Social Reporters News Service, published by IOE Publishers - CAC/BN/3400383

Dear Nigerians, I bring you good wishes from President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who as we all know is away from the country on medical vacation. Today marks the second anniversary of our assumption of office. We must thank the Almighty God not only for preserving our lives to celebrate this second anniversary, but for giving us hope, strength and confidence as we faced the  challenges of the past two years. Our administration outlined three specific areas for our immediate intervention on assumption of office: these were Security, Corruption and the Economy. In the Northeast of our country,  the terrorist group Boko Haram openly challenged the sovereignty and continued existence of the state, killing, maiming,and  abducting, causing the displacement of the largest number of our citizens in recent history. Beyond the North East they extended their mindless killings, as far away as Abuja, Kano And Kaduna. But with new leadership and renewed confidence our gallant military immediate

More than 3,400 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Friday, bringing to about 10,000 the total number rescued over four days, according to Libyan and Italian officials. At least 10 bodies were also found by the Italian coastguard, officials said. No vessels were reported in distress on Saturday. On Friday, more than 1,200 migrants were rescued by Libyan ships and taken to Tripoli or Zawiya, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) west, while the Italian coastguard and commercial boats rescued 2,200 others and took them to Italy. Migrants were still disembarking in southern Italy on Saturday. Another 6,400 were picked up between Tuesday and Thursday, but at least 35 people drowned on Wednesday when a powerful wave struck their vessel, pitching them into the sea as a rescue ship was distributing life jackets. The unloading of passengers in Sicily was halted all week due to the G7 summit in the eastern hilltop town of Taormina, which lengthened rescue ships’ journey by 24 hours an

By Ben Ogbemudia Bendel insurance football club winger,  Godday Okai this morning in their Abeokuta camp made it clear to the teeming supporters of the club that they are in Ogun state for business as they engaged Ikorodu United in the match day 17 in Abeokuta,  Ogun state. Okai said the only business they have in Abeokuta is to collect the three points that is at stake. He said as the first face of the league comes to an end today,  Bendel insurance football club need to remain in a  good advantage position that eventually pave the way to remain in the top two of the table at the end of the season. He therefore solicited for prayers from Bendel insurance football club fans across the country and promised to make them proud at the end of the ninety minutes game today at the MKO international Stadium,  Abeokuta against Ikorodu United.

Solomon Okoduwa, Benin The "Travel Abroad" mentality amongst my people the Edo have long been forgotten; unfortunately my assumption is merely a wishful thinking as the trend has assumed a more dangerous dimension. I call it a journey through the shadow of death with little or no ray of hope for a future they so greatly craved for. While you walk around both the city center and villages all you hear are parents priding amongst themselves on how either their sons or daughters have crossed (meaning crossed the Mediterranean sea from either Libya or Morocco to islands in either Spain or Italy). Although the present government of Edo state has taken it upon itself to battle and curb this menace head on, alas what this practice mean to an average bini person is more than meets the eyes, another  dangerous dimension that calls for concern is the role our religious organization are playing, a case in point happened in one of the new generation churches where the pastor called o

By John Osakue Aiyevbekpen EDO Governorship Petition Tribunal sat for some 180 days in Benin City, most of which were committed to the monotonous routine of looking at whether the voters register was ticked to the right or to the left. On good Friday April 14, 2017, the Tribunal delivered judgment that sparked wild jubilation across the State. The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Ahmed Badamosi, in an extraordinary display of excellent judicial reflexes, perspicacity and erudition, delivered an exhautively well researched judgement, in which the testimony of every single witness was examined and classified and every single legal argument was subjected to the acid test on points of law in the best tradition of judicial practice. Those who painstakingly followed the Tribunal’s proceedings would readily agree that the decision of the Tribunal was consistent with the flow and perception of the case from the onset. The case underscored the point that politicians should eschew frivolous

Edo state Government has condemned, in strong terms, the dehumanizing treatment meted on one Kester Edun, who was handcuffed to the back of a moving police van recently, while also ordering a probe into the matter. The state government also added that those involved in the act would be brought to book. It would be recalled that material recently circulated the internet containing a man with his left hand cuffed to the back of a moving police van from Sokponba Road to 1st East Circular Junction. In a statement from the Office of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the government condemned the act and restated its commitment to ensuring civil and lawful behaviour. The statement read in part: “This cruel, inhuman and barbaric treatment is totally unacceptable to the Government of Edo State and is in fact unacceptable in any sane or civilised society. The Governor has directed the Edo State Ministry of Justice to initiate immediate action to identify and prosecute all or any of

