The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • Lawmaker launches school bus scheme

    Lawmaker launches school bus scheme

    Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State, throbs with business, and boasts a good number of schools, but it also teems with out of school kids, many of whom hawkers.

    Worried by this, the lawmaker representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, Hon. Ossy Prestige has launched a free bus scheme for residents of school age from nursery to university levels. The buses, according to Prestige, would convey students to their various schools between 6:30am and 8:00am while it would be on the road again to take the students back to their homes between the 2:00pm and 2:30pm. Pupils who would not have gone to school for transportation reasons will find the buses useful.

    The lawmaker who was represented at the flag-off exercise in Aba by an aide, George Ezikpe Okiyi, said the bus scheme was a fulfillment of part of his campaign promises to fight illiteracy in Aba North and South.

    “For us,” Okiyi said, “It is a celebration of some sort. It is just like the realisation of the vision of Prestige to help in alleviating the suffering of the people of Aba North and South Federal constituency. You know how hard things are now and most parents spend a lot in conveying their kids to schools on a daily basis and if you consider that we are in a recession and that the economy hasn’t been that good for every person, you will know the stress parents are going through in ensuring that their wards and kids go to school and come back on a daily basis.

    “If you understand the importance of education, you will know that the difference between the man in the office and the man at the gate is education qualification. So, the importance of education cannot be overemphasised. But the issue is that anything you do to help the parents for the purpose of sending their kids to school is a very good thing. Once a child is empowered through education, you have gone a step ahead to shape this society. Education is the key and anything that you can do along that line is what you can’t quantify its monetary value.

    “This is just the pilot scheme, more of the buses are going to be here, enough to populate the entire Aba North and South local governments. We will make sure that every child has the opportunity of going to school and coming back as well with the bus scheme.”

  • Succour for the weak in Imo

    Succour for the weak in Imo

    To be unable to walk is bad enough; to be without any form of aid at all multiplies the torture. But for 80 physically challeneged persons in Imo State, help has come, thanks to Babcock University working in conjunction with a United States-based organisation.

    Succour came for the 80 when the university handed over wheelchairs to them.

    The programme was carried out the university’s free wheelchair mission done in collaboration with a faith-based organisation in the United States of America, the Grace Project, which is involved in medical missions across the world and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

    Hundreds of disabled people under the aegis of the People Living With Disabilities (PLWD), an umbrella body of physically challenged persons, converged at the venue of the event, earlier than the scheduled time.

    Some were brought by their children or relatives who pushed them on their rickety wheelchairs to the premises of the Adventist Church were they gathered in small groups to discuss their fate and the magnanimity of the group.

    Others sat in solitary, apparently thinking of what life could be beyond crawling along in wheelchairs and standing on one’s feet.

    That was the mood before the coordinator and Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost College of Medicine of the Babcock University, Prof. Iheanyichukwu Okoro, announced the commencement of the programme. Within a twinkle of an eye, hundreds of people living with different disabilities had besieged the place, including the blind, the deaf and dumb, cripples, among others.

    Explaining the initiative, the Professor of Medicine, disclosed that Babcock University an affiliate of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, has been involved in annual medical mission since the last seven years.

    According to him, “the University in collaboration with our partners abroad, sourced for and imported 1000 pieces of wheelchairs to Nigeria to give to the physically challenged people to alleviate their plight. We have covered all the states in the West and we are set to cover the entire country.

    “We made provisions for the disabled people who need the wheelchairs but the turnout of people with other disabilities, means that we will have to make provisions other than the wheelchairs for other categories of the physically challenged persons, like the blind ones and the deaf and dumb people”.

    He revealed further that, “the University with the assistance of our foreign partners has spent about 50 million dollars in medical missions across the country in the last seven years”.

    Responding on behalf of the disabled people’s group, the Southeast coordinator of the PLWD, Ikechukwu Ukeje, commended the University for assisting people living with disabilities in the country, adding that such gesture goes a long way to alleviate the sufferings of the disabled people and give them a sense of belonging.

    According to him, “we are happy and grateful with this group as a result of its genuineness because some groups have defrauded us and made millions of naira by posting our videos to their partners abroad. But today we have seen an entirely different setup and we are happy and we pray that God will continue to bless the University and the Church”.

