CONCORD ONLINE NEWS

Ugbesia (m), others at the meeting               Hendrix Oliomogbe   The chairman, Edo State Traditional Medicine Board, Chief Abudu Godwin Ugbesia has debunked rumours making the rounds of a plan by the board to introduce compulsory registration and exorbitant fees for traditional medicine practitioners, shrines and ancestral worship centres in the state. Chief Ugbesia, who spoke recently in Benin City at an interactive session with traditional doctors and medicine men also announced plans to construct a traditional medicine hospital, where mentally challenged patients would be treated with herbs, before reintegration back to their families. The chairman further remarked that  hectares of land allocated to the board by Governor Monday Okpebholo from the state government forest reserve in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area have been fully cultivated, adding that herbs for the proposed hospital will be sourced from the botanical garden...

‎Hendrix Oliomogbe ‎Edo State Government has sharply criticized the 2026 Phillips Consulting States Performance Index (pSPI), which poorly ranked Edo for having the weakest momentum in its assessment of states across various governance and development indicators, prompting calls for policy review and accelerated delivery in critical sectors. In a statement Monday in Benin City, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kasim Afegbua, the government insisted that the state’s ranking in the 2026 pSPI was faulty as most of the fiscal, administrative and governance indicators used in the report had already been shaped by policies, budgets, expenditure decisions and institutional realities that predated the current administration. Prince Afegbua reminded that Governor Monday Okpebholo took office on November 12, 2024, after much of the period assessed in the report had already elapsed. He argued that the timing of Okpebholo’s assumption of office ought to have been considered in...

   Nabbed: suspected cultists  By Comrade Festus Alenkhe For years, Edo State wore the toga of shame. Our once peaceful communities became battlegrounds. Cultism, with its attendant bloodletting, extortion, and fear, became a second government. Our youths were the casualties, our fathers and mothers the mourners, and our future the ultimate victim. Today, there is a ray of hope. There is reason to clap hands. There is reason to say that governance has returned to the business of protecting lives. Under Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo, the war against cultism in Edo State has moved from rhetoric to results. And the dividends are clear for all to see: peace and harmony are gradually returning to our streets. Political Will, Decisive Action What changed? Political will.  This administration drew a red line and dared cultists to cross it. The governor gave a marching order to security agencies: dismantle the networks, arrest the sponsors, and restore order. No sacred c...

 Eighemhenrio at the birthday       Hendrix Oliomogbe  There is a time and season for everything under the sun, so it's written. A time to work tirelessly and a time to unwind and celebrate. So it was recently for Dr. Paul Eighemhenrio, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Health and a member of the National Institute For policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos, who was hosted to a surprise birthday celebration by staff of the ministry in Benin City. As a mark of honour and demonstration of deep love and respect, the perm sec, who was attending an official engagement was told to drop by to his office by some staff as he had visitors, only to be caught unaware of a birthday bash organized by the staff when he stepped in. More than anything else, the surprise party was to appreciate him for his sterling leadership qualities, resilience and humility which has endeared him to them. Speaking at the ceremony, the director of Public Jealth, Dr. Ojeifo said ...

     CCETC excavator at work in Ossiomo  Hendrix Oliomogbe  The Ossiomo Power Company, Ologbo, Edo State has expressed its readiness to file cases of contempt of court proceedings against a Chinese firm, Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology Co. Ltd (CCETC) over alleged fragrant disregarding of competent court orders. In a statement weekend in Benin City by the Public Relations Officer, Deacon Ralph Okhiria, he explained that despite several court orders, CCETC has continued to engage in several vexatious activities in deliberate disregard of the orders of both the Federal High Court, Abuja and Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City. Deacon Okhiria alleged that in direct breach of two separate orders of the Federal High Court, Abuja and Edo State High Court, Benin City, some  Chinese staff of CCETC in league with "hired people of questionable characters" had on Thursday, August 6, 2026 used an excavator to illegally trespass the Ossiomo land to ...

              Osagie  Hendrix Oliomogbe  A former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Samson Osagie has given an insight into how the legal framework to the proposed amendment to the Police bill currently before the National Assembly will work. The former immediate past Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, who is supportive of the move, said that for Nigerians to appreciate the need for state police, they should have a thorough understanding of the background to the clarion call. The top member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, who spoke weekend recalled that for over a decade, Nigeria has been embroiled in serious security challenges of all dimensions: kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, cultism and other forms of criminalities and so it has become pertinent for government to find solutions to the problems. He said that part of the challenges of Nige...

Okpebholo                                                      Hendrix Oliomogbe  The Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has described the ongoing trip by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo to the United Kingdom as a mere jamboree that will not yield tangible results to Edo people. In a joint statement weekend in Benin City by the national chairman, ‎Dr. Samson Isibor and the national secretary, Hon. Nkama Waribe, the organization alleged that the delegation is largely composed of people who have no tangible contributions to the trip. Isibor and Waribe challenged the state government to publicly disclose the total cost of the trip, the identities and official capacities of all members of the delegation, the source of funding, the specific investment opportunities being pursued and the expected timelines for delivering any agreements o...