Category: SouthEast

Thousands of jubilant members and supporters of the resilient Ebeano Political Family in Enugu State, on Saturday, unanimously endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as their leader in whom they are well pleased.

The members of the political movement gave the endorsement, when the founder, who was a former Governor of State and the Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, led them to pay a solidarity visit to Gov. Ugwuanyi at the Government House, Enugu.

Describing Gov. Ugwuanyi as one of them and an unassuming, peace-loving, visionary and worthy leader who has kept the vision and philosophy of the movement alive, the Ebeano family pledged their unalloyed loyalty and support to the governor in his choice of political successor.

The Ebeano family maintained that Governor Ugwuanyi deserves the same political privileges enjoyed by his predecessors in the choice of their successors as well as other positions.

Speaking at the colourful and well-attended event, the founder of the Ebeano Political Family, Nnamani, reassured the governor that they will fully mobilize and rally support on his political decisions in 2023, stressing that “where you are going is where shall go.”

Nnamani, who disclosed that Ebeano signifies “balancing of interest, applying leverages to guarantee interest,” added that Ugwuanyi is “a man of destiny, with political savvy and sagacity, who is far above others.”

While recalling how Ugwuanyi brought him back from political retirement, Nnamani pointed out that the Ebeano movement is not a political party but only playing a complementary role to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to actualise its lofty agenda.

Other speakers at the event, such as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi; Rt. Hon. Dr. Pat Asadu of the Federal House of Representatives; State Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Augustine Nnamani; Chief Frank Nweke Jnr. and Dr. Dan Shere, who is the Coordinator of the group, eulogised Ugwuanyi’s uncommon leadership roles in unifying all political interests as well as reinvigorating the philosophy of the Ebeano political movement in the state.

By Nsa Gill, Calabar

The management of Cross River State Water Board has raised an alarm over the huge cost of it operations with an alternative source of electricity to ensure public water supply.

Operating without public electricity supply from the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company PHEDC, the State Water Board spends an average of N5.million daily on diesel and on a few other things.

In one month, the cost burden is N150million, the Managing Director of the State Water Board Limited, Chief Victor Ekpo said during an interaction with newsmen at the weekend in Calabar, the state capital.

According to him, the situation is threatening public water supply across the state. He disclosed that the power supply from PHEDC has been an issue of serious concern. “We had an issue of a damaged transformer and wrote to PHEDC to replace but that has not been done and the Governor Ben Ayade provided us with two new transformers but they still refused to connect us. Some agencies of the state donated a number of transformers for our station in Akamkpa and they refused to connect us.”

He made an appeal to the federal government and the Minister of State on Power to intervene and get the PHEDC to supply power in most of the state water board facilities.

Ekpo further disclosed that some agencies of the state donated a number of transformers to Akamkpa and they refused to connect us. Want to appeal to the federal government to appeal to them to connect the Water Board for the sect of the people of Akamkpa, Ikom, and other places of the state so that we can supply water to the people. They are suffering and dying because of water challenges. This action is frustrating for the people of the State Water Board, and the State government.

“We are running all our outlets with AGO (diesel). In Calabar metropolis instead of 24 hours, we are doing 10 hours of water supply daily. In Itigidi, Okpoma, Obubra, Obudu and Ogoja outstations for now we run with generators.”

“We do not owe in these stations except in Calabar that we owe. We have a dedicated line with PHEDC so that if there is any power failure we can turn on our generator at water intake but to my greatest surprise we discovered that they disconnected the water board from the dedicated line.”

From Sunny Nwankwo, Umuahia

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has suspended the Executive Secretary of Aba Town Planning Authority, Mr. Okezie Ahutionye.

The governor gave the order when he visited the site of a building which collapsed while under construction in Aba.

He expressed his sadness over the incident, in which five people died.

Ikpeazu expressed shock at the low quality of the materials used to build the three-storey building.

The governor directed security agents to arrest the developer of the property and bring him to justice.

He expressed his desire to meet with the family of the dead and directed the Ministry of Land, Planning and Survey to improve its supervision at construction sites.

Ikpeazu condemned those who erect buildings without obtaining proper approvals, warning them to desist from such acts or face dire consequences.

The governor was accompanied by his deputy, Ude Oko Chukwu, Acting Transition Council Chairman of Aba South Local Government Area, Evangelist Fred Aja Ogwo, and some other top government officials.

READ ALSO: Gbajabiamila seeks measures to deter stealing of recovered assets  

Also, Governor Ikpeazu has appointed the Deputy General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Chief Roland Nwakanma, as the site coordinator of the search and recovery efforts of the government.

Information Commissioner John Okiyi Kalu announced this while addressing reporters after the inauguration of the state’s Infectious Disease Hospital and COVID-19 treatment centre in Aba.

