The Spiritual Director, Ave-Maria Prayer Ministry, Ifite Awka, Anambra State, Brother Livinus Okeke, has warned women against asking for money as a condition for having s3x with their husbands.

He said such acts were not only satanic but also attracted curses to their homes and families.

Speaking during a service to mark the 10th anniversary of the ministry, the cleric described many mothers as ‘packaged troublemakers’ to their husbands.

He said such husbands lived daily in bondage, as the couple cohabited as cat and dog, hence extending bad seeds to their children.

Okeke said: “Some wives now demand N20,000 or thereabouts from their husbands before going to bed with them.

“Some husbands don’t even have a say in the family. The only respect the wife accords him if she likes is ‘good morning’.

“Such homes lack progress and peace, as the children, in turn, start putting into practice what they learn from their parents.”

Frowning at husbands who were in the habit of returning home empty, Okeke praised those who always thought about home anytime they travelled.

Said he: “Some do that to also keep their wives happy and that is the love we are talking about. When you were about to marry her, you showed you were capable, but now what has happened?

“For peace and prosperity of the family, both husband and wife must work, think and reason together so that the blessing of the Lord will be showered on them.”

The cleric described the 10th anniversary as a celebration of amazing grace, great favour, health, deliverance, divine turnaround, connections and all round goodness of God.

All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Enugu State yesterday protested at the office of the State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), against the alleged exclusion of the party from today’s local government election holding in the state.

Although the road leading to ENSIEC office at Independent Layout, Enugu, was guarded by gun-wielding policemen and soldiers, the APC members, who defied the heavy presence of security operatives, blocked the road, forcing a diversion of vehicular movement.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: ‘We say no to political disenfranchisement’, ‘Our vote is our power’, ‘Say no to election exclusion’, ‘ENSIEC is not for a particular political party’, ‘Free and fair election is joy of democracy,’ ‘PDP and ENSIEC are killers of democracy’, among others.

They demanded postponement of the election and listing of the APC candidates on the ballot.

Addressing reporters during the protest, the Secretary of the party, Robert Ngwu, said the essence of the protest was to make ENSIEC postpone the exercise and act in accordance with the electoral act and the ENSIEC act.

He said the APC candidates, whose names were submitted by the Chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah, were excluded from the list of the candidates published by ENSIEC.

ENSIEC Chairman Mike Ajokwu (SAN) said the commission published the list of Chief Ben Nwoye’s faction because he was the person ENSIEC dealt with from the beginning.

He said APC had two factions and the commission wrote to the national secretariat, without a reply, a development that forced ENSIEC to accept Nwoye’s list.

We’re ready for election, says ENSIEC chair

Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) has said it is 100 per cent ready for the local government election holding today.

The Chairman, Chief Mike Ajogwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Enugu that the commission had concluded administrative and logistic arrangements for the exercise.

He said non-sensitive materials were moved to their locations more than two weeks ago.

Ajogwu also said some sensitive materials had been moved to the wards, while the most sensitive materials, such as the result sheets, would be moved before 5pm on Tuesday (yesterday).

He said: “I urge the electorate to endeavour to be at the polling booths by 8am.

“The needed materials, officials and security personnel would have arrived at their duty posts before 8am.

“The elections will end latest by 3pm.

“The polling booth and ward counting and collation of results will be done simultaneously just after the casting of the votes by 3pm,” he said.

A group of civil society organisations under the auspices of forum of Civil Society Organisations (CSO), yesterday hailed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his faithfulness in ensuring regular conduct of council elections.

The group, which described the governor as a true democrat, who had ended the use of caretaker chairmen in running the local governments, praised Ugwuanyi for taking the bull by the horns by conducting council elections as at when due, at a time some governors complained of poor allocation from the Federal Government.

Addressing a news conference in Enugu ahead of today’s council election, the team leader of the forum, Fidelis Nweke, said the team observed that the state government provided logistics for ENSIEC to organise and conduct credible elections without the government interference.

The leadership of the Abia State House of Assembly yesterday suspended plenary after attempt by lawmakers to remove two principal officers of the House was thwarted by Speaker Chinedum Orji.

