The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • UNN-trained doctors regroup, 40 years after

    It was fun and fanfare as members of the 1978 class of medical doctors of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka reunited for the first time forty years after graduation. Despite the long period they couldn’t meet after their induction in 1978, class members didn’t find it difficult to recognize each other.

    Although, the university of Nigeria College of Medicine (UNNCOMA) hall located at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, (UNTH) Ituku Ozalla Enugu State, was filled up with guests from different parts of the world, university officials, the academia and medical students, the opening ceremony performed by the provost, college of medicine, UNN, Prof. Uchenna Nwagha was sober.

    There was indeed a minute silence in honour of 19 class members who have passed on. Prominent among them was Prof. Aloy Aghaji, who died on active service in 2009, as the Provost College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka. On graduation in 1978, they were 95, but now, they are 76.

    Addressing the gathering, the provost, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Uchenna Nwagha, said the medical college had gone through several transformation overtime since their graduation in 1978. He stated that the system of learning had not only gone nuclear now, the college had entered into collaboration with the Gallily medical college in Israel as part of effort to boost medical education in the institution.

    Nwagha re-affirmed the commitment of the present administration led by the vice chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, to make the college of medicine the best on the continent, even as he noted that much funds had been invested on research.

    While expressing joy for the honour to declare the event open, the provost said he had an emotional attachment with the 1978 class, having served as an associate dean under their late member, Prof. Aloy Aghaji, when he was the dean of the faculty of medicine, UNN.

    To maintain morality and discipline, the erudite scholar urged young ones to zip up, stressing that medical students should also take the issue of dressing seriously.

    The coordinator of the 2018 re-union of the 1978 class of medical doctors of the College of Medicine, UNN, Prof. Ifeoma Emodi, expressed with nostalgia that their members were able to re-assemble after forty years, with many of them still looking very young and healthy.

    Emodi said that while they mourn their late class members, those living should be celebrated, adding that members of their class had made immense contribution to the growth of healthcare within and outside the country and recalled that Prof. Joseph Ana had once served Cross River State as commissioner for health and member of the Federal House of Representatives.

    In a lecture titled “The 12 Pillar Clinical Governance”, Prof. Joseph Ana, called on the federal government and the states to improve funding of the health sector, as poor funding had made it impossible for Nigerians to access good healthcare.

    Ana, noted that no matter how beautiful the buildings in hospitals and health facilities, and no matter how sophisticated the equipment are, the critical factor in delivering quality and safe care, preventing and reducing mortality and morbidity is the attitude and behaviour of the health care providers, their knowledge, skills and expertise on the job.

    Ana explained that the 12 Pillar clinical governance in Nigeria was founded to reverse the negative attributes of the health system, reverse the negative attributes of the providers, improve performance and quality, satisfy patients and reverse medical tourism to India, Dubai, Israel, South Africa, Egypt and other countries.

    Dr. Emmanuel Okafor from the Orange Village, Ohio, USA, who spoke on “Caring for the Caregiver”, identified smoking, hypertension, weight, inactivity and bad life style as some of risk factors for stroke, adding that Nigerians should take their health issue seriously and form the habit of going for periodic medical examination.

    Okafor traced some of the major causes of prostate cancer to family history, smoking and high fat diet, pointing out that early detection was key.

    Also in her paper titled “Empowering Young People – are we heading for a demographic Dividend or a demographic Doom”, a public health physician, Dr. Nkechi Ogbuagu, cautioned young people against bad life style, greed, and abandonment of medical ethics and norms for quick money that could derail their ambition of becoming some of the best in the profession and urged them to take the issue of HIV /AIDS seriously, even as they respect their parents and elders.

  • Community policing pays off in Imo

    Proponents of the community policing as a better strategy for fighting crime have something to cheer.

    The Imo State police command has recording some astounding success in crime-fighting largely because it embraced the people-based strategy.

    Armed robbers, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the state no longer have any safe havens; they are no more shielded from security men by their kindred. Now security has become everybody’s business.

    Before the adoption of community policing in the state, criminals operated like ghosts, leaving no trace or clues after carrying out heinous attacks. They simply disappeared into thin air and melted into the communities, where they enjoyed complete cover by the same people, who should assist the security operatives to bring them to justice.

    Often, villagers look the other way or sometimes act as informers to kidnappers who use their homes as dens to keep their victims until ransoms are paid.

    In some communities, it is regarded as a serious offence to volunteer information to police that may assist in tracking down criminals and people who engage in such act of assisting security operatives, are marked as saboteurs and victimized or killed in severe cases.

    This indifferent attitude had seriously impeded the fight against criminality, as the police will always adduce and correctly too that they are not magicians but will rely on credible information from the public to successfully check crime.

    Crime rate in the state has been largely attributed to this connivance of the people, which has made them accomplice by hoarding otherwise useful information from the police.

    Although most of them, stake away from giving out information to the Police, for fear that it will not be treated with utmost confidentiality. And true to their fears, most people have been dealt

    with by criminal elements for giving them out to the Police.

