Category: South East

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has slammed Governor Ben Ayade for holding an opinion that depicted his reservations and opposition to the views of the Southern Governors’ Forum on Anti-Open Grazing Law.

The southern governors had agreed that states in the southern part of Nigeria, which include Cross River, should pass a law to ban open grazing.

But Governor Ayade, speaking recently and publicly for the first time on the issue, said: “I have not done as the southern governors so decided because I have to find a solution.

“We have to find a way to create a balance between the herders and the farmers.

“We are coming with an open grazing management law. Not a prohibition because I think morally and ethically it is unacceptable to prohibit a trade that existed before I was born.  I will rather find a way to modulate and moderate it so that it meets modern definition of animal farming or husbandry.

“I cannot ask my herdsmen-brothers either of the North or South extraction to stop their trade and source of livelihood.  A Cross River State law will come with concerns for herdsmen and farmers.”

Reacting, the state PDP in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Prince Mike Ojisi, said: “It’s regrettable that a government that ought to reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people has chosen to fight the people that it ought to protect.

“The good people of Cross River State have spoken loud against open grazing typified by herdsmen. In Obudu, where the governor hails from and throughout the Northern Senatorial District of the state that shares border with Benue State- who are exposed to this menace- people have in recent months taken the law into their hands by chasing away herdsmen from their villages in a mass action by youths.

“This kind of mass action, which can breed resistance and anarchy, but became necessary in the face of the government’s inability or refusal to come to the aid of its citizens, underscores the fact that Governor Ayade has failed our people.”

The party recalled that the governor some time ago talked about venturing into the planting of a special grass he called king grass that is a good feed for herds.

“We wish to advise Governor Ayade, who is obviously head-over-heels in love with the herdsmen to export to the herdsmen, the king-size giant grasses that he told the citizens he was going to grow and sell to herdsmen, or are the grasses another digital phantom project of the governor?”

PDP urged the governor to expeditiously sign into law the Anti-Open Grazing Bill, “as Cross River State cannot afford the luxury of war and anarchy.”

Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace, will begin scheduled flights into Anambra tomorrow.

Its spokesman, Mr. Stanley Olisa, confirmed the development in a statement yesterday in Lagos.

Olisa said the commencement followed approval of the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The statement explained that the consistent route expansion by the airline was a reflection of its “no-city-left-behind” initiative.

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“This is great news for the people of Anambra as we are launching four flights weekly into the new airport on Tuesday.

“For a start, we shall be operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and as operations gather momentum, we shall increase frequencies to daily flights,” he said.

Olisa said passengers could start booking on Air Peace’s website: www.flyairpeace.com or on its mobile app, stressing that the airline planned to connect Anambra with other cities outside Lagos and Abuja.

He added that by the end of January 2022, the airline would have started flying Anambra-Kano-Anambra, Anambra-Ibadan-Anambra and Anambra-Port Harcourt-Anambra routes.

Many dignitaries will on December 11, 2021 be at Eze Imo Palace, Mbari Street, Owerri, the Imo State capital, for the presentation of a book written by Governor Hope Uzodinma.

The book, titled: Reflection on the Igbo Question, is an attempt to situate the marginalisation of Ndigbo in the Nigerian project and how best to overcome the situation.

In a statement at the weekend, Information and Strategy Commissioner Declan Emelumba described the book as the thoughts of the governor on the existential challenges of Ndigbo in Nigeria.

He noted that although Uzodimma is a patriotic Nigerian who believes in the unity of the country, he wants other Nigerians to understand the pains of Ndigbo with a view to addressing the anomalies.

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Reflections on the Igbo question, the commissioner said, underlines and projects the governor’s thoughts on the existential challenges of Ndigbo in project Nigeria, including real and perceived marginalisation.

Emelumba said the book also x-rays the denial of justice and equity to Ndigbo such that some of them now feel despondent and abandoned.

But most importantly, said the commissioner, the book gives a graphic guideline on how best to address the vexing issue to enable Ndigbo have a fair and due share in the Nigerian project.

Describing the book as a must read for Ndigbo and their neighbours, Emelumba said the presentation is part of the elaborate birthday ceremony for the governor on December 12.

He enjoined all those who believe in the unity of Nigeria to get a copy of the book to enable them understand the feeling and expectations of Ndigbo from the Nigeria project.

The persons living with disabilities in Anambra State have urged the governor -elect, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to treat them the way outgoing Governor Willie Obiano has treated them

They listed some of their demands to include, increase in inclusive governance, which they enjoyed during the Obiano administration and continued employment of persons living with disabilities.

Others, according to them, are accessibility to public buildings and extension of retirement age for people living with disabilities, because, according to them, “we develop late.”

These were listed by Mary-Jane Umezinwa, the leader of the visually impaired, from the office of governor, while speaking with The Nation at the weekend.

She said Obiano had done well for the persons living with disabilities, adding that the group would want Soludo to improve on it.

