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Lockdown: BEDC Donates 6,000 Bags Of Rice, Others To Franchise States As Palliative

Published

5 years ago

April 18, 2020

Editor

…Assures Stable Power Supply To COVID-19 Centres, Others

As part of efforts to cushion the effect of the lockdown occasioned by the novel coronavirus, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc, has donated 6,000 5kg bags of rice and 4,000 cartons of Idomie noodles to the governments of Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo states for onward distribution to the vulnerable groups and households in these franchise states.

The breakdown shows 1,500 5kg bags of rice for each state and 1,000 cartons of Idomie noodles for each state respectively.

Making the announcement and the consequent presentation of the palliative to Edo State government on behalf of the Managing Director of the company in Benin, Mr. Abu Ejoor, the Executive Director Commercial, said, as a company that is sensitive to the residents of franchise states, BEDC is set to further donate 50 units of motorised hand washing gears to strategic markets, and some communities under the DISCO.

Ejoor added that, as part of the company’s support, stable power supply up to 24hours would be ensured in various government established COVID-19 centres and related hospitals.

Mr. Osarodion Ogie (left) and Mr. Abu Ejoor, during the presentation at the government house, Benin

” This has already commenced in Irrua Specialist Hospital in Uromi, Edo Central Hospital where we also intend to look at other supports we can give in ensuring that some of their vehicles/ambulances are fully operational. Also, for the centres under preparation in Oba Adejuyigbe Specialist Hospital, Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State and Warri in Delta State, BEDC has already commenced working with the government to ensure adequate electricity”, he added.

The Executive Director emphasised that BEDC has increased significantly, power availability to several customers in its coverage areas, stressing that the process of boosting the present grid power with additional power supply source through embedded generation has commenced.

He announced that the company has, in this trying time, suspended the ratotional load management schedule for several areas to enable customers enjoy more supply in their different locations.

On the recent proposal by the House of Representatives to promote free electricity for two months, Ejoor said though BEDC align with the proposal, it is not yet signed into law hence electricity currently supplied to customers is not free.

He added, ” Though BEDC fully align with the proposal by the House of Representatives to promote free electricity supply to all Nigerians for 2 months to make life easier during the lockdown period over COVID-19 pandemic, this is not yet signed into law, as such the electricity currently supplied to customers is not free.”

The food items to donated by BEDC to Edo State government for onward distribution to the vulnerable groups and households

Receiving the food items on behalf of the Edo State government, Mr Osarodion Ogie, Esq., thanked the management of BEDC for supporting the government in reaching out to the vulnerable in the society in this trying time.

He lamented that, due to the outbreak of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown, many families lifestyles have changed for the worst, as he called on individuals, corporate bodies to toe the path of BEDC.

He noted that, with what the distribution company has done, it shows the management is with the government in the fight against the pandemic.

Bags of rice and Indomie noodles to donated by BEDC

He said, “People have lost jobs; people who are into daily earnings cannot earn anything again. And the vulnerable people are feeling it more than some of us who are on salary. So, we are appealing to corporate bodies and individuals to assist the government.”

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Bumper Harvest: Foundation Distributes 6,000 Fertilizers To Farmers In Bauchi

Published

22 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

A group, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation has donated 6,000 50kg bags of fertilizer to farmers in Bauchi state in order to have a bumper harvest.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the distribution of the fertilizers on Thursday, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation, said the distribution was only for the indigent farmers in the state.

He said the fertilizers would be distributed to farmers in underserved communities across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

“We are gathered here to flag off the free distribution of fertilizers to farmers, especially the indigent farmers that don’t have the means to buy fertilizer for their farms.

“That is the reason why the founder of this foundation bought the fertilizers and distributed them to the low income farmers in the state.

“We have gone round the nooks and crannies of the state to identify the underserved communities and those that deserve this particular gesture.

“We planned to distribute about 6,000 bags of fertilizer and due to the populous nature of the Bauchi LGA, they have the largest share but some other local governments too have hundreds of beneficiaries which we divided into Senatorial zones,” he said.

According to him, today was the flagging off of the Bauchi South Senatorial District, adding that the extension of the gesture would commence in Bauchi North and Bauchi Central Senatorial Districts tomorrow.

Mohammed explained that the only criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries were underserved communities and low income farmers, adding that “we know that a large number of the farmers in Bauchi state are low income farmers.

“Those are the people that we identified, verified and they are our beneficiaries and we have warned the general public about the activities of some unscrupulous elements that go round to impersonate our foundation.

“Wunti Al-Khair Foundation is not charging a kobo for every part of its activities, be it education, healthcare, economic empowerment and community development”.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Samson, described the support as a timely intervention that would greatly enhance his farming activities and appreciated the foundation for the intervention.

Another beneficiary, Salisu Maidawa, who was short of words for the gesture, said the gesture came at a time when he was in dire need of it.

News

IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

Published

23 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for allegedly not “keeping up to the fundamental mandate,” upon which the agency was established.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama, Comrade Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone
Chairman, Secretary, and Information Officer respectively, and made available to newsmen in Warri on Thursday, August 14, 2015.

According to the IYC, the call for Ogbe’s sack becomes necessary following his incompetence and ethnic bias, adding that Ogbe has turned the agency meant for the whole Niger Delta to his Itsekiri ethnic group alone.

The IYC, while noting that efforts to meet the NCDMB Executive Secretary to discuss critical issues as they affect the region and its people have proved abortive, said it can no longer fold it arms and watch while things go from bad to worse.

“As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.

“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.

“Repeatedly, he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.

“As Ijaw, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.

“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.

“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themselves to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.

“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded,” the statement reads.

The IYC also called for the probe Ogbe as Executive Secretary after his sack.

Efforts to reach Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, for reaction proved abortive.

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I’m Being Impersonated – Goodluck Jonathan Disowns Social Media Account

Published

1 day ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday said he is being impersonated by fraudsters.

Jonathan alleged that a fraudulent Instagram handle has been impersonating him.

In a statement by his Media Aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not operate any Instagram handle.

The statement is titled ‘Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account.

“The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement read.