    But it is no more so today in Imo state, thanks to community policing, which has taken root in the state. Criminals, especially kidnappers are easily rounded up by the Police, with full assistance from the communities who report their movements to security operatives.

    Now in Imo State, especially the villages, strange movements are promptly reported to the Police, which also respond with equal promptness. This has helped in no little means in busting criminal syndicates that had been holding sway in the state.

    The people have totally bought into the community policing module, such that they flood the police emergency hotlines with actionable information daily, resulting in major breakthroughs recorded by the Police in recent times.

    The criminals are no more invincible, they are gradually realising that the game is up, they can no longer hide under the covering of the people they are haunting, the society has rejected them.

    Commending the module, the State Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, said that it has helped proactive policing in the state.

    He said that the Police and the people are now in the same page in the war against criminality.

    Galadanchi, stated further that the concept of community policing was created by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to carry the people along in crime fighting and prevention as major stakeholders.

    According to Galadanchi, the Police have been able with the help of the community policing to burst crimes at the planning stage before they are committed, adding that, “it is better to prevent crime than to fight crime. If you arrest criminals after they have struck and killed their victim, you have not done much. Or if after one is kidnapped, you move in and rescue the victim, the trauma can last for a life time, so it is far better to prevent crime”.

    In the last few months, over 5000 criminal elements including suspected kidnappers, armed robbers, rapists, cultists and ‘baby factory’ operators have been rounded up by Police based on credible information.

    Speaking recently, during the parade of the leader of  a notorious kidnap syndicate, Uchenna Ugwueze, the Commissioner of Police, stated that, “I will like to tell you that the policy of the Federal Government that says If you see something say something and slogan of change begins with me is working in Imo state.

    “It is good that you know that through our community policing method our men were given a tip off on the kidnap of one Mrs. Evans Ajaps, and they moved into action and they were able to rescue her”.

    He continued that, “the Imo state Police Command in our renewed onslaught against crime and criminality in the state has fully activated the community policing and it has paid off with major

    arrests recorded in the state recently. The benefits of the community policing are overwhelming, now everybody is a partner in the fight against criminality”.

  • Flooded, displaced, hungry in Anambra

    As they agonise over those who drowned, their submerged homes and washed-out farms, people displaced by floods in Anambra State are also grappling with scarcity of food, and diseases where they are sheltering at a relief camp. EMMA ELEKWA reports

    For people of Anambra State, it never rains but it pours. In Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state where the flood caused the most havoc, no fewer than four people drowned in the floodwaters. One of them was a son of the late highlife icon, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe.

    But as the state mourns the dead, survivors are also brooding over their flooded homes and submerged farms and business places.

    Still, there is more to worry about. Displaced persons sheltering in a relief camp complain of lack of food, poor health and lack of medicine. The displaced persons, predominantly women and children, camped at Crowder Memorial Primary School, Onitsha, the state’s commercial capital, wondered why they were brought to the camp and subjected to hunger, starvation and bad environment. They said they preferred dying in their various communities to suffering in a strange land where they were subjected to all forms of maltreatment.

    They appealed for government’s intervention, warning that there might be outbreak of epidemic in the camp if urgent steps were not taken.

    The Nation gathered that some of the victims trapped in the flooded areas with little or no means of moving out, were further challenged by lack of good drinking water, food and toilet facilities.

    Narrating her ordeal, one of them, Mrs Nkeiru Ukeje said, “Our children are now looking pale; they need doctor’s attention, but none is coming. Why did they bring us here? No food; nothing.”

    Another victim, Mr. Innocent Okoye, who sought refuge at the Community Primary School, Umueze-Anam, also said their children appeared pale and needed medical attention.

    “We lost virtually everything we possess to the flood, because our house in the village was completely submerged which was why we came out to seek refuge and shelter.

    “Our children need to see doctors very urgently. The sicklers among them cannot cope with the type of food being given to them in the camp,” he lamented.

    Also speaking, another displaced woman, who preferred anonymity, said some of them were their not familiar with some foods being given them, which she said was capable of causing diarrhoea.

    She said the nursing mothers among them were in pain with no provisions of cereal foods and custard for the two to eight months babies.

    She said, “They find it difficult to see hot water to prepare the one given to them by some visitors to the IDP camps. Some of our children look pale, dull faces and sunken eyes as they have endured weeks of hunger in their various communities.

    “Some of the women and children were in severe health conditions before they were evacuated and brought to the IDP Camp in Onitsha.

    They appealed to spirited individuals, organisations and government to come to their rescue.

    One of the local council areas in the state where the flood wreaked havoc is Ogbaru. At the last count, no fewer than four persons died in the area, including Okechukwu Osadebe, 18, son of the late highlife crooner. The younger Osadebe was reportedly swept away by the flood in Atani. His body was later discovered in the early hours of the following day.

    The mother of the deceased, Mrs. Amaechi Osadebe said her son was with two persons when he was swept away by the flashflood.

