Category: South East

Ebonyi State Government has brought a 15-count charge against the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nwoba Chika Nwoba.

The suspect was yesterday arraigned at a magistrates’ court sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital, for alleged publication of false information.

The publication, the prosecution said, was made against Governor David Umahi on his (Nwoba’s) Facebook handle.

He was also accused of publishing materials capable of disturbing public peace.

The offence, according to the charges, was punishable under Section 4 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Law No. 012 of 2021.

Nwoba was arrested three weeks ago by the state command of Ebubeagu Security Network and handed over to the police for prosecution, which caused outcry by his party.

He was to be arraigned last three weeks, but he slumped in court.

The court ordered that he be taken to a medical facility, after which he would face the charges.

Yesterday, he was arraigned and remanded by the court presided over by Blessing Chukwu.

Nwoba pleaded not guilty.

The court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter and ordered that Nwoba be remanded in police custody.

It added that he should undergo COVID-19 test and taken to a correctional service centre.

The court adjourned the matter till February 4 for report of compliance and ordered that the case file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha and Bisi Olaniyi, Benin

• ‘We won’t tolerate leadership imposition’

• Obaseki to give late labour chair befitting funeral

The national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared Anambra State splinter group of the congress led by Humphrey Nwafor as illegal.

It directed the group to desist from causing division among labour unions in the state, warning that those instigating the trouble would pay dearly for it.

The President, Ayuba Wabba, who spoke through Benson Upah at a news conference in Awka yesterday, said the only recognised NLC leadership in the state was the one led by Chinwe Orizu, who took over from Jerry Nnubia, following his retirement from the civil service.

The NLC in Anambra State said yesterday that it would not tolerate imposition of any leadership targeted at “destabilising the well-organised industrial unions in the state.”

Chairman Nwafor told reporters that the union did not split; stressing that he remained the only chairman of the union.

Nwafor was on December 17, 2021 elected as interim chairman during a by-election to complete the tenure of the former chairman, Nnubia, who retired from service on September 20, 2020.

Nnubia handed over to the state Vice Chairman, Mrs. Chinwe Orizu, on December 22, 2021, a development that resulted in the factionalisation of the union.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said his administration will give the late Chairman of the NLC, Edo chapter, Sunny Osayande, a befitting funeral.

He commiserated with members of Osayande family yesterday, when he led other top government functionaries on a condolence visit to the deceased’s home.

Osayande, who was elected on April 25, 2019, passed on in the early hours of last Sunday.

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has indefinitely suspended the Provost of the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo, Prof. Benedict Mbam, for recruiting more workers without following due process.

He also indefinitely suspended Mr. Azubike Ukaoma, the bursar, for complicity in the exercise and ordered both officers to hand over to the next in rank in their offices.

The suspension notice is contained in a statement by Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, Secretary to the State Government, yesterday in Abakaliki.

An advocacy group, the Concerned Citizens of Rivers State (CC23), has urged Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to support someone from the riverine area to become the governor in 2023.

Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday, the body said allowing the riverine area to produce the governor in 2023 was in the interest of equity and justice.

Its leader, Ken Robinson, faulted a statement credited to Sen. Bennett Birabi calling for a governor of Ogoni ethnic nationality in 2023.

Robinson said Birabi’s position undermined the existing political arrangements and could threaten peace in the state since “Ogoni is part of the upland that has been in power.”

He said if the Ogoni got the opportunity, the upland would have been in power for 24 years, describing such situation as unfair and unjust to the riverine area.

Robinson said: “Former governor and Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi is reportedly disposed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) again presenting a governorship candidate from the Riverine ljaw bloc, in 2023, to give every part of the state a sense of belonging, as the upland has occupied the position since 1999.

“Hence, it will be appropriate to earnestly urge Wike, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, to permit history to further write his name in gold letters, by also lending firm consideration to the emergence of a governorship candidate from the riverine ljaw sections of the state, under the PDP, in the 2023 governorship election.”

He argued that statistics on political positions and benefits at all levels should be clear, transparent and honest, insisting that power sharing in a multi-ethnic society should take into account the realities of political balance and other strategic interests.

Robinson said: “In Rivers State, the founding fathers took cognisance of the upland and riverine arrangement as a natural political divide. Though some political stakeholders have struggled to dispute the classification, it has remained evident and respected in the state’s political progression.

“The issue of riverine and upland is like Nigeria’s political distinction that cannot be wished away even with the structural creation of six geopolitical zones.

“Consequently, even as we seek to de-emphasise our diversity, it should be noted that this political reality has sustained peace and unity in Rivers State.

“To ignore it is to perpetuate injustice, increase tension and agitation, and exacerbate distrust and acrimony in the state.”

The power outage currently experienced by residents in some parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, may last three months, Commissioner for Power Mr. Ebitei Tonyon has said.

