Newly sworn-in governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has appointed Barrister Musa Ikhilor as the Secretary to the State Government (SGG).

The appointment, alongside others, was the first to be made by the governor hours after assumption of office on Tuesday.

Also, a former federal lawmaker, Dr Samson Osagie, has been nominated as the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, while Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole was nominated as Health Commissioner.

Dr. Cyril is the son of the former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is the incumbent Senator representing Edo North senatorial district of the State in the National Assembly.

The appointments were contained in a press statement endorsed by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Fred Itua, which said the nomination of Osagie and Oshiomhole will be confirmed by the Edo State House of Assembly when their names are forwarded by Governor Okpebholo.

Dr. Samson Osagie, the nominee for the office of Attorney-General, is a private legal practitioner having been called to the Nigerian Bar on March 22, 1995

He is also the current vice president of the African Bar Association (West African Region).

Born on November 11, 1967, Dr. Osagie hails from Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State.

He was a two-term member of the Edo State House of Assembly and also the House of Representatives where he rose to the position of the Minority Whip.

He has been involved in intensive legal practice across Nigeria and the African continent.

He holds a First degree in Law from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, a qualifying Certificate for Law practice from the Nigerian Law School, a triple Master’s degrees in Law, Public Administration and International Relations. He also bagged a Doctorate Degree in Political Economy and Development Studies.

He has been Legal Adviser, Solicitor, and Consultant to many corporate Organisations and development partners.

For his part, Dr Cyril Adams Oshiomhole’s academic journey began at St. Anne’s Primary School, followed by Command Secondary School, where. He later pursued higher education at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS).

Oshiomole enrolled at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA. where he obtained a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH, majoring in Environmental Health, Toxicology, and Disaster Management).

His academic pursuits continued at Harvard University, Boston ,where he underwent postgraduate training in Clinical Research and at Queen Mary University, London, where he studied Gastroenterology.

Barr. Ikhilor was born on August 6, 1980 at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo State. Barr. Ikhilor attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained an LL.B in 2008 (Second class Upper Division). In 2009, he obtained a B.L. (Second class Upper Division) at the Nigerian Law School and was enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2017, Barr. Ikhilor proceeded to acquire his Masters degree in Telecommunications Law (LL.M) from same Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Barr. Ikhilor has over 11 years of experience in Legislative Drafting, Parliamentary Administration, Lawmaking procedure and processes, Constitutional drafting and amendment, and general Legislative Governance issues working in various capacities at the National Assembly.

In 2019, he was appointed as a Consultant to the Federal House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where he has been closely analysing and reviewing matters on Gender Equity, Human Rights, and strengthening Institutions of Government and creating efficient and transparent processes and systems to deliver Good Governance.

Also in 2019, he was appointed as Senior Special Assistant and later Special Adviser to the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who also doubled as the 1st Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

In May 2022, he was assigned to act as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when the substantive Chief of Staff resigned to contest in the 2023 parliamentary elections.

In June 2022, Barr. Ikhilor was appointed by the Supreme of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a Notary Public.

Barr. Ikhilor is active in Business, Corporate Legal Practice and social works where he serves as the Managing Partner of Springfield Legal Consult and as the Executive Director & Board of Trustees member of Amana Legacy Foundation. In addition to these roles, he also provides consultancy services to several private and public sector entities. He is married with children.

The Lagos State Government has revealed plans to concession the operations of the Red and Blue Line rail systems to the private sector to ensure their sustainability and repay loans taken for the rail projects.

The disclosure came from the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, during a recent TVC News interview, where he discussed measures being put in place to sustain the rail systems in the state.

Osiyemi explained that concessioning would involve transferring the operations of the rail systems to private sector players for a specified period, a strategy designed to guarantee continuity and effective management of the rail projects.

The ultimate game is for all our rail systems we’ve done—that is, the Red Line and Blue Line—there is going to be some concessionairing with the private sector for a period of time to ensure sustainability and continuity,” he stated.

He added, “The concessioning would help pay back the loans taken for the rail projects.”

The commissioner highlighted that the concessioning strategy aims to ensure efficient operations and financial sustainability, aligning with the state’s vision for a world-class transportation network.

More insight

Osiyemi further emphasized the significant financial and technical demands involved in operating rail systems, describing them as capital-intensive projects that require substantial resources and specialized expertise.

To address these challenges and build local capacity, he explained that the Lagos State Government has engaged foreign partners to temporarily manage the operations of the trains.

These partners are expected to not only ensure efficient operations during their tenure but also transfer essential skills to Nigerian personnel. The plan includes a structured training program lasting one to two years, after which management of the rail systems will be fully handed over to local operators.

“What we have done is we have consulted foreign partners who, of course, would run these trains for a particular period of time and train our people—that is, transfer of skills.

They will train our people for one to two years, then hand over for our own management,” Osiyemi stated.

What you should know

The Lagos State Government, under its Lagos Strategic Transport Master Plan, has outlined an ambitious vision to develop multiple rail systems across the state.

Currently, only the first phases of the Red Line and Blue Line rail systems have been completed, with passenger operations already commenced.

The Blue Line is a 27km electric rail line designed for sustainable operations. Its first phase, covering 13km from Lagos Marina to Mile 2, was completed in 2023 and commenced commercial operations in September, transporting over 2 million passengers to date.

The Red Line, spanning 37km from Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo in Lagos, operates on diesel. Its first phase, a 27km stretch, includes eight strategically located stations: Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.

The construction of the second phases of both the Red Line and Blue Line rail systems is being handled by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which also oversees the operation of the trains.

Beyond the Red and Blue Lines, the state has plans for additional rail systems, including the 68km Green Line (Lekki Free Trade Zone to Marina), the 85.7km Purple Line (Redemption Camp to Ojo), the 48km Orange Line (Ikeja CBD to Agbowa), and the Yellow Line, to further enhance the state’s transportation network.

A  review of public payments portal, Govspend, has shown that a sum of over N55 million, was paid into the account of one Unoh Omolara, for the sendforth party of Udo Okonkwo Ekanem.

The payment was made by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Okonkwo served as the permanent secretary, special duties of the ministry.

The payment for the party was made on September 13th, 2024.

According to the payment description, the event was scheduled to hold at Transcorp Hilton hotels on September 6th, 2024.

Further checks revealed that the event was confirmed by the ministry of finance on its website.

The ministry had noted that it celebrated the Ekanem in appreciation of his oustanding commitment.

This is despite the provision of Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”

The money spent on the sendforth was twice the amount spent to set up 28 boreholes in Jigawa State.

According to details on the Govspend website, N28.3 million was spent on drilling twenty-three solar powered borehole and five numbers hand pump boreholes in Jigawa State.

This would mean that this money spent on sendforth, half of it would have provided same number of solar powered boreholes and hand pumps in other locations of the country.

There have been concerns over prudence in management of government resources by different ministries’ department and agencies.

Although, the government has expressed its commitment to accountability, experts say there are loopholes exploited by different government parastatals.

Source: Sahara Reporters.