Marriage has a lot of ups and downs and it shouldn’t be any surprise. It takes a whole lot for two people who are from different backgrounds, with different personalities and experiences to settle down and blend in properly with each other in order to live in peace, co-operation and bliss. One thing that couples definitely need to make the best of their marriage is understanding. Couples really need to establish an understanding of each order to get the best out of their relationships. To do this, they must learn to determine their own system in the different areas of everyday living. One thing that causes a lot of misunderstanding between couples is house chores. Oftentimes, there are disagreements between who should do what, what kinds of chores are suitable to the husband or wife, who is doing too much work and who’s doing nothing, etc. When it comes to avoiding conflict on house chores, these ideas are easy guides on how couples should handle them. Marriage is about partnership

The Edo state government has provided a temporary central bus terminal at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Central premises to alleviate the plight of commuters and drivers in the Benin metropolis till the proposed central park would be completed.   The Chief of Staff to the state governor, Mr Taiwo Akerele, disclosed this on Wednesday as he visited the King’s Square, popularly known as Ring Road to assess the level of compliance to the Edo Clean-up Project aimed at decongesting the city centre.  Revealing that the government was awareness of the challenges faced by pedestrians trying to board vehicles, Akerele said: “We are appealing to residents, especially those who do business in the King’s Square to exercise patience with the state government. In the next two weeks, a central park will be provided in the city centre”.  He explained that for the city to be kept clean, some sacrifice had to be made by everyone and the government would sustain the initiative to keep the state clean, by es

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has said his administration would prioritise education to ensure the sector received rapid infrastructural development in continuation of the policies put in place by the Adams Oshiomhole-led administration. The governor disclosed this in Benin, on Monday, during the 77th Plenary Meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE) holding in New Era College, where he was represented by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs Osazuware Idahosa. Addressing delegates during the plenary, the governor called on all stakeholders in the education sector to deliberate meaningfully and ensure that the challenges militating against the sector were nipped in the bud for good. Meanwhile, he charged them to come up with qualitative policies that would put value on education for effective service delivery, reaffirming the state government’s commitment to the laudable programme. For her part, the Chairperson of JCCE, Magdalene Anene Ma

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has declared his administration’s readiness to reposition the state as the vanguard of rubber production and processing in order to increase foreign exchange earnings. He said this when he received the management of the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) at the Edo State Government House in Benin on Monday, where he noted that rubber was a major source of foreign earnings for the country before the advent of crude oil, and that investment in rubber would be worthwhile investment because it was a global commodity. Revealing that his administration would create a master plan for rubber production, he said: “We want to know the locations and soil types where rubber can do well in the state. We want to agree on how much land we should make available for rubber cultivation, the quantity of yield to expect and to know the key investors”. Governor Obaseki continued that the state government would not be directly involved in rubber production

By Isaac Eranga, Benin The Edo State Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC) has declared N2.10 billion as total allocation accrued to the 18 local government areas in the state from both internally generated revenue (IGR) and the federation account for March. The head of local government administration, Owan-east local government area, Mr Akeens Ade-Akhani, disclosed this on Friday at the end of the JAAC meeting at the Edo State government house in Benin. It would be recalled that the committee declared N1. 89billion as total allocation accrued to the 18 LGAs in the state for the month of February. Ade-Akhani attributed the increment of about N21 million in the month of March to the introduction of an electronic means of revenue collection process in some LGAs in the state. He said that about N15million and N7 million were collected as revenue in Oredo and Egor LGAs respectively using the electronic process from March 22 to May 11. In addition, he noted that N1.36 billion

The Secretary to the Edo State Government, Barrister Osarodion Ogie has explained that the Godwin Obaseki-led administration had not only laid the template for sustainable development, but it had commenced work on it already, all in six months. This was as the administration clocked six months in office and the top government official addressed issues raised on the government’s achievements. He said: “In six months we have been able to chart a course that will carry Edo People along and intimate them on what to expect from the government in four years. In terms of infrastructural development, already we are working on over 35 roads including Agbede-Awain road, which is more than 25km in Edo North, we have awarded Evbevbe-Obagie Nevbosa road, which is about 29km in Edo South”. He added that erstwhile congested areas such as Oba’s market and King’s Square had been freed up and they had shown Edo people that politicians could keep their words. “This government is about law and order a

