The member representing Ikpoba-Okha/Egor federal constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen
The member representing Ikpoba-Okha/Egor federal constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen, has died.
It was gathered that Ise-Idehen, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) passed away in the early hours of Thursday, although the cause of his death is yet unknown.
In a statement on Friday, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, described the death as shocking and painful, noting that Ise-Idehen was an illustrious Edo son who worked for the upliftment of his constituents in particular and Edo citizens in general.
“I received the shocking news of the passing of Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen with rude shock. It is indeed a painful and great loss for the people of Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Federal Constituency, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, and the country at large,” the governor said.
“A consummate politician, he was a community mobiliser; firm and considerate in the discharge of his duties. He was compassionate, kind and hardworking.
“For the people of Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Constituency, he was a force to reckon with. He served diligently and promoted projects that enhanced the living standards of his people.
“He will be remembered for his selfless service and commitment to the development of his constituency.”
“I commiserate with the Ise-Idehen family, as well as friends of our great son, and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
File photo: Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, says the choice of Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, gives the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) an extra advantage in the forthcoming presidential election.
Ekweremadu made this assertion in a brief statement on his official Facebook page where he joined party leaders, party faithful, and supporters in congratulating Governor Okowa, on his emergence as the vice presidential candidate.
“This is a sound choice by our presidential flagbearer, H.E Atiku Abubakar and our party.
“No doubt, Okowa brings immense electoral value to the PDP ticket and is highly resourceful and he is prepared for the office of the VP,” Ekweremadu stated.
The parliamentarian urged every party leader and member to work to ensure the success of the ticket at the 2023 polls.
In a similar vein, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has congratulated his Delta State counterpart, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa on his emergence as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Obaseki, in a statement, said Okowa’s emergence will translate to victory for the party in the forthcoming elections.
“I heartily congratulate you, my friend and brother, His Excellency, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa on your emergence as the Vice Presidential candidate of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“An energetic grassroots mobiliser; Okowa, a two-time governor, senator and commissioner, has the needed experience that would guarantee victory for our party in 2023 elections in our bid to rescue the country and place it on the path of progress and prosperity.”
“As we embark on this all-important mission to rescue Nigeria, we must now all work together in unity, as a people and party, to reclaim our country,” the governor charged.
A file photo of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
The Edo State Government has suspended the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other unions across all state-owned institutions of higher learning.
This followed the strike by students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, over the lingering strike embarked upon by ASUU, a statement issued on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, said.
Ogie stated that the decision was reached after the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Benin City.
“By this notice, academic activities are to resume in all state-owned institutions and all cadre of staff are directed to report to their duty posts immediately,” he said.
“Students across all state-owned tertiary institutions are expected to resume lectures as necessary measures have been taken to ensure resumption of academic and non-academic activities.
“Management of the affected institutions have been mandated to pay all outstanding salaries immediately.
“The management of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, is hereby directed to implement a no-work-no-pay policy, declare vacant and advertise the position of any staff that refuses to resume work in line with this directive.”
A file photo of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
In fulfilment of the new minimum wage regime announced on Workers’ Day, Governor Godwin Obaseki has paid the Workers’ May salaries and pension, reflecting the new wage increase.
The Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday.
“The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has approved the payment of retirees’ pension and workers’ salaries for the month of May, reflecting the new N40,000 minimum wage,” the statement read in part.
“This is in fulfillment of the statutory obligations to workers and also a reflection of the governor’s expert and judicious management of the state’s resources.”
The Edo Government says it is committed to the welfare of workers. [email protected] GovernorObaseki
Obaseki had on May 1 announced the increment of the minimum wage in the state from N30,000 to N40,000. He noted that the increase was necessary to help workers overcome the country’s overbearing economic challenges, which have caused galloping inflation among other socio-economic dislocations.
A cross-section of workers, who spoke with journalists after the payment of the new minimum wage, expressed excitement about the development, praising the governor for keeping to his word.
“I can’t contain my joy. In all my years in the civil service, no governor has done as much as Governor Obaseki, a civil servant, Mr. Jeremiah Igbinosa, said. “He has shattered all records. I am in awe of his financial acumen.”