    “The current of the flood was too strong and turbulent that it did not give him any opportunity to swim out of danger,” she sobbed.

    The father of nine children, Chief Ojike Ajanwu, from Umuokpalaoma kindred, was said to have drowned in the flood while attempting to evacuate his harvested crops.

    The wife of the deceased, Mrs. Chinasa Ajanwu said they got the sad news where they were taking refuge at one of the Holding Centers located at Ogwuaniocha Community Primary School.

    “We received the message that my husband had drowned in Obolo village, Ogwuaniocha

    while attempting to evacuate his harvested cassava,” she said.

    Chinasa, a nursing mother of a month old baby, who described the incident as shocking, appealed to government to come to their rescue.

    Transition Committee Chairman, Arinzechukwu Awogu, who decried the increasing level of devastation the flood has inflicted on the lives of his people, regretted that many wealthy indigenes were yet to show any concern for the victims.

    He put the number of displaced persons at over 90,000, with no fewer than 6,000 taking refuge in government holding centres and clusters.

    Describing the situation as dire, he stressed that relief materials and food items are needed on a gigantic scale.

    He said, “Well-to-do Ogbaru people have not shown concern about this devastating flooding; perhaps they are erroneously under a wrong impression that it is government responsibility.

    “We are faced with nature’s fury, an attempt to wipe our people out from the surface of the earth.

    “For three weeks now it has been hellish; those outside our environment do not understand what we are facing. The situation is not normal and certainly not the type we enjoy.

    “To some of them, it’s our way of life. Can the eagle be said to enjoy a whirlwind even though it’s natural for it to glide? We have no fewer than 90,000 displaced persons. No fewer than 6,000 are taking refuge in government holding centres and clusters.

    “Supplies of relief materials are in short supply, more than half of displaced persons sleep on bare floor; children are suffering from cold because of insufficient mats, mattresses and blankets.

    “The state government has been stretched beyond its limit as all we’ve got so far has come from them. I now sound like a broken record while presenting the grim situation of my people before superior authorities. I appeal to Ndi Ogbaru to rise to this challenge.

    “My team is grateful to those individuals and groups that have come forth with food items and relief materials. I therefore, urge for more assistance.”

    Another community which was not spared by the flood was Anaku, in Ayamelum Local Government Area.

    One of the major rice farms in the state, Coscharis Rice Farms, was completely taken over by the flood, with the road leading to the farm inaccessible.

    Investigation indicated that about 1,500 hectares of the rice farm was submerged by the raging floodwaters.

    The State Deputy Governor, Dr Nkem Okeke, during an inspection tour to the area, described the situation as extensive, sympathising with the management over the incalculable losses.

    He said, “I presume, judging from the topography of the farm that the company must have taken precautionary measures in insuring the farm against such losses and emergencies.

    “I just hope that the incident will minimally affect this year’s rice production.

    “Already, the governor has resolved to ensure that enough rice is produced in the state for consumption and export to other parts of the nation. But when the need arises, government will help.”

    On his part, Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Afam Mbanefo revealed that he had anticipated a decrease in the year’s projection as a result of the flood disaster.

    He explained that the state usually based its rice projection in line with the production from core rice investors in the state including Coscharis Farms.

    “But I promise more preventive measures against the reccurrence of flooding on this farmland.

    “There is need for two cycles of rice planting here to enable the company to meet its annual rice target,” he said.

    Farm Operation Manager, Mr Shepherd Hurudza, while appreciating the state government’s concerns over the company, said the estimated damage on the farm was yet to be determined as the flooding keeps spreading.

    In Anambra West, some displaced persons lamented absence of potable water, food, shelter and toilet facilities, insisting that they need evacuation.

    The Umueze-Mmiata Road is currently flooded, causing the people to seek shelter on the bridge as some of them have since mounted tents on the road side.

    They said that they defecate inside the river, which also served as their source of drinking and cooking water.

    The people are also exposed to dangers of being attacked by dangerous reptiles like snakes, crocodiles, hippopotamus because they are surrounded by floodwaters.

    The situation is the same at the Community Primary School, Umueze Anam, where a good number of displaced persons were currently accommodated.

    Some people are also trapped in the floodwaters.

    One of the flood victims, Mr Innocent Okoye, who sought refuge at the Community Primary School, Umueze-Anam recounted his experiences.

    “I lost virtually everything I possess to the floodwaters and my house in the village is submerged too; that is why I came here to seek refuge and shelter,” he said.

    When asked why he did not relocate his family to the Holding Centres, open to the people of the local council, Okoye feigned ignorance of such arrangement.

    “I am also using this medium to appeal to government to assist our people who have virtually lost everything they have to the floodwaters; and most of them live in dangerous areas like the Otupu Bridge.

    “The area is exposed to dangerous reptiles with no food, water, electricity, and toilet facilities,” Okoye said.

    The state government has opened centres where relief materials can be sent, following sustained inquiries from various individuals and groups in Anambra State and beyond on how they could contribute to alleviating the suffering of flood victims.