He said the blackout, which started about two weeks ago, was caused by alleged vandalism of two electric towers on the Tombia-Amassoma Road.

The commissioner, who made this known during an interview on a radio station in Yenagoa, said the vandals allegedly pulled down the towers after removing their bolts at the base.

The areas thrown into darkness as a result of the vandalism include Igbogene, Edepie, Akenfa, Okutukutu, Opolo-Epie, Biogbolo-Epie, Obogoro, Amarata and Swali, among others.

He said the vandalised infrastructure carried two power feeders that supplied electricity to the affected areas from the state’s transmission centre.

Tonyon said: “Why we are experiencing this blackout recently is that I got a call last Monday that two towers have been pulled down on Tombia-Amassoma Road (now called Airport Road). So, I immediately went for an inspection with my team and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) workers.

“We discovered that two heavy towers have been pulled down; they (the vandals) loosed the bolts gradually, not only one day, until the towers fell down.

“Now the two towers that fell are the ones that take light from Ahoada in Rivers State to our transmission station. So, feeder one and feeder two are totally down on the ground.

“So, the whole of Imiringi Road, Tombia-Amassoma Road, down to Igbogene; from Edepie down to Igbogene and parts of Etegwe-Edepie roundabout to Isaac Boro Expressway, down to Swali and Obogoro, and some areas like Amarata, Biogbolo-Epie are not going to have electricity until the two towers are replaced.”

He, however, said his ministry was coordinating meetings with PHEDC officials and other stakeholders to resolve the problem.

When asked how long the residents would wait before the destroyed towers could be fixed, Tonyon said: “It may take three months.”

Workers at the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, have expressed displeasure about the suspension of Dr. Fabian Okonkwo, the director general.

Okonkwo was suspended following a recommendation by the PRODA governing board, led by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Mr. Emma Eneukwu.

Following the suspension, which the workers termed illegal, heavily armed security operatives led a director in the institute, Dr. Mrs. Arit Etukudor, to the office on Tuesday afternoon as the new boss, thereby raising tension in the institute.

When The Nation visited PRODA yesterday morning, the workers were seen discussing the development.

The Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institution (SSAUTHRIAI), PRODA Enugu branch, Ohiemi Gabriel, described the process that led to Okonkwo’s suspension as the “grandest height of illegality.”

He said he was being falsely indicted for his uprightness in pursuing the institute’s vision within a short period in charge.

Ohiemi said: “How can a board that has not sat for a meeting since its inaugural meeting on October 24, 2021 recommend the suspension of an overseeing director general, who is the statutory secretary of the board?”

He described the embattled DG as a committed leader, who had changed the ugly narrative at PRODA.

Ohiemi said: “There are several laudable projects under construction at the moment, from the science park building to the construction of a new office store and renovation of a different office building.

“In terms of workers welfare, Dr. Okonkwo has demonstrated an uncommon verve in the area of training and retraining of workers. If a leader is doing well, he should be encouraged, rather than being falsely indicted for selfish, parochial and primordial reasons.”

Ohiemi, on behalf of the workers, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene, to ensure justice and equity.

Elder statesman and former old Anambra State Governor Jim Nwobodo has urged wealthy Nigerians to invest in university education, to train more future leaders.

He also called for a political will for more investment in the education sector.

Speaking with reporters when he paid a condolence visit to the Chancellor of Coal City University, Enugu, Sir Chinedu Ani, at his Enugu home, over the death of his father, Nwobodo said the greatest legacy anyone could leave behind was a university where people were trained.

The ex-governor, who hailed Ani for spending time and money in building a university, said his greatest legacy as a governor was building four universities in the old Anambra State.

“I think he (Ani) shared a vision with me. But the difference is that the university I built as a governor of old Anambra State was a multi campus institution. My pride today is that I was able to build in four years, four universities. And I brought the best brains to handle the first university. That was Prof. Dike.

“When you look at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUTH); Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Ebonyi State University and Ojukwu University, I pioneered them and I’m very happy for that.

“So, I understand what Chinedu Ani is doing. I know what he’s doing. There’s joy in training young people to be educated. These are leaders of the country.

“So, I want our people to think towards investing in education, particularly by building universities. From what I have seen at the Coal City University, for every kobo you spend in a university, it is a big heritage because you are training the minds of young men and women, taking time to bring them up and so on. The difference between us and civilised countries is education.

“If you spend your time educating the young ones, I think you are doing a lot for the country.

“I congratulate him on spending time in building a university. The greatest legacy you will leave in this world is a university where people are trained. Coal City University is right now training scientists, engineers and all sorts of people, who will uplift our region and Nigeria as a whole.

“I think there’s joy in having a university like this. The university is something to be proud of.”