Allafrica Post

Before the coming of His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, and Godwin Obaseki as Governor of Edo state in 2016, Community Development Associations (CDAs) and other groups held sway in villages where development is yet to reach. The groups, made up of mostly young men, control the lands in their communities with disregard to extant laws. They formed ‘Community Militias’, and administer over lands which ought to be a major role of their village Heads who perform such function on behalf of the Government. These dreaded individuals terrified their community heads and inhabitants. They intimidate, threatened, and cajoled people to part with illegal levies at every stage of work on their buildings, as well as scaring away investors in the property sector whose investment would have create jobs and develop the state. Also, people stopped building houses, Indigenes outside the state could not come home to develop their lands because their properties have been sold ...

The Ondo state House of Assembly Candidate, Ilaje Constituency ll, in the just concluded  National and States  houses of Assembly elections, Comrade Emmanuel Lebile has urged the people of Ilaje to ‘think anew’, to end poverty, marginalization, failed representation and  undevelopment  in  the area. Comrade Lebile who contested on the platform of  Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) argued that, Ilaje, despite being the sole reason Ondo is listed among crude oil producing states  in Nigeria, have nothing to show for their God given resources, as  people of the area still lacks  basic social amenities and  critical infrastructures. Speaking with The Nigerian Observer through a telephone chat  recently , Lebile called on the people to desist from vote selling, and vote for credible candidates of  their choice in future elections that will take Ilaje off  the lists of  poorest states in the country  to prosperity. ...

A University Don, Professor Eddy Erhagbe has described all institutions in Nigeria as “neck deep” in corruption following revelations from the Federal Government’s probe of arms purchase deal scandal.   Professor Erhagbe who is the Dean, Faculty of Arts, and Head of Department of History and International Studies in the University of Benin (UNIBEN) stated this in a paper he presented at a stakeholders meeting held   in Benin city recently , put together by the Presidential Advisory Committee (PACAC),   in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), with the theme: “Value Reorientation And The Fight Against Corruption”. According to him, “what is becoming obvious in the exposure of the mismanagement and misappropriation of our public funds is that all arms of government, religious, political, socio-economic groups and individuals were and are involved in these unholy act. “There however seem to be a new vigor and zest in prosecuting the war ag...

Edo state Acting Governor, Phillip Shaibu has advocated  the need for  the domestication of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign Nationwide. Shaibu made the call at a stakeholders meeting held   in Benin city on Tuesday , organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee (PACAC),   in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), with the theme: “Value Reorientation And The Fight Against Corruption”. The Acting governor who described the theme of the event as apt, said the campaign, when   taken to grassroot in the state would fit into the bottom up approach of governor   Obaseki-led administration. He however admonished Nigerians   to discontinue the habit of seeing public office and access to public funds as a means to enrich themselves,   that public officials should serve as role model to the upcoming   generation. Earlier, Chairman of PACAC, Prof Itse Sagay SAN, said the committee has ensured...

Following the notorious activities of commercial motorists and street traders in Benin city, especially within and around the Oba Ovoramwen square, Edo state government in 2017 engaged some youths to participate in its Public Works Volunteer (PUWOV) scheme to, amongst other things, assist in restoring law and order in the state. The government however set up a committee, code named, 'Project Clean-Up Edo', headed by Secretary to the government, Osarodion Ogie Esq, with a task to clean up the state capital, and as well expose it aesthetic beauty, being a transit route to the Eastern, Western, and Northern part of the country. In other to achieve set goal, the Ogie-led committee put together a taskforce, made up of the volunteers, to enforce ban on street-trading, illegal parking and other commercial activities in unauthorize locations within the state capital and environs. The volunteers who are always decked in Black faze cap, T-shirts, and green reflective j...