The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • NNPC doles out starter packs to 531 NYSC members

    NNPC doles out starter packs to 531 NYSC members

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) yesterday doled out starter packs to 531 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

    The starter packs included furniture-making kits, laptops, fashion designing tools and beauty kits.

    NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari made the cash donation announcement at the official handover of “Start-packs to Successful Participants of its Flagship NYSC Business Empowerment Programme,” which the NNPCL Foundation organised in Abuja.

    Represented by the Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Roland Ewubare, he said,

      So, I reached out to my colleagues upstairs, and I need to tell the 531 of you that you are truly special.

    He congratulated the 531 beneficiaries of the programme and the NYSC for the partnership that led to the success of the initiative.

    According to him, the presentation of the items to the beneficiaries was a demonstration that NNPCL was a promise keeper that would do more things.

    “From the NNPCL side, thanks for supporting this initiative.  This shows you that NNPC doesn’t just talk, but we walk the talk. We are really ready and able to do more,” he said.

    He added that the presentation was an indication of investment in the future of Nigeria through the youth.

    He said the investment was targeted at creating value because of NNPC’s core values of integrity, excellence and sustainability.

    Tasking the beneficiaries to play the role of transformation, he urged them to use the resources wisely and remain accountable.

    Ojulari said, “My charge to you is that you see these starter packs not just as material instruments but as seeds sown to you to enable your roles and transformation.

    “Please use these resources very wisely, stand out, hold yourselves accountable with high standards and success, and you will all reach your destinations.”

    Meanwhile, the NNPCL Foundation Managing Director, Emmanuella Arukwe, said the selection process started in August 2023.

    According to her, the 531 beneficiaries were selected out of over 800,000 corps members who participated in the exercise.

    She said those who did not make it to the final stage were equipped with skills that position them to acquire loans and grants to start there businesses.

    Arukwe said the successful entrepreneurs were expected to build and grow and help others to do the same.

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    She said the exercise was in partnership with NNPCL Academy and Kudimata Nigeria Ltd.

    The collaboration led to the realisation that there was a gap between training and opportunity.

    She stressed that “Many corps members have skills, some have ideas, but very few have the knowledge of tools.”

    The NYSC Director General, Brig Olakunle Nafiu, said over 400,000 pass through the NYSC yearly without skills.

    He said the skill NNPCL gave them would reduce the pressure in the labour market.

    He said yet there were people with skills without tools to start their businesses, noting the packs would go a long way to assist the beneficiaries in pursuing their businesses.

    He charged the beneficiaries to put the packs into good use to encourage NNPCL to do more for those waiting in line.

    Nafiu looked forward to strengthening the partnership with NNPCL.

  • ‘INEC’s commitment to disability inclusion unwavering’

    ‘INEC’s commitment to disability inclusion unwavering’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State has reaffirmed its commitment to disability inclusion.

    The Head of Unit, Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Eya Vivian, provided this assurance in Nnewi during the “Able to Vote” voter education campaign for Persons with Disabilities organised by TAF Africa. 

    She stated that the commission was dedicated to ensuring that no citizen was left behind in the electoral process.

    Describing voting as a fundamental right that eligible Nigerians must exercise without unnecessary obstacles, Eya, who also serves as Desk Officer for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), recognised the unique challenges such individuals face during elections. 

    “Among the challenges PWDs face are physical barriers such as inaccessible polling units and a lack of special arrangements for voters with various types of disabilities.

    Limited access to voter education materials designed for PWDs and societal attitudes that sometimes discourage participation,” she said. 

    Eya enumerated some steps taken by the Commission to enhance inclusiveness in the electoral process, including the provision of Braille ballot guides to assist visually impaired voters and ensuring priority voting for PWDs and elderly citizens. 

    “We’ve also constructed ramps and made polling units accessible for those with mobility challenges, and we are continuously training INEC officials to provide respectful and dignified assistance to voters with disabilities,” she added. 

    The Programme Manager at TAF Africa, Adeolu Kilanko, stated that the voter education campaign was part of the group’s efforts to entrench disability inclusion in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. 

