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Edo State Government Mr. Godwin Obaseki urges the church to play its role in the unity of Nigeria today particularly as the nation is being assaulted on many fronts from hate speech, separatist agitation, insurgency, unemployment and corruption. He made this known while delivering his good will message at the grand finale of the first national Marians year and third Marian Congress held in Benin City, the Edo State Capital. Obaseki said the Catholic Church is an oasis of peace and therefore the country needs the Church today more than ever calling on her to continue to pray for Nigeria and speak truth to power. “We are grateful to God and the Church for the continuous work of restructuring our minds as a people. If we as a nation fully accept the message of our Lady of Fatima and committed to her message of repentance, we would need less of political restructuring. If we add more of love and less of self, to our leadership, Nigeria would be more united and better developed”. T...

The EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, has said that the fight against corruption is becoming tougher, urging all Nigerians, including children, to use every weapon at their disposal to fight it. Magu said this in Lagos on Friday during the sensitisation forum on the plan to launch “EFCC-Creative Youth Initiative Against Corruption (CYIAC) Corruption Busters”. He said the fight against corruption was not personal and therefore called on Nigerians, including those in Diaspora to join hands in the fight, stressing that the commission was already mobilising Nigerians outside the country for support. “The fight against corruption is becoming tougher. We cannot fight it alone. We want to mobilise everyone in the fight; the more people in the fight, the better. “I am determined in the fight against corruption. I urge other Nigerians not to get exhausted. Don’t expect anyone to thank you for fighting corruption. It is a thankless job. “Whatever weapons you have, use it against corrupt...

The Osun House of Assembly on Monday, confirmed the four nominees of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola as members of the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The motion for the confirmation of the nominees was moved by the leader of House, Mr Timothy Owoeye after the screening of the nominees. Owoeye’s motion’s was seconded by the House Committee Chairman on Judiciary, Mr Dejo Bello. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Aregbesola, in a letter dated Aug. 28, urged the lawmakers to confirm the nominees to fill the vacant positions in the commission. The letter was read at the plenary on Sept. 11 by the Speaker, Mr Najeem Salaam. The governor said that members of the current commission were inaugurated on June 6, 2012, adding that their tenure had expired. According to Aregbesola, his letter is sequel to the expiration of the tenure of office of the members of the council. “By virtue of Section 199(1)(c) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution(as amended), having ...

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Friday urged the state judiciary to step up in the area of speedy delivery of justice, without compromising the fundamental principle of fair hearing and the rule of law. Ambode made the call at the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Opeyemi Oke as the new Chief Judge of the state at the Lagos House, Ikeja. Oke came into office following the exit of Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, who attained the statutory retirement age of 65 on Sep.24. The new Chief Judge joined the State Judiciary as a Senior Magistrate on May 1, 1986 and was appointed a Judge of the High Court on July 17, 1996. She becomes the 6th female and 16th Chief Judge of Lagos State. Ambode Governor congratulated Oke on her confirmation by the state lawmakers, describing it as a positive affirmation of her competence, experience and character to preside over the sacred temple of justice in Lagos State. “I have absolute confidence in your intellectual capacity to steer the ship of th...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with service chiefs, Minister of Defence, retired Brig. Mansur Dan-Ali and the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting, presided over by President Buhari, was still ongoing as at the time of filing the report. It is also being attended by the Director General of the State Security Services (SSS), Lawal Daura, the acting Director of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Arab Yadam, and the representative of the Inspector-General of Police.NAN reports that the service chiefs at the meeting include Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Major-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and the Chief of Air Staff, AVM Sadique Abubakar.

BEING AN ADDRESS BY THE AGRICULTURE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES UNION OF NIGERIA’S RESPONSE IN BENIN CITY TO ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/FRIENDS OF THE EARTH NIGERIA (ERA/FOEN) FIELD REPORT AGAINST OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC. The Edo State Council of AAEUN is in receipt of allegations made by the Environmental Rights Action / Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FOEN) against The Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc who currently employs more than 3,000 of our members. By virtue of our position as the only registered Trade Union with jurisdictional scope to operate in Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, and in view of the fact that members of this Great Union has always been included in the development and execution of the company’s projects, and management’s decision making activities, we felt compelled to call this press conference, because a lie repeatedly told is often misconstrued as the truth. It will be recalled that earlier this year, around June, ERA/FOEN rented a crowd to stage manage a protest a...

The walls of the ancient Benin Kingdom, located in present-day Benin City, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria, were a combination of ramparts and moats called ‘Iya,’ Covering 6,500 square kilometres, they were the most extensive earthworks in the world, according to English author and journalist Fred Pearce in an article in New Scientistmagazine. In Benin City today, a majority (83%) of these Iya are being used as dump sites by residents, no thanks to the waste management authorities. “I know it is wrong to drop it here, but nobody is stopping me, and collecting waste from people to bring here is what I do for a living,” said, Sunny Ogbuede, an unaccredited waste/refuse collector. Mr. Ogbuede is one of several cart boys who had come to dispose of refuse in the moat along Upper Uwa Street. “You cannot imagine the smell coming out from this dump site,” said Monday Ehigie, an electronics repairer whose shop is close to the moat. “Sometimes I lose appetite for food because of the ...