party instigated the police to detain her at the Force Headquarters in Abuja in July 2021 over what was not stated in the suit.

Her claim is not unconnected with some unsubstantiated allegations she had earlier levelled against Ohakim , and for which the former Governor was exonerated.

The defendants, had in their replies, said the suit was devoid of cause of action and an abuse of the process of the court, “the suit having been filed after other similar suits were being pursued elsewhere by Lady Amuchinwa against Dr Ohakim.”

They cited the other suits as a fundamental rights suit in Imo High Court Owerri; an appeal at Owerri Division of court of appeal court; and charges filed at Federal High Court, Abuja, all of which the court noted were either dismissed or struck out against Lady Amuchinwa.

Delivering judgment on the suit Justice Mohammed held that: “From the unchallenged and uncontroverted evidence in this suit, it is established that the Applicant/Respondent, has commenced a multiplicity of action involving the same set of fact and the same persons therefore constituting an abuse of the judicial process. Therefore this issue is resolved in favour of the 1st 3rd and 4th Applicant/respondent as well as the 5th Respondents/Applicants.”

“In conclusion the preliminary objection of the 1st 3rd 4th and 5th Respondents/Applicant succeeded accordingly, the suit filed by the Applicant/Respondent for Enforcement of Fundamental Right on 4/5/22 is hereby dismissed.

“The Applicant has failed to establish a cause of action against the 6th Respondent as nothing remotely connects him to the suit of the Applicant, his name is accordingly struck out from the suit.

“There will be no need to consider and determine the Applicant suit the preliminary objections to the suit having succeeded and the suit dismissed”, the Court ordered.

News

Constitution Amendment: South-East Demands Rotational Presidency, Legislative Seats For Women

Published

8 hours ago

July 4, 2025

Editor

The people of the South-East have demanded a constitution that allows for the rotation of the presidency and grants full autonomy to Local Governments in the country.

They requested the South-East Zonal Public Hearing on Review of the 1999 Constitution, organised by the Senate on Friday in Enugu.

Speaking during the exercise, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State noted that the concept of a rotational presidency was paramount to the Southeast.

The governor said the state believed that adopting a rotational presidency among the six geopolitical zones, this would provide every region, including the Southeast, a fair chance at the nation’s highest office.

\Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, added that the idea would foster a greater sense of belonging and national unity.

Similarly, the governorship should rotate among senatorial zones, and legislative seats should be allocated among constituencies, ensuring broader representation and participation at all levels of governance.

“To further enhance inclusivity, particularly for women, we propose legislative seats. We advocate for one additional Senate seat per state for women and two additional House of Representatives seats per state.

“As a state, we advocate for three additional assembly seats per state for women.

“This measure will significantly boost gender parity and ensure active participation of women in governance and in decision-making processes,” Mbah said.

The governor also called for the institutionalisation of Local Government Councils as a truly autonomous form of government team.

According to him, the current practice where state governors meant for local governments and appoint caretaker committees instead of elected representatives and hinder grassroots development.

“We urge the committee to reinforce section1999 constitution to ensure the democratic existence of local governments, allowing them to directly access their funds from the national consolidated account,” Mbah said.

The governor equally called for legislative powers, enhancements, and fiscal reforms that would devolve more powers and resources to the states.

He stressed that the current concentration of power at the centre, a legacy of the military rule, had stifled the growth and development of sub-national entities.

“A true federal system requires that states are autonomous entities with sufficient powers and resources to positively impact the lives of their citizens,” he concluded.

On his part, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State called for the creation of an additional state in the Southeast to bring them on par with other geopolitical zones of the country.

Nwifuru, represented by the Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mr Moses Odunwa, also called a for women’s inclusiveness and reserved political seats for women.

“If a particular seat has been designated for women, all the parties will feature women candidates to fill in the space,” he said.

The public hearing was attended by government officials, traditional rulers, NGOs, and civil society organisations.
(VANGUARD)