    Read Also: LP leadership: INEC to seek legal opinion before taking decision

    “What we’re doing today is being supported by the European Union, and the aim is to reduce voter apathy to the barest minimum and promote the mainstreaming of PWDs in electoral processes,” he said. 

    The Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Anambra State Chapter, Comrade Ugochukwu Okeke, expressed appreciation to TAF Africa for selecting the state for the campaign. 

    He also commended INEC for its efforts thus far in ensuring the inclusion of PWDs, expressing optimism that most, if not all, of his members would participate in the November 8 election. 

    Representatives of the Police and the Divisional Police Officer of the Central Police Station, Nnewi, Udenigwe Chinwuba, assured PWDs of adequate security to ensure their participation in elections. 

    “It’s your right to participate in the election without being intimidated. Our duty is to provide and guarantee adequate security through synergy with other sister agencies,” he said.

  • Centre lauds Tinubu for approving establishment of national forest guard system, recruitment of 130,000 armed operatives

    Centre lauds Tinubu for approving establishment of national forest guard system, recruitment of 130,000 armed operatives

    • Says initiative will reduce kidnappings, others across the country

    The Country President of the United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre UN-POLAC, Amb Peter Ohagwa has commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the establishment of a national forest guard system and the recruitment of over 130,000 armed operatives to secure the country’s 1,129 forest reserves.

    The initiative, approved during Monday’s expanded Federal Executive Council meeting, mandates each state to recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 forest guards based on their capacity.

    The recruitment and training will be supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Environment.

    In a statement on Friday in Abuja, Amb. Ohagwa described the development as timely intervention in the security reinforcement of the country aimed at protection of lives and property.

    The UN-POLAC boss said the initiative would drastically reduce criminalities as well as kidnapping in boundary forests across the Federation which has become a safe haven for criminals.

    He called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders towards effective actualisation of the initiative.

    Read Also: NANS urges Seyi Tinubu to remain focused, ignore critics

    Ohagwa also said that local vigilantes in our various rural communities across the federation should be part of the formation and recruited with vigorous training towards improved service delivery.

    It would be recalled that UN-POLAC Country President on 26th February 2025 during a one day national dialogue on promoting peace building and climate -smart agriculture as catalyst for economic growth and food security requested that the Federal Government considered the Rehabilitation or Re-establishment of Forest Security Corps in our forests to keep criminals and kidnappers away while providing a safe environment for famers and creating jobs for our teaming youths.

    The statement said: “Furthermore, during the last Sallah celebration,when UN-POLAC felicitated with Muslim Faithfuls, this was captured as we commended the federal government move that made National Assembly to be committed in driving the force that made it possible for the push to pass second reading and now the President has stamped the Approval as well as deployment, is really commendable and a step in the right direction.”

    He charged the office of the NSA and Federal ministry of Environment who are to oversee the effective implementation of the initiative to be proactive towards timely execution.

  • Civil Society Forum urges Tinubu to appoint loyal supporter Raymond Edoh to leadership role

    Civil Society Forum urges Tinubu to appoint loyal supporter Raymond Edoh to leadership role

    The National Civil Society Forum of Professionals (NCSFP) has called on the federal government to consider appointing Dr. Raymond Edoh, a staunch supporter and political ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, into a leadership position within the current administration.

    The appeal was made on Friday during a press conference held in Abuja, where the forum emphasized Edoh’s significant contributions to President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.

    Speaking at the briefing, the President of the organisation, Alhaji Danjuma Harouna, described Dr. Edoh as a “loyal and worthy political son” of President Tinubu, stating that his unwavering support and dedication played a vital role in the president’s electoral success.

    “One of these days, during our visit to Dr. Raymond Edoh, while listening to him, I and the delegation of the organization that went for the courtesy visit realized that he is not different from president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his optimism about Nigeria, his leadership charisma, passion to lead, wealth of knowledge and experience, and the most of them are his tactical brilliance in ideas on how insecurity can be curbed, poverty can be inhibted, and development can be achieved stresslessly including the windows to the fundings of the projects and programs.

