Category: South East

A pupil of Topfaith International Secondary School, Mkpatak in Akwa Ibom State, Miss Orevaoghene Whiskey, has made 9A1s in the recently-released West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Whiskey, an NNPC/SNEPCo Cradle-to-Career (NC2C) Scholar, also scored 340 in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and 8.5 out of 9 points in IELTS.

Speaking at the 19th graduation/prize-giving ceremony of the school, the Chairman, Board of Governors of Topfaith Schools and Chairman, Board of Trustees of Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Dr. Emmanuel Abraham, extolled the academic brilliance of Whiskey.

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He described her as a personification of academic excellence, an outstanding symbol of character and work and a pleasure to teach, direct and counsel.

Abraham said Whiskey began her journey of setting achievement records when she emerged as the national overall champion in the 2022 InterswitchSPARK4.0 Science Quiz Competition.

Besides other prizes in cash and gift items won by the young scholar, the Board of Governors, through Dr. Abraham, presented to Miss Whiskey, the $1000-equivalent cash prize instituted by the Board for any pupil in the school that makes all 9A1s in WASSCE.

Last year, Valour Mbre Inyang, the valedictorian of the 2022 Class, clinched the same prize for achieving 9A1s in the 2022 WASSCE and emerging the second best in the country in the examination.

Many other graduating pupils who made 7A1s and 6A1s in the 2023 WASSCE, as well as other high performers in the 2022 Cambridge International Examinations were equally honoured.

Miss Anita-Mary Onyekpe was specially commended for not only scoring straight 5A-stars in all five subjects in the 2022 Cambridge International Examination, but also coming out the best and highest scorer in Nigeria in physics and chemistry, winning the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award.

The Chairman of the 2023 Graduation/Prize-Giving Ceremony, Dr. Paul Okpara, congratulated the graduating pupils and advised them to exhibit the principles of excellence they had imbibed at Topfaith School.

The valedictorian, Miss Whiskey, in her farewell speech, thanked the school for putting programmes in place to groom young people for excellence. 

Also present at the event were the Pro-Chanellor of Topfaith University, Prof. Akaneren Essien; the Registrars of the University of Calabar and Topfaith University –Messrs Gabriel Egbe and Leo Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Education, represented by Mrs. Ekpo –the director, Secondary and Higher Education.

Others in attendance included the Paramount Ruler of Essien Udim Local Government–Akwa Akuku, Obong Cosmus Okon Akpan, Akwa Akuku I of Annang Land; the Executive Chairman of Essien Udim Local Government, Anthony Luke Udoh; and many others.

The Head-teacher of the school, Mrs. Nsongurua Augustine, thanked the participants and wished the graduating pupils success in their academic life and future endeavours.

Bayelsa State House of Assembly yesterday passed a resolution under matters of urgent importance, condemning last Saturday’s invasion of Opu-Nembe community in Nembe Local Government by policemen.

The lawmakers alleged that the invasion led to destruction of property and loss of lives.

Speaking on the floor of the assembly during deliberations on a motion sponsored by the legislator representing Nembe Constituency 1, Oteigbanyo George-Braah, Speaker Abraham Ingobere urged the Inspector-General of Police to obey a subsisting court order by withdrawing the policemen deployed in Opu-Nembe.

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The House also advised the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioner of Police and other relevant security agents to carry out a comprehensive investigation and arrest the perpetrators.

As part of its resolution, the House called on the Bayelsa State Government to set up a judicial commission of inquiry, enjoining the federal and state governments to take measures to forestall further attacks on the community. 

The lawmakers called on the Bayelsa Caucus in the National Assembly to raise the Opu-Nembe issue on the floor of both chambers.

Sponsor of the motion, George-Braah, described the situation in the community as dire and deserving of urgent attention. 

The Deputy Speaker, Michael Ogbere, Leader of the House, Monday Bubou, Chief Whip, Gabriel Ogbara, Bernard Kenebai and other legislators expressed sadness about the invasion by the police, which they said was politically-motivated.

The lawmakers stressed that if the situation in Opu-Nembe was treated with kid gloves, it would spill over to other communities, thus disrupting peace in the state.

National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Onitsha chapter, Anambra State has awarded scholarships to the best pupils of Washington Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha.

Presenting the cheques to the head-teacher, NAS spokesman Chief Ezennia Chukwudebelu said the scholarships covered tuition fees and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for the best pupils in SSS2 and SSS3.

Chukwudebelu, flanked by the group’s former president, Mr. Benjamin Agbala, said the scholarships will run till the beneficiaries graduate from the school.

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He said: “This is what we do periodically to assist the less privileged but intelligent pupils to achieve their life ambition. We also donated science books and equipment to the school early this year.

“Our goal is embedded in the phrase, ‘Service to Humanity’. The joy of their parents will know no bound when they discover they have been relieved of heavy financial burden through this award.”

