The third term ambition of the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Francis Alimikhena, has generated controversy in the area.

This is coming as a group known as Concerned All Progressives Congress in Etsako expressed concerned over the bid, saying he has not done enough to get a third term.

The group led by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Ibrahim Suleiman said age was also a factor, insisting that younger people should be given the ticket to represent the area.

He said: “We are perturbed and dissatisfied by the third term ambition of the incumbent senator and his co-travellers, which we see as a “voyage of self discovery.

“It is a fact that must be emphasized here that there is no third tenure in the political lexicon of Edo North; otherwise , those at the helm of affairs today clamouring for a third term would not have had opportunity to take the first shot if others had perpetrated themselves.” (Sic)

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On zoning arrangement in the area, Suleman said “It is imperative to note that Edo North senate alternates between Etsako and Owan/Akoko-Edo, and if the spirit of rotation is upheld, it would be the turn of Owan/Akoko-Edo to produce the next senator, only if the contending political parties are ready to zone their tickets there; otherwise it will amount to standing “logic on the head” for APC which is in opposition in the state to pick its candidate from Owan/Akoko-Edo when PDP picks from Etsako.”

Following students rampage at Idogbo Secondary School, Benin, on the school on December 3, 2021, Edo State Government has directed the immediate retirement of the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Education and the Post-Primary Education Board as well as the two principals of the school.

A statement by Special Adviser to the Edo State governor, Mr Crusoe Osagie indicates that decision was reached during an Executive Council (EXCO) meeting chaired by the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at the Government House, Benin City, on Wednesday.

According to Osagie’s statement, after the meeting, Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Andrew Emwanta, said EXCO reached the decision after it considered the report of a committee empaneled by the council and chaired by the Deputy Governor to investigate the remote and immediate cause of the fracas and make recommendations to the government.

According to him, “Following the students’ rampage at Idogbo Secondary School on December 3rd, 2021, which led to attacks on the school principals and teachers as well as destruction of the school’s property, the Executive Council (EXCO) empaneled a Committee headed by the Deputy Governor to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the unrest at the school and make recommendations to government.

“The Committee’s interventions covered academics, policy, accountability, personnel, co-curricular activities, students’ support and community engagement.

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“The report of the committee was submitted today at the EXCO and deliberated extensively.

“Flowing from the findings and recommendations of the committee’s report, the EXCO approved that the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Education and that of Edo State Post Primary Education Board be retired from service. Also affected by this decision are the Principals of the Junior and Senior Schools of Idogbo Secondary School.

“The EXCO also approved the rehabilitation of the school, which is now to operate as a Junior Secondary School,” Emwanta noted.

He said that the council directed that Idogbo Secondary School reopen on February 1, 2022, and that all students are to go through re-admission and pay a levy before they will be readmitted, to repair the damage wrought on the school.

The Commissioner further stated: “All secondary schools’ heads in the state are informed not to admit any students effectively immediately if they cannot produce a transfer certificate from the Ministry or its branch offices in the LGAs.

“The EXCO also directed the decongestion of schools to enforce less than 50 students to a class. All Principals are warned to desist from the usual practice of admitting students without recourse to existing admissions policy.

“In line with the Universal Basic Education Act of 2004 that stipulates basic education as the first nine years of schooling plus one year of early childhood education, Edo State Government will now embark on disarticulation of junior from senior schools.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has lifted the suspension on Twitter operations in the country, effective from 12 am, January 13, 2022.

This was disclosed in a press statement on Wednesday signed by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency and Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement, Kashifu Abdullahi.

The statement read in part, “The Federal Government of Nigeria directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12 am tonight, January 13, 2022.

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“The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami.”