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has, in continuation of the decongestion process to clean up Edo State, inspected the city centre, Ring Road and its environs, where he moved to recover government properties and promised to build a central bus terminal. The governor assured the people of the state that the discomfort accompanying the clean-up process was ephemeral and would soon pass as his administration had exhibited readiness to recover all government lands and erect a central bus terminal to further decongest the city centre. Inspecting the government properties around Ring Road axis in Benin City, the state’s capital, Governor Obaseki revealed that in the last four months of his administration, his government had critically studied the congestion dogging the city centre and fingered absence of a central bus terminal as the culprit. “We are trying to decongest Ring Road and Oba market to open up the bottle neck because the city centre has become choked with people selling by

The government of Edo State, today, began the screening and verification process of prospective officers of the State Traffic Control and Management Agency in the state, who had erstwhile registered through the Edo Jobs initiative. The Managing Director of the agency, Mr Dennis Oleregbe disclosed this in Benin City while explaining that the verification process included an interview as well as biological check-ups to ensure they were physically sound and qualified to do the job. It would be recalled that Governor Godwin Obaseki had promised to create over 200,000 jobs in the state and had earlier introduced the Edo Jobs initiative to register interested people in a data base for allocating employments to them when such employments were available. On the speed of the screening process, he revealed that 100 people would be screened daily for 5 days, continuing that the process had, thus far, been successful with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of transport present. He also ex

The Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II has warned against illegal extortion under the guise of palace authorisation. The monarch in a statement issued on Saturday in Benin by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Desmond Agbama, alleged that some groups were extorting using the name of the palace. He said that a group, Association of Sand Quarry Owners, was hiding under the guise of paying a royalty to the palace to increase prices of various categories of sand in the state. The oba said that any group bent on inflicting hardship on the public, using the palace authority as a cover would be dealt with accordingly. He frowned at the unwholesome development, adding that the palace authority does not authorise anybody or group to collect any form of tax, levy or royalty on its behalf. Oba Ewuare II reiterated the determination of the palace authority to ensure the economic and general well-being of the people. The Oba warned that those engaged in sharp practices should desist from that or face t

Authoritative information reaching Social Reporters has it that the late second son of Chief Tony Anenih, Mr. Eugene Anenih slumped and died during a Lawn Tennis game yesterday afternoon in Lagos. Until his death, Mr. Eugene Anenih served as the Managing Director of Nova Finance and Securities Limited. Mr. Anenih has worked previously at TRW Finance and Securities Limited and A and Hatman Limited amongst other companies. He has been a Director of Thomas Wyatt Nigeria PLC since 2008. He holds a License of the Nigeria Stock Exchange Authorized Clerkship and also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers (CIS). Mr. Anenih holds a B.sc in Bio-Chemistry from the University of Benin in 1990. He attended Harvard Business School where he did his program for Management Development in 2003.

Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that the Vatican has a 2,000-case backlog in processing clerical sex abuse cases and says criticism of the slow pace was justified. But he says more staff are being added and insists the Vatican is “on the right path.” Pope Francis was making his first comments about the criticism levelled at the Vatican’s handling of sex abuse cases by Marie Collins, an Irish abuse survivor who resigned from Francis’ sex abuse advisory commission in March. Collins quit because of what she said was the “unacceptable” level of resistance within the Vatican to implementing the group’s proposals to better care for victims and protect children from priests who rape and molest them. Speaking to reporters while flying home Saturday from a trip to Portugal, Pope Francis called Collins “a great woman” and said she was “a bit right” to complain about the slow pace in processing cases. “Marie Collins was right on that point. But we are on the right path, as there were 2,00

Chelsea Football club have emerged champions of the 2016/2017 English Premier League, after a 1-0 win over hosts West Brom which took them to 87 points. They succeeded Leicester City who won it the last season. Chelsea now have 10 points more than closest rivals Tottenham who can only get nine points more as they have only three games left to play. The league championship was the first to be won by Coach Antonio Conte in his first season in charge of the Blues. The winning goal at Hawthorns, was scored by Michy Batshuayi, the striker signed last June, who had hardly kicked the ball all season. He apparently was waiting for the right opportunity as Chelsea said on their website, write his name in Chelsea history by scoring the goal which won the Club’s sixth league championship, the fifth in the Premier League era. The Belgian’s close-range finish on 82 minutes finally broke down predictably stubborn opponents and gave Chelsea the trophy.