The Head-teacher, Mrs. Nkechi Nkem, expressed gratitude to Seadogs for remembering the school, especially during such difficult period.

The Partnership Initiatives in Niger Delta (PIND), in alliance with the Ford Foundation, has launched a multi-stakeholders platform to enhance the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), in Niger Delta communities. 

The platform was inaugurated to help communities maximise the benefits of the PIA by appropriately channelling the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) funds.

Inaugurating the platform in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Executive Director, PIND, Mr. Tunji Idowu, said the platform remained one of the components of the bridges project of PIND designed to help communities actualise the benefits of chapter three of the PIA. 

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He named the drivers of the platform as the people and oil-producing communities, insisting that the government and its agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission were not the real commanders of the platform.

Idowu said: “If we work hard and succeed, we will see a difference and I believe we do have a good chance here. 

Half of the platform represents the HCDTs, so we want to come in there and impact in terms of best practices.”

“We want to come in, listen to the challenges they have in achieving their development and come up with solution options. We believe with the presence of the participants, we can achieve a sustainable development in the area.

“My expectation is that the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta will take this opportunity to bring development to their communities. It is possible for us to be able to get a lot of development through the implementation of the PIA. 

“I said this because we know resources are coming in on an annual basis for the next five years and above, so you can plan, come up with issues that really meet the needs of your communities and people. Things that really affect their lives and livelihoods and implement them in a continuous basis through short- long time projects that meet those needs.

“One of the problems I have with some of the development projects that come from abroad is that they are short time, sometimes before the impact is felt, they are gone and there is a shift in the interest of the development agencies.

“But in this case, you have something that is homegrown, resources are coming from here. You can ask yourself where you want to be in 10 years, then you can focus and plan towards it.”

Clarifying the development, the Chairman of the platform, Prof. Obafemi Ajibola, said: ”The platform brings in stakeholders, about 30 of us from the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDTs), who are presenting the communities, 15 of them across the five states. It also brings in civil society organisations, who operate in this space to support efforts.

“We will be meeting together to look at issues, to look at development, look at models that can help communities to go about executing their development agenda as the PIA has provided for them and we will be keeping the regulator involved and supplementing what they have provided as guideline. So this is what the project is all about. Today is the inauguration in Port Harcourt.”

Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu, in his final written address in defence of his election before the Election Petition Tribunal, has prayed that the petition against him by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Sandy Onor, “be dismissed for lack of merit and with a heavy fine.”

Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, counsel for Governor Otu, told reporters that final written addresses had been adopted in the case and judgment date had been reserved by the tribunal.

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He said his prayers before the tribunal are that “the petition should be dismissed for lacking in merit, for being frivolous and for being gold digging for being an abuse of the process of the court; that the court should dismiss the petition and award very heavy cost against the petitioner.”

Ozekhome said the issues of the petition were exactly the same with already determined pre-election cases from the same parties and the judgments were presented as evidence before the tribunal.

He added: “The truth is that he never had any case. We tendered about six judgments where they had challenged all these issues at the pre-election level and we won all these cases up to the Court of Appeal, up to the Supreme Court that this man was qualified, so they came here again to re-litigate the same issues because they had no case against the second and third respondents; that’s the governor and the deputy governor. It has been a mere distraction. What William Shakespeare will call ‘a tale full of sound and fury signifying nothing’.

“From the 10th of July 2023, when they withdrew grounds two and three of their petition, which talked about discrepancies, non-accreditation, non-e-transmission through BVAS, through iRev and all the other alleged malpractices, that time when they withdrew those allegations, which were funny and untrue allegations, their petition collapsed.”

“Their case is predicated on the allegation that the second respondent, Governor Otu, was not educated up to school certificate level; that’s their case. They even abandoned that and started talking about forgery and discrepancies in the certificate by saying the document attached to form EC9 of INEC, for instance, the primary school certificate was 1966, secondary, 1972 and the university degree, BSc Honour, Sociology was 1980, but from their own witness, DW1, we were able to extract under cross-examination that those dates mentioned were dates of entry, but that the original certificates before the tribunal, including the ones they attached to form EC9, show that where the governor mentioned 1966, which was the year of entry, the certificate showed 1972, which was the year of graduation from primary school.

“Where they said 1972, the original certificate showed he graduated in 1977 from secondary school and where the form showed 1980 for BSc degree, their witnesses made it clear that the original before the court attached to form EC9, showed 1984. So where are the discrepancies? And Supreme Court has said these are not issues at all, that if you want to challenge those degrees as being forged or there are discrepancies, you have to call the issuing authority to come and disprove these certificates attached to form EC9, which were also tendered in the original. They did not. That’s what the Supreme Court says in the case of Obaseki and APC. So their case collapsed like a pack of cards.”

