The State of Edo Now

30/12/2025

Edo Governor’s Loyalist, Political Thug ‘Shaba’ Accused Of Beating Female Hotel Worker For Demanding Salary

Full story in comments section 👇🏽

30/12/2025

Breaking....

Osaze Adun(Kapuepue), the person who led others to abduct and assualt Dr. Pedro Obaseki has revealed those behind him. In a one hour interview he had with Egogo Thetowncrier, he admitted assaulting Pedro Obaseki on the authority of the Oba of Benin and said no Edo person has right in Benin. According to him, it is only the Oba of Benin that has right. He further paid tribute to the Governor of Edo State who he said came to rescue the state. The interviewer, Emmanuel Egogo is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Communication.

29/12/2025

When the state endorses crime, anarchy looms. Slowly but surely.

28/12/2025

Obaseki condemns abduction of Dr Pedro Obaseki at gun point at Uwa Primary School
..says he's surprised that Oba of Benin will stoop this low

His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the immediate past governor of Edo State, has condemned in the strongest terms the violent attack and abduction of his cousin, Dr. Pedro Obaseki at gun point by armed thugs said to be acting under the instructions of the palace of the Oba of Benin.

In a statement, Obaseki said, "I strongly condemn the violent attack, maiming and abduction of my cousin, Dr. Pedro Obaseki, by armed thugs who are said to be acting under instructions of the palace of the Oba of Benin."

Dr Pedro Obaseki, a former Managing Director of DAAR Communications and a renowned journalist, was attacked at Uwa Primary School, where he was subjected to physical assault, intimidation, and torture by the armed thugs before being forcefully taken to the palace.

A viral video circulating on social media shows the armed thugs taking the brutalised Dr Pedro who was already stripped of his clothing to the palace, where they were ceremoniously received by some palace chiefs.

Sources say the thugs are awaiting further instructions from the Oba of Benin before Dr. Pedro Obaseki is released.

Reacting to the development, Godwin Obaseki described the incident as a grave violation of fundamental human rights and a reckless disregard for the rule of law.

He expressed deep disappointment over the involvement of the palace in such a barbaric, shameful and ignoble act, adding, “I am surprised that our monarch would stoop so low and allow his hands to be soiled in such an ignoble act. This is not only embarrassing but deeply troubling.

“I call on security agencies to immediately investigate this matter thoroughly and transparently, identify those responsible for this barbaric act and ensure they are held accountable in accordance with the law. A situation where thugs and non-state actors appear to freely take the law into their own hands on behalf of high-profile individuals and those in positions of authority can only result in one outcome, a degeneration into a state of anarchy, which will do no one no good.”

He further charged, “I urge human rights organizations, civil society groups, and all well-meaning Nigerians to lend their voices and speak out firmly against this injustice and gross violation of human rights.”

19/12/2025

Ex-FCSC Commissioner, Idahagbon petitions Senate, accuses Oshiomhole of false corruption claims, abuse of privilege

A former Commissioner of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Henry Omoregie Williams Idahagbon, has petitioned the Senate President, accusing Senator Adams Oshiomhole of making “reckless, false and malicious” allegations of corruption against him during a Senate confirmation hearing.

In the petition dated and addressed to the Senate President, Idahagbon said Oshiomhole’s objection to his reappointment was based on “a sweeping allegation of corruption in recruitment and promotion activities at the Federal Civil Service Commission,” which he described as “completely unsupported by any evidence.”

“I state categorically, unequivocally, and without reservation that this allegation is false, malicious, reckless, and completely unsupported by any evidence,” Idahagbon declared, adding that the only reason he had not instituted a libel action was because the statement was made under parliamentary privilege.

He challenged the Edo North senator to repeat the allegations outside the Senate chamber, saying, “where privilege does not apply and where facts, not insinuations, are required.”

Idahagbon, whose tenure as FCSC commissioner expired on 26 August 2025 before his renomination by the President, alleged that Oshiomhole’s action was driven by personal grievances arising from his refusal to compromise civil service recruitment processes.

According to the petitioner, on 15 August 2023, Oshiomhole forwarded an examination number belonging to “a lady personally associated with him” and instructed that she be ensured a pass and promotion.

Idahagbon said the candidate “failed the examination woefully,” adding, “I refused to interfere with or manipulate the process, in strict adherence to the rules governing civil service examinations and promotions.”

He further claimed to be in possession of the candidate’s examination scripts, which he said showed “miserable performance and abysmally low scores,” and offered to submit them to the Senate for independent verification.