The principal officers are Deputy Speaker and the member representing Ohafia North State Constituency, Ifeanyi Uchendu and Majority Leader and the member representing Obingwa East State Constituency, Solomon Akpulonu.

It was gathered that the motion for the removal or suspension of the two officers was moved by the Deputy Majority Leader, Paul Taribo, the member representing Ukwa East State Constituency and seconded by the House Minority Leader, Chijioke Chukwu, representing Bende North State Constituency.

The Deputy Majority Leader said the motion accused Uchendu and Akpuluonu of reportedly failing to perform their duties as principal officers, especially as it concerns members’ welfare.

The aggrieved lawmaker said the two members had under performed and lost the confidence of the House.

Taribo, who urged the Speaker to look into the activities of the affected colleagues, called for the suspension or removal of the Deputy Speaker and the Majority Leader.

The motion, which was said to have been thrown open for debate and considerations, reportedly threw the House into pandemonium.

The Speaker, after several heated arguments and counter-arguments, adjourned plenary indefinitely.

Efforts to reach Chukwu, Akpuluonu and Obinna Ichita to comment on the matter failed at press time.

Edo State governor’s wife Mrs. Betsy Obaseki has said the current administration is prioritising women’s economic empowerment and development, to enable them become more productive.

Mrs. Obaseki, the special guest of honour, spoke yesterday in Benin while opening a policy dialogue to reflect on women economic empowerment intervention and programming.

The programme was organised by Edo State Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) Advocacy Coalition.

It was supported by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC).

She said the government was ready to empower women.

The governor’s wife, represented by the Managing Director, EdoJOBS, Ukinebo Dare, noted that the Obaseki administration prioritised women’s empowerment through its interventions, targeted at improving women’s economic livelihood and development.

The Coordinator of PAWED Advocacy Coalition in Edo State, Mrs. Vivian Evbotokhai, said the Obaseki administration was taking the lead in investment in women’s economic empowerment.

She said the project was targeted at pushing for the state government to fulfil its commitment for women’s economic empowerment.

PAWED Advocacy Coalition’s Second Lead, Mrs. Bliss Ojeruse, said Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) had been recognised as a bridge to gender disparity across the globe.

Governor Godwin Obaseki has said the people will no longer subject themselves to any form of division, irrespective of party affiliation and religious background.

“Edo is one, irrespective of senatorial districts,’’ he said yesterday in Benin while swearing in newly-appointed permanent secretaries.

“We will not allow ourselves to be divided again; whether you are Edo South, Edo Central or Edo North, Edo is one.

“Some people just want to manipulate and try to create divisions where they don’t exist,’’ he said.

Responding on behalf of the permanent secretaries, one of them, Mr. Bernard Aigbe, thanked the governor for finding them worthy and promised that they would not fail in their duties.

The permanent secretaries are Iryn Omorogiuwa, Efosa Aisien, Nyamali Erumuse, Igbinomwanhia Abieyuwa, Imoihosen Oziegbe, Peter Osagie, Sabina Chikere, Osawemwenze Kayode-Iyasere and Bernard Aigbe.

As governor-elect Prof. Charles Soludo prepares to take over the mantle of leadership in Anambra State on March 17, the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, has said expectations are high from him.

He said yesterday that the outgoing governor, Chief Willie Obiano, had set a high standard, adding that the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) should maintain and improve on the standard.

Ezeokafor said the trust and confidence reposed in the party by the electorate should not be taken for granted.

The bishop spoke at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka during a victory thanksgiving mass organised in honour of APGA, Anambra State chapter.

He said APGA’s feat in the last governorship election was destined by God.

Ezeokafor said: “Your victorious outing in the last governorship election was made possible by God. It was a hard-fought victory.

“We all witnessed what happened before the election. I’m not a card carrying member of any party, but I watch and monitor political proceedings.

“The last governorship election was not easy for APGA. Ndi Anambra voted because of what they believe the party has done over the years.

“We want this to continue. You must continue to provide dividends of democracy for the people. Expectations are high.”

The cleric enjoined the party hierarchy to work for the good of the people, adding that the electorate voted for them to improve on their good work.