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Governor Obiano has approved the establishment of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), which the group has been seeking.

The commission has as its Chairman, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Persons with Disability Matters, Chuks Ezewuzie , a lawyer.

The Chairman, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Anambra State chapter, Mr. Ugochukwu Okeke, said the group wanted the implementation of the Anambra State Disability Rights Law 2018.

This, according to him, would increase accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities by dismantling legal, social, economic and other barriers with active involvement of persons with disabilities and their representative organisation in every developmental processes in the state.

Speaking with The Nation yesterday, Okeke said Obiano had employed 215 of their members, while the newly employed others, especially teachers, would soon be captured to add to the number.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has described as unrealistic Governor Godwin Obaseki’s N214.2 billion 2022 budget of renewal, hope and growth, presented on December 1 to members of the House of Assembly.

It reiterated that last year, Obaseki announced that his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government successfully closed a N25 billion, five-year bond, at a record price of nine per cent, which resources would be available to fund the 2021 budget.

Edo APC, yesterday in a statement by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Victor Osehobo, alleged that Obaseki’s 2022 budget proposal was full of deceit and duplication, calculated to inflict more pains on Edo people, by allocating funds to projects he claimed to have already completed and inaugurated, but forgot to mention the current status of the N25 billion bond.

It said: “The 2022 Obaseki’s budget proposal is completely unrealistic and duplicitously embellished with impractical predications, a development that confirms fears by many Edo people that this administration is obviously still trying unsuccessfully to lay a foundation for governance, as Obaseki himself declared, five years on.

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“The budget proposal illustrates that Obaseki has perfected the art of wasting Edo State’s funds on frivolities. How does he explain the allocation of N21 billion for government buildings and another N15 billion to enhance the work of environment?

“As expected, the Obaseki’s 2022 budget is padded, which can be deduced from spurious allocations like providing social and youth development, N5billion; technology enhancement, N7.6billion; effective fiscal and business-friendly regulatory policies, N4.5billion.

“The proposal includes water, which is non-existent, and which Edo State government has never attempted to provide anywhere in the state, for N1.2 billion. This is as ridiculous as the provision of N1.5 billion for

citizen re-orientation and social protection, and N9.2 billion for public safety and security, which are suspicious and questionable, and call for answers.

“The education sector is worse hit, as Edo governor, clearly economical with the truth, claims that ‘Children in primary schools in Edo State today now learn three times more than they used to learn with the old pedagogue. We have the lowest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, on account of our reforms.’ Obaseki has deceived Edo people for too long, as he has not employed teachers and public school children are sentenced to sitting on bare floor in grouped classes with a school head teaching all subjects, across schools in many communities in Edo State.”

A Radiography student at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), 23-year-old Janet Odey from Cross River State, yesterday emerged winner at this year’s Nigeria Student Venture Prize.

He won N1.5 million.

The organisers, Edugist, said Janet has by her position qualified to represent Nigeria at next year’s University Startup World Cup in Denmark, whose grand prize is $15,000.

Janet presented her venture idea, “Virtual Mart”, which is a digital agricultural market for food fit for human consumption.

She said: “What we do is to connect small holder farmers to the ready market, in order to sell their food at a subsidised rate and make quick returns.”

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The Principal Partner of Edugist, Elvis Boniface, said about 10,000 students across universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria applied to participate in the Nigeria Student Venture Prize.

He added: “Out of the 10,000 applicants, we struggled to get 50 and eventually pruned the number to 20 finalists.”

The second prize of one million Naira went to Iheanacho Chihazie of Babcock University in Ogun State.

Daniel Balmun from National Open University, Jos Study campus, whose idea was on how to ‘borrow light’, got the third prize of N500,000.

The sponsors decided on the spot to create another category called Social Impact for the Business Idea from Comfort Omiyale of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, who smiled away with one million Naira

Two other finalists, who won contracts from the sponsors, were Isaac Ayuba of Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, and Akpainyang Precious Saviour from the University of Calabar.

Consolation prizes of N50,000 went to other finalists.

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu is not quitting the party.

The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Okey Ezeala, said Kalu realised his ambition of becoming a senator after several futile attempts on the party’s platform.

The statement said:  “To the best of our knowledge, the Senator representing Abia North on our party’s platform is going nowhere. This is authoritative.

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“What is playing out is that Kalu and his supporters are finding it very difficult to swallow the humble pie, and accept the fact that they have lost out in the 2021 congress of our great party. Their expectation that the state party structure will fall into their hands has become a bridge too far. They have refused to display the spirit of sportsmanship and queue behind the winners. The Abia North Senator is simply suffering from excess hubris.

“What we want the public to know is that Sen. Kalu is merely flying a kite, perhaps to attract the attention of the national leadership of our party to beg him not to leave. And if that eventually works to his plan, his primary objective will be to extract some concessions. Unfortunately for him, no winner in the congress is ready to concede his position.”

The statement urged the APC national leadership to call the bluff of Senator Kalu.