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Jonathan Commissions Edo Civil Service Secretariat Complex, Says Nigeria Needs Politicians Like Obaseki

Published

1 year ago

June 12, 2024

Former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has said Nigeria needs politicians like Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, who has the vision to groom intellectuals, bring about development to the people in his effort to enthrone good governance.

Jonathan spoke on Wednesday in Benin at the commissioning of the Edo State Civil Service Secretariat Complex in Benin City, which was renovated and completed by the Obaseki-led administration.

He said that while other state governments were finding it difficult to pay minimum wage, Obaseki had gone ahead to pay N70,000 minimum wage , which distinguished him from his colleagues as a performing governor.

Jonathan, who expressed satisfaction with the developmental projects embarked upon by the governor, said Obaseki is doing well in the state as his government has positively improved the welfare of the people, particularly the state workforce.

He also expressed dismay at manners some governors in the country were busy encouraging youths into criminal activities with a view to using them to win elections.

Jonathan, while encouraging them to become brains that would be an asset to the country, urged politicians and governors to emulate Obaseki, saying he has redefined the political system in the state by engaging brains to drive the process.

The former president said
before this time, civil servants were taking what could not take them home, but Obaseki has changed that in Edo by paying what is reasonable and that can take them home.

“In fact, if you go to some states, governors are busy encouraging criminals because of politics. The people who will rig elections for them, snatch boxes , carry knives and cutlass to pursue people. But Governor Obaseki is encouraging the Brains of Edo State.

“The brains don’t come from one political party. The brains come from all political parties. Obaseki is not supporting these brains because he wants to win an election, but because he wants to build a state.

“For you to build a state, you have to build the people. I have to sincerely appreciate that vision. Let me join the civil servants in Edo State to thank you for improving their welfare. Of course, before this time, civil servants have been going home with salaries that can not take them home. Now, you are paying them salaries that take them home,” Jonathan said.

On his part, Obaseki said the Civil Service Secretariat Complex was the first place he visited when he assumed office as the governor of the state.

He said that the complex was in a very sorry state, he promised to revamp it and make it conducive for workers to carry out their jobs in the belief that a conducive working environment would always lead to a workforce that can boost productivity.

Also speaking, the state Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, thanked the state governor for revolutionizing and digitalizing the state civil service.

He stated that the governor has provided a conducive environment for the state workers to be effective in their day-to-day assignments.

Okungbowa said that the state is the only one paying its workers the highest minimum wage when other states are making excuses and can’t raise their own to that amount of money.

He added that the state is the only one that offers automatic employment to first-class graduates of Edo origin from any of the universities in the country.

Headline

Trump Birthright Citizenship Order Halted In Class-action Suit

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

A federal judge on Thursday halted President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship, as opponents of the policy pursue a new legal avenue following the US Supreme Court’s overturning of a previous block.

The high court’s conservative majority delivered a landmark decision in late June that limits the ability of individual judges to issue nationwide injunctions against presidents’ policies.

Several such judges had in fact blocked Trump’s attempt to end the longstanding rule, guaranteed in the US Constitution, that anyone born on US soil is automatically an American citizen.

However, the Supreme Court left open the possibility that orders could be blocked via broad class-action suits against the government.

Trump’s opponents quickly filed new class-action suits seeking to block again the executive order.

On Thursday, Judge Joseph Laplante of the US District of New Hampshire granted class-action status to any child who would potentially be denied citizenship under Trump’s order. The judge ordered a preliminary halt to it as legal proceedings carry on.

The judge delayed his ruling for seven days to permit the Trump administration to appeal.

Cody Wofsy, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who argued the case, called the ruling a “huge victory” that “will help protect the citizenship of all children born in the United States, as the Constitution intended.”

Trump’s executive order decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens — a radical reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

His administration has argued that the 14th Amendment, passed in the wake of the Civil War, addresses the rights of former slaves and not the children of undocumented migrants or temporary US visitors.

The Supreme Court rejected such a narrow definition in a landmark 1898 case.

The current high court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, avoided ruling last month on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order and only addressed the issue of nationwide injunctions.

It nonetheless permitted the order to go ahead but delayed its ruling from taking effect until late July to allow for new court challenges.

Several lower courts, in issuing their previous injunctions, had ruled that the executive order violated the Constitution.

Headline

PICTORIAL: Two Undocumented Nigerians Arrested For Drug Trafficking In Libya

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

Libya’s Counter-Terrorism Forces have arrested two undocumented Nigerians over alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

According to a statement shared by Migrant Rescue Watch on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the suspects were caught with quantities of hashish and hallucinogenic pills, including Tramadol and Lyrica.

Authorities also recovered a large sum of cash suspected to be proceeds from drug sales during the operation.

Following their arrest, the two Nigerians have been handed over to the appropriate legal authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The statement said, “Counter-Terrorism Forces arrested 2 undocumented #migrants of Nigerian nationality for drug trafficking. The individuals were found in possession of hashish, hallucinogenic pills “Tramadol” & “Lyrica” as well as cash from proceeds.

“Both individuals were referred to competent authorities for legal action.”

Headline

31 Workers Escape Death As Tunnel Collapses In Los Angeles

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

All 31 workers escaped without injuries from a collapsed industrial tunnel in Los Angeles’ Wilmington area, after scrambling over a tall pile of loose underground soil, city officials said late on Wednesday.

The trapped workers were shuttled back to the tunnel’s entry point, more than 5 miles (8 km) away from the affected area, after they escaped the collapsed section and met several coworkers in the unaffected part of the tunnel, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.

The tunnel, which had a diameter of 18 ft (5.5 m), trapped 27 individuals, while four workers entered the damaged section to assist with rescue, LA Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters in a media briefing.

“The workers had to climb through debris. They had to make themselves out through,” before they were assisted out, Villanueva said.

Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager of Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, told the briefing that a section of the already built part of the tunnel experienced squeezing ground conditions and partially collapsed.

“LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for. I just spoke with many of the workers who were trapped. Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X.

The collapsed section was a part of the Los Angeles County’s Clearwater Project, where the new 7-mile tunnel is being built to upgrade the region’s sewer system, officials added.

(Reuters)