Category: South East

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, Enugu State Chapter and  Human Rights Defenders (HURIDE)  have expressed concern about the health of an Ebonyi State-based journalist, Godfrey Chikwere.

The groups, in reactions to the arrest of the broadcaster last weekend, said nothing untoward must happen to him.

They called for his release or arraignment before a competent court of law.

Chikwere was taken to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA) after he slumped at the police station. He was as at yesterday still on admission.

Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information Uchenna Orji defended the arrest of the journalist, saying his activities on the social media were capable of breaching the peace in the state.

He said Chikwere’s actions were against the state’s Cybercrime Prohibition Law 012, 2021, which came into effect on September 15.

The journalist, who is widely known in the state as Baby Mouth, was a technical assistant on Media to Governor Dave Umahi and master of ceremony at most government programmes.

In its statement, the Enugu State chapter of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing gave the Ebonyi State Government 24 hours to release the radio presenter.

The statement by the group’s Leader, Nnamdi Odo, warned that it would mobilise youths to protest the arrest of the journalist if the government failed to heed its request.

It said:  “Failure to adhere to the above requests will lead to something that Ebonyi State Government will live to regret.  Twenty-four hours from now, we will mobilise 10,000 youths that will protest in Ebonyi State against this injustice.”

Ebonyi State office of  (HURIDE)  said  it was  concerned about the arrest, detention and consequent hospitalisation of Chikwere.

“We have studied the content of the petition, but we are yet to find any reasonable grain therein capable enough to warrant the ill-advised arrest and possible torture of Mr Chikwere,”  the human rights group said in a statement by its Chairman, Sampson Nweke and spokesperson, Chinasa  Okereke.

The group  warned that nothing “untoward should happen to  Chikwere” and called on the  government   to note that it was   interested in the matter.

“ HURIDE will ensure Chikwere’s rights are duly enforced and justice adequately dispensed,’ it added.

But Information Commissioner Orji said the government was enforcing the law of the state as passed by the House of Assembly.

According to him, Chikwere published on the social media among others things that “it is clear that the Army is seriously losing respect from the public’’

He said that the journalist also wrote that politicians would use the youth to kill their perceived enemies and decline to give them money to invest in business.

Orji noted that the posts by Chikwere, which he maintained were fake news, hate speeches and inciting comments were capable of pitting the Army and the government against the people.

Going by Section 4 of the Cybercrime Law, the journalist faces seven-year imprisonment with an option of a fine if found guilty.

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has promised to pool resources together with the US Mission and National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA), towards mounting aggressive advocacy for the eradication of HIV/AIDS in the state.

The governor, who spoke when he received a delegation of the US Deputy Chief of Mission, Mrs. Kathleen FitzGibbon and the Director General, NACA, Dr. Aliyu Gambo, at the Government House, Umuahia, promised to deploy the same zeal he had brought to the health sector to battle the HIV/AIDS scourge.

He said the state must ramp up HIV test as well as other curative interventions that would lead to eradication of the scourge.

Dr. Ikpeazu added that the state would mobilise the necessary platforms to beat the 18 months deadline given by the team as target to bring HIV/AIDS under control.

He used the forum to call on the US Deputy Chief of Mission to support Abia in its quest to win the war against HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. FitzGibbon said that they were in Nigeria to partner the federal and state governments in pooling resources together towards reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the county, even as the disease is no longer a death sentence.

She urged the state government to mount advocacy aimed at eliminating stigma against carriers, increase HIV awareness coverage and encourage people with the infection to willingly come out to access treatment.

Dr. Gambo said Abia has remained one of the strategic partners of the Federal Government in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as it has been active in the payment of its counterpart funding.

The Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu; the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Mr. Chris Ezem; the Head of Service (HOS), Sir Onyii Wamah; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Prof. A.C.B. Agbazuere; Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, and his Health counterpart, Dr. Joe Osuji, Deputy Chief of Staff (Office of the Deputy Governor), Sir Don Ubani, among other government functionaries were present during the visit.

Apan-Ijaw socio-cultural and political group, Ijaw National Congress (INC), has said the Ijaw ethnic nationality is unfairly treated in the scheme of things in Nigeria.

INC President Prof. Benjamin Okaba said it was high time the Ijaw stopped brooding and lamenting their situation.

He added that they should do the needful to take their pride of place in the country.

These positions were contained in an address he presented in Yenagoa during the sixth memorial anniversary of former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Okaba said the Ijaw must move from their hitherto docile position, rise up and begin to engage, not only the Nigerian nation but other stakeholders in the Nigerian project, to enhance their position.

He said their degraded and heavily polluted environment was a huge challenge because oil exploration and exploitation activities were depriving the Ijaw of their means of livelihood.

Okaba urged the Ijaw to leverage the power of unity and called on the people not to allow forces in the country to divide them.

He said:  “We (the Ijaw) must unite and rally round to support the governor of Bayelsa, INC and everything about the Ijaw struggle.

“This is not the time to be divided. We must speak in one voice because there is power in unity. If we are united, we can move mountains.

“We are no longer comfortable as the fourth largest ethnic nationality with the way we are being treated in Nigeria. It is high time we stopped brooding and lamenting our situation. We must move from our hitherto docile position, rise up and begin to engage, not only the Nigerian nation, but other stakeholders in the Nigerian project in order to enhance our position.”

He urged the Ijaw to take exercises such as the national census and voter registration very seriously because politics is a matter of numbers.

Said he: “As former president of France, the late Charles de Gaulle, said, ‘politics is too serious a business to be left in the hands of politicians alone’.