“Any intervention on my part would have amounted to outright fraud and abuse of office,” he said, alleging that following his refusal, Oshiomhole “became visibly incensed” and later subjected him to over an hour of verbal abuse in the presence of a legal practitioner who could testify to the incident.

The former commissioner also linked the senator’s hostility to political disagreements over the 2024 Edo State governorship election, saying he openly opposed Oshiomhole’s support for a candidate from Edo South, citing equity, zoning principles, and public allegations of financial compromise.

“I canvassed this position openly and in good conscience, solely in the interest of equity, fairness, and political balance,” Idahagbon stated, noting that he articulated these views during a nationally televised interview.

He described it as “ironic” that Oshiomhole now labels him corrupt, given that the senator had previously appointed or recommended him for several sensitive positions, including Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Edo State, Secretary-General of the Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation, and nominee for appointment to the Federal Civil Service Commission.

“If I am truly corrupt as now alleged, should his judgment, discernment, and credibility not be seriously questioned?” Idahagbon asked in the petition.

He further accused Oshiomhole of misrepresenting senatorial status at plenary, stressing that the senator does not represent his district. “Senator Oshiomhole is not my Senator. He represents Edo North Senatorial District. I am from Edo South,” he said.

Addressing the substance of the corruption claim, Idahagbon stated that there had been a federal embargo on employment since 2020, except for a special 2023 waiver that allowed recruitment of 1,350 persons nationwide, with only 18 slots allocated to Edo State.

“The first person employed on my Edo allocation was Taofiq Oshiomhole,” he disclosed, adding that he had attached copies of employment letters and urged the Senate to independently verify them. “If any one of them proves that he or she paid me one naira in connection with employment, I will voluntarily submit myself to the EFCC,” he said.

On promotion matters, Idahagbon maintained that promotions at the FCSC are “a collective, transparent, and institutional process,” making it “impossible for a single Commissioner to unilaterally influence or manipulate the process.”

He said the allegations had caused serious reputational damage, noting that his family, including his children, had been inundated with calls since the Senate session.

“This is the first time in my entire public career that I have been accused of corruption,” he said.

Idahagbon urged the Senate to invite him to defend himself, compel Oshiomhole to substantiate his claims, and discourage what he described as “the abuse of parliamentary privilege for personal vendetta,” while upholding his constitutional right to fair hearing.

19/12/2025

Monday Okpebholo should 'coslidate'' Edo sicirity and protect lives of the people

18/12/2025

Godfather Oshiomhole's hammar falls on another Benin man, Henry Idahagbon

👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

Senate steps down Omoregie Henry Idahagbon's nomination, confirms Ngbea as FCSC commissioner

December 17, 2025

The Senate on Wednesday considered the report of the committee on establishment and public service matters on the confirmation of nominees for appointment as commissioners of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

Cyril Fasuyi, chairman of the senate committee on establishment and public services, presented the report during the plenary.

The nominees are Idahagbon Omoregie, representing Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states, and Ngbea Gabriel, representing Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states.

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, raised objections to the nomination of Omoregie.

“I have drawn the attention of the chairman of this committee to the fact that the first name on that list representing Edo, Ondo and Ekiti is from Edo state,” Oshiomhole said.

“I had the privilege and honour of nominating him five years ago. But, with his conduct as a federal commissioner when it comes to recruitment and promotion, a lot of issues of corruption and other malpractices were raised.

“And I draw the chairman’s attention to this. I plead with the senate that the nomination of Idahagbon Omoregie be deferred because we have proposed a replacement which will come from the same senatorial zone, so there is no question of upsetting any balance.”

Sani Musa, senator representing Niger east, said any nominee sent for screening without the support of his senator should be stepped down.

“I will propose that this should be stepped down for further legislation,” Musa said.

Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central, supported the idea of stepping down the nominee.

“The parliamentary practice, particularly in this chamber, is that if there is any nomination from the office of the president coming here, if two senators are opposed to that nomination, that nomination stands withdrawn,” Aliero said.

“I will therefore suggest that since Senator Adams Oshiomhole comes from the same senatorial district with the nominee, and since the nominee is representing not only Edo state but also a group of three other states, and he is the one that comes from his own senatorial district, and he raised very weighty allegations, I am of the opinion that we should step down the confirmation for further consultations.”

Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, who presided over the plenary, agreed with the position and urged the chamber not to over flog the matter.