However, counsel for Sen. Onor, Dr. Jonah Musa, SAN, expressed confidence in their adopted written addresses and the arguments therein.

He said: “We just drew the tribunal’s attention to the fact that our case is essentially on the fact that the second and third respondents lied on oath. We didn’t alleged any forgery, they were the ones who brought certificate, showing there could be forgery. They opened the Pandora’s box by themselves.”

Musa prayed the tribunal to declare the votes counted for Otu as wasted votes and declare the PDP candidate as the winner.

Justice Oken Inneh, head of the three- man tribunal, said judgment is reserved to a date to be announced to the parties in due course.

An advocacy group, the Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND), has urged stakeholders of the region to support Senate President Godswill Akpabio, for the good of all.

MOSIEND National President Kennedy Tonjo-West, speaking yesterday after a town hall meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, said the Senate President is a passionate unifier and a large-minded person, who does not harbour grudges against anybody.

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The meeting was attended by youth leaders, monarchs, opinion leaders, critical stakeholders and indigenous groups drawn from organisations in the region.

Tonjo-West said the call for support of the Senate President who, by virtue of his position, “is now the political leader of the Niger Delta”, became imperative due to the fact that the region was backward in terms of socio-economic development.

He said the development was largely so because, unlike the northerners, Niger Delta people do not know how to support their own, “instead they play politics of bitterness, un-forgiveness, backbiting and pull-him-down syndrome,” which had never benefitted the region or its people.

According to him, irrespective of political affiliations, it is time for the people to rally round Senator Akpabio and play politics that would bring about regional development and community empowerment.

The MOSIEND president said as people from the Niger Delta, they would not shy away from letting him (Akpabio) know that the region did not get the best from his usual uncommon disposition as a minister, compared to his administration as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, “whose achievements still speak volumes to date.”

However, he said he was convinced that the new office Akpabio occupied was his area of strength and would do well in coordinating and managing the legislators to create laws that would propel the unity and development of the country.

He said the Senate President being the number three citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria came with a lot of goodwill, which could only be achieved if the people were mature and wise enough to work together with him and attract development to the region during the tenure of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tonjo-West said: “Senator Akpabio possesses the credentials and charisma to man that office, and we are expecting high level of cooperation among our National Assembly members, irrespective of the political divide, in order to maximise the opportunities this government will bring to the table in terms of policies and reforms that are germane to our growth.

“We should not play party politics, but politics that will bring about regional development. We are confident that he will use his good office to attract development to the region.

“We will benefit more from working with him because he has friends across divides, and Niger Delta and Nigeria at large will benefit because Akpabio is someone who likes unity, someone who does not bear grudges.

“Ethnic nationalities should rally round him because there are good things to come. For us as MOSIEND, we have already accepted him as the political leader of the Niger Delta.

“The governors of the region, senators, House of Representatives members and all federal political appointees should give Akpabio the support he needs instead of running him down.”

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has said politics is not a war.

He advised his opponents to stop violence and killings in the state in the name of politics.

The governor made the statement at All Saints (Anglican) Cathedral Diocese, Egbu in Owerri yesterday.

Addressing the congregation at the end of the church service, the governor reminded his political opponents that power comes from God “and as a believer in God, I am bound by conscience to do the right thing as a governor.”

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He told the politicians to stop attending church service on Sundays and resort to financing violence and the shedding of blood of innocent Imo people the next day.

The governor promised not to disappoint the reasonable expectations of Imo people.

He commended the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt Rev Geoffrey Enyinnaya Okoroafor, for the choice of his Homily, which he said he benefited from.

Uzodimma congratulated members of the Cathedral, men and women, and pleaded with Imo people in general to “have a rethink on what is happening in the state, characterised by violence, killings and destructions orchestrated by the illegal release of over 1,840 prison inmates at the Owerri Correctional Centre by gunmen.”

The governor said despite the huge amount of money spent in stemming the level of insecurity in the state, people have continued to be afraid because of the experience of the past.

“I don’t blame the people because they live with the fear of the past phenomenon.”

He, however, appealed to the people not to sit at home any longer on Mondays, reassuring them that the government had done a lot on security. 

“Please come out on Monday, open your shops, you have a government that will protect you. Let us take back our state. We have no other state we can call our own.”

He said as a governor he is only holding the common patrimony of Imo State in trust, insisting that “the earlier we understand ourselves and come together, the better.”

On the request of the Bishop for the reconstruction of the road from Toronto Road Safety Junction to Naze, the governor promised to make it a priority project based on available resources, stressing that he will not give contract he is not be able to pay for immediately.

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has lauded what it called unity of purpose among the five Southeast governors. 

The group said this in a communique issued after their meeting in Enugu over the weekend. 

The communique was signed by its National President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and made available to reporters in Abuja after their meeting in Enugu. 