    He appealed to other public organizations to continue to assist disabled people by providing them with mobility aids and other items needed to make live easy for them.

    The resident Pastor of the Church, Pastor Ephraim Okpulor, described the gesture as an act of God, “we are happy that the University has remembered Imo State. It is biblical to help the less privileged and I encourage those in privileged positions to always remember this category of people and come to their aid as often as they can. This is important because they did not choose to be the way they are”.

    Some of the beneficiaries commended the University for their Magnanimity, while praying to God to reward for that act of love and kindness.

    For Victor Agujiegbe, a crippled teenager, “I have never seen this kind of programme before, it is very orderly and we have been treated with so much respect. I am so relieved receiving this new wheelchair because the one I have been using is very old and it has become so difficult for me to move around but now going about we no longer be a problem. I am very grateful”.

  • Agony of an eroded community

    Agony of an eroded community

    In the vicinity of the university town Nsukka lies Onuiyi, a community where an unchecked gully torments helpless residents. JAMES OJO reports.

    ‘I think Governor Ugwuanyi will do the job because since he assumed office, I have seen some white men coming around to survey the area…He went around surveying the current state of the gully. So we are hoping that he would do something during his own time as the governor’

    Whenever there is a heavy downpour residents like Ejiofor Omeke fear the worst and hope for the best. On November 29, 2016, Omeke set up his welding shop in Onuiyi in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. A few months later he started regretting his decision. Why? Onuiyi lies lower than its popular neighbour which hosts University of Nigeria. When it rains, the water washes down from Nsukka to Onuiyi, sometimes flooding homes.

    “Many people have been telling me that when rain starts, the gully beside my shop is often flooded,” he said, his voice quivering. “I am sacred. I have fears because I keep my working equipment here (inside the shop). I don’t know how the rain would flow. I am afraid I would come here one day and see everything has been washed away.”

    Like Ejiofor, many residents of Onuiyi are also living in fear. A gully left unchecked has become a very deep ravine conveying a huge amount of rainwater that swamps everyone.

    How it began

    Mr. Louis Ogbonna, a landlord in the area, narrated how the menace started. “In the 1980s,” he said, “some people started building on the waterways, thereby blocking the flow of water through its normal route, and diverted the flow of all the water from Nsukka town to this side. From there, this gully started getting deeper and deeper. Before, the gutter was not up to six feet, but now, the gully can swallow a tall palm tree and it’s still getting deeper and deeper.”

    A community leader, Elder Frank Ogbonna said, “All the gutters in Nsukka are directed here and as soon as they reach here, many houses would be flooded. All of the water flowing from Nsukka town through the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) flows through here, thereby constituting flood disaster.”  

    At death’s mercy

    It was gathered that some people who were not aware of the depth of the gully when it rained have drowned in it. Describing the ordeals residents go through during raining seasons, Mr. Ogbonna said, “It is always dreadful during rainy seasons, especially when there is a heavy downpour. I think three persons have drowned in the flood recently. “Sometimes, the people living along the gully sides do not sleep at night, especially during the rainy season because of the fear of water seeping into their homes.”

    On his part, Elder Ogbonna noted that “At times, water would sack all the occupants of this compound but I am always lucky that it doesn’t enter my room. The whole compound would be flooded.”

    While also narrating his experience, a resident of the community, who identified himself as Charles Emengini, said: “I have stayed here up to five years. When I packed in here, the gully was small but it has now got to this extent. This shows that the thing is deteriorating every year. During rainy seasons, the kind of flood that passes through here is unbearable. It enters people’s rooms.

    “Normally, when the gully gets filled up, it will divert and start entering our compound. If you are not careful, it will enter all the rooms. I think this is a serious issue that government has to do something. It is a threat to humanity.

    Also speaking, another resident of the community, Mrs Patience Ibe, said: “The gully is encroaching into the houses. It is very risky. Before, this road was passable, but now it is not. Some people who think the gully is not deep have drowned during the rainy season.”

    When our correspondent visited the gully, heaps of refuse were seen inside, thereby blocking the passage of water. The dump, when burnt, often oozes out a putrid smell posing health hazard to residents.

    Effect on the local economy

    Apart from being a source of threat to the people of Onuiyi and neighbouring communities, the flood often cripples economic activities in the area during rainy seasons. A resident of the community, who simply identified himself as Sando, explained that many have vacated the area as a result of the ravaging effects of the flood on their business during rainy season.