“All hands must be on deck. I hereby call on Ijaw sons and daughters, home and abroad, above 45 years to register and join the INC.

“The current National Executive Council of the INC that I am privileged to lead is on course to deliver on our mandate to achieve justice, freedom and prosperity for our people.”

Speaking about the ideals of Alamieyeseigha, the INC boss said the late governor at his peak became so prominent in state, regional and national politics because of his unwavering stance on equity, fairness, resource control and other Niger Delta issues and concerns.

He said: “Alamieyeseigha became the irrepressible voice and converging point of the Ijaw nation, home and abroad with his lion heart to confront the Niger Delta issues.

“By so doing, he earned himself the title of Governor General of the Ijaw Nation.”

Anambra State House of Assembly has passed the Anti-Open Grazing Bill.

The Bill titled: “Anambra State Open Grazing of Cattle and other Livestock Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill 20213 , was passed yesterday after third reading at the plenary.

The lawmakers, at the Committee of the Whole House, took turns to scrutinise the 39-clause executive bill before its passage.

Speaker Uche Okafor conducted a voice vote on each of the clauses of the bill before its passage by the assembly.

He said the passage of the bill followed the consideration of the report of the public hearing, presented by the Chairman of House Committee on Agriculture, Mr. John Nwokoye (APGA-Awka North).

Subsequently, the speaker directed the Clerk, Mr. Pius Udo, to transmit a clean copy of the bill to Governor Willie Obiano, for assent.

The Bill, when eventually signed into law, will prevent the destruction of crop farms, community ponds, settlements and properties as well as optimise the use of land resources in the face of overstretched land and increasing population.

The assembly also considered and approved the report on the 2022 -2024 multi-year budget framework presented by the House Committee Chairman on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Obinna Emeneka (APGA-Anambra East).

Edo State residents and road users yesterday protested the dilapidated nature of Benin-Warri expressway.

They urged the Federal Government to fix it.

The protesters gathered near the Benin Bypass at a point called Setraco junction and accused the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration of insensitivity in fixing the bad portions of the strategic road.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Patrick Eholor, a human rights activist, said the peaceful protest would continue until the bad portions were repaired.

He said: “We are tired of this kind of insensitivity of the government to the plight of the people. We must remind government officials of their responsibilities.

“We are telling the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, to do the needful. This road must be fixed. We are tired of seeing innocent people die on the road. Accidents do not recognise tribe or class.”

“The people we elected into political positions have failed us. So, we the citizens are saying that we are going to continue this protest until the Works minister comes here to fix this road. We are here to stay.”

Eholor advised the protesters not to be afraid, but to continue to put the insensitive government officials on their toes.

The Anambra State Police Command has assured the residents of tight security before, during and after the November 6 governorship election in the state.

Police Commissioner Eworo Echeng gave the assurance yesterday at a town hall meeting with youths.

The meeting was at the instance of a peace advocacy group, Vote Not Fight Campaign, in collaboration with the Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI) and the 2Face Idibia Foundation with support from the National Democratic Institute and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Echeng, who was represented by the Officer in Charge of Safer Highway Patrol, Isah Kolo, said voters had no reason to panic as there would be massive deployment of police personnel across the 21 local government areas of the state.

“The personnel to be posted in strategic positions far away from the polling units in order not to scare away voters as well as provide cover for conventional policemen since they don’t go to polling units with their rifles,” he said.

The police chief warned miscreants who may want to foment troubles to desist and give peace a chance.

He also urged voters to give police credible information which he assured would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

“Considering the prevailing security situation in the state, with the presence of the security agencies, voters will have confidence of adequate protection to come out to exercise their franchise.

“Security is not only for the police but everybody’s responsibility. People should provide information to the police because information itself is security. It will be treated with utmost confidentiality,” Echeng said.

CATYCOI Executive Director Nonso Orakwe said the campaign was meant to pass the message to youths, politicians and other stakeholders that elections are not do-or-die affairs.

“The process of electing leaders in Nigeria has been plagued by a myriad of problems, ranging from voter intimidation and suppression, to harassment and outright violence.

“This campaign is meant to change the ugly trend, especially as Anambra prepares for the governorship election, to bring lasting peace in our political space.

“We urge our youths to prevent electoral violence by upholding democratic principles before, during and after the election because there is a connection between violence-free elections, peace and development,” he said.

NDI Programme Officer Ms. Tracy Keshi said youth engagement was critical to ensuring a violence-free election.

According to her, the campaign will help the youth to shun violence and speak against the menace in elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said its governorship candidate for the November 6 election in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, is the fresh air the people deserve to give them dividends of democracy.

A former Anambra State House of Assembly member, Tim Egboka, who represented Aguata Constituency

Egboka and who is the Deputy Director General of the Ozigbo Governorship Campaign Organisation, said this in Awka, the state capital.

He insisted that of all the governorship candidates in this year’s poll, none was better than him.

The PDP chieftain said the award-winning company chief remained the clear choice for Ndi Anambra ahead of the November 6 election.

According to him, the ingenuity of Ozigbo’s Ka Anambra Chawapu Manifesto is second to none, while others are copying it.

Egboka said: “Anyone who does not see the leadership qualities of Valentine Ozigbo may be either not seeing clearly or just dancing to the gallery.

“Who is that candidate that is better than him? Even those who claim they know everything always dodge going into political debate with the PDP masquerade.

“Everyone is proud of him. That’s why some of us are sticking out our necks in making sure he succeeds in this race and take Anambra to another level.”