The Guardian (Nigeria)

Edo NEWMAP intensifie­s work on erosion sites

Obaseki’s wife tasks politician­s on nation building

- From Michael Egbejule, Benin City

WIFE of Edo State Governor, Betsy Obaseki, has urged politician­s to forget personal gains and think of the common good.

Mrs. Obaseki made the disclosure when the Deputy National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), Hadizat Umoru, and the State Woman Leader, Lindsay Tes- Sorae, visited her at the Government House, Benin City.

Noting that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s passion for the developmen­t of the state earned him a place in the hearts of many, she urged every politician to work towards developmen­t and progress.

She maintained that such passion should transcend party platforms, adding that it accounted for the emergence of Edo’s one big family.

“We are all Nigerians. We must love our country. We must make our country to be great. I appeal that we all forget our personal gains and think of the common good,” she said.

Earlier, the visitors said they were at the Government House to welcome their host to the PDP family.

EEKS after Benin residents protested against the non- payment of compensati­on for structures demolished to pave way for flood control measures, the Edo State Government, in collaborat­ion with the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project ( NEWMAP), yesterday revved up measures to

Wavert flood, with accelerate­d work on about 10 erosion and flood control projects across the state.

Project Coordinato­r of NEWMAP, Dr. Tom Obaseki, told journalist­s in Benin City that the federal and state government­s were committed to arresting flood and erosion across various communitie­s in the state.

Some of the projects he listed include Ogiso- Osunde flood control site, Edo College gully reclamatio­n work, flood alleviatio­n and protection constructi­on work on Upper Adesuwa Road, and Gapiona Street in Oredo Council GRA.

He noted that reclamatio­n work at the Oshiobugie­Auchi, Queen Ede, Ekenwan and Ewu, and other areas of the state had been completed.

While responding to the alleged neglect and non- payment of compensati­on to some residents of Gapiona area in the implementa­tion of the Resettleme­nt Action Plan ( RAP), the project coordinato­r said: “We have since commenced the payment of compensati­on to Project Affected Persons ( PAPS) after painstakin­gly going through the establishe­d process.

“We must say that there are few hiccups that caused delays in some areas, either arising from disputes over ownership of some property or lack of understand­ing by few persons of the operationa­l guidelines of the project, even after several enlightenm­ent sessions. It is out of place for some group of persons to go to the media, peddling falsehood that we refused to pay them.”

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