The Chairman of the party in the state, Sir Norbert Obi, thanked the bishop for the advice and encouragement.

He said the party would continue to give quality leadership.

 

Northern youths yesterday urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast.

The youth, under the auspices of the Concerned Northern APC Youth Forum, said this at a briefing in Abuja.

They also called on the APC and Nigerians to support the Presidential ambition of Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

Umahi had, in January, declared his intention to contest for president in 2023 on the platform of the APC.

The Forum said their call on the APC to give the Southeast a chance and also support for Umahi was borne out of its consultation tour of the 19 Northern states on the issues.

In a chat with reporters yesterday in Abuja, the Chairman of the Forum, Suleiman Liba, said justice, fairness and equity must come to play in electing the country’s next president.

He insisted that Umahi remains the best candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari due to his record of achievements in Ebonyi State.

“In David Umahi, we have found a worthy successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

“The man’s antecedents of excellence speak volumes and his achievements in Ebonyi State are there for everyone to see.

“We urge other bodies across the entire country to support David Umahi’s presidential bid as this is the surest way for Nigeria to go,” he added.

Despite not declaring open, employment into the core civil service since 2015, investigations have shown that the Akwa Ibom State Government is secretly recruiting employees.

Findings also reveal that workers have been resuming in ministries, departments and agencies without undergoing any formal employment process.

Although the government, through the Head of the Civil Service (HoCS), Mr. Effiong Essien, has denied the development, applicants have accused the government of insincerity and double standards.

Many of the commissioners and permanent secretaries have feigned ignorance about the recruitment, saying they were not privy to any notice or declaration of vacancies.

However, The Nation can report that top government officials and politicians use their connections to secure employment for their cronies, while some applicants pay huge amount as bribe to some corrupt government officials to secure jobs.

The officials, according to applicants who have parted with huge sums to gain employment, receive between N200, 000 and N300,000 as bribe.

One of the applicants, Mrs. Enobong Akpaah, said she paid N250,000 to a top government official to secure a job, but had not gotten the job.

“We are many who have paid money to get civil service jobs. I paid since last April. Others who paid have resumed duty. I am yet to get my employment letter,” she said.

But the HoCS, Essien, has denied secret employment. He, however, admitted that those being employed were selected from the data bank of those who had responded to the advertised vacancies.

Controversy erupted in Ebonyi State House of Assembly yesterday as a faction declared the seat of the Deputy Speaker, Odefa Obasi Odefa, vacant due to a letter of resignation purportedly written by him.

The House, with only 15 members in attendance, thereafter elected Kingsley Êkoro (Afikpo North West) as the new deputy speaker.

But in a swift reaction, the deputy speaker denied writing such a letter, insisting that he remains the deputy speaker of the Assembly.

Odefa had alleged last Saturday that some of his colleagues were plotting to illegally remove him due to his refusal to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

At yesterday’s plenary, the speaker read out a ‘letter of resignation’ forwarded by the deputy speaker to the Assembly.

According to the speaker, Odefa purportedly wrote in the letter dated December 15, 2021 that he had made up his mind to resign as a member of the Assembly.

The speaker noted that the deputy speaker, according to the letter, took the decision to enable him move on with future engagements.

After reading the letter, the speaker declared his constituency seat and the position of the deputy speaker he occupied vacant.

The House thereafter nominated Ikoro as the new deputy speaker.

He was sworn in immediately by the speaker and the clerk.

The speaker also read a letter purportedly written by two other lawmakers, Oliver Osi (Ivo) and NgÍzi Eziulo (Afikpo North East) wherein the duo were purportedly said to have resigned their membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Reacting to the purported resignation letter, Odefa described it as fake, insisting that he still remains the deputy speaker.

Odefa, who expressed concern about the desperation by members of the APC in the House, noted that it is most unfortunate for the members to forge letters and purport that they were written by PDP members.

Alleging that he had been receiving threats, the deputy speaker reaffirmed his position as a member of the PDP.

He said he had petitioned Police Commissioner Aliyu Garba over the threat.

Osi said he and Eziulo did not write any letter to the House resigning from the PDP.

He said they were still bona fide members of the PDP and did not have any intention or reason to defect to the APC.