The Leader of the Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI), at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Friday Okonofua, has said public awareness can solve 50 per cent of Nigeria’s problems.

He noted that the country (Nigeria) had one of the worst indicators of maternal mortality in the world, second to China.

Okonofua, a renowned gynaecologist, also revealed that Nigeria had the highest rate of abortion in the world.

The centre’s leader, who was accompanied by CERHI’s Project Coordinator, Prof. Akhere Omonkhua, and other eminent scholars of the Federal Government-owned university, spoke yesterday at the centre’s maiden news conference on the campus, which was coordinated by UNIBEN’s spokesperson, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire.

Read Also: Abortions, drug use may cause excessive lactation, say researchers

Okonofua said: “CERHI is a World Bank-supported project at UNIBEN, whose mission is to implement high-quality training and applied research for professionals needed to build a new cohort of human resource to tackle the population and reproductive health challenges in the African region.

“CERHI at UNIBEN has truly come of age. Founded in December 2014 with funding from the World Bank and under the tutelage of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Association of African Universities (AAU); it was one of the initial 22 such centres established under the African Centres of Excellence I (ACE I) project of the World Bank that was aimed at promoting quality tertiary education for development in the West and Central African region.

“In 2017, under ACE II, the World Bank created additional centres in the East African region. In view of the success of ACE I, the World Bank called for new proposals in 2018 for renewal of the centres that performed well, under ACE I, and also for additional new centres.

“CERHI was one of the initial ACE I centres, whose proposal was approved for renewal for ACE III (Impact ACE) implementation, which is designed to ensure the generation of high impact for the ACE programme, to enable the attainment of sustainable development at institutional, sub-national and national levels.”

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State have cried out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to release a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the governorship results in Anambra State.

This, according to the party, means that there are things the commission is afraid of, despite a court order to release the CTC to the parties.

The acting Chairman of the party, Sir Basil Ejidike, disclosed this yesterday in Awka during APC’s stakeholders’ meeting.

It was attended by the party leader in Anambra State, led by the governorship candidate, Sen. Andy Uba.

During the meeting, two powerful committees were inaugurated. They were 11-member Disciplinary Committee led by Chibuzor Obiakor, while C. J. Chinwuba would serve as Secretary. It had other powerful members like Sir Chris Chikwelu (Ichele -Agulu), among others.

Read Also; Our worries over 2023 general elections, by INEC

The other committee was the Congress Awareness Committee led by ex-House of Representatives member Raph Okeke. Former House of Representatives member Nze Chidi Duru will serve as Secretary.

Addressing the stakeholders, Ejidike said INEC had not been able to give reason why it had not released the CTC to the parties, noting that it was shameful.

He said: “This is a special gathering because it’s a gathering to give our party a new direction. Any party that fails to win election is not a political party, which has eluded us in the state. APC is a political party and not a club.

“We are going to contest every available position in 2023 and without discipline, we will not win anything. INEC has not been able to issue out CTC, even after it was ordered by the court, because of the difficult situation it has found itself.

“What that action means is that something was wrong during the election. Our tribunal case is justified because the right thing was not done by INEC.

“Those party members who are still pursuing court cases against APC are trying to frustrate our party. Don’t be disillusioned, we will not allow them to derail us.”

Members of the Abia State House of Assembly yesterday passed into law, One Hundred and Forty-Seven Billion, Seven Hundred and Eighty Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Naira (N147,787,781,300.00) Only for the services of government for the year ending 31st December, 2022.

It was presented to the House by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The budget tagged “Budget of Economic Recovery Through Industrialisation”,  is made up a recurrent expenditure of N66, 830, 193, 200 (Sixty Six Billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty Million, One Hundred and Ninety Three Thousand, Two Hundred Naira only, representing 45 per cent of the budget.

The capital expenditure component is N80, 957, 588, 100 (Eighty Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty Seven Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand, One Hundred Naira, representing 55 per cent of the total budget.

The sitting was presided over by Speaker Chinedum Orji. The lawmakers, in a motion by the Majority Leader and seconded by the Minority Leader, adopted the report as presented by the Appropriation Committee chaired by Kennedy Njoku, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation.

