Category: SouthEast

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has begun the disbursement of N1.4 million to petty traders, comprising youths and women, in Akwa Ibom State.

The soft loan is being disbursed under the Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES). Each of the 74 beneficiaries will get N20,000.

 State Coordinator of NDE Obegolu Obiora, during the Orientation and Loan Disbursement exercise yesterday in Uyo, explained that the loan will be refunded after the three months moratorium period to help others benefit also.

Obiora stated that the funds were given to those already in business to help strengthen their financial flow, thus leading to business expansion and job creation.

He added: “The Director-General, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, has assured of the continuous implementation of laudable empowerment programmes that will help in raising the employment index in the country. This initiative is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the continuous rise in the unemployment rate. This move will boost the economy through access to finance for petty traders and other small business owners, and enhance the operational capacity of existing Micro Enterprise owners to expand their businesses and in turn improve their earnings…”

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has ordered closure of schools and businesses observing the Monday sit-at-home directive of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

 The governor, in a statement at the weekend, said the directive follows his annulment of the sit-at-home, effective from tomorrow. He urged residents to go about their activities without fear, assuring them that ‘adequate security measures have been taken to guarantee their safety’.

The statement reads: “In view of the cancellation of Mondays’ sit-at-home, all schools, markets, retail outlets, hospitals, transporters, malls and the public have been directed to go about their normal businesses and activities every day of the week, including Mondays.

 “The above-mentioned bodies and others alike are required to comply with the directive. Members of the government’s task force will be moving around to monitor compliance. Any market, transport outlet, or any other body that fails to open for business risks being shut immediately.”

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has appointed special assistants on internal security.

 A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor, said the governor also appointed special assistants on Primary Education and New Media.

 “The appointees include Emerike Chinedu (Senior Special Assistant on Security) Felix Okemini (SSA Security); Sunday Ogbonna (SA Security) and Mbam Obinna (SA, Internal Security).

 “Others are Ogbonna Tobias (SA Internal Security); Chukwuemeka Nwokpo (SA, Internal Security); Godwin Okum (SA, Internal Security); Desmond Edeke (SA, Internal Security) Easy Okike-Uzo (SA, Internal Security); Chukwu Godwin (SA, Internal Security); Obinna Oko-Enyim (SA, Internal Security).

 “Chima Nnachi Okoro (SA, Internal Security); Cletus Nga (SA Internal Security); Boniface Nwankwo (SA Documentation); Leo Ekene Oketa (SA New Media); Mrs. Ifeoma Agwu (SA Primary Education); Dr. Sabinus Nwibo (SA, Primary Health Care) and Pan Christ Ikechukwu Eze (SA, Capital City).”

Imo State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Samuel Anyanwu has described politics without morality as the cause of leadership failure in the society.

 Anyanwu said if present day politicians could remember that genuine power only comes from God, the desperation to foist themselves on the masses will reduce.

 He spoke at the first session of the 11th Synod of the Diocese of Mbaise, at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Owutu Parish, Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area. The theme was ‘Occupy Till I Come’.

 Anyanwu regretted that God, having created human beings in His image, expects them to love one another in everything. He wondered why the same people ignored God’s directives and resorted to immorality, describing it as ‘an unpardonable sin that has given the society a heavy cut which will take time to heal’.

 The candidate therefore admonished religious leaders to rise up against thuggery, violence and electoral malpractices, noting that in the cause of subverting and scuttling people’s mandates, Imo people became vulnerable to insecurity.

 He said: “The level of greed, wickedness and desperation to retain power at all cost has created an unsecured society, leading to unwarranted killings of Imo youths. Instead of politicians to work towards liberating the society from underdevelopment to an enviable height, they are busy accumulating wealth and recruiting thugs ahead of the November 11, 2023 election.

 “No viable leader or administration can achieve its policies if such government does not anchor its vision on morality. Consistently creating good relationship with the church and men of God remains a major solution to violence and immorality.’

