Esan Community

By Ozioruva Aliu BENIN CITY—The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, has said the Benin throne is non-partisan, and warned politicians against turning the state into a war zone as they prepare for the September 19 Edo governorship election. Reacting to the clash among rival politicians in front of the palace on Saturday, the monarch, through a statement by Secretary of Benin Traditional Council, BTC, Frank Irabor, condemned what he described as unruly behaviour of politicians’ supporters, reiterating that the palace remained non-partisan. The BTC statement said the Oba remained committed to peace and tranquillity in the state, and peaceful governorship elections in the state. The statement said: “The BTC (Benin Traditional Council) wishes to state that His Royal Majesty warmly welcomed the august visitors led by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo. “The meeting was cordial. During the meeting, the Oba of Benin recalled the warm reception accorded him by ...

Nigerian Writer, Irenosen Okojie, Wins Top African Literary Prize Channels Television    Updated July 27, 2020 Irenosen Okojie was born in Nigeria and moved to England aged eight.   Nigerian author, Irenosen Okojie, has won the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African writing. The Caine Prize is one of the most prestigious literary prizes on the continent and is awarded to a short fictional story by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere. Another Nigerian writer, Lesley Nneka Arimah, won the 2019 edition. Irenosen, whose debut novel  Butterfly Fish  won a Betty Trask Award, clinched the £10,000 award Caine prize for her short story  Grace Jones , following an impersonator of the singer as she mourns the death of her family in a house fire. Caine prize chair of judges and director of The Africa Centre, Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, said that the journey of Okojie’s main protagonist Sidra, a young woman who has moved to London f...

PLEASE WISH US WELL. Uromi is in the mood of  celebration. idanbhukpe is here  and  ukoran is on the way. Uromi is great! Esanland is great! Our king HRM Anslem Odaloighe  Eidenojie the OjieUromi of Uromi kingdom is great.  Long live the people of Uromi!!! Long Live our King!!!!!! Happy IDANBHUKPE!!!!

EY has forged a unique partnership with Hult International Business School to offers its employees an online MBA for free For years, business schools have anxiously watched and worried about corporate attempts to educate their own employees. The biggest impact of these efforts has been by far on executive education, highly lucrative multi-day and multi-week certificate courses offered at many of the top business schools. But now, there’s a new potential threat in the announcement that EY, the Big Four accounting and consulting giant, has partnered with Hult International Business School on an online MBA program that it will make available for free to all of EY staffers across the world. Within hours of the announcement last week, the firm’s top talent chief heard from many 20-something professionals. “That is the single most popular constituent I have heard from,” says Trent Henry, EY Global Vice Chair for Talent. “They said, ‘I wanted to let you know that I was going to go...

On 6 July, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a rule change setting out “temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester.” The main impact of  the new rule  is that international students on F-1 and M-1 visas will no longer be permitted to enter or remain in the United States if their programme of study is delivered online. The rule reverses a previous exception established by ICE that allowed foreign students to preserve their visa status during online studies over the spring and summer semesters. The ICE guidance explains, “The US Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programmes that are fully online for the fall semester nor will US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States. Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such...

Rivers State Governor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election, Nyesom Wike, has said the statement credited to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, that he (Wike) will be quarantined, was an admission of the plot by the party to use security forces to rig the Edo State election come September 19. Wike who addressed party leaders and members of the 93-member campaign council said the alleged confession of Ganduje was a challenge to the Edo people who have the responsibility to make their choice as electorate on election day. The chairman of the campaign council said while the council members may not have right to vote in Edo State, the security agencies should work by their mandate as provided for in the law and not go outside the brief for free fair and credible elections and allow the people to come out and vote for the party. According to him: “Let us understand the statement made by Ganduje; don’t look at it...

The  trial of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and four others at the Federal High Court, Benin over alleged N700million money allegation was stalled yesterday, as the court could not sit. The case was, however, adjourned to July 7 for hearing. Other defendants in the suit are former Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, state chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi, former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Lucky Imasuen, and Efe Erimuoghae Anthony. The defendants were to appear before Justice Mohammed Umar in an eight-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N700 million. The EFCC, in Suit No. FHC/BE21C/ 2016, said Ize-Iyamu and four others allegedly received public funds illegally to the tune of N700 million for the purpose of the 2015 general election, contrary to the provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act. The anti-graft agency alleged that the de...

You'll face tough competition for your dream graduate job. To increase your chances of success steer clear of the seven most common CV mistakes. 1. Poor formatting CVs that aren't clear and easy to read are a huge turn-off for employers. On average employers spend around eight seconds reviewing each CV - leaving you little time to make a good first impression. It's therefore important to keep your CV concise so that it can be absorbed quickly. The template that you choose to follow when composing your CV should be striking yet uncluttered. Avoid confusing layouts, and beware of using different fonts and sizes. 'Use a reasonable sized font (nothing smaller than a 10), normal sized margins, make sure there's a good amount of white space, and if you can use bullet points instead of paragraphs and full sentences, do,' advises Cassie Leung, resourcing advisor at Penguin Random House UK. Before printing or submitting your CV, save it and spend some time aw...

HISTORY HOW IMAGUERO'S OBSESSION WITH EXPENSIVE CORAL BEADS LED TO THE FAMOUS IDAH WAR OF BENIN During the reign of Oba Ẹsigie around 1504, there was a prominent Chief called Oliha. Chief Oliha had an addiction... It was the woman at the centre of his world. Many understood why he loved and adored his wife to a dangerous level; she was easy on the eyes. Her name was Imaguero. She was very famous for her beauty and Chief Oliha felt very lucky to own such a breathtaking female. Whenever he showed up at the palace, he would brag to anyone who cared to listen about the faithfulness of his precious Imaguero. According to Chief Oliha, this rare beauty was the kindest, most faithful woman in Benin. His fellow elites were more impressed than amused. Some secretly envied him and wished they had a woman that could compete with Oliha's jewel of inestimable value. As time went by, Oba Ẹsigie had some scores to settle with Chief Oliha. The king decided to hit his Chief where it ...