    “We further noticed how highly coordinated and determined he is about this nation in line with this administration’s agenda, and although he hasn’t been considered for any appointment, he assured us of Tinubu’s return in 2027, as according to him, he will throw his full political weight behind his father. No doubt, he is an influential young leader who has served and still serves in several capacities across political forums, youth movements and organisations, and international organisations.

    “Dr. Raymond Edoh has continued to be a crusader of hope for greater Nigeria and Africa at large. He believes in empowering people and encouraging the younger ones to grow and become useful to their sundry societies through capacity building programs, empowerment of all kinds, financial donations in millions of Naira, mental sensitisation, lectures on basic moral orientation, national patrotism and security, to mention but a few.

    “He also went further by telling us that he will continue to support his father, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, come what may, because he believes in him.

    “However, he had earlier disclosed to us during his welcome address that he hopes to serve in this administration if given the opportunity, and what he plans to achieve for Nigerians is mind-blowing.”

    Also speaking, the vice president, Hajia Juwairat Aliyu, stressed that Dr. Raymond Edoh is a disciplined young Nigerian full of humility and popularly known for his diligence to duty and integrity. “One of the best things that this administration would do amongst many others is to give Dr. Raymond Edoh an appointment in this administration. His prowess and doggedness are amazing, and I think President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR should see him worthy of an appointment to help in the achievement of the New Hope Agenda, “she said

    Speaking further, Aliyu lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his resolve in making Nigeria’s economy better through the complete payment of the Nigerian IMF loan that has lingered for years.

  • Police recover body hanging on tree in Anambra bush

    Police recover body hanging on tree in Anambra bush

    Anambra State Police Command has recovered a dead body found hanging on a tree in a bush at Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.

     Spokesperson of the Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the discovery was made following a call through the deceased phone by an unidentified person.

     He said the body of the deceased had been deposited in the morgue, while efforts were ongoing to contact the family for necessary action.

     According to him, the Command is taking proactive measures to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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     He added that Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu charged officers and men of the Command to step up surveillance and intelligence gathering to nip in the bud crime and criminality in the State.

     He said, “The commissioner had charged officers and men of the Command to uncover the circumstances surrounding a disturbing incident on 16th May 2025 of a dead body, found hanging on a tree in a bush at Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area.

     “Information revealed that an unidentified person called through the deceased’s phone to report the discovery of the body hanging on a mango tree in a bush. 

     “Meanwhile, the body has been identified and deposited in the morgue and efforts are ongoing to contact the deceased family for necessary action.”

  • Southeast Senators query JAMB’s exam glitch

    Southeast Senators query JAMB’s exam glitch

    The South East Senate Caucus have expressed worry over what it described as ‘curious and highly suspicious’ Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination glitch in some centres in Lagos and especially in the whole of South East in the 2025 exam circle.

    The Caucus in a statement by its Chairman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe on Saturday in Abuja, said it would be disheartening to contemplate such conspiracy theory, “that there is a narrow agenda being pursued to deliberately shortchange and harm the future of our children.”

    Though, the Caucus, after a careful assessment of the reports of the ugly incident, noted with cautious optimism the efforts being made to mitigate the near disaster, particularly the rescheduling of the examination, but however warned that a future reoccurrence would be unacceptable.

    Nonetheless, South East Senators, he added, welcomed the timely acceptance of fault as expressed through the open declaration of regret and tearful apology by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) management, particularly its Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

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    Notwithstanding, the South East lawmakers, according to Senator Abaribe, hope and warn that such a display of penitence in public would not be an effort to mask a future sinister agenda aimed at harming the educational advancement of children of the Southeast region.

    “The so-called glitch, as curious and suspicious as it was, is enough to erode confidence and dangerously lower national pride among the future generation.

    “The relevant national education drivers must recognise the inherent danger of injecting hateful politics and narrow parochial considerations into both policy enunciation and its implementations.

    “That the glitch happened in the whole of South East raises pertinent questions that must be answered by JAMB to assuage the growing frustrations and fears among the people of the region, particularly the children who are directly at the receiving end. We must pursue a Nigerian agenda and not a narrow one that will ultimately injure national unity.