  While urging politicians to invest in God’s vineyard, Anyanwu advised them to take good care of those ordained to render spiritual assistance to humanity.

 He was accompanied by the deputy governorship candidate Jones Onyereri, Evang Myke Ikoku, Ngozi Ogbu, Mike Ahumibe (PDP Organising Secretary, Southeast), Chief Law Biadou (PDP Organizing Secretary, Imo State), Collins Opurozor (PDP Publicity Secretary, Imo State, among others.

The  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate in the March 18 governorship election in Ebonyi, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, on Friday, said that at least 60 witnesses would be called to prove their case against Governor Francis Nwifuru’s victory.

Counsel for the petitioners, Chief Gordy Uche, SAN, told the three-member panel of Ebonyi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice A. L. Ogunmoye during the pre-hearing session in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the governorship poll conducted in the state.

Nwifuru garnered a total of 199,131 votes cast across the 13 local governments in the state to defeat his closest challenger, Ifeanyi Odii who got a total of 80,191 votes to place second.

Odii and PDP, who are 1st and 2nd petitioners, had challenged the declaration of Nwifuru as winner of the election.

In the petition marked: EPT/EB/02/2023 dated April 6 and filed April 7 by their team of lawyers led by Chris Uche, SAN, they had sued INEC, Ogbonna Francis Nwifuru (the newly sworn-in governor) and the APC as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

The petitioners maintained that Nwifuru did not secure the majority of lawful votes that were cast during the election.

They further told the tribunal that Nwifuru’s election victory was characterised by corrupt practices, alleging that there was substantial non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Aside from praying for the court to declare him as the valid winner of the gubernatorial election, Odii is seeking the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to the governor by INEC.

The petitioners also argued that Nwifuru did not validly resign from the PDP before he was nominated as the governorship candidate of the APC.

They cited a subsisting judgement of a High Court in Ebonyi, delivered by Justice Henry Njoku, which they said held that Nwifuru and other lawmakers in the state who purportedly defected to the APC, were still members of the PDP.

Upon resumed pre-hearing on Friday, Mr Gordy Uche who appeared for the petitioners, informed the panel that based on its directive, a schedule for trial had been prepared.

He said they intended to call experts and subpoena witnesses.

Responding, the INEC’s lawyer, Mr Oladipo Tolani, informed the tribunal that the commission had only one witness to call.

Tolani, in reaction to the petitioners’ proposal to call 60 witnesses, prayed the panel to direct them to streamline the number of witnesses in order to guide against acts of repetition.

Nwifuru’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, said if the petitioners would be calling 60 witnesses, they too would be inclined to call the same number of witnesses.

A transparency group, Niger Delta for Good Governance and Accountability (NDGGA), has faulted the alleged last-minute appointment of Mrs. Caroline Wuraola Adepoju as the Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) by the immediate past Minister of the Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

The NDGGA claimed that the recent desperate extension of Adepoju’s service for three months and eventual appointment as Acting CG was a slap on the service, a bad precedent and a show of executive irresponsibility.

In a statement on Friday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jolade Ken-Orue, the NDGGA appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review her appointment and return the NIS on the part of probity and accountability.

The NDGGA said the appointment of Adepoju despite the fact that she was supposed to be on retirement after serving 35 years, had hampered promotions, encouraged indiscipline, lawlessness and insubordination.   

The group opined that during a working tour of NIS commands in the Southwest, Northeast and Southsouth to encourage transparency and probity in the production of passport booklets, the prevailing complaints was the disservice done to NIS with the appointment of Adepoju despite being second on the retirement list.

The NDGGA said: “This is against the ethics and rules as provided for in the laws setting up the NIS. The Immigration Act 2015, Article 8, Section 3 (1) states that upon retirement of the Comptroller-General, the President shall appoint from among serving officers of the service on recommendation of the board.