HISTORY Ogbidi Okojie, Onojie (king) of Uromi (1857 – February 3, 1944), was a ruler of the Esan people in what is now part of Edo State in Nigeria, still remembered for his opposition to British rule. According to Uromi lore, Ogbidi Okojie was born in the seventh month of gestation, coming 14th in the line of succession to the Uromi throne. As an African monarch, he believed in his divine right to wield absolute power. Those beliefs motivated his opposition to British Rule, which led to his first exile to Calabar in 1900. In Nigeria, at the end of the nineteenth century, the old order was crumbling, yielding to the new British colonial system. After the Royal Niger Company transferred its territories to the British government, the latter expanded and strengthened its control, unseating the traditional rulers. In 1900, Uromi was invaded by the British troops. Unlike Chief Nana of Brohimie-Warri, who opposed a strong resistance to the British troops when his domain was invad...

President Muhammadu Buhari thanks Nigerian student who returned missing wallet to police in Japan. [Twitter/@GovBello] President Buhari saluted Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people. President Muhammadu Buhari has commended a Nigerian doctorate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan, Mr Ikenna Nweke, who returned a missing wallet with huge sums of money to the police, and also turned down offer of a percentage by the authorities. The president made the commendation in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Saturday. President Buhari saluted Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people. According to him, the good virtues and propriety are the hallmark of every culture in Nigeria, while crimes and criminalities are exceptions. The president believed Nweke’s behaviour, coming at a period that ...

The final list of duly nominated candidates will be published on August 13. Governor Godwin Obaseki (left) and Osagie Ize-Iyamu (right) are the two main candidates contesting the September 19 election [Daily Trust] The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed 14 candidates who will contest in the Edo State governorship election. The commission said in a statement on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 that 14 parties submitted names of their candidates. Governor Godwin Obaseki  of the Peoples Democratic Party and  Osagie Ize-Iyamu  of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are the most notable names on the provisional list. Both candidates have swapped the platforms on which they contested in the 2016 election won by Obaseki who's confident he'll win a second term in office. Other candidates who will also battle for residence in the Edo Government House include  Akhigbe Benjamin Ehiabi  of the African Democratic Congress (ADC),  Ibio Lucky Em...

                 Esan Community Digest                          ........................ The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the September 19 election in Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki has obtained a new discharge certificate from the National Youth Service Corps with number A 004280695. The Independent National Electoral Commission in Edo State had late Thursday displayed the forms of the 14 governorship candidates that will contest for the election at the commission’s secretariat in Benin City. Our correspondent, who visited the office on Friday, observed that Obaseki’s new discharge certificate was issued on June 19, attached with a memo entitled, ‘Re-correction of name and re-issuance of my certificate of national service’, and signed on behalf of the Director-General by Mrs K.N Okonofua. The memo read, “We refer to your letter reference...

ESAN COMMUNITY DIGEST  ...................... What scares me of female genital mutilation Definition : Female genital mutilation or female circumcision is a form of abuse that tends to cut off fully or partially the external female genitalia or other parts of the female genital organs for non-genuine medical reasons (World Health Organization, 2013). In the African Continent up to 27 countries practice female genital mutilation as a cultural ritual practice within ethnic groups and also there is prevalence in Asia as well but not as much as what is practised in Africa. Why it’s so scary?  The barbaric practice is carried out with or without anaesthesia, in an environment that lacks health and safety standards or measures such as using one razor or knife for several women during the rituals, lack of infection control and dirty, rough premises. When you get circumcised as a woman depends on the particular culture, some get mutilated as early as when they were born to puberty. Wh...

ESAN COMMUNITY DIGEST ........................ Edo 2020: Why INEC Must Not Accept Osagie-Ize Iyamu Edo 2020:  WHY INEC MUST NOT ACCEPT OSAGIE IZE-IYAMU AS APC GUBER CANDIDATE. As it is today there is no duly elected National Chairman and Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as required by the Electoral Law to submit the name of the governorship candidate in Edo State, to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a result of the dissolution of the party's National Executive Committee, NEC, wherein principal officers including the National Chairman and the Secretary were sacked and subsequently stripped off of their administrative functions and powers.  The question is "Can a caretaker Committee Chairman and Secretary that were not duly elected at the APC convention perform the duties required in the Electoral Law, especially submission of governorship candidate for election in Edo State? This question is obviously begging for an answer.  It is imp...

ESAN COMMUNITY DIGEST..... The Edo PDP's Return to Winning Ways. The Signals and the Power of Transparency  by Comrade Mike O.  Enahoro The Edo PDP Umbrella may have leaked for the past twelve years but not now anymore, under the able leadership of Rt. Hon. Dr. Tony Aziegbemi as its Chairman. It will be an understatement to say, the PDP is returning to winning ways as promised by the State Chairman while campaigning for the position a few months ago. What is no doubt is that the signals are getting clearer by day... You will recall that we did warn that, the Edo PDP will experience the worse sell out ever and record the most embarrassing loss if it did impose a candidate on its members during its primary for Edo 2020. I can remember that we did suggest to its leadership that, the only way out was to ensure a very credible and most transparent primary to enable the party to remain united to confront the battle ahead as it will affect Edo 2020. Today I can say ahead of time that...