Another public servant, Mrs. Ose Okosodo, said the governor has proven to be the darling of workers not only in Edo but in Nigeria. According to him, workers across Nigeria, who had been calling to confirm the governor’s announcement earlier in the month, now have evidence to prove that the Governor is a promise keeper.
“We are lucky in Edo. There is no doubt,” he said. “This is happening when other governors are making excuses for why they are not able to pay workers.”
The Edo Government says it is committed to the welfare of workers. [email protected] GovernorObaseki
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Sunday approved N40,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the state in commemoration of 2022 Workers’ Day.
Obaseki, who made the announcement in Benin while delivering his 2022 Workers’ Day speech, said his government will continue to prioritise the welfare of Edo workers, equipping them with the capacity and environment to deliver efficient and quality service to the people.
1. I announced that we have reviewed the minimum wage for Edo workers from N30,000 to N40,000 a month. Although we would have loved to pay more, we hope that this little adjustment will enable us to cushion the impact of the inflation that we are faced with. pic.twitter.com/6KGVjpcXjX
— Godwin Obaseki (GGO) (@GovernorObaseki) May 1, 2022
“As we all know, the minimum of N30,000 can barely sustain a family. It will be immoral and mindless of us to continue to pretend that we do not know that our workers are suffering,” he said.
“The government of Edo has now decided to review the minimum for Edo workers from N30,000 to N40,000 a month. Undoubtedly, Edo is the first state since the current outbreak of coronavirus to take this initiative.
“Even though we would have loved to pay more, we hope that this little adjustment would enable us to cushion the impact of the inflation that we are faced with. There is no doubt that the financial implications will be heavy and put another burden on the government.
“But as a government, we are prepared to make the sacrifices so that the workers can live a better life. Your welfare is our number one priority.”
While reassuring his government’s relentless support to senior citizens in the state, Obaseki lamented the hardship experienced by pensioners and other senior citizens because of the rising cost of food and other items.
“I am particularly interested in our senior citizens because they are one of the most vulnerable in our society. We took interest in payments of outstanding pensions to our pensioners although these pensions were held by the previous administration.
“In view of the prevailing economic circumstances, I have now approved, effective this May, the agreement we reached with the Union of Pensioners that the harmonized amount would be paid from May 2022.
“Government is aware of the difficulties faced by the pensioners due to the non-payment of pension and gratuities to pensioners by previous governments. This responsibility is huge, and it will require a substantial part of our resources to settle them.
“However, we are not a government that is known for running away from challenges; we will look for a way to tackle these challenges,” the governor added.
Obaseki however urged workers in the state to take advantage of opportunities offered by his administration in the agricultural sector to increase food production in the country.
Earlier in his address, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Odion Olaye, charged the Federal Government to step up efforts to tackle the high rate of insecurity, unemployment, and hunger in the country.
A file photo of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured workers in the state that his administration will continue to prioritise their welfare.
Obaseki gave the assurance in a statement to mark the 2022 Workers’ Day on May 1, adding that things have continued to improve since the onset of his administration.
He attributed this to the state’s e-governance strategies, noting that it has improved work processes in the state, automating government systems and ensuring quality service delivery to the Edo people.
“As we mark Workers’ Day, I would like to appreciate workers in the state for their commitment to duty and diligence, which is responsible for the achievements recorded by my administration thus far. Edo people are, today, better off with the improved services provided by workers.
“In the last six years, we have ensured that workers in Edo State are provided with the right environment, tools, and encouraged to deliver optimal services to the people. From reconstructing office buildings, such as the Blocks C & D of the Secretariat Complex to the introduction of e-governance systems and robust welfare packages, workers have experienced a dramatic change in the conditions in which they work in the state.
“The e-governance system makes sure that our workforce is globally competitive and provides top-of-the-range services to the people. The transformation we are witnessing will ensure that the people are better served in the long run.
“It is also impressive that they have paid back in kind by delivering on their roles and responsibilities, which has created the atmosphere for the success of the reforms we have implemented.”
The governor noted that the state will continue to place the interest of workers at the front burner of its institutional reforms, noting that continuous professional development at the John Odigie Oyegun Training Academy will equip them with skills to deepen the reforms in the state.
“We are very intentional about the need to ensure that the reforms we have introduced are sustained and outlive our administration. This is why we introduced the professional development plank in our reform agenda and are sure that these institutional frameworks will ensure that the changes we have introduced stand the test of time in the interest of workers and the development of the state.”