“But the NIS is being rubbished by the fact that a Deputy Comptroller General whose service expired on the 31st of May, 2023 was appointed by Rauf Aregbesola in a blizzard manner backdating the ill-conceived appointment to the 26th May, 2023 which was done without a Presidential approval.

“The beauty of any uniform service is career progression, promotion of officers as and when due, alongside their course mates, colleagues and peers, not selective, discriminatory, handpicking of officers without recourse to merit, dignity of labour and value for experience.

“This has caused a development whereby a far junior would catch up with his or her superiors or seniors and no more compliments or respect. The NIS as a regimented service is being disrupted, distorted and disoriented and officers are no longer feeling safe or comfortable with their job security.”

The NDGGA, however, called on the National Assembly and President Tinubu to save the NIS and other paramilitary institutions from disrepute by reviewing the faulty and desperate attempt to scuttle the ideals behind the setting up of the NIS and reverse the disgraceful appointment of Adepoju as the Acting CG.

There was legal fireworks yesterday, during the pre-hearing conference at Delta state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Asaba, the state, after All Progressives Congress (APC) Lead Counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s counsel, Damian Dodo (SAN), got into a heated argument.

In the petition EPT/DL/Gov/3/2023, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the People’s Democratic Party was listed as (2nd Respondent).

During the pre-hearing trial, Samson Egege holding the brief of Damian Dodo (SAN) urged the tribunal to strike out grounds one and two of the APC’s counter affidavit because it was incompetent.

He argued that the petitioners were guilty of lumping issues together i.e. Grounds (1) which deals with (noncompliance) with Grounds (2) which deals with (corrupt practices), arguing that facts in support of each grounds should be pleaded separately.

He further argued that facts in support of non-compliance in the petition such as the use of Bi-modal Authentication System (BVAS), non-filling of INEC forms, were at variance with issues canvassed.

On Grounds (2) which deals with the majority of lawful votes cast, Egege argued that the facts pleaded only relate to allegations of inflation of votes cast, multiple thumb printing which he argued are criminal in nature.

Egege further argued that the authorities cited by Dr Izinyon (SAN) do not address the defects in the counter affidavit.

The APC legal team led by Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN) in his submission urged the tribunal to dismiss the application because it was unmeritorious.

He argued that the APC petition did not run afoul of any law, stressing that one ground is being used to support the other.

Izinyon argued, “I submit that the latest trend in legal practice shows that it is not good law because the grounds can be taken as a whole. We seek reliance on the counter affidavit to dismiss this unmeritorious application.”

Chairman of the three member panel, Justice C.H Ahuchaogu, adjourned the pre-hearing trial conference to June 5.

Bayelsa’s Governor Douye Diri on Friday at Nembe expressed dissatisfaction at the pace of work on the 21km Phase One of the Nembe-Brass Highway.

He noted that the indigenous contractor, Setraco Nigeria Ltd., had collected N16 billion mobilisation fee from the state government out of the contract sum of N54billion.

He stressed that the level of work done since the project began about a year ago was not commensurate with the N16 billion paid as mobilisation.

“I am not comfortable with the level of sand filling that you have done so far.

“We have timelines for this project and I do not want anybody to ever think that we are playing politics with this road.

“We know why we awarded this contract. We know the importance of this road leading to Brass and I do not want you as contractors to disappoint the government.

“This contract was awarded for the first phase for about N54 billion and your mobilisation fee was 30 per cent, which amounts to N16 billion.

“Government has paid N16 billion, but the work done is not commensurate with the mobilisation fee that you have received.

“The next time we come here, we want to see this whole place sand-filled. Take this very seriously.

“You are a serious company and you have been working with this government. You did the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road and now you are on this important road. So I expect that you will not disappoint us,’’ he said.

Responding, Setraco’s Area Manager for Bayelsa and Delta, Engr. J. J. Cosme promised to increase the pace of work on the project to meet the timelines.

He assured that the company would not disappoint the government and people of the area.

