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By Ehis Agugu The Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Magdalene Ohenhen, yesterday flagged off the zonal training workshop on better parenting with a focus on most critical but overlooked factors responsible for the myriad of social issues affecting our children directly and indirectly. The event was tagged 'Better Parenting' organized by the Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children), attracted stakeholders nationwide in the ministry/secretariat of women affairs and social development as well as the civil society spectrum, who lauded the 4Children Project for a well thought out training/workshop. The honourable commissioner who was ably represented by Mrs. Julie Osigbemhe Olatunji, Permanent Secretary in the ministry added that she was standing on the compliment of the Executive Governor of Edo State 'Mr. Godwin Obaseki' and the good people of Edo State to emphasize this administration's determination to engage every...

The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the relationship between the state government and the Benin Monarch, Omo N' Oba N' Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, in the last one year, has improved the quality of life in the state. Governor Obaseki disclosed this on Friday at a Gala Night to mark the one-year coronation anniversary of Oba Ewuare II, in Benin city, the state capital, on Friday. The governor described his working relationship with the monarch in the one year he has reigned as inspirational and unique, noting that the cordial relationship has been instrumental to the successes recorded by his government in the last one year.  Obaseki said that the collaboration has helped the government in addressing some of the concerns raised in His Majesty’s coronation speech last year, which resulted in the state government’s new law which outlawed the activities of Community Development Associations (CDAs) as well as the development of the Gelegele Seaport. ...

In a bid to re-engineer the economy of Edo State towards a better future for its citizens, the Godwin Obaseki-led government is set to host the maiden Edo State Investment Summit with the theme “Envisioning the Future” from November 10 – 12, 2017 at Edo Hotels, Okada Avenue, Benin City. Christened ‘Alaghodaro’ meaning ‘progress’, the three-day summit will bring together local and international business leaders and investors, bankers, financiers, industry experts, policymakers, the diplomatic community and the academia to explore Edo’s rich potential across various sectors. Speaking on the importance of the summit, Asue Ighodalo, Chairman of Alaghodaro 2017 said: “The world over, governments are looking beyond oil to alternative revenue sources in order to ensure sustainable development, and we must also get creative and take action today for our future and the future of our children.” “Alaghodaro is part of the response of the Edo State Government to the imminent threat of an oil-...

…proffers broad-based growth models The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday called on world leaders to adopt a common strategy to end poverty in all parts of the world. Obaseki made the call on Tuesday on the occasion of the commemoration of the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed on October 17, each year. According to the governor, “world leaders need to review their social and economic policies to accommodate the needs of people in the rich, developing and underdeveloped countries.” He explained that “what causes poverty in some countries is in actual fact, the result or effect of some policies in the developed countries,” arguing “anti-free trade and protectionist policies abound that put developing countries in very precarious situations and ultimately, in poverty.” To create a level-playing field for all economies to take equal leap at development, Obaseki proffered “a broad-based and an all-inclusive global development plan anchored on fai...

Application Deadline: 22 October 2017. https://goo.gl/oS6WFF Applications are now open to join a course in London that builds the capacity of young people to counter hate speech and violent radicalisation. Run by the Commonwealth Secretariat and Council of Europe, the five-day course will empower young leaders and youth workers from across the Commonwealth to develop counter narratives to hate speech and strengthen support for human rights through non-formal education and awareness-raising actions. The course starts in London at the Commonwealth’s headquarters on November 27. The No Hate Speech Movement is a youth campaign of the Council of Europe to promote human rights online, helping to ensure that hate speech is unacceptable.  It also develops youth participation and citizenship on-line, including Internet governance processes. Profile of Participants     The training course will reflect the regional diversity of the Commonwealth and invites Commonwealth citizens...

     ...Agugu couldn't agree more 1. *Installmentally:* This “word” is a favourite of many Nigerians, but, sadly, it simply does not exist. You won’t find it any reputable dictionary. The correct thing to say when “installmentally” comes to your mind is in _"instalments"_ or _"by instalments"_. *2. Plumpy:* Nigerians use _“plumpy”_ when they want to say that someone is chubby or slightly fat. The correct expression is _plump_. 3. *Disvirgin:* This particular “word” is used severally on a daily basis, especially by Nigerian men when they intend saying that a woman has lost her virginity to a guy. The correct word to use, however, is _"deflower"_, because “disvirgin” is not a word. 4. *Crosscarpeting:* This is a favourite of Nigerian politicians and political analysts alike. They use it when they want to say that a politician has dumped his political party for another party, usually a rival party. The right terms to use when describing this scenario are ...

 By Ehis Agugu Recognizing this global health problem, the Raffles Oil LFTZ Enterprise, manufacturer of the heart-friendly vegetable cooking oil brand-Power Oil, in line with her goal of improving the health of the people staged a free health check amid lecture on how to maintain healthy living in commemoration of this year's world heart day tagged "Share the Power", in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD). On 29 September, thousands of World Heart Federation members, partners and supporting organizations and individuals joined forces to inspire millions of people worldwide to live heart-healthy lives. Mrs. V. Erebor, Director of Admin and Supply of the ministry gave the pep talk, encouraging staffs of the ministry, and participants from non-governmental organizations to be actively involved in the health check exercise. "We felicitate with the power oil health camp team and their counterparts elsewhere in the world and ...