The rift between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Governor Nyesom Wike has taken a new twist as the Rivers governor fires back at his Edo State counterpart.
Addressing a crowd at an event on Monday in Rivers State, Governor Wike accused Governor Obaseki of betrayal and ingratitude.
He alleged that the Edo governor has refused to be grateful to the party and the people who supported him to be re-elected when he left the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Wike, however, apologised to a former national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, whom he said had initially warned them about accepting Governor Obaseki into the PDP fold.
“If you check the DNA of Obaseki, what you will see in that DNA is betrayal, serial betrayal, and ungratefulness,” he said while addressing a crowd at the commissioning of a secondary school in Omuanwa community, Rivers State.
“Let me stand today to apologise to Adams Oshiomhole who has been vindicated by telling us that we will see the true colour, the insincerity, the ungratefulness of Governor Obaseki.
“We have voted for PDP since 1999 till now; ask Governor Obaseki if he has done anything for PDP (or) voted for PDP. The only election he voted was his own election – where we gave him an umbrella.”
Nyesom Wike Godwin Obaseki Adams Oshiomhole
This Is Politics
Governor Obaseki had slammed Governor Wike over his reaction to comments by Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, that PDP members who defected from the APC in Edo were not happy and do not feel accepted into the new party.
He had also said Nigeria needed strong democratic institutions and not strong men, stressing the need for the PDP to position itself to reclaim power at the centre in 2023.
Governor Wike, in his reaction, described the comments by his Edo counterpart as a rant, saying governance was about feeling and touching, and not a memorandum of understanding.
He went on to highlight his contribution to the efforts that led to Governor Obaseki’s re-election, having served as the Director-General (DG) of his campaign organisation in 2020.
“Let me clearly say without any apology to anybody that one of the problems in this country is leadership – people who cannot stand firm and say: this is white; this is black at all times,” the Rivers governor said.
“I am not in the class of Obaseki, never! We are not the same, we can’t be the same. I was the DG of his campaign, I went there (to Edo) for three days. I stayed there without having my bath. I have never seen somebody like that in my life – a serial betrayer.
“Let me tell you Obaseki, I know your cohorts and I will smoke all of you out. This is not the Benin artefact that you were challenging the Oba (of Benin), this is politics. Obaseki, I have more stake in PDP than you. I have fought for this party, mention one thing that you have done for the PDP.”
A file photo of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Monday, called for a more transparent and accountable budget system in the country, saying that the current process is fraudulent.
Obaseki stated this while addressing participants at a four-day training organised by the Edo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, in collaboration with Open Government Partnership (OGP).
“One of the major crises that we have in Nigeria today, apart from the very weak bureaucracy, is our budgeting process. Our budgeting, I am sorry to use a very harsh word, is almost fraudulent. Why do I say so?”
“As an entity, whether federal, state, or local government, you know how much you can earn. Assuming you can only earn N100 in a year with all the evidence right before you, of course, you know it’s going to be N100,” he said.
“By the time you are preparing the budget and you are giving certain agencies envelopes to put this and that in the budget, you will end up putting up a budget of N200, and you are only going to receive N100. That is where the fraud begins.
“By the time you take that document to the House, the various representatives there have various promises they made to their constituents and the things they want to put in for themselves, and they add N50 to it.
“It will now be a budget of N250, and meanwhile, you have only N100. From that N100, maybe you have said that N100 will be for recurrent expenditures, to pay for the running of the government and N50 will be for capital. The recurrent expenditure is the first-line charge.”
He continued: “You have to pay salaries before you do anything. Now, you have a budget of N250 and have increased your recurrent expenditure in that proportional sum, so what happens year-in-year-out is that the buck of the money in your budget goes to the first-line charge.
“So, there is little or nothing left on things that affect the people, including building schools, roads, hospitals, and other infrastructure for the people.”
The governor, who reiterated the need for citizens’ budgeting, noted: “for us in Edo, preparing a citizens’ budget is not negotiable. At least for me as governor, it is non-negotiable. That is why I want more of our DFAs to be here.
“At the political level, we are doing what we can to change our politics and make political players realize that when they come out to serve, they are not there to serve themselves. Government is not a business where you make money, it’s where you come and serve.”