Diri also inspected the on-going Onuebum-Otuoke Road project in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

Enugu State Government has directed ex-political appointees and office holders under the former administration to hand over government assets in their possession.

It reminded the former officials of the earlier directive of the ex-Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simeon Otuanya, instructing them to hand over on or before May 26, ahead of the expiration of the second tenure of the past administration, directing that they should comply.

The directive was contained in a statement issued by the new Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, yesterday.

The government urged immediate compliance with the directive by handing over government assets in their possession to the Permanent Secretary or Director of Administration or Director of Personnel Management in their Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), before the close of work on May 31.

The statement said those affected included former Chief Executive Officers of Government-Owned Companies, Board Chairmen and Board Members of Government- Owned Companies, Executive Secretaries of Parastatals or Government-Owned Companies, State Project Coordinators of World Banks-Assisted Projects and other categories of political appointees as listed in the memo by the former Secretary to the State Government in the last administration.

Sunday, 14th May was a day to remember for Nigerian-born Afro-pop star, Onoriode Oghenevwogaga, AKA Onos Morgan. The Italy-based artist has gained recognition for his music, philanthropic, and entrepreneurial ventures. He is also the Founder and CEO of The Onos Morgan Brand and the Onos Morgan Foundation.

 Onos Morgan received the Artist/Philanthropist/Business Entrepreneur of the Year award in the 6th Edition of the Warri Entertainment Recognition Awards (WERA). Themed “THE FUTURE IS OURS,” the ceremony took place at the renowned Wetland Hotel in Ughelli, Delta State.

WERA celebrates consistency and rewards the efforts of entertainers and entrepreneurs in Warri, Delta State. It showcases those who have contributed to the community through their talent and service. The platform also acknowledges their impact on societal and human capital development.

Deservedly, WERA recognized Onos Morgan for being a positive influence in the community. The accolade reflects his dedication to improving the state’s entertainment and socio-economic status. Other superstar artists who have won a WERA award include Erigga, Victor Ad, and Graham D.

But Onos Morgan couldn’t attend the WERA ceremony in person due to his engagements overseas. His Nigerian team represented him and accepted the award on his behalf.

The artist expressed his gratitude to God for His support and blessings. He also praised his fans, friends, family, and well-wishers around the world for their motivation and encouragement. Extending his gratitude to WERA organizers, he applauded them for their exceptional work and thanked them for honoring him with such a prestigious award.

Notably, ten days after the 6th edition of the WERA ceremony, the organizers made noteworthy changes. Moving forward, the Warri Entertainment and Recognition Awards (WERA) will now be officially known as the Deltans Entertainment and Recognition Awards/Conference (DERA). The platform maintains that it remains dedicated to rewarding individuals who have contributed to the growth of the entertainment and creative ecosystem in Delta State.

Onos Morgan started out as a street dancer in Warri before becoming an international success. This is proof of his resilience and determination. After moving to Italy, he broke into the music scene in 2021 after releasing his award-winning debut single, “ALIKA.”

The award-winning artist also won a singing contest organized by Nokep TV and Sony Records in Italy. In 2022, he delighted fans with his second single, “GET ME.”

 Onos Morgan’s performances have stunned audiences worldwide. He electrified stages across Europe while accompanying Omah Lay on the #BoyAloneWorldTour. He also left a lasting impression at the Graham D Live in Bergamo City Concert on March 18, 2023.

Beyond his musical talents, Onos Morgan has established himself as a symbol of success and giving back. He has built a brand that encompasses fashion, entertainment, and entrepreneurship. And he also recognizes the importance of community support.

 During the COVID-19 pandemic, Onos Morgan donated to underprivileged communities in Nigeria. The entrepreneur provided hand sanitizers and gloves worth over 6 million naira. He has also created several opportunities for aspiring artists and youths through his foundation.

 As we celebrate the triumphs of Onos Morgan, his story should inspire us to pursue our passions and stay committed to making a difference. And one day, we’ll create a lasting legacy that resonates with the world.