Metro
OPINION: Edo 2024 Is ‘Eghe Esan’
Published
8 months agoon
By
EditorBy Victor Ofure Osehobo
A few years ago, it was the norm in Edo politics, since the South had the Governor, for the North to have the Deputy Governor and for Central to have the speaker’s position. It was the custom of the ruling PDP then that to promote oneness and give all districts in the state a sense of belonging, it was better to observe this unwritten code.
This is why from 1999- 2007, when the PDP was in power, the governor was from the South, his deputy from the North and the Speaker from Central. It was the same picture during the 18-month PDP tenure from May 2007 – November 2008, when the governor was from the Central, his deputy was from South and the Speaker from the North.
But this worthwhile development which made for peaceful, harmonious co-existence and brotherhood in an ethnically diverse state like Edo was set aside when the APC found itself in power first in Edo in 2008. The governor was from Edo North, deputy, South and Speaker, South. In 2012, while the governor was from North, the deputy remained in the South and the Speaker remained in the South.
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Thus from 2008, Edo Central has been left out in the scheme of things. In 2008, with the governor from Edo north, deputy from the South, it was said that the party had a greenhorn in the legislative branch who could not occupy the high office of Speaker.
Despite the hue and cry of the Central folks Edo south clung to the two vital slots from 2008 till the dying minutes of 2016, when reluctantly the Speakership was left for the Central district.
Those who expected this vital change in 2016 to survive as if to rectify a fault or correct an anomaly were shocked when the Central was stripped of the Speakership midstream in favour of the South again.
And for the political gains anticipated the South reluctantly donated the Speakership to the Central, during the campaigns, tele-guided the office while it went to Central and even worked against the occupant, before the run of unhealthy events saw the the North take the office back.
Since 2016, Edo has had a governor from the South, a deputy from the North and a Speaker from the North, leaving the Central empty. From 2020 till now, it is the same scenario. Unfortunately this very ugly trend now reverberates through the state government apparatus in Benin City.
Key state government establishments embark on the deliberate removal of Edo Central folks from key positions and offices they were appointed into on the basis of qualification and competence and are replaced with South and North counterparts.
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The reason is that the people of Edo Central or the modern Esan nation are part and parcel of Edo. We are citizens who left the Benin Empire and formed communities and kingdoms thereafter. We were not slaves before or after. History is clear on this.
As 2024 approaches, there is once again desperate moves to sideline Edo Central. Political Leaders from North and South, who ought to know better are either aspiring themselves or busy sponsoring aspirants from their zones to rob Edo Central of this rare opportunity.
This should be avoided. This is how it happened in the recent past with the office of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. The goat will bite when faced with no escape but pushed to the wall. This attempt to blank out Edo Central must stop.
My name is Victor Ofure Osehobo. I am making Common sense
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Metro
Customs Intercept N8.7m Smuggled Petrol En Route Benin Republic
Published
3 hours agoon
May 12, 2024By
EditorOfficers of the Nigeria Customs Service, Western Marine Command, have intercepted 12,500 litres of Premium Motor Spirit known is petrol worth N8,750,000 along the Isalu Creek Badagry Waterway en route to Benin Republic.
According to a statement and pictures shared on X.com by the NCS on Sunday, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Paul Bamisaiye, revealed this at the command’s headquarters on Friday.
The statement partly read, “At about 2330hrs on Wednesday, 8 May 2024, while on joint patrol based on credible intelligence, we received the movement of two boats laden with what was suspected to be petroleum products concealed in sacks. Upon receipt of the information, the team moved into Isalu Creeks Badagry Waterway.
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“The Customs Area Controller stated that careful examination of the seizure at the Command Headquarters revealed ‘177 sacks and 61 kegs of 25 Litres Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) containing 12,500 Liters with a total Duty Paid Value standing at N8,750,000.”
Bamisaiye was reported to have warned smugglers to desist from their acts or risk arrest, stating that the action of the smugglers contravenes Sections 245 and 254 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
READ ALSO: Customs Intercepts N10m Worth Petrol En Route Cameroon Illegally
He was quoted as saying, “There’s a strong warning to the economic importance of this kind of seizure at a time of fuel scarcity cannot be over-emphasised.
“People are suffering due to artificial scarcity, but they are busy smuggling these products outside the country to make money. It’s either they stop this act, or we continue to arrest them. We have zero tolerance for this act.”
Similarly, the Adamawa/Taraba Area Command of the NCS said it also intercepted 12,435 litres of PMS worth N10.8 million being illegally exported to Cameroon.
Metro
Customs Intercepts N10m Worth Petrol En Route Cameroon Illegally
Published
4 hours agoon
May 12, 2024By
EditorThe Nigeria Customs Service, Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, has said it intercepted 12,435 litres of Premium Motor Spirit worth N10.8m being illegally exported to Cameroon.
In a statement on Saturday, the command said that the PMS was intercepted within two weeks.
The command added in the statement said the product was packed in 491 jerrycans, 25 litres each and eight jerrycans 20 litres each.
The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the command, Garba Bashir, explained that the PMS was intercepted alongside the means of conveyance.
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“The officers, while on anti-smuggling operations along the command frontiers within two weeks, recorded five incidents of interception of premium motor spirit on its way to the neighbouring country, Cameroon
“The petrol and the means of conveyance were valued at NN10.8m,” he said.
The CAC stated that no suspect was arrested, adding that the perpetrators abandoned the items and absconded in an attempt to avoid arrest.
Bashir added that the seizures of the items were in line with sections 150 and 248 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, “and considering the facts that the command’s territorial borders are officially closed.”
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He stated that the petrol had been auctioned due to its inflammable nature.
He added that smuggling activities have done more harm than good to the nation.
“It hinders our national growth, strangles our trade policies with regards to revenue, foreign investment, preservation of domestic trade and growth, food security, and public security,” Bashir said.
“We want to unwaveringly tell the smugglers that our operatives are strategically repositioned along the borderlines to fasten their exit out of this illicit business,” he added.
He solicited the support of the border communities in the fight against smuggling.
The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, Yola, of the NCS is one of the commands under Zone B Customs, headquartered in Kaduna.
A young man identified as Khalid Bichi, was on Friday night, May 10, shot dead by yet to be identified persons.
According to reports, Khalid was trailed by the men who shot him dead in the Maitama area of Abuja
The deceased was a staff of FIRS with social media X handle @Khalid_Bichi, was on his way to get food when the unfortunate incident happened. He was rushed to Maitama General Hospital where he eventually died.
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Confirming the incident to LIB, the spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, said the matter is currently being investigated and that efforts are being made to apprehend the killers.
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