    A statement by the State Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, disclosed that the centres were at the office of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Awka.

    He said the rest were located at the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area, Ayamelum LGA, Awka North LGA, Anambra East LGA, Anambra West LGA, Onitsha North LGA and Onitsha South LGA as well as Ihiala LGA.

    “Although the disaster affected eight local government areas in the state, it was more devastating in Ogbaru, Anambra East and West LGAs, as well as Ayamelum LGA where several communities have been submerged, resulting in the sack of over 10,000 people from their homes, schools, offices, farms, markets and places of worship.

    “The flood victims are “desperately in need of foodstuffs, drinking water, cooking utensils, mattresses, mats, beds, buckets, clothes, healthcare and sanitary facilities.

    “Although the state government “has been preparing to grapple with the crisis since July when the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency warned that Anambra and the other flood prone states would experience unusually high water levels comparable to those of 2012 which wrought havoc in many parts of Nigeria, the current disaster is stretching the state resources”.

    According to the commissioner, all types of relief materials can be sent to any of the mentioned local government headquarters except medicines which have to be left with the state Ministry of Health, Jerome Udoji Secretariat, Awka, to ensure professional handling and administration.

    He advised those who want to give money to the victims to send it to Anambra State Flood Disaster Account Number 5030091612 Fidelity Bank.

    Adinuba quoted Governor Willie Obiano as saying that “he is profoundly touched by the powerful sense of solidarity which Nigerians from different sections of the country and from all walks of life have been demonstrating with the people of Anambra State since the flood disaster.

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo visited the flooded areas on a wooden boat with Governor Obiano and Labour and Productivity Minister Chris Ngige at Umueze, Anam, in Anambra West LGA where he commended the governor for taking proactive steps to check the effects of the flood.

  • Who killed 15-yr-old boy inside Ebonyi church?

    Who could be responsible for the murder of a 15-year-old boy inside a church of God? Cultists or traditionalists?

    These questions have been begging for answers since unknown assailants attacked a group of youths inside the Methodist Church Obodo Ogbeni village, Umuoguduakpu community in Ohaukwu local government area.

    The hoodlums, The Nation  learnt, inflicted machete cut wounds on some of the youths when they were in a band practice at the church.

    One of them, Augustine Ogbu, 15, was killed in the attack.

    He had returned from church with his family members on that fateful day and decided to visit his namesake who is his father’s brother.

    As he got there he met his namesake’s children going to church band practice and he decided to accompany them to a Methodist Church where the practice was taking place.

    They got to the church and began practicing. Soon it became dark and they had to turn on the generator to continue practicing.

    As the band practice progressed, the generator that provided light for the activity went off.

    Unknown to them, the church premises had been surrounded by machete-wielding men who were on a mission to maim and kill them.

    One of the band boys decided to go outside to know what happened to the generator and he became the murderous gangs first casualty as they attacked him.

    Then all hell was let loose as the hoodlums stormed the church and began cutting anybody they could lay their hands on with their murderous weapons.

    While many of the victims of the attack, which happened around 9pm were later rushed to hospital and survived, though scarred for life, Augustine Ogbu, who is the fifth child in the family of eight children, was not so lucky as his wounds were so severe. His head was almost cut off from his body, it was gathered.

    Seven persons received serious machete cuts in the night attack are currently receiving treatment at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki 2 (FETHA 2) and an undisclosed hospital in Ngbo Court axis of the village.

    There had been some cult killings in Ohaukwu Local Government Area with over five persons killed before the current killing.

    Reuben Abah, Ogbu’s father, told The Nation that cultist members were responsible for his son’s murder.

    Abah said: “The truth of the matter is that my son was killed. His name is Augustine Ogbu and he was 15 years because he was born in 2003. On September 2, being a Sunday, I came back from where I went to and when he told me that he wanted to go to my elder brother’s house who is his namesake and also lives in this village.

    “I told him to go and he went about 5 in the evening.

    “About 10:15pm of that day, I received message that my son was dead. He went to my elder brother’s house and together with his children they went to Methodist Church in our village for band practice.

    “They told me that the church was immediately invaded that night by hoodlums and everybody scampered for safety.  Our local vigilante immediately gathered and started looking for the invaders and arrested some of them.

    “When I got to the church, I saw my son’s corpse lying on the ground. When the matter was reported to the police, they came in the morning and carried his corpse to the mortuary after taking his pictures.

    “I also followed the police to the mortuary where the corpse was deposited; he is now in the mortuary. He was almost beheaded, only a tiny thread was holding the head from being entirely severed.

    “I would say that the killing of my son and the attack on those that sustained injuries was as a result of the thanksgiving in that church because a lot of people said they saw people wielding machetes and fighting during entertainment after the thanksgiving. In the night, they killed my son when they attacked the Methodist Church.

    “Some arrests have been made by our local vigilantes through a tip-off and handed over to the police because one of the victims said he was attacked but was lucky as the machete did not cut him so much. Our local vigilante asked him whether he could identify the person that attacked him and he said yes and led the vigilante to the person who was arrested. Some others were arrested. Later more arrests were made

     

  • Arochukwu feast ends in colourful displays

    The Ikeji Arochukwu has ended with various cultural displays.