The sports ministry on Thursday named the committees to conduct the national sports federation elections . The elections take place in Abuja on June 13 and the ministry has decided to set up a three -man electoral committee for each of the 31 national federations. In the lists released by the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister Nneka Anibeze on Thursday, Kelani Mohammed heads the Athletic Federation of Nigeria ’ s electoral committee with former president of the AFN Toni Urhobo and Bamidele Elijah as members . Brig -Gen . Yakubu Rimdan ( retd . ) leads the Nigeria Basketball Federation electoral committee with Bashir Mohammed and Ray Attelley as members . Baba Sheshi was named the chairman of the boxing electoral committee with Alfred Abbah and Toyin Obisaki as members . For tennis are Bruce Ugbode ( chairman ) , Abubakar Zarto and Garba Ahmed, while table tennis has Hafiz Mohammed ( chairman ) , Meyena Nkwo and Ugo Okeke. Ishaya Habu is the head of the wrestling federation

IRRUA____The Coordinator Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has called on Nigerians to always see the need to get a diagnosis and desist from self medication, in a view to prevent serious and complicating illness. Dr Ihekweazu made the call at a workshop on the Management and control of Lassa Fever and other viral Hemorrhagic fevers organised by the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, (ISTH) Irrua, in collaboration with the Nigeria center for Disease Control (NCDC) in Irrua on tuesday. The NCDC coordinator said "The most important message we have been giving to Nigerians is when you have a fever go to the hospital and get a diagnosis, the era of self medication has gone". He also commended ISTH in their efforts in engaging and supporting the communities affected with lassa fever, describing them as a leader in the diagnosis, care and management of patients with lassa fever in Nigeria. "The Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) has reall

The wife of Ondo Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, said on Sunday that breast cancer has nothing to do with spiritual attack. Akeredolu, who is the facilitator of an NGO, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, said women still require more information to go for early detection and management of the health condition. She said that her organisation was raising awareness on the danger of cancer as the disease had killed a lot of women in the society. The governors wife told the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] in Ibadan that some people still believed that cancer had no cure and was caused by juju and other spiritual attacks. “I can openly say that breast cancer is a medical issue and if the right thing is done at the right time, which is early detection as well as presenting one to the medical doctor early, it will save a lot of things. “Women can do early self breast examination. In our campaign, we have dwelt a lot on early self breast examination by women. “Women knowing how their breas

President Muhammadu Buhari attended Friday’s prayers at the Mosque inside the presidential villa. Buhari was joined for the two-rakat prayers by top government officials including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. His appearance at the mosque is expected to douse tense about his whereabouts as he has not been seen in public for some time now. The President, who has been ill, had not been seen in public for weeks, fuelling speculations about his health. He missed last Friday’s prayers. Buhari also missed the weekly Federal Executive Council meetings last week, making it three consecutive weeks. However, the President’s wife, Aisha, said his health was not as bad as “perceived”. On Friday, Buhari arrived the Mosque at 1:28 p.m., escorted by a retinue of followers. Dressed in all white attire, he walked briskly from his official residence to the mosque and back, covering about 600 metres. He stopp

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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has advocated for the independence of anti-graft agencies in order to strengthen their operations. He said these agencies would do better if granted financial autonomy through their inclusion among institutions on the first-line charge. The former vice-president also suggested that anti-graft agencies should be under the supervision of the National Assembly. Atiku said this in a speech entitled, “Good Governance and Development: Notes on Nigeria,” which he delivered at the 2nd Annual Convention of the Abia State Medical Association Alumni Association, UK, held at Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Dartford, London. A copy of the speech was sent to our correspondent via an e-mail on Monday. He said for the anti-corruption war to achieve the desired results, premium must be placed on crime prevention through the removal of the opportunities that promote corruption. Atiku equally explained that good governance, which he described as a prerequisite for d