    “Education remains one of the most important bedrocks of any society’s advancement. It is one major index of development in every facet of life that can never be faulted.

    “Education is a major pivot that triggers national development. Every child is entitled to it, therefore, we must not play roulette with it,” Abaribe said.

    Therefore, he said the South East Senate Caucus is on alert and under pressure as it unequivocally demands firm assurance from JAMB and other relevant national educational policy drivers that there will never be a recurrence of such scandalous glitch in the future.

  • One dead, six injured in Onitsha gas explosion

    One dead, six injured in Onitsha gas explosion

    One person lost his life while six others sustained varying degrees of injury in a gas explosion in Onitsha, Anambra State.

     The incident, which occurred in a welder’s shop at the plumbing market in the commercial city, was reportedly caused by excess heat from a gas cylinder.

     “The victims were in the welder’s shop when the welding gas cylinder exploded due to exposure to excess heat,” an eyewitness said.

    READ ALSO: Issues in Lagos APC LG primaries

     Police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, describing it as regrettable.

     He said the deceased had been deposited in a morgue, while the rescued victims are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.

     According to him, Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu has provided certain safety tips, including regular inspection and maintenance of gas cylinder equipment to avert future recurrence.

  • Avoid bringing shame to Abia, Otti charges intending pilgrims

    Avoid bringing shame to Abia, Otti charges intending pilgrims

    The governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has charged intending pilgrims from the state to avoid attracting shame to the state as they join their counterparts to participate in this year’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

     This is as the state has announced that it has commenced the screening of intending pilgrims for the 2025 Christian pilgrimage.

    Otti, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kenneth Kalu equally advised them to be good ambassadors of the state.

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     Flagging off the screening in Umuahia, the state capital, Otti emphasized the need for intending pilgrims to shun every behavior that could attract shame to the state but focus on their religious mission.

    Otti lamented that the Abia contingents had not participated in the pilgrimage for the past few years, explaining that it was the value placed on the trip that made his administration reactivate the sponsorship of pilgrims.

    The governor pointed out that the reduction in the number of those to be sponsored was necessitated by other competing needs in the state.

     Earlier, Chairman of Abia State Christian Pilgrims Board, Emmanuel Agomuo, encouraged every person who would be successful in the screening to be a good ambassador of Abia while in Israel.

    He, however, informed the intending pilgrims that filling of forms was not an automatic guarantee that they would make the trip, rather only those successfully screened.

  • YPP candidate Chukwuma raises the alarm over lawyer’s killing in Anambra

    YPP candidate Chukwuma raises the alarm over lawyer’s killing in Anambra

    Sir Paul Chukwuma, the Governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Anambra State, has raised over the incessant killings in the state, especially, that of the lawyer from Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area by gunmen.

     Ifeanyi Iloakasia, a lawyer, the President General of Aguleri community was killed along Agulu-Nanka Road in Anaocha Local Government Area alongside his client by yet to be identified gunmen.

    Chukwuma, in a statement, made available to reporters in Awka, lamented the loss of lives to violent attacks in Anambra State, despite multiple security outfits set up by the administration of Prof Chukwuma Soludo.

    He said that Soludo’s government should sit up instead of playing to the gallery, adding that the killings had become too much for anybody to bear

     According to the YPP governorship candidate,  “The brutal execution of a budding, young, and promising legal professional and a community leader of good standing in the mold of Barr. Rolex Iloakasia, stands condemned in clear terms.

    “I received the news with immense shock. This extremely painful loss signposts a dangerous descent into the state of nature of sorts, which has been going on in Anambra State.

     “I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Barr. Rolex, and the entire Aguleri community. It is shocking that some armed thugs can trail some people on their way in Anambra and open fire on them without consequence.

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     “This barbaric act is an attack on Anambra State, it is an attack on the future of Anambra State, it is an attack on all of us, and it must be completely condemned by all.

    “The current government in Anambra State must live up to its duty of protecting the lives and properties of the people of Anambra State.