    Over the years, Ikeji Arochukwu has gained prominence as an important and remarkable cultural celebration by Arochukwu descendants within and outside the country. It has become a veritable platform to showcase their rich cultural heritage spanning several centuries. Ikeji Aro, as it is popularly known today, has a long history dating back to about 912 AD when it was first celebrated by the ancient kingdom. Ever since, it has become an annual festival which is observed in Arochukwu and about 360 Aro communities scattered all over the world.

    The new yam festival of the Aro, which usually takes place in the month of September, is programmed to last for three weeks from the day of proclamation for the commencement by the highly revered Eze Aro which is currently being held by His Royal Majesty, Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro. Ikeji Aro is usually a sacred period which is devoted by Aros to give thanks to the creator for blessings, protection and bountiful harvest. It involves elaborate traditional ceremonies throughout the Arochukwu Kingdom.Each day has a unique programme attached to it which is observed religiously. It is usually a cultural extravaganza involving all the 19 villages making up Arochukwu kingdom, including kit and kin in diaspora.

    One of the major characteristics of Ikeji Aro festival is the capacity to attract Aros in diaspora, who would always want to take advantage of the occasion to visit their ancestral community. Every Aro person has a unique attachment to his Aro origin and the Ikeji festival is one of such events that draw them closer home.  This explains the usual mass return by Aros in diaspora during the period.  Unlike new yam festival in other Igbo communities, Ikeji Aro has a strict tradition that has remained intact and is passed from generation to generation.

    From the first day to the climax, which is called Ekekpe, there are usually cultural activities that would engage the people. Such cultural activities portray the uniqueness of the people.

    However, Ekekpe remains the most significant aspect of the entire Ikeji Aro festival.  It is a day when the people gather at the community square known as Amaikpe to pay tribute to their ancestors and fallen heroes. Ekekpe symbolizes the true cultural heritage of the Aro.  It is the grandeur of the Ikeji festival with the people appearing in their colorful traditional attire, spectacular traditional dances and masquerades.  The Aros and their visitors alike have always looked forward to Ekekpe with great expectation and excitement.

    Although the Ikeji festival has retained its traditional value over the years, there has been an attempt in the recent time to gradually but cautiously introduce some innovations to make it truly an international festival.  This is taking into cognizance of the fact that the Aros are global citizens who have exported their cultures to various parts of the world. In bringing such innovation the organizers of the Ikeji Aro festival are working with the mindset that it should no longer be seen as one local traditional festival, but one that should command global attention. This became clearly manifest in this year’s Ikeji Aro festival, which had as its theme: Culture for development.  The festival which held from September 5 – 27, 2018, saw the introduction, for the first time, a program for the youths.  According to the Chairman of the organizing committee for 2018 Ikeji Aro, Dr. Azubike Okoro, given the significant role of the youths as agents of development, it was considered appropriate to provide them a platform to showcase their talents and creative energies.

    The event, tagged: “Arochukwu Got Talent”, which took place on the eve of Ekekpe at Amaikpe ground, turned out to be a harvest of thrilling entertainment and talent discoveries. The audience, which included the President-General, Nzuko Aro worldwide, Mazi George Ezumah and other prominence Aro indigenes, were held spellbound with fascinating display of talent and creativity by the youths.  Impressed with the array of talents paraded at the event and the enthusiasm exhibited by the youths, the organizers of Ikeji Aro 2018 and the Nzuko Aro leadership were of the opinion that ‘Arochukwu Got Talent’ should be made an integral part of Ikeji festival. This will not only help in deepening Aro culture and tradition among the youths but also provide a veritable platform to harness their rich potentials for the development of the community.

    Apart from discovering and nurturing talented Aro youths through the Ikeji festival, the theme “Culture for development” is a holistic programme aimed at using culture to drive the development of Arochukwu kingdom.  This can be better appreciated considering the fact that Aro has rich cultural history dating back to several centuries.  They are proud of their ancestral heritage which is easily expressed in their mode of addressing, tradition and festivals. The Aros are among the first set of people to be exposed to western education in Nigeria and are widely travelled, which gave them strategic advantage over other communities in eastern part of Nigeria. They are also great merchants and entrepreneurs who have contributed in the development of other communities across the country and beyond.

    This has informed the concept of ‘culture for development’, which is intended to harness the rich culture of the people towards accelerating the development of the area. In line with this objective, the Ikeji festival is being re-branded to enable it attract corporate sponsors and mass participation. This has started yielding the anticipated result as indicated in the recently concluded Ikeji festival which attracted big corporate sponsors like, MTN, Nigerian Breweries, Sobaz, and other organizations. Equally significant was the unprecedented large turn-out of the people throughout the festival, especially during the Ekekpe. For the first time in a long time all the 19 villages in Arochukwu were present at the Ekekpe, which marks the climax of the celebration. The Aro in diaspora were in attendance, which shows a renewed confidence in the Ikeji festival. The star prize of a trophy and N100,000.00 was won by the troupe from Asaga village while Obinkita village took the second position with a trophy and N50,000.00. The third price was won by Amangwu village and they took home a trophy and N25,000.00. Two villages, Amuvi and Ugbo, got consolation trophies for the 4th and 5th positions.

