Category: South East

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has warned the Basil Ejidike-led group to desist from parading itself as the leader of the party.

It also warned members to ignore the antics of those it referred to as imposters, warning that “those dealing with them on behalf of our party are doing so at their risk.”

Addressing reporters yesterday, the factional Secretary of the party, Chukwuma Agupugo, said Ejidike had ceased to be the acting caretaker chairman of the party in the state since last November.

He said there were no factional groups in the party, adding that no new congress had been conducted in Anambra State.

Agupugo called on the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee to set up a committee to unravel the issues behind the crisis in the party, to avoid regrets.

He said: “In normal climes, those who led a party to such disastrous electoral outing will hide their faces in shame and quit the stage, to enable the party reposition for future outing.

“It’s obvious that enemies of the party and fifth columnists masquerading as leaders and officials of the APC, bent on destroying the party, are on the prowl.

“We hereby alert our national leaders, especially the chairman and members of the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, to open their eyes and read the handwriting on the wall.

“We urge them to set up a committee to examine issues surrounding the crisis in the party, to avoid a repeat of unsavoury recent history.”

“We call on members of the party to ignore the antics of these hatchet men in our party and remain loyal to the party, pending the restoration of sanity in its structure.

“Ejidike has ceased to be the acting caretaker chairman of the party in the state since November 2021 and no new congress has been conducted in Anambra for the time being.

“The party remains one under the leadership of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, who has been nurturing and shouldering this party through thick and thin since inception.”

One of the leading Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) governorship aspirants in Delta 2023 election, Olorogun David Edevbie, has assured senatorial districts and ethnic groups of his readiness to respond to their challenges, if elected.

Edevbie, who spoke at a forum of the Delta State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Asaba, said that while the senatorial districts wanted the same form of infrastructural and social developments, they had peculiar challenges arising from the nature of their environment.

He said: “Let’s start from Delta South. It is largely a riverine area and the major problem we have there is the oil production that goes on in majority of the place. Everything that has to do with oil production is a problem. Then, certainly, because it is a riverine area, it costs a lot more money to develop. But, specifically, they need all the basic things. If you really want a state where everybody has and feels an equal part of, we must spend more in the riverine areas.

“The other thing I will like to pursue is the Warri Port.  The people of Warri and around that area are concerned that the port continues to operate sub-optimally. If it operates optimally, the multiplier effect will be significant.

“If you look at the Ijaw area, everything to do with development is required in that area, without a doubt. And this is because it is a difficult terrain, but if we spend the money we need to spend, within 20 years, and especially if you are working with the private sector, there is no reason we can’t have it looking much better than it is today, more like a Dubai, more like a Miami.”

“But in terms of specifics, I have been going around consulting and one of the things that they keep raising, constantly, is the need for a higher institution in the Ijaw area. There isn’t. So, I think we will need to look at the finances of the state at the time, whether it does justify another higher institution. But in the short term, what we can do is to look at existing institutions. The School of Marine Technology in Burutu, if we spend more money there, I think that will bring some succour in that area, especially in respect of higher institutions.

“The same applies to the College of Engineering in Oleh, the Oleh campus of the Delta State University. I think if we spend more money there and upgrade it, that will satisfy a lot of people with respect to higher education.

“Delta North has riverine areas and upland. The riverine areas have the same problems as the riverine areas elsewhere and, in the upland, we have erosion. Erosion is a major issue in Delta North and it needs to be addressed. There is also the issue of industry. Luckily Delta North is peaceful, so I see it as quite easy to attract businesses. I will start by breathing life into the Kwale Industrial Park. I will start by breathing life into the Asaba Industrial Park. There is an Industrial Park in Asaba, but it hasn’t been functional. I will like to bring it up. Because of its proximity to the airport that is a very quick win. There are several other industrial parks that have been created by His Excellency that I will like to continue to pursue.