Earlier, the resource person for the programme, Mr. David Agu, said citizens’ output has become a huge resource for policymaking and implementation, including the budget.
Agu said popular participation, accountability, transparency, simplification, accessibility, and citizens’ feedback lead to a peoples’ budget that will enhance service delivery, improve good governance and bring about development.
In her remarks, the Edo State Commissioner Budget and Economic Planning, Princess Otse Momoh-Omorogbe, said the event would help chart a new direction for the state’s budgeting process.
The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday said Nigeria needs to increase its revenues in order to address complaints over the sharing formula of federation proceeds.
The Governor made the comment at the State Government House in Benin-City during a courtesy visit of the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Muheeba Dankaka.
“The issue for us in Nigeria should be how to bake a bigger cake, because the cake we are trying to share has become too small,” the Governor said.
“So no matter how hard you try to divide that cake and share it, many people will still feel they are not getting their fair share or what is due to them, because whatever they get might just be marginal.”
Obaseki also noted that the Federal Government is spending too much of the nation’s dwindling resources on recurrent expenditures, including personnel emoluments.
“Nigeria is going to a new stage; there is a new paradigm,” Obaseki said. “The politics we started in 1999 has now expired or is expiring.
“So anybody who is playing politics the way it was played in 1999 cannot succeed because the children who were five, six years old in 1999, today are now getting married. They are now the ones that are going to be in charge.
“So if we don’t provide leadership, they will push us aside. They are more than us, I have their data. they are not happy. They did not like what we did to them during #EndSARS. So we don’t have to wait for them to express themselves again.
“Let us provide leadership. Because as you know, those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. So what you are seeing in insecurity today, in hunger, in the desperation of our people, is the sign of the failure of our political system. And we have to correct it.
“We have started in Edo and we must continue. The old order can no longer hold. There is a new order. We have a choice, either to shape the new order or the new order will overwhelm us.”
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has commiserated with the former Governor of the state, Lucky Igbinedion, over the death of his mother, Maria Oredola Igbinedion.
In a statement released on Saturday, Obaseki said she would be remembered for her wise counsel, charming character, and love for God.
“I am saddened by the sad news of the passing of your dearly beloved mother, Mrs. Maria Oredola Igbinedion. Mama was loving and compassionate, giving herself freely to causes she cared deeply about and worked assiduously to make society better for all.
“She was a great mother, a loving wife, and a conscientious community leader. Her kindness and warmth shone through her charitable endeavors and commitment to uplifting members of her immediate community. Mama would be remembered for her wise counsel, charming character, and love for God,” the governor said.
He added that “On behalf of the Government and people of Edo State, I extend heartfelt condolences to His Excellency, Dr. Lucky Igbinedion, l the Igbinedion family, friends, and associates over Mama’s passing and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki speaks during the Alaghodaro Summit in Benin City.
The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has said he has no plans to join another political party, reassuring that his party affiliation will not alter development plans for the state.
Obaseki, who spoke during a Banquet in Benin City, as part of activities for this year’s Alaghodaro Summit, said his government is committed to ensuring a progressive and prosperous Edo State where all citizens will live life to the fullest.
“No matter the persuasion to join any political party, I will not. I will continue to provide leadership for all Edo people. We don’t need to join another political party to develop Edo State to become a home for all,” he said.
“Our goal is to position Edo where it should be, as our State has been created to provide leadership for this country; that is how it has been and will always be.”
Obaseki said the Alaghodaro Summit has become a platform which his administration is using to prepare the youths of the Edo State for tomorrow’s leadership position.
According to him, “Our politics is being driven by data. We will continue to do our best as a government to make life better for our people who trusted us with their votes.
“In the last five years, we have been in the foundation laying stage for the development of Edo State. That era has passed and now, it’s time to move as fast as possible in developing the State as the challenges and barriers have been taken care of.”
Earlier, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Edo State, John- Odigie Oyegun commended Obaseki for curbing irregular migration among Edo youths.
According to him, “Today, our youths are no longer traveling through the Mediterranean Sea as you have curbed the menace of irregular migration. Our youths are now being prepared for the future with the use of technology.
“When Edo prospers, the nation will prosper; our artifacts are all over the world, our achievements are all over; this is what Alaghodaro is all about.”