    As the Aros and the rest of the world continue to savour the splendid memories of the 2018 Ikeji with its rich cultural content as highlighted in the various cultural dances and masquerade displays, the organisers are upbeat that more is yet to come. It is obvious that there is inter-relationship between culture and development, and the Aros are prepared to leverage on this towards transforming their community.

  • Abia kerosene fire couple seeks help

    Life has not been smooth for 43-year-old carpenter Uchendu Jacob and his wife Chidinma, 32, since they were involved in a kerosene explosion. Unable to take care of themselves, and with a mountain of bills to pay, they are constrained to appeal for help. The most pressing is their hospital bills.

    The couple who was rushed to Madonna hospital, Umuahia, the Abia State capital, around 3am on August 4, 2018, was in severe pains and terrible shape following the explosion which led to fire engulfing them in their home.

    The couple who have spent well over a month at the Christian hospital and have been staying at the male and female wards have called on public-spirited Nigerians and corporate organisations to come to their rescue as they cannot afford the hospital bills.

    Speaking at his hospital bed, Jacob said on that fateful day after work that he bought a bottle of kerosene for their lantern. He said that at around 11 in the night his wife woke up to refill the lantern that was about to go off with the kerosene he bought and that the next thing he heard while sleeping in his sitting room was an explosion and the shout of fire from his wife.

    The carpenter said he woke up and went straight to the room to save his three little boys, adding that in the midst of that confusion he fell inside the fire twice, which is the reason he had more burns than his wife.

    He noted that his happiness was that his three children were unhurt and that only he and his wife were the only ones affected by the fire and used the occasion to appreciate Madonna Hospital for accepting them by commencing treatment on them without any deposit.

    Jacob revealed that they are right now at the mercy of the hospital as they have been unable to deposit any money, adding that the hospital bill is about N700,000.

    He pleaded with public-spirited Nigerians to help deposit money in the following account, for their medical care. Uchendu Jacob, Access bank 0006217619.

    Speaking also, Jacob’s wife Chidinma, a petty trader, said she woke up around 11pm to discover that the light in the lantern was going off and quickly rushed to refill the lantern with the kerosene her husband brought and the next thing was the explosion.

    Chidinma said, “The lantern was on the floor with little light on; the moment I took the bottle of kerosene and was opening the bottle, what I heard next was an explosion, I never knew the kerosene was adulterated.

    “I have never witnessed anything like this before in my life, I am pleading with Nigerians for help, we are poor and cannot afford the hospital bills, we are leaving by the mercy of the hospital and good Samaritans even to feed is a problem”.

    In his own reaction the administrator of Madonna Hospital Rev. Father Christian Anokwuru said the couple was brought to the hospital in a very bad shape, adding that they commenced treatment without the victims depositing any money, “We are happy that they are doing well and responding to treatment”.

    Father Anokwuru said the hospital management and staff did their very best and called on good Nigerians to come to their help, adding that it is obvious the couple do not have the means to pay their bills.

    He revealed that  the couple have been in admission since August 4 and the hospital has been bearing the expenses, adding that they do not have subvention from government except what the generate which they use to run the hospital.

    The cleric pointed out that the hospital has all it takes to treat the couple while he confirmed that about seven hundred thousand naira would be needed for their recovery including surgery.

  • Welfare scheme for the elderly in Anambra community

    It was an atmosphere of joy and celebration as old men and women of Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State who have attained the age of 80 years and above gathered to receive stipends from the leadership of the community. EMMA ELEKWA reports that the initiative was aimed at enhancing the well-being of the senior citizens

    If there is any segment of the society that have suffered neglect from individuals, organisations  and government, it is the elderly.

    A visit to most of the old people’s homes across the country attracts not only sympathy, but also empathy as the plight of the senior citizens dumped by their own children and other family members are too gory to behold.

    These individuals were once referred to as “dead woods” by a certain governor of a state during a protest against delay in payment of their pensions and gratuities.

    Unfortunately, these are groups of individuals, mostly senior citizens, who have contributed towards the growth and development of their communities, the state and the nation.

    This sorry development informed the decision of the leadership of Nimo, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State to provide succour for the elderly in the area.

    It was an atmosphere of joy and celebration as old men and women of the community, who have attained the age of 80 and above gathered to receive stipends from the leadership of the community.

    The initiative, courtesy of the President-General of the community, Chief Frank-Anthony Igboka is in form of stipends for old men and women who have attained the age of 80 and above.

    Speaking at the event held at the Egweegwe Square, Nimo which attracted hundreds of Nimo men and women within the age bracket, Chief Igboka said the stipend of N5,000 would be paid monthly to each of the octogenarians.

