Category: SouthEast

Anambra State Fire Service said a total of 119 fire outbreaks were recorded in the state in 2022.

Fire Chief, Engr Martin Agbili disclosed this in a statement, saying fire incidents in the state could be reduced to nearest minimum with support of residents.

He described as satisfactory fire fighters’ efficient discharge of duties amidst criticisms, stressing that such negative notion would not deter his men from carrying out their mandate.

He said, “We have discharged our duties efficiently and satisfactorily up to 90% notwithstanding the negligible 10%. This is a huge success.

“Sometimes, I become surprised, why some people judge us with that 10% and forgetting the 90% successful firefighting operations. Anyway, that attitude does stop us from doing and giving our best out there.

“Do you know that in 2022, we recorded and attended 119 fire outbreaks in Anambra State?

“Anambra State Firefighters are trying and we need the support of everyone to achieve more so as to reduce fire outbreak to the nearest minimal and for a safer Anambra.

“Everyone of us in Anambra State has a role to play in the mitigation measures. You need to adhere to fire safety rules so as to save your properties, your life and the lives of people around you.”

While reassuring the institution’s willingness to discharge its duties for better and safer state, Agbili pledged deployment of more strategies to safeguard the State with full support of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

Imo State government has debunked the allegation that it is currently buying voters with cash transfer ahead of this year’s general elections.

It averred that the State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which made the allegation is only displaying the gasps of a drowning man desperate to drag everyone to his doom.

The government in a statement on Saturday by the state commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Declan Emelumba added that the PDP is fragmented beyond redemption and therefore not ready to contest the election.

“In the real sense of it, PDP in Imo State actually wants to derail the election because it is consumed by internal crisis which has made it impossible for it to win the election,” Emelumba said.

He noted that not too long ago, the same PDP lamented that it can no longer campaign because of insecurity, and now it is talking of vote buying.

Stakeholders who participated in the Nationwide B-VAS Mock accreditation/voting exercise in parts of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to pay prompt attention to the critical issue of automatic voter migration, other grey areas identified by the mock election before the  election proper.

INEC yesterday held a nationwide mock B-VAS accreditation ahead of the February 25, and March 11 general process in the country.

Stakeholders at Ward-15, unit 1, Rumuosi and Uzoba/Ogbogoro Ward 16, unit 21, exercise venues identified some issues that could negatively affect the process if not corrected.

Among those who spoke to our correspondent who monitored the exercise at centres in Obio Akpor Council, George Ariolu, a lawyer.

Speaking at Rumuosi venue for the mock exercise, Ariolu expressed satisfaction in the process but urged INEC to the issue of voter migration, describing it as critical that should be promptly addressed to avoid unnecessary tension, suspicion and falsehood at the elections.

Others who spoke is an Observer from civil society group, Yiaga Africa, Obinna Ebogidi, also another activist, Wonodi Ewuniso and Eluonu Amadi, who participated in the process in ward 21.

Speaking Ebogidi who is the State Focal Person for Yiaga Africa Watching votes outlined various areas the commission also needs to give immediate attention to actually make the votes of the electorate count in the election as he said,

Some of the areas they identified to needing serious and prompt attention in order not to mar the high expectations of enthusiastic electorate in the state include, production of comprehensive voter register, publication of migration lists, early deployment of personnel and material to polling units, deployment of proper B-VAS machines to the right polling units, as well as provision of backup machines to avoid disenfranchisement of voters, among others.

Spesking Ebogidi said, “Today’s mock election has given us idea of what the February 25, and March 11 general election will look like. As an observer at this unit, I can say that from the beginning of the process today, I am a beat disappointed.

“I arrived at this Rumuosi voting unit by 7:20 in the morning, ahead of the stipulated 7:30 am for INEC to start the process, but at the time (7:30), INEC officials were not here; again, the location for the exercise is hidden from for easy access, they also announced that the place is community playground, but that is far from the environment as we can see here.

“This is just a small hall muffled in-between residences and hospital. Happy to state that when the National Commissioner, May Mbu visited the centre about 9 in the morning, she shared the same sentiment, querying how come such difficult location for the exercise.

“Again, accreditation for the exercise was supposed to begin by 8:30, but when they were about to start, they discovered that they deployed wrong B-VAS machines to the place, so they had to go back for the right machines, which delayed the commencement of the exercise further, they finally began about 9:am,” he said.

Ahead of the November 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State, political allies of Governor Douye Diri have started drumming up support for the governor’s re-election.

The allies, under the auspices of the Friends of Senator Douye Diri (FSDD), rationalised that Diri deserved a second term in office due to his spectacular performances since he assumed the leadership of the state.

