Former Principal Private Secretary to Edo State Governor, Dr. Tony Ikpasaja, has stepped in the saddle as the Managing Director of Edo State Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS).

Ikpasaja, who was recently appointed by the State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has now resumed duty following the retirement from the State Civil Service of the former Managing Director, ESV Osaro Grace Aihie.

Ikpasaja, who resumed on Monday, January 6th, 2025, met with top management staff members of the Agency, outlining the expectations from the Governor of the State.

He was subsequently conducted round the various departments and units.

He interacted with members of staff on the operations of the agency and charged the management and staff members to work as a team.

He underscored the need to upscale their strategy to take the agency to greater heights..

Ikpasaja holds a Ph.D. from the University of Abuja, specialising in infrastructure development and multinational agencies.

He started his journalism career in the Vanguard newspapers and later joined Thisday Newspapers from where he was appointed as Press Secretary to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, BOT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih in 2003.

He was also a Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor of Edo state in 2007 and Special Assistant (Media) at the Federal Ministry of Works in 2011.

Ikpasaja is also a trained data analyst and worked at the Road Sector Development Team (RSDT), a World Bank/FG Collaborative Agency, from 2015 to 2021.

Dr. Ikpasaja was also a lecturer at the University of Abuja until last year and a member of the 2024 Transition Committee in Edo State.

Until his new appointment, he was the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo.

As a team player, he brings to the table a wealth of experience from the media, ICT, and infrastructure development sector.

His hobbies include lawn tennis and football. Ikpasaja is married to Mrs. Kate Ikpasaja, and both have three lovely children.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Oxford English Dictionary (EOD) has released a list of 500 new words and phrases added to the English Language lexicon.

The new words and phrases come from different countries especially from West Africa and East Asia, including Japan, Nigeria, Korea, Ghana, Philippines among many others.

Nigeria has the most influence from the African continent with 20 words and phrases while Ghana has seven new words and phrases adopted into the lexicon.

In an introductory article authored by Lexicographer and the Executive Director of the OED, Danica Salazar, she paid tribute to two Nigerian authors, Flora Nwakpa and Ben Okri whose works introduced some of the words originating from Nigeria.

According to her, “In Nigerian cookery, suya is a dish consisting of thinly sliced pieces of spiced meat grilled or roasted on a skewer, usually sold by street vendors and eaten as a snack. Its first quotation in the OED was taken from a piece published in the literary magazine Présence Africaine, written by Nigerian author Flora Nwapa, considered to be the mother of modern African literature: ‘Will you eat suya Ona?’ Phil asked me. ‘Oh yes. I hear they have delicious suya here.’”

“Abi, another borrowing from Yoruba, is used in Nigerian English as a sentence adverb to mean clearly, obviously, of course. It is also used interrogatively, at the end of a statement, to prompt agreement, approval, or confirmation, like ‘isn’t that so?’ or ‘am I not correct?’. Its first quotation in the OED is from the 1980 novel Flowers and Shadows by Nigerian-born British poet and novelist Ben Okri: ‘If one doesn’t talk doesn’t mean one is foolish, abi’.”

Also, Nigerian linguist and consultant to OED, Kingsley Ugwuanyi who played a part in the current listing expressed excitement over the inclusion of Nigerian words and phrases into the lexicon. In a statement shared on his Linkedin page, Ugwuanyi revealed that he also played a role in the pronunciation of the new words and phrases.

He wrote:

“I’m thrilled to announce that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Oxford Languages | OUP has officially published its latest updates, featuring an amazing collection of Nigerian English words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians.

“This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also had the incredible opportunity to provide their hashtag#pronunciations! So, when you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my hashtag#voice bringing these words to life.”

Below is the full list of the new entries from Nigeria, Ghana, Japan and Korea:

Ghanaian English

azonto, n.
banku, n.
burger, n.2
burger highlife, n.
galamsey, n.
galamseyer, n.
Veronica bucket, n.
Nigerian English

419, n.
abi, adv.
adire, n.
agbero, n.
area boy, n.
cross-carpeting, n.
cross-carpet, v.
gele, n.2
jand, n.
jand, v.
janded, adj.
Japa, n.
japa. v.
Naija, n. and adj.
suya, n.
to yarn dust, phrase in yarn, v.
yahoo, n.2
yahoo boy, n.
Words of Korean origin

dalgona, n.
dalgona coffee, n.
hyung, n.
jjigae, n.
maknae, n.
noraebang, n.
pansori, n.
tteokbokki, n.
Words of Japanese origin

dorayaki, n.
furikake, n.
furoshiki, n.
gaman, n.
gaman, v.
Golden Week, n.
J-, comb._form
maneki-neko, n.
omiyage, n.
omurice, n.
sando, n.2

The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has faulted the efforts to create a wedge between President Bola Tinubu and governors of the North over the controversial tax reform bills currently at the National Assembly, saying the governors who worked for his emergence have never and are not working against him.

Governor Sule made the disclosure on Friday while receiving a delegation from the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, who visited him at the Government House in Lafia. He explained that what the northern governors called for was the need for further consultation on the tax reform bill before the National Assembly, which encompasses the Value Added Tax.

He accused some vested interests of spreading false information with the intent to cause political tension through unfounded insinuations that the northern governors were opposed to the president.

According to Sule, people who were opposed to Tinubu’s presidency are now pretending to be his better supporters more than those who fought for his victory.

For some people making noise and saying the Northern governors are fighting the President, nobody is fighting the President. How could you fight a President who has made you look good? This is the truth. All we are saying is that some aspects of it, we need to look into it,” he said.

Sule thanked President Tinubu for enacting policies that have made governance and development easy in Nasarawa State without going into debt, saying he could not kick against a leader who has made meaningful contributions to the state’s progress.

The governor said there was a need for better understanding of some of the provisions in the tax reform bills. “We called for the withdrawal of the bills to review some aspects. They said it’s a wrong language, that amendments can be made without withdrawing the bills. I said that’s fine. I’m not looking for any trouble,” he explained.

On Value Added Tax, Governor Sule leaned on his private sector experience to impress upon its necessity for state finances.

He explained that Nasarawa State receives over N4 billion monthly from VAT, which has been very critical for its capital projects. He expressed apprehension over possible changes in the formula for sharing VAT due to the implication for states like Nasarawa, which rely so much on such revenue with their very meager IGR.

I know more about VAT than most of those arguing about it. Having been a chief executive, I know how it is generated and used. Today, it is the lifeblood of many states. Take away VAT from FAAC and you will see how we will all be struggling to fund projects, and I must speak for my people.”.

Governor Sule thanked the CAN Chairman, Very Reverend Dr. Sunday Emma, and his team for calling on the government to create more awareness on the tax reforms. He aligned himself with the call for comprehensive sensitization to be given to Nigerians on the proposed changes.

If they do proper sensitization and address the VAT issue, I will be fully supportive of the tax reforms. But it will be difficult without that, especially for states with low IGR,” he concluded.

Earlier, Dr. Emma had urged both federal and state governments to prioritize awareness campaigns about the tax reforms to foster greater public understanding and inclusion.