“The final thing in Delta North of course is Asaba. We need a master plan for Asaba. We need to develop Asaba. I don’t see any reason we cannot have an inner rail network.

“Delta Central was once the industrial hub of Delta State. There were many businesses, which then created employment, but they are all gone. So, I think there needs to be focus on industrialisation there, but before we can move forward with the industrialisation, we must address the energy issue. We will first address it in the Oghara, Jesse, Sapele axis and then come down to the Ughelli, Udu axis. Once we address the power situation, we address the security situation, government will be able to attract the private sector to industries in those areas. If necessary, government can take equity in order to bring in those industries to that area to create jobs.

“And then, we have Abraka. It is already there. It can be a developmental hub for us in Delta Central. What we can do is to have a way of bringing in industries that can take the feed from the university into them in order to have a synergy between industry and the university.”

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has described the conditions credited to the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore to support a Southern president in 2023, as a ‘threat’ to Nigeria’s unity and peaceful coexistence.

This was contained in a statement by the IYC Secretary-General, Frank Pukon.

The National President of the group, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, had reportedly called for an apology by Southern states, a repeal of anti-open grazing laws and restoration of grazing routes across the South as conditions to support a Southern presidential candidature for the 2023 elections.

Stressing that “Nigeria is for all Nigerians,” Pukon said in a diverse country like Nigeria, progress could only be achieved when leaders were mindful of their utterances and worked to find solution to the problems plaguing the nation.

He said: “The statement credited to Bodejo titled: ‘Apologise to Fulani, repeal anti-grazing laws, restore grazing routes: Miyetti Allah gives conditions for support of Southern candidates for 2023,’ in a multicultural country like Nigeria, is a threat to peaceful-coexistence, national unity and posed existential threats to national cohesion.

“His views do not reflect equity, fairness, justice, progressive and inclusive governance. Nigeria is for all Nigerians.”

“Statements such as, ‘no Southern presidential aspirants will get the support of the Fulani unless they pledge to repeal laws banning open grazing and bring back the controversial grazing routes that had been outlawed in many states in the South,’ just because Southern and Middle Belt leaders agreed in a communiqué that they would not support any presidential candidate from the North through a simplistic superior argument of power rotating back to the South in 2023.

“I want to re-emphasise that: Nigeria is for all Nigerians. So, I applaud the leader of the Fulani socio-cultural association, Bodejo, whereby he said that until Southern states repeal anti-grazing laws, restore grazing routes, they will not support a Southern presidency. It is logical, yet a technical brief he has held for some prominent Northern politicians.”

Pukon added that the disposition of the Fulani group should be a call for Southern governors, irrespective of political parties, “to agitate for true federalism and a restructured Nigeria.”

“For us in the Niger Delta, we believe in a united Nigeria under the pillars of equity, fairness and justice. Simply put, a restructured Nigeria, a true federalism-practising Nigeria,” he said.

Youths of Mgbakwu in Awka North Local Government of Anambra State yesterday blocked the gate of the state- owned polytechnic, protesting the neglect of the institution by the government

The over 100 youths carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Anambra State Polytechnic is a glorified secondary school’, ‘We need intervention of the government here’, ‘We’re giving the school authorities and government 14-day ultimatum to address the issues or we shut down the school’, ‘This place is neglected’, among others.

They threatened to shut down the school if after the ultimatum, the governing council and the government failed to address the issues

Some of their demands include making the place to look like an institution and not a glorified secondary school, getting accreditation for courses in the school, employing their people, raising the standard of the institution, among others.

The Coordinator, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in Awka North Local Government, Onukwube Augustine, said they had kept quiet for a long time and would not condone the situation again.

He said they would soon lock down the state over the matter by blocking the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, if nothing positive was done.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof Ifediora Nwana, who suspended the council meeting to address the protesters, pleaded for calm, saying a lot of things were being done by the government to remedy the situation

He said: “We are equally not happy about the condition of the polytechnic. We want the best for the school, but the government is acting within its limited resources.”