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Edo SUBEB Lists Priorities On Improving Pupil Outcomes

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The Chairman of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo SUBEB), Mrs Ozavize E. Salami has disclosed that learner progression, strengthened school governance and management, child protection, focused in-service professional development, public-private partnership (PPP) and enhanced school environment are her priorities as the Board strategises to consolidate on gains under Edo BEST 2.0.
Mrs Salami made this known during her maiden schools visit as chairman of the board.
The tour, which covered three out of the eighteen local government areas of Edo State, was an opportunity to engage with pupils, teachers, Local Government Education Authority management and staff, School Based Management Committee (SBMC) members, parents, and community leaders.
“Edo SUBEB takes the responsibility of providing quality education service to pupils very seriously; improving learning outcomes must be at the heart of all we do,” Mrs Salami said at one of the schools visited in Ikpoba Okha LGA.
“We understand that schools are where our results are. We realise also that we must constantly seek the inputs of our stakeholders so that our policies and services are tailored to meet their needs,” she said.
While welcoming the SUBEB Chairman and her team, Pa Sunday Omokaro, Odionwere of Iguobazuwa expressed his pleasure at being visited by the newly appointed chairman; noting that the community places a premium on education and pledged to support the new SUBEB chairman in any way possible.
Pa Omokaro also prayed God to assist Mrs Salami to achieve all her goals.
“We would like to re-emphasise that education for all is the responsibility of all, and we charge pupils/students, parents, leaders and youths with the care and maintenance of school assets located within their communities.
As a board, we seek partnerships with alumni association of schools, corporate organisations, NGOs and philanthropists to support government’s drive to ensure that Edo State remained a model of sustained improvement in basic education,” Mrs Salami noted.
Recently, in line with the universal basic education disarticulation policy, the Edo state ministry of education handed over 306 Junior Secondary Schools to Edo SUBEB.
The principal of Niger College Junior Secondary, Mrs. Orole Catherine Anike whilst receiving Mrs. Salami expressed the excitement of the school management and staff at the benefits that would accrue to them because of the on-going reforms in the education sector by Mr. Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State.
Similarly, other school heads, SBMC chairmen and Education secretaries welcomed the Chairman, expressed readiness to work with her while outlining priority intervention areas relevant to their schools.
The Executive Chairman concluded her tour by pledging to continue to visit schools across the State and hinted that a 5-year infrastructure development plan is part of the many interventions Governor Obaseki will be implementing in the Basic Education subsector.

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850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

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The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.
He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.
The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.
He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.
“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as  between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.
“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.
He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.
According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.
Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.
He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.
The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.
“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.
“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said
In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.
He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.
The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.
He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.
According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.
The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.
The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.
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Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

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The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.
The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.
She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.
“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.
She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.
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A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers 

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The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.
The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.
AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.
“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.
“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.
According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.
Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.
“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.
He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.
“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.
Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.
CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.
The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.
Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.
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