     “We don’t have to wait for criminals to act before they are trailed and apprehended. We don’t have to allow criminals to overrun our state before we start to act.

     “The government of Anambra State must therefore work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure that criminals who have a free ride in Anambra State are rounded up and dealt with according to the law. The government must re-tune its strategy.

    “I have now read a report that the perpetrators of this atrocious criminality had been apprehended or neutralized. If indeed so, then it gives a temporary respite, but government must sit up,” Chukwuma said.

  • Why Soludo cannot forgive Peter Obi 

    Why Soludo cannot forgive Peter Obi 

    • By SUNDAY ODELEKE

    Southeast Nigeria, particularly Anambra State, boasts a distinguished array of eminently qualified individuals capable of leading the nation as President or serving with distinction in other high offices. During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999–2007), many technocrats of Anambra origin were appointed into key positions. Among them were the incumbent Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, who served as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; the late Dr. Dora Akunyili, the formidable Amazon who championed the war against counterfeit drugs—an issue of particular importance, given the dominance of the Igbo in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry; Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala(by marriage), now the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; and Obiageli Ezekwesili, among others.

    During this era, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the dominant political platform embraced by the Southeast’s political elite. However, in 2002, under the ideological guidance of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a revered statesman and foremost Igbo leader, Chekwas Okorie founded the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Ojukwu contested the 2003 presidential election under the APGA banner, garnering less than 2% of the vote. His candidacy was not a bid to win but a strategic maneuver aimed at positioning the Southeast for greater influence in Nigeria’s political future.

    Ojukwu understood the limitations of regional isolation. He believed that a politically united Southeast could forge strategic alliances with other regions to one day secure the presidency. He had observed that no region in Nigeria could, in isolation, produce a president without broader national coalitions. This strategy of alliance-building has proven effective in the Southwest, which leveraged it to significant effect during the annulled 1993 election, and again in the 1999 and 2023 presidential elections.

    Read Also: Chidoka endorses Soludo for re-election

    For Ojukwu and other strategic thinkers in Igbo political circles, a bloc vote from the Southeast represented a potent bargaining chip in negotiations over federal power rotation. Since its inception, APGA has remained the ruling party in Anambra State. At one point, it also produced a governor in Imo State in the person of Rochas Okorocha. The 2023 presidential election presented the Southeast with perhaps its greatest opportunity yet to coalesce behind a unifying figure capable of advancing the region’s long-term strategic interests.

    However, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate and a two-term former governor of Anambra State, originally elected under APGA, disrupted this grand design. Although he once publicly pledged never to leave APGA, Obi defected, first to the PDP, where he became the vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 elections. When it became apparent that Atiku Abubakar would again contest in 2023, Obi defected to the Labour Party and secured its presidential ticket.

    This move has remained a point of contention among the Southeast’s political elite. Many wonder why Governor Soludo, currently APGA’s only governor and Obi’s successor (with Obiano in between), does not miss any opportunity to lampoon Obi. The answer lies in what is perceived as Obi’s betrayal of Ojukwu’s vision. Soludo and many others believe that had Obi contested the presidency under the APGA platform, the unified Igbo votes cast for the Labour Party in 2023 could have solidified a credible alliance with other regions, potentially producing a viable path to the presidency by 2027 or 2031. In their view, Obi’s decision to defect and pursue personal ambition has pushed this goal further out of reach.

    Soludo, whose own ambition to lead Nigeria after his tenure as Anambra governor is no secret, appears convinced that Obi’s actions constitute a betrayal—not only of Ojukwu’s legacy but of the collective aspirations of the Southeast. Like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Soludo holds that political power is never handed over on a platter. It requires strategic planning, broad-based consultations, concessions, compromise, patience, and unwavering commitment.

    Obi, buoyed by a wave of youthful enthusiasm, particularly among the diaspora, mounted a campaign heavy on soundbites and flawed statistics. He miscalculated, believing that electoral upsets alone would catapult him to power. The result has been political limbo: his Labour Party is currently in disarray, and his own political trajectory appears uncertain.

    • Odeleke, a public commentator, writes from Houston, Texas.