Reporting what transpired at the Committee of the Whole, the Speaker said the House did page by page consideration of the report and that the House passed the recommendations presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation.

Read Also; Ogun Assembly passes N350.735b Appropriation Bill

In a motion by the Majority Leader and seconded by the Minority Leader, the House amended the Order Paper to accommodate the Third Reading of H.A.B. 50.

It was gathered that after undergoing the necessary legislative processes, the Speaker said: “This is the time to delete the word Bill and insert the word Law” into the Appropriation.”

The Speaker therefore said the Law shall be cited as the Abia State of Nigeria Appropriation Law and shall come into effect from January 1, 2022.

The H.A.B. 50, Abia State of Nigeria Appropriation Bill, was subsequently passed into Law by the lawmakers.

In a related development, the H.A.B. 52: The Abia State Freedom of Information Bill, 2021, a Bill for a Law to provide for Freedom of Information in Abia State sponsored by Emeka Okoroafor passed first reading.

Accordingly, after going through legislative processes and in a motion moved by the Majority Leader and seconded by Emeka Okoroafor, the Bill, H.A.B. 52, passed First Reading.

Plenary was subsequently adjourned till January 31.

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has sacked his media aide, Mr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, over alleged reckless conduct and insubordination.

The sack was contained in a statement, yesterday, by Patrick Ukah, Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

The statement said: “I write to convey to you the displeasure of His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, over your conduct with respect to the performance of your duties wherein there has been manifest recklessness and insubordination.

“As this trend can no longer be tolerated, I regret to inform you that your service as Executive Assistant, Communication, is no more required and your appointment is hereby terminated.

“Accordingly, I am to request that you take necessary steps to hand over government property in your possession to the Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Government House and Protocol forthwith.”

The Nation gathered that Oghenesivbe’s sack might not be unconnected with his recent outburst against Governor Okowa on his Facebook page, expressing his alleged poor working conditions as Executive Assistant (Communication).

The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), yesterday expressed readiness to embark on massive campaign and sensitisation in Ebonyi State.

The Head, NAPTIP Liaison Office, Mrs. Bertha Offor, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki that the campaign would be taken to motor parks, markets and churches.

She said NAPTIP would also deepen its relationship with its partners to drive the campaign.

Offor listed partners and stakeholders to include the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the National Human Rights Commission and the Police.

She warned traffickers to desist from the crime, as culprits would be prosecuted.

Offor said since the Ebonyi office became operational in September, it had received reports of rescue of new-born babies and the defiling of a 12-year-old girl by a lecturer.

“We learnt that the matters are in court and suspects are in prison custody.

“We were able to sensitise some schools during the 16 days of activism conducted in the state in partnership with the police as a critical stakeholder,’’ she added.

Offor enjoined parents to be on the alert as the year winds down, warning that the period is synonymous with increased activities by traffickers, who exploit gullible adolescents.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is plotting to publish the names of his political opponents as its (IPOB’s) sponsors.

It said the governor had vowed to reveal the identities of sponsors of insecurity in the state on January 3, 2022.

In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB said 18 suspects arrested by security agencies had named their sponsors, promising to reveal their identities and roles at a stakeholders’ meeting on January 3.

Describing Uzodimma’s style as laughable, the group warned him to stop targeting his political opponents by labelling them as IPOB sponsors.

The statement said: “The attention of the global family of IPOB has been drawn to a laughable statement from Uzodimma that he would expose IPOB sponsors in Imo State. The statement only confirmed Uzodimma as a confused man.

“IPOB is a self-sponsored global movement. We have no sponsor from anywhere because no individual has the capacity to bankroll this movement.

“In case Uzodimma doesn’t know, IPOB is not like a political party that depends on godfathers to exist. We don’t accept donations from politicians and even Uzodimma knows this.

“If we accept donations from politicians, Uzodimma would have been one of our sponsors, but he is disappointed that we are not swayed by money. We have never hidden our sources of sponsorship, members of this great global family willingly and gladly finance the movement.”