News

Obaseki And Demolished Benin Central Hospital One Year After

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2023

Editor

Rubble on a portion of the site

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

A Yoruba adage says: ‘Orisa bo o le gbemi, se mi bo o se ba mi’. Meaning: If a deity can’t solve one’s problem, it shouldn’t compound it.

I decided to open this piece with the above Yoruba proverb because it sums up the content of this article.

Expectation of any voter who will vote for a new government is that when such a government comes into office, it will improve the welfare of the people, the infrastructure that it (the new government) met on ground, and build on the ones in existence, etc. .

The opposite is what the Edo State Government led by Mr. Godwin Obaseki has provided for the people of the state especially the state capital.

The Obaseki-led government in Edo State has not only failed to improve most of the infrastructure it met in the state, but unfortunately it has pulled down some of the state’s old legacy projects. It will remain in the memory of the residents for a long time, if not forever.

At this juncture, I must make it clear that this piece is not political motivated neither am I paid by any group or individual, but I am just worried seeing some things happening.

It is beyond the imagination of any right thinking person that a government can wake up and its next thought is to demolish a medical facility – a 100-year-old hospital – under the guise of using the expanse of land for other purposes. What, if I may ask, is more important and necessary for the residents of the state than a medical facility?

Notably, the over 100-year-old hospital was strategically located on a piece of land that could be called the heart of Benin until it was demolished in mid-January 2022. The colonial masters who built the hospital in such a strategic place were never wrong. The idea was undoubtedly to make the hospital easily accessible to everyone, no matter where they are in the city.

Moreover, the health facility was not only well located before the demolition, but also affordable. A resort for ordinary people. A medical consultant fee of N100 (card charge), a patient gains access to medical doctor. Here, an average man takes his wife to a pregnant woman during the prenatal and postnatal period. The hospital, before it demolition, had qualified doctors and quality medical services were provided by professional doctors.

The 100-year-old Benin Central Hospital is not the only heritage project being demolished by the current Edo State government. The source of knowledge was also demolished – the state-owned library on Sapele Road, a stone’s throw from the Central Hospital. Many other private buildings too numerous to mention have been demolished and their lands revoked under the current Edo State government, but the focus of this article is not those projects but the Benin Central Hospital, the demolition of which has caused untold hardships for many, especially registered ante-natal pregnant women, yet after over a year no single structure has been erected on the site

Pregnant women are the hardest hit in this regard. The antenatal ward of the hospital has been relocated to Sickle Cell Centre on Gabriel Igbinadion Way, GRA, near the former Central Hospital Benin. Though the new location is not very far from the former central hospital, due to the city’s traffic arrangement, many of the pregnant women are forced to trek the distance. This because there are regularly ‘town service vehicles’ plying the route except can which some may not afford. So they’re mostly seen on foot especially when they are returning from the medical checkup. It has been therefore very stressful for the pregnant women.

Meanwhile, before the demolition, when the state’s main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress Party (APC), warned of plans to demolish the hospital, the Edo State government under the leadership of Obaseki denied it.

A statement signed by the state’s Assistant Publicity Secretary, Victor Osheobo had raised the alarm on how the state government plans to demolish the old hospital and replace it with an ultra-modern car park. The party argued then that the government’s justification for demolishing the hospital makes no sense.

“We call it not only strange and evil, but also unacceptable. This is because no right-thinking government wants to replace a viable medical facility with a parking lot that should be equipped and staffed to better serve the well-being of the people,” the statement said.

In addition, it has been also rumoured in some quarters that the Edo State Government under Obaseki planned to build the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) on the expanse of land, and that this is the reason for the demolition.

But the government denied all this. Edo State Government through the then Commissioner for Communications, Mr. Andrew Emwanta, stated that the government was not planning to dismantle the medical facilities but to relocate the hospital to the Stella Obasanjo Hospital. The government argued that this will pave the way for the transformation of the 100-year-old hospital. The Commissioner said that the Central Hospital has been in existence for over 100 years; therefore, most of the facilities were very old and did not support the provision of modern care.

Either moving the old hospital to pave the way for the renovation or pulling it down completely, 13 months after no structure is erected on the land. Although active construction is currently underway, and some construction workers can be seen working on the site, which have been cordoned off with roof shingles for months, this is not what the city’s residents expect after the demolition.

Or is it the transformation of the hospital promised by the Obaseki government?

The most worrisome, after over 13 months of it demolition, most people in Benin City do not even know what the government intends to build on the land that can warrant it (the government) demolishing a hospital that is over 100 years old.

News

Police Bar Lawyers From Reaching Journalist Allegedly Detained On IGP’s Orders

Published

35 mins ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

Men of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos, Lagos State have refused the lawyers of the detained journalist with Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu, access to him.

A lawyer, Ridwan Oke, disclosed this on X.com, on Saturday.

According to The PUNCH, Ojukwu was said to have gone missing on Wednesday and was unreachable as his numbers were switched off and his whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family and friends.

Twenty-four hours after he went missing, FIJ filed a missing persons’ report at police stations in the area where Ojukwu was headed.

Luckily, a private detective hired by FIJ eventually managed to trace the last active location of Ojukwu’s phones to an address in Isheri Olofin.

Oke, who tweets as @Ridwanullahii disclosed that Ojukwu was still in the custody of the SCID and was not allowed access to his lawyers, family or friends.

He revealed that police officers were given express instructions not to allow him access to anyone at all.

“Daniel was not allowed to call his lawyers, friends or relatives to notify them of his arrest.

