Express News

 No fewer than  630 young people, women, and people with disabilities  have been trained by the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) in Edo State. Speaking at the event in Benin, Governor Monday Okpebholo  said that his administration's agricultural initiatives were pathways to prosperity and economic development.  The Governor who was represented by Commissioner for Agriculture, Jerry Uwangue said he would transform Edo into a hub of modern agriculture and food security. The Governor thanked the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for their consistent partnership and support for the project. He said that  the project has continued to empower rural youth and women to engage meaningfully in agriculture.  Governor Okpebholo said agriculture has been repositioned as the cornerstone of his Agricultural Transformat...

As part of it's corporate social responsibility to its host  Communities, Okomu  Oil Palm Company Plc has awarded bursaries worth N150,000 each to 56 indigent students from communities surrounding its operational areas in Edo state.  Mr Fidelis Olise, the company’s Communication Officer, while speaking at the presentation ceremony said the gesture was part of its 2025 corporate social responsibility (CSR). The bursaries, totalling N8.4 million, he said, were to ease the financial burden on students from low-income families and promote access to quality education across the company’s host and neighbouring communities. According to him, the bursary scheme underscores Okomu’s long-standing commitment to human capital development and community empowerment. “This initiative reflects our company’s commitment to giving back and ensuring that students from our neighbouring communities have the opportunity to pursue education without undue financial strain on their parents or guar...

By Fred Itua In a political and economic landscape where debt accumulation has become a norm, Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State is quietly scripting a new narrative; one anchored on prudence, discipline, and purposeful leadership. His administration is redefining what is possible when integrity meets strategy in governance. The Debt Management Office (DMO) recent release, shows that Edo State’s domestic debt has dropped significantly from ₦113 billion in December 2024 to ₦80 billion by June 2025, while foreign debt has reduced from $383 million to $337 million. This rare achievement did not come through new loans, bailouts, or federal interventions; it came through careful management, transparent spending, and strategic prioritization. In less than a year in office, Governor Okpebholo has demonstrated that progress does not depend on reckless borrowing, but on sound economic thinking and disciplined governance. The governor’s stewardship has shifted the state’s fiscal trajectory f...

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has issued a strong warning to the management of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), cautioning against further encroachment on land belonging to Edo State Specialist Hospital, vowing that his administration will not tolerate the erosion of public property. Governor Okpebholo gave the directive during an inspection tour of the MOWAA project at King’s Square, Benin City, where he was conducted around the site by the museum’s Executive Director, Mr. Philip Iheanacho.  The Governor said the visit was aimed at obtaining first-hand information on the project’s physical boundaries and ensuring proper demarcation between both properties. Speaking after the inspection, Okpebholo expressed dissatisfaction over the degree of encroachment, describing it as unacceptable and potentially detrimental to the hospital’s future expansion. “We are here to inspect the land occupied by MOWAA and that of the Edo Specialist Hospital. The hospital has exis...

The Edo State Government, has ordered Heads of Local Government Administration (HoLGAs) across the 18 Local Government Areas in the state to proceed on compulsory leave with immediate effect.  The Chairman, of the Edo State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Adjoto Kabiru, gave the directive while speaking with journalists in Benin. He said the move was to revamp and reform the local government administration in the state. According to him " in line with the Shine Agenda of His Excellency Comrade Senator Monday Okpebholo, we moved around, made some observation and after our movement around the entire 18 local government councils, we took  some decisions  "One of the decisions we have taken is directive to all local government administration HoLGAs to proceed on compulsory leave.  " The decision is in line with the ongoing restructuring and revamping of the local government council system in Edo,  aimed at strengthening administrative efficiency, promoting...

By Fred Itua There was a time, not too long ago, when the mention of Benin City stirred unease. Streets once alive with commerce and culture had become theatres of fear, haunted by the menace of cult clashes, street assassinations, and senseless violence.  The air was heavy with tension; lives were being wasted, families shattered, and businesses crippled by insecurity that defied all interventions. Today, that story is changing quietly but unmistakably. And at the heart of this transformation is Governor Monday Okpebholo, the man who has restored peace to Edo State, proving that once there is a will, there surely will be a way.  Okpebholo’s journey in restoring calm to a once fractured state has not been about grandstanding or political showmanship. It has been a deliberate, strategic, and deeply human effort to reclaim Edo from the grip of chaos. Through courage, consistency, and an uncommon sense of duty, he has redefined governance as a mission of protection; protection of...

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has pledged the State Government’s full support to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in its efforts to curb vandalism and regulate scrap and scavenging activities across the State. The Governor made the commitment on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the new NSCDC Commandant, Edo State Command, Commandant Akintayo Saidi Ayinla, at the Government House in Benin City, the State capital. Governor Okpebholo, during the visit, extended his condolences to the NSCDC over the passing of the late Commandant Gbenga Agun Joseph, describing the news of his death as a shock. Okpebholo said: "Let me welcome you to Government House this morning and, first of all, condole with you once again on the passing of our friend and brother, your predecessor. Having said that, I want to welcome you back to Edo. With the information I have before me, you are not new to the State. So, I can say that you are a son of the soil.”  Addressing the...

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has announced plans to unlock the potential of solid minerals to drive economic growth and development in Nigeria. This was made known by the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC Mrs Nonye Ayeni in a   keynote address in a seminar  in Benin City. The theme of the event was "Strategic Engagement on Formalization/Standardization of Solid Minerals Development for Export Competitiveness"   Ayeni who was  represented by Andrew Okhiulu, the Edo coordinator NEPC, emphasized the importance of formalizing and standardizing the solid minerals sector to boost economic growth and development.  Ayeni said  the NEPC's initiative is expected to contribute to the growth and development of the solid minerals sector, which is richly endowed in Nigeria, particularly in Edo, with deposits of kaolin clay, limestone, gypsum, marble, granite, feldspar, dolomite, iron ore, and lignite. She highlighted the potential of the solid min...

Indigenes and residents of Okhuoromi Community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest against the alleged plan to reinstate Ovbokhan Igbinovia as the Ohen of the community. The protesters, who marched through major streets of Benin City, called on Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, and the Edo State Police Command to intervene, warning that such a move would pose a direct threat to peace and unity in the community. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Comrade Kenneth Waya said that the individual in question presided over “a period of unprecedented lawlessness” during his tenure, with actions that allegedly amounted to criminal offences against the laws of Edo State and Nigeria. “Allowing his return would undermine your government’s efforts to maintain security and would signal an endorsement of criminal conduct,” he said. Waya explained that opposition to the former Ohen’s reinst...