“Let’s not over flog the matter. We are not saying it is over, but we should explore and move further and see how the matter could be resolved,” Barau said.

Barau put the matter to a voice vote, and the ‘ayes’ had it.

The senate consequently stepped down the nomination of Omoregie.

However, Ngbea Gabriel was confirmed after a voice vote, following approval by the committee of the whole.

17/12/2025

A man who doesn't know the difference between recurrent and reocurrent does not have an idea what a budget is.

17/12/2025

Gift Ajayi once said...

She wept wetin no good for this video sha.

12/12/2025

Okpebholo continues onslaught on investment in Benin-speaking Edo South with most recent attack on Radisson Hotel Project

By Crusoe Osagie

Once again, I feel obligated to respond to the cocktail of lies being spun by the Edo State Government, this time through Kassim Afegbua, the Commissioner for Information, who appears to have suddenly woken up from his elongated hiatus since his appointment.

The most recent concocted controversy is the Radisson Hotel Project, initiated and implemented through the deployment of the deft financial skill of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the immediate past Governor of the State.

Before we go into the details of the matter, it is important to place on record that this charade has become a predictable pattern deployed by this government since it took office over a year ago, clearly to deflect the attention of Edo people from the obvious fact that the government has no development plan for the people of the State.

First was it N30bn Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA)
Then the 95MW Ossiomo Power Project

Next came the onslaught against the Saro Farms and Ethanol plant, in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area

They also crippled the Edo Printing Centre at the premises of the Nigerian Observer along Airport Road.

Then came the attack on Presco, which they quickly backed off from after the blowback.

And now, the latest target is the Radisson Hotel Project.

In all of these attacks, it is nothing but the politics of distraction in order to wind down the first four years of their administration, for which they do not have any plan for the people of the State.

To the issue raised around the Radisson Project: for the umpteenth time, Obaseki has explained that the project was initiated by his government as a segment of the larger plan for the tourism sector, which included other projects like MOWAA, the yet-to-be-kicked-off Benin Royal Museum, and the support for the National Museum at Ring Road, among others.

And as any innovative government should do, the Edo State Government injected the initial funds to make the investment attractive and eventually passed it on to a private investor at a value multiple times the amount the government had invested in it, with the new investor taking over the full assets and liabilities of the project, while still reserving 20 percent equity of the business for the State Government.

In the search for a reason to destroy this laudable investment initiative, Okpebholo has taken the Radisson Project to the EFCC and has also gone to court in an endless rat chase to undermine the project. All of these efforts have proven futile, and having failed woefully to create a distraction where there is none, they have now resorted to propaganda as a form of media trial on the matter.

Like I wrote in a recent piece titled, “Okpebholo’s attack on Benin-speaking Edo South leaves economic carcasses on his trail,” Okpebholo and his ilk appear resolute in their plan to cripple these best-in-class investments, all of which, curiously, are in the Benin-speaking Edo South senatorial district.

But for their onslaught against these investments, which are designed to directly and indirectly absorb not less than 50,000 employees, apart from the manifold economic value chains they were intended to create, they have effectively stalled these businesses, which, by all intents, would have been operational one year after the Obaseki administration.

We are calling on Okpebholo and his ilk, with all that they hold dear, to cut this steeplechase and end their onslaught against Edo State and, in particular, the Benin-speaking Edo South. As it is my well-considered opinion that if these five-star projects were located in Iyamho, Auchi, or even Irrua, I doubt they would have come under such vicious and irresponsible attacks from the Okpebholo government.

They must be reminded that their irresponsible and reckless actions constitute a direct assault on the sensibilities and sensitivities of private-sector investors and at the very least, will further discourage investors from coming into the State, and in many cases, could even force those already operating in the State to seek alternative locations for their businesses.

We urge them to spare the people of Edo this distraction. The Radisson Hotel project was clean and carried out in the best interest of the people. It is also important to restate that Obaseki has neither a direct nor an indirect stake or ownership in the project.

To conclude, we urge the people of Edo to disregard the lies, not be distracted, remain focused, and hold Okpebholo accountable for his responsibilities to Edo people, which include protecting their lives and property, and creating opportunities for them to live life to the fullest.

Edo people must ask Okpebholo how this barrage of attacks on investments in the State translates into jobs and tangible benefits for the teeming youth population of the State, many of whom are seeking opportunities to work, earn a living, and build careers.

Osagie is the Media Adviser to former Governor Godwin Obaseki

04/12/2025