“The officers gave express instructions not to allow him to reach out to anyone. He was kept incommunicado,” he said.

He disclosed that the police claimed to possess a remand and search warrant for Ojukwu, but have failed to show it to him, neither has the police briefed him on the details of his arrest.

“Police claim they have remand and search warrants but have never shown them to him. Daniel, up till this moment hasn’t been officially shown the petition against him nor has the police communicated who the complainant is to him.

“The unit involved is said to be the ‘NPF National Cybercrime Centre (NCC) from Abuja’ which means the offence being alleged is a bailable offence but he has not been offered bail and they haven’t presented him in court as enshrined in our laws. The officers here in Panti said they couldn’t help as it was not their case. No one is taking responsibility,” the lawyer said.

He added that efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, proved abortive as he did not pick up calls made to his number, nor did he return the calls.

“Now, I have tried to reach @Princemoye1 but he’s not picking nor returning. No one has so far offered any meaningful explanation and a citizen is being detained unnecessarily for a bailable offence.

“You have to free Daniel now. He has certain health conditions which need medical attention. If anything happens to him, the Nigerian Police Force @PoliceNG should be held accountable”, Oke concluded.

Recall that gunmen later identified to be operatives of Defence Intelligence Agency abducted the editor of FirstNews newspaper, Segun Olatunji, from his home in Lagos State.

Olatunji, a former Kaduna State correspondent of The PUNCH, was abducted on Friday, March 15, 2024, from his home in the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of the state.

The management of the online newspaper linked the action to a recent story published by FirstNews titled, “Revealed: “Defence Chief running an office like a family business – Public Interest Lawyers”, published by many other online platforms.

He was later released on March 28, 2024, to some media stakeholders, including Yomi Odunuga of The Nation newspaper and Iyobosa Uwugiaren of Thisday Newspaper in Abuja after sustained pressure from the media.

News

Why I Refused To Return Govt Vehicles – Ex-Edo Gov, Shaibu

Published

1 hour ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

Former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has opened up about his impeachment, the state’s politics, godfatherism and the contentious issue of the campaign vehicles in his position.

Shaibu, who had previously accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of orchestrating his impeachment, revealed that he has forgiven the governor and is ready to reconcile with him.

Addressing the issue of campaign vehicles in his possession, Shaibu clarified that the vehicles in his possession were not new but refurbished ones that belonged to previous deputy governors. He emphasized his commitment to transparency and accountability during his tenure.

He said, “The vehicles they are referring to are the two Prado SUVs used by Lucky Imasuen as the deputy governor. The other Hilux was the one (Dr Pius) Odubu’s wife used, and the Land Cruiser was the one Odubu used.

“I took all those vehicles to the mechanic who changed their engine and refurbished them. Those are the vehicles that they are telling me to return.

“So, you can see how heartless men can be. I got only one new vehicle in almost eight years that I served as the deputy governor of the state.”

He emphasized his commitment to activism and the need for political leaders to prioritize the welfare of the people.

On the issue of his impeachment, Shaibu criticized the process, stating that the oath of office had been breached by Governor Obaseki multiple times. He also highlighted the need for constitutional amendments to protect deputy governors from arbitrary impeachment.

News

Akpata Slams Obaseki For Swearing In Judges 11 Months After Recommendation

Published

3 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has slammed the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, for swearing in only five out of the eight judges of the Edo State High Court.

On Friday, Obaseki sworn in five judges to the bench of the state High Court.

This, he said was in line with his commitments to strengthen the judiciary due to its role in the democratic process.

However, this did not sit well with Akpatac who condemned Obaseki for swearing them in 11 months after being recommended by the National Judicial Council.

He made his displeasure known in a statement shared on his official X handle on Saturday.

He wrote, “I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State. Firstly, for the unconscionable delay in swearing in new judges for the Edo State High Court 11 months after they were recommended by the National Judicial Council as far back as June 2023. Secondly, for the inexplicable decision to unilaterally select and swear in only five out of the eight recommended judges.”

He added that the governor’s action is unacceptable.

“For nearly a year, these eight legal professionals languished in an unconscionable career limbo, with those previously in private practice suffering immense financial hardship through loss of earnings as they could not practise law as private practitioners having been recommended for appointment to the Bench, To subject any human being or public servant, let alone prospective guardians of justice, to such indignities is totally unacceptable.

“And now, by swearing in only five out of the eight recommended judges without any reason or explanation, Governor Obaseki has further rubbed salt into the injury, riding roughshod over another arm of government in clear violation of the principles of separation of powers and in the process, leaving the other three Judges and their families in a precarious dilemma.

“As a senior member of the Bar and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible conduct of Governor Godwin Obaseki, who willfully failed and refused to perform his constitutional duty to swear in all eight recommended Judges for nearly a year without any plausible justification. The fact that he has now proceeded to unilaterally select and swear in five out of the recommended eight Judges is simply a tragedy and a travesty,: he added.

The governor’s action, Akpata said, reflected the deceitful and self-serving nature of the Peoples Democratic Party government in the state.

He added, “It definitely is no coincidence that this sudden decision by the governor to swear in only five out of the eight recommended judges is coming five months before the Edo State gubernatorial elections.

“It is simply emblematic of the deceitful, self-serving politics that have become a hallmark of Governor Obaseki’s PDP government, putting partisan interests above the rule of law and the interests of the people.

“Such conduct strikes at the very heart of our democracy and the principle of separation of powers. It represents a contemptuous attempt to subjugate the judiciary to the whims of the executive, stripping it of its independence and reducing it to a mere appendage of the governing party’s agenda.”