The President, FSDD, Prince Bodi Arerebo, who spoke at a press conference yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, boasted that the governor had surpassed successive administrations in the state in all indices of development.

He stated that Diri, through his good governance style, had made peace and security to reign in the state, stressing that government workers and retirees were being paid as and when due.

Arerebo also congratulated the governor on his recent award as Best Governor by the Sun Newspapers, saying it was a wonderful testament to his performance as governor.

He noted: “This award given to Governor Douye Diri is well deserved because he has performed extremely beyond our expectations since his assumption of office.

“In the history of the state, we have not seen a governor as humble and hard working as Diri. The governor has brought in good leadership and exceptional quality character and we want to appreciate the media for propagating the achievements of Diri so far.

“We want to also inform the public that governor Diri is a good article that sells itself and we are proud of his achievements hence we will not relent in going extra length to make sure that our son,  brother, leader come back to Government House come 2024.”

“We have started mobilising critical stakeholders and constituents to ensure that Diri get reelected in the coming governorship election in November this year. We, therefore, implore the entire Bayelsa citizens to support us to return him to the Creek Haven (Bayelsa Government House) in the coming election.”

There was a carnival in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State yesterday as virtually all the leaders and stakeholders of the council, including the traditional rulers, clergymen, other indigenes, and supporters of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi converged on Premier Primary School, Ukpabi, to reaffirm their unanimous support and resolve to vote massively for the governor at the poll to represent Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The people of Uzo-Uwani LGA also rallied support for the PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the party’s candidate for Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Martins Oke, the candidate for Uzo-Uwani Constituency, Hon. Chukwuma Martins Ekwueme, among others, pledging to deliver 99 percent votes to the PDP at the forthcoming elections in the state.

They said that Governor Ugwuanyi is the only leader who had remembered Uzo-Uwani LGA in the scheme of things and brought peace and massive development projects to the council after decades of neglect.

The people expressed gratitude to Governor Ugwuanyi for his dogged and fruitful struggles for Enugu State to enjoy oil producing status in the country, following the discovery and ratification of oil existence in Uzo-Uwani LGA.

The Uzo-Uwani people pointed out that the inherent benefits of the oil discovery to their people and council are enormous and thanked Governor Ugwuanyi specifically for the bold initiative and remarkable accomplishment.

Describing ingratitude as “a crime more despicable than revenge,” the people of Uzo-Uwani LGA dissociated themselves from the strange and unpopular acts by a few “ungrateful elements” among them who they said were returning good deeds with evil by biting the hands that fed them, declaring that they are not part of what the elements are doing.

In his speech, an elder statesman and a revered chieftain of Uzo-Uwani LGA, Chief Maxi Ukuta, described Governor Ugwuanyi as “a worthy son,” and applauded him for carefully giving the people of Enugu State, Peter Mbah to succeed him as governor.

The elder statesman lauded Governor Ugwuanyi for the pressure and suffering he passed through to make Enugu an oil producing state, stating that the governor, having done so and also established the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Igbo-Eno and opened up the rural areas which “no governor had opened up our rural areas the way you have done” has written his name in gold in the history of Nsukka zone in particular and Enugu State in general.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Anambra State has urged workers to take advantage of extension of deadline for collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs), to collect theirs, in order to participate in the general election.

The Chairman, Comrade Chinwe Orizu, who gave the advice in a chat with The Nation, said those who were reluctant to collect their PVCs were invariably endorsing continued system collapse, with bad leaders holding citizens to ransom.

She lauded the electoral umpire for the extension, saying it would give the people more time to get their cards and be eligible to participate in the exercise.

Orizu said: “The state of the nation today is quite worrisome, with the workers and other poor Nigerians mostly affected. This ugly development makes it imperative for the citizens to take the coming elections seriously.

“They should ensure that those who will emerge are persons with genuine interest in turning around the fortunes of the country.”

“If one is to consider what is going on in the country today, then there is no hope. A litre of fuel today is over N400. There are industrial actions everywhere, meagre workers’ salary, insensitivity of the leaders to the plight of the masses and so on.

“But I believe there is hope for this country, and that hope starts with going to collect your PVCs. Your vote is your power. That your PVC gives you the power to vote in any candidate of your choice.”

The NLC boss, however, noted that the failure or success of the elections was largely dependent on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), just as she advised workers not to sell their votes.

“INEC has the burden to show Nigerians that they can conduct a free, fair and credible election, whose outcome will reflect the true yearnings of the people.

“When you collect money to vote bad leaders into positions of authority, you have sold your future and those of your children and you have no right to complain for the next four years.

“The implications are many, insecurity will continue, poor condition of workers will continue. We will continue to see policies that will continue to impoverish the people,” she said.