He assured that the governor was directly supervising the recovery efforts and would ensure that anyone found culpable in the building collapse would be brought to justice.

The Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, has called for the protection of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members that will be deployed for Saturday’s governorship election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Oba made the call in Benin when he received NYSC’s Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, in his palace.

The monarch expressed his readiness to join forces with the NYSC in protecting the corps members, who will participate in the election.

READ ALSO: Edo 2020: IGP deploys DIG, AIG, eight CPs to coordinate security

“There is need for the corps members to be protected because of the desperate attitude of some politicians.

“Desperate aspiration of politicians is not worth the blood of any corps member. They must be protected from any attack.”

Ibrahim noted that the corps members were not partisans, but would only discharge their patriotic duties to their fatherland.

By Sunny Nwankwo, Umuahia

Abia Police Command on Friday, paraded four persons alleged to have been involved in the killing of a policeman and injuring of other colleagues in Okagwe, Ohafia Local Government Area of the state.  by a group of heavily armed gunmen.

The command said it’s intensifying efforts to recover the three AK47 rifles carted away by the gunmen during the attack.

The hoodlums said to be numbering about 30, at about 1.30pm on the fateful day attacked five mobile policemen at a checkpoint in Okagwe Ohafia.

READ ALSO: Four paraded in Abia for allegedly killing police personnel

During the attack, a police Inspector, identified as Princewill Divine, was reportedly killed while a colleague’s wrist was cut off.

Another policeman was also said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries and has since been hospitalized.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede, said the arrested suspects were helping police in investigation and promised that the command would ensure further arrests and recovery of police firearms.

The CP also  informed that the killer Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)officer, Robinson Otobong Abel, was in police custody.

While assuring her command will thoroughly investigate the killing of one Onyedikachi Nwogu by Abel, she appealed to residents to avoid acts capable of causing breach of the peace.

From Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Some members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa West have defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to protest alleged violation of zoning arrangement.

Led by former Chairman of Ogobiri Youth Association, Ekadi Desire, the defectors were received by PDP Chairman in Sagbama Local Government, Ofoni Oyafikunmo; Vice Chairman Michael Magbisa and Council Chairman Embeleakpo Alade.

Desire said they left APC because of violation of the existing zoning of political offices between Sagbama and Ekeremor.

The youth leader said the two National Assembly positions were shared between Ekeremor and Sagbama.

He said it was provocative for APC to field Peremobowei Ebebi, from Ekeremor, for the senatorial election, when an Ekeremor son, Fred Agbedi, is in the House of Representatives.

The defector described Ebebi’s emergence as a deliberate and unacceptable oppression of APC members in Sagbama, saying they believed in Dickson’s ability to defend Ijaw interest.

Dickson said the APC leadership was executing a plan to cause needless division and tension in the senatorial district.

He thanked the people for their support, and promised that the defectors would be given equal rights as others.

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flagg-Amachree, has denied defecting to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Flagg-Amachree said the publication of his alleged defection was the handiwork of quack journalists.

He said: “There is investigative journalism and I expect any good editor to balance a story. For any editor to feature such important news, I expect such editor to reach the other party to ascertain the truth.

“I have called the editor to retract the story because it is not true. I have a lot to focus on and PDP is not part of it.

“Politics and life is all about expansion and contraction, and this is the moment we need to test our fate, level of loyalty and focus. Twenty twenty-three is just beside the corner and I am very convinced that APC will take back the state.

“I urge my supporters and APC members to endure and be focused to take over the state.”

A local paper, Port Harcourt Weekly Watch, in its September 7 publication, reported that Ojukaye was set to defect to PDP.

From Nsa Gill, Calabar

The local chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in Cross River has condemned the vacuum in the office of the Chief Judge of the state.

Justice Maurice Eneji’s tenure as the acting Chief Judge of the state expired on September 2.  Justice Eneji cannot be reappointed having served for two conservative tenures of three months each.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) headed by the Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN) was yet to act on the situation in Cross River State judiciary.

Speaking in a telephone interview, the Chairman of Calabar branch of the NBA, Dr. Paul O. Ebiala, regretted the non-appointment of a substantive State Chief Judge

He said the absence of the Chief Judge of the State portends danger and not a healthy development for the state.

The lawyer said it was unprecedented in the history of the Judiciary in Cross River State to be without a Chief Judge

“The absence of the Judiciary in Cross River State is like shutting down the system completely, it is just like having a state but no governor.

“A state that has no governor is shut down completely; the Judiciary that has no Chief Judge is also shut down completely. A similar thing applies to the House of Assembly.

“In the case of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, we have a Deputy Speaker and we also have a deputy governor but in the case of Chief Judge, there is no deputy.”