• Sets up hajj committee, Muslim welfare board

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, shunned a reception organised for him in Abudu, administrative headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Government Area.

The governor shunned the reception, to register his displeasure with the locals over the deplorable condition of Esigie Comprehensive College, an outreach of College of Education, Ekiadolor.

Obaseki, in company with members representing Orhionmwon East and Orhionmwon South constituencies, Nosayaba Okunbor and Roland Asoro respectively, and the interim Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mallam Ali Sulayman, inspected the facility on Thursday morning.

Expressing his disappointment with residents of the area, he declared that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would serve as a guarantee from the community, must be signed before the state would commit resources to refurbish the school.

“How can this be a college of education? Nobody cares about the development and maintenance of public facilities. If politics is about development, this is the opposite. The damage in this school is frightening. How do you think our children can have a future with this school? I am not happy. I did not expect any party leader from here to visit me in Benin until we fix this place because we are talking about the future of our children,” he said.

The governor described the school’s condition as ‘sad and pathetic’ because Abudu is important in Edo’s educational landscape, especially as one of the earliest teacher-training colleges was established there.

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On his plan for the school, he said: “We are seeking to change the curriculum into a technology-based one. This attitude of feeling that we can forget the past and start from nowhere is wrong. After the holiday, we will train teachers in the new curriculum, which we want to introduce in primaries 1 and 2, in September. We will have to carry out emergency repairs to accommodate the teachers when they come here in the next one or two months.”

Meanwhile, Obaseki has disclosed his administration will constitute a Hajj committee and Muslim welfare board, to create a structure for Muslims intending to travel for hajj, this year.

Obaseki disclosed this as he broke the fast with eminent Edo imams at the Government House, in Benin, where he also declared that his government will build a strong and united state, and engender safety and security to contribute to the economic development of the state.

Speaking with the religious leaders, he said: “We are happy to receive you and we will continue to join you in prayers. Know that Allah, in His infinite mercies, will speedily answer our prayers and  urged them to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari.

as well as for the sustenance of the nation’s peace, and above all, for the continued peace of the state.

Chief Imam of Benin Central Mosque, Alhaji Abdulfatai Enabulele, thanked the governor for the warm reception accorded the delegation.

The religious leader said: “We want to thank you for the food items you distributed to our Muslim brothers and sisters during this period across the state. We appeal to you to approve a space for us here in Government House where we can observe our five times daily prayers.”