    “The N5,000 stipends which all the men and women of the community that fall within the age bracket received, will henceforth be a monthly payment to enable most of them that have no help to alleviate their sufferings,” he said.

    Igboka explained that the gesture was in line with the policy of Governor Willie Obiano and his wife which was aimed at alleviating the sufferings of the poorest of the poor, especially the elderly.

    “We initiated the idea as a way of taking care of the elderly who have contributed their quota in the development of the community over the years in the form of social security, the same way it is being done in the developed nations of the world,” he said.

    A retired Director of Education in the Ministry of Education, Chief Paulycap Ilokanuno, described the initiative as innovative and life-saving, urging him to sustain it.

    “It is one thing to come up with an idea; it’s another thing to start it, but sustaining it is yet another. We pray it doesn’t stop with time,” he said.

    On her part, the Woman Leader, Nimo Town Development Union, Lady Josephine Ilokanuno, said the gesture was first of its kind in the state. She commended the President-General for the noble idea.

    One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Jeroe Isigwe, thanked Igboka for the gesture, praying God to bless him.

    “We really lack words to appreciate our community leader for coming up with this laudable vision. We are very grateful and pray God to bless him in return,” he said.

    Another octogenarian, Veronica Otie, described the initiative as worth replicating, urging other communities and the states in the federation to emulate the leadership of the community.

     

  • Bandits ‘kidnap’ dead bodies in Southeast

    Kidnapping for ransom in the Southeast has been a major headache for stakeholders, including security agencies, residents, the government as well as the traditional institutions.

    With an unenviable status as the zone with the highest rate of kidnapping in the country, the heinous crime is, indeed, a scourge in the Southeast.

    Immeasurable human and material resources have been committed to fighting this menace and it is gradually scaling down. The reports are no longer damning, there is almost a heave of relief. The security chiefs are satisfied with their feat in defeating the bandits, at least technically, the people are getting relaxed and businesses are picking up again.

    But it is not yet time to say uhuru. The kidnappers are not giving up; instead they have devised another tactics.

    They now ‘kidnap’ corpses from mortuaries, where they will encounter little or no resistance and thereafter demand some ransom from owners of the corpses.

    They have returned to business and on daily basis corpses are missing from the morgues and the owners are parting with huge sums of money to reclaim the bodies of the dead.

    It is indeed a disturbing trend, it is an abomination, but the allure of raiding an unguarded morgue and carting away defenseless corpses is irresistible to the kidnappers.

    Kidnapping of corpses is now in vogue in the Southeast. One can imagine the agony and frustration of a family that has made all preparations for funeral ceremony only to get to the mortuary and discover that the remains of their beloved one have been ‘abducted’ and hours later they will receive phone calls for ransom.

    One may be tempted to ask what the negotiating power of the kidnappers is, when their victim is already dead and decomposing. How do they get the relatives to part with money, unlike when they abduct a living person and threaten to kill their victim if ransom is not paid?

    But the answer is not far-fetched, burial ceremonies in the Southeast are attended by great fanfare and festivity. The rich and the poor alike invest huge sums of money to bury their loved ones under the illusion that it is a mark of love and respect for the dead. It is a serious stigma on any family that could not give their dead ones befitting burials.

    The new trend of kidnapping of corpses may sound unreal, but the Imo State Police Command recently paraded two suspected kidnappers who stole a female corpse and demanded N5 million ransom from the owner of the morgue.

    The suspects, Chukwudi Chukwu and Bethel Ibe both from Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, were reported to have broken into the Jesus Hospital Mortuary also in Ikeduru and carted away the corpse whose identity was concealed from reporters.

    They thereafter contacted the owner of the morgue, Prince Bright Njoku and demanded ransom.

    But the police smashed their hideout, arrested them and rescued the corpse before the ransom could be paid.

    The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, described the trend as disturbing, but assured that the Command will continue to make the state uncomfortable for all manner of kidnappers.

    He said: “It is an abomination to desecrate the dead. How can people invade a mortuary and carry away corpses? But everyone involved in this heinous crime will not go unpunished.”

    Meanwhile the suspects, who claimed that they were introduced to the business by some of their friends that specialised in abducting dead people, blamed the devil for their action.

    Narrating how they stole the corpse, the suspects said: “We went into the mortuary that night and carried one corpse and took it to the bush where we hid it. We didn’t know the identity of the woman. After that we called the owner of the mortuary to give us N5 million. We were still in the bush waiting for the money when policemen came and arrested us”.

  • UNN relishes more lecture series

    A university lecturer, Mrs. Gwamniru Regina Okafor, has said the economic well-being of a nation is measured by its gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP, she added, is the aggregate value of domestic output of goods and services of a country over a period of time.

    Okafor, a Professor of Economics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) also added that the GDP has widely been accepted as the standard indicator of the relative economic standing of a country in the global economy, saying that a country with a high level of GDP, especially on a per capita basis, was deemed to be economically wealthier and possibly healthier than others with low levels of per capita GDP.