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They said the collaborative efforts of the governors had resulted in the reduction of insecurity in the region. 

Nnabuike also hailed the security agencies for their consistent efforts in ridding the Southeast of crimes and criminality. 

According to the Ohanaeze youths, “we are glad that these governors are united; we are glad that we now have a Governors’ Forum attended by all the governors and not their deputies. It speaks volumes.

“There is no doubt that this unity is responsible for the improved security in the region. The role of the security agencies is also highly commendable. 

“We urge the governors not to relent but remain focused, united and resolute in their move to restore sanity to the region”.

They equally hailed the Southeast residents for ignoring the two weeks’ sit-at-home order issued by Finland-based Simon Ekpa. 

“We are glad that finally Ekpa has been decimated; we are happy our people have conquered the terror mentality he inflicted on them. 

“With adequate security provided, the siege is over; our people have now been freed from the claws of business merchants using the name of Biafra,” Nnabuike said.

The communiqué hinted that other affiliate groups attended the meeting and restated their support for the Nnabuike-led leadership.

• Auto firm’s CEO meets Otti over plans

Founder and Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company in the Southeast, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, has announced the decision of the company to set up a car maintenance service and repair factory in Abia State.

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Chukwuma, who paid a business visit to Governor Alex Otti at his Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government country home, thanked him for being a great promoter of Innoson brand.

“He’s the number one marketer of Innoson,” Chief Chukwuma said of Dr. Otti.

“Most of the vehicles bought by government in this state (Abia) are Innoson brands and they are happy with the vehicles.”

Chukwuma hailed Otti for his continued support and patronage, saying his company was in talk with officials of Abia State Government to set up a maintenance centre for the servicing and repairs of the vehicles in Abia.

The foremost indigenous auto maker said he planned to make Abia the hub for conversion of petrol and diesel engine vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG) user engine.

Chukwuma disclosed that Otti had placed order for 20 security pick-up vans from his company, which the government needed urgently, but he was not able to supply them at that time because they had exhausted their stock, hence the government was compelled to procure the vehicles from another source.

Otti, receiving Chukwuma and his team, pledged to continue to support Innoson Motors.

He said his government had purchased no fewer than 40 Innoson brand of vehicles, adding that arrangement was ongoing to procure more vehicles, including those of the 24 members of the House of Assembly.

The governor reminded the Innoson chairman that his own (governor’s) official vehicle was still awaited, to which the car maker quickly promised to deliver by next week.

Otti said every effort he was making to secure the state and put in place road infrastructure was aimed at developing the state and creating wealth for the people.

He assured Chukwuma of continuous partnership with Abia government.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has vowed to deal with persons disrupting ongoing reconstruction of Omoku-Egbema Road in Ogba/Egbema Ndoni Local Government.

He spoke at the weekend while addressing monarchs, opinion leaders and other stakeholders from the area at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

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The governor, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Boniface Onyedi, described as offensive, threats by some benefitting communities to stop the project.

He reminded the leaders that an initial contractor they recommended for the project abandoned it and bolted away with N12.7billion.

Embittered by the threats, Fubara said:  “When a group of people, irrespective of whatever prefix you attach to yourself, tend to threaten government, we need to call you to order. Maybe you don’t understand the power of state government.

“I have the power to dethrone. And I don’t need any letter. But what is important with power is how you use it. I feel very bitter, seeing some persons, because of my calmness, are feeling they can take me for granted. If after this time, anything happens again, you will not believe what I will do to those connected to it.

“I got report of plan to stop the contractor. I got a protest letter from Ogba Egbema Peoples Forum, another from a legal firm, demanding that the Omoku-Egbema section of the road project be withdrawn from SETRACO and given to Julius Berger. I start wondering who gave such persons such power, to be so commanding? 

“I don’t expect this from you. This project was approved for you people’s benefit. You nominated a contractor. The contractor failed. Now we re-awarded and paying another money.

“Original cost of that job when it was awarded was N8.8billion. It was reviewed to N13.3billion. Total amount released at that time before the revocation was N12.7billion. So you understand how we feel about this.

“Now we have re-awarded this job to SETRACO for N7.5billion and we have already committed about N5.2billion to show you our commitment. SETRACO is not a pushover company. To make my position clear, SETRACO will continue with this job. I expect you to give necessary support and cooperation and you have a clean road.

“If you like to sabotage yourselves, don’t sabotage my own administration. I’m calm, but I will do you something you will not like. Every time shouldn’t be protest, condemnation, or complaints. It gets to a time everyone comes together for progress of their community.”

Oba of Ogba land, His Eminence, King Nwachukwu Obuohna Obi, Eze Ogba III, who led the stakeholders, told the governor that the protest of the people on the project was provoked by poor communication and engagements between the company and the communities.