    She maintained that economic activities and performance of all the activities of a country, over a fiscal year, are summarised in the national accounts for the year.

    Prof. Okafor stated these while presenting the 142nd inaugural lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, entitled “Un-marketed Output of the Household Economy, a Missing Link in the Nigerian System of National Accounts”, at the Enugu campus of the institution.

    Okafor submitted that the standard classification of countries into developed, less developed, developing and under-developed, was based on the GDP criterion.

    She said: “Every country, therefore, should endeavour to capture in its GDP aggregate the value of all goods and services that are deemed to qualify for inclusion in its GDP measurement. Non-inclusion of the value of qualified goods and services would imply an under-statement of a country’s GDP estimate.”

    She noted that due to the overriding importance of GDP in the system of national accounts, its measurement constitutes a very important national economic policy issue, pointing out that in deciding what economic activities to include or to exclude in the GDP accounting measurement, a country should be guided by two important considerations.

    The first consideration, the lecturer continued, was the need to recognise and abide by the  widely accepted international GDP measurement standard and second, the need to recognise all economic activities that contribute to national economic well-being which should therefore be included in the accounting template for GDP measurement.

    The Ekwulobia-born economist however recalled that a pioneer researcher on gender, Boserub, had, in 1970, argued that “the subsistence activities usually omitted in the statistics of production and income are largely household work”.

    She further argued that in a subsistence economy, homestead agriculture and household services constitute the bulk of economic activities and determine the well-being of a typical household, even as she said the contributions of such activities should be included in developing the national accounts, as non-inclusion would imply amount to ignoring the impact of such goods and services on the GDP of a nation.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Chukwuma Ozumba re-affirmed the commitment of the institution to continue to invest in research and the overall development of human resources.

    Ozumba, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the university, Prof. James Ogbonna, expressed satisfaction that the various academic programmes introduced by the management had led to high rating of the University of Nigeria globally.

    The V-C praised the rich content of the lecture, adding that Prof. Gwamniru Okafor has distinguished herself as an erudite scholar and a good ambassador of the university, having emerged as the first to deliver an inaugural lecture from the Department of Accountancy since its incorporation as a degree-awarding programme in 1960.

    The university’s 5th inaugural lecturer in 1977, Prof. John Umeh, the Rector of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Prof. Austin Nweze, former Provost, College of Medicine, UNN, Prof. Ernest Onwasigwe and  husband of the lecturer, Prof. Francis Okafor were among the dignitaries present at the occasion.

    Also in attendance were the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor UNEC, Prof. Justy Nnabuko, the traditional ruler of Ekwulobia and members of the community, the chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr. Obinna Onodugo and HIS brother Dr. Vincent Onodugo, children and grandchildren of the lecturer led by Nkechi Okafor and the Chief Public Relations Officer of the University of Nigeria,Enugu-Campus, UNEC, Mr. Goddy Onah.

  • Abia returns mission schools to owners

    Abia State government has returned East Street Primary School and Clifford Road Primary School, both in Aba, to the original owners-the Assemblies of God Church. The church had, in the past, pleaded with the government to return the schools to it.

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu made the announcement during this year’s Men’s Day celebration of the Assemblies of God Church, 222 Clifford Road, Aba.

    He directed the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ikechi Mgbeoji to liaise with the church authorities to ensure that the handover process is completed by October.

    In their address read by the Secretary of the Men’s Ministry, Deacon David J. Okai, the church passionately pleaded with Governor Ikpeazu to facilitate the return of the schools to their church, a process they said began during the immediate past administration, but was stalled due to the leadership crisis in the church then, which has been settled.

    The letter reads: “Your Excellency, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu Sir, please, on behalf of the entire church, we are appealing with you to approve the recovery of our primary schools; East Street and Clifford Road Primary schools which were approved during the tenure of former Governor of the state, T. A. Orji. But because of internal misunderstanding we had then, it was withheld. Now that it has been resolved, we plead that you use your good offices and give them back to us. This church will never forget you for helping us out. We thank you in anticipation for doing it for us, Your Excellency. Divinity and humanity will never forget you in Jesus name, Amen.”

    Responding after Ikpeazu announced the pledge to return the schools, the Assistant District Superintendent of the Church, Rev Don Njoku, thanked him for the gesture and assured him that the church will continue to support and pray for his government.

    Earlier in his address, the President of the Men’s Ministry of the Church, Deacon Kalu Egbe, praised the leadership and development strides of the governor and assured him of their support in his determined efforts to positively change the narrative of Aba and Abia State.

    Governor Ikpeazu, who was received at the Church by Rev (Dr) Ogboso Ejindu, Assistant District Superintendent and the executive of the men’s ministry was accompanied by top government officials, including the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Uzor Azubuike, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Umeh Kalu (SAN), Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, Commissioner for Petroleum, Mr. Chizuru Kanu and Chairman of Aba South Local Government Area, Chief Emmanuel Emereuwa.