    “The flood has affected the community economically. This place (referring to a segment of the community) was formerly a business hub but because of the flood, many have deserted the place.”

    Sando explained further that the flood has affected the major road linking the community with other places. He continued: “As you know that road is one of the greatest assets in doing business. When road network is cut out, business activities will definitely collapse. So the flood here is not only a threat to their businesses but also a threat to their lives. It has affected the people economically. The nature of the gully now is very devastating. So many people are worried. It is not only a distraction to their business activities but a threat to their livelihood. The state of the gully needs urgent attention. I learnt that why it has not been attended to is because of the so-called “federal-projects”. Some people see it as solely a federal government affair and I don’t think the federal government is aware it. I don’t think it directly affects the federal government.”

    Unfulfilled government’s

    promises

    Elder Ogbonna said they have sent countless SOS messages to several governments in the past but nothing concrete ever happened.

    He said: “I wrote a lot of petitions and they were answered. It was gazetted by the government and it was named “Onuiyi Water Disaster”. But since then we have been doing everything possible to stop the flood, but it hasn’t stopped. I wrote to the past state governments on the state of the gully to the government and the government actually took action to help us but all the efforts were just a waste.

    Another resident blamed past governments for the deepening gully, pointing out that had it been given the needed attention, the situation would not have worsened.

    He said, “Around 1997, the then Nsukka local government chairman came here and saw everything himself. By that time, it was not as deep like that and we were hoping that he would do something but he did nothing and the gutter kept deepening more and more, till it got to this state.

    “Our community elder, Frank Ogbonna has been writing to the local and state governments about the state of the gully. I don’t really know if he has written to the federal government about the issue.

    “So we have been writing since then, but nothing has been done. Past governors have come and gone without doing anything. Like I said, we have been writing and writing. It’s not that there is no ample information or awareness created about the situation. Now, I don’t even know if the community or Local Government can do anything because the state of the gully has worsened. I think only the federal or state government can do something there now, because it is worsening more and more.”

    It was gathered that many government agencies have visited the community to inspect the gully but nothing has been heard after. Speaking on this, Emengini noted: “A lot of government parastatals have been coming but nothing has been done.”

    Great expectations

    Residents of the community expressed optimism that with the chain of infrastructural projects, especially roads, which the state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is executing, perhaps there is hope for Onuiyi. Ugwuanyi is said to have visited the area.

    “I think Governor Ugwuanyi would do the job, because since he assumed office, I have seen some white men coming around to survey the area.”

    Similarly, Mr. Ognonna said: “Well, we heard that the present governor has visited the site once since he assumed office. He went around surveying the current state of the gully. So we are hoping that he would do something during his own time as the governor.”

    Ejiofor said: “We are expecting the current governor to come to our aid. When he (Governor Ugwuanyi) came around at a certain time, he asked me how many people have been coming here and I told him that most times, I tried to drive people away with stone, because I have been seeing many people coming here measuring, videoing, yet nothing is being done. As one person is leaving, another is coming without anything to show for it.”

  • Bridge Ugwuanyi built thrills community

    Bridge Ugwuanyi built thrills community

    Like every other headquarters of a council, Amagunze offers a realistic glimpse of life in Nkanu East, one of the 17 local government areas in Enugu State. Indeed, you actually don’t have to speak to residents to deduce that life here is anything but wholesome. Although a largely agrarian community with vast tracts of arable land, harvest time is seldom ever bountiful for the many small-holder farmers here. It is, rather, a particularly harrowing time – no thanks to floods from the Inyaba River.

    When the river overflows, as is often the case when it rains, crops and entire farmlands are destroyed. Also, residents of the over 10 communities on the northern fringe of the river become literally cut off from their kith and kin because the makeshift wooden gangway linking them is swept away as well by the river’s swift waters. Worse still, the severe floods often hamper the daily commute of students who typically fall behind their peers in examinations which determine promotion to higher classes.

    But it’s not that locals fare any better in the dry season particularly with regard to moving their farm produce to the market. That is because vehicles simply can’t drive across the improvised structure.

    This has been the situation for decades – a situation so sad that locals seeking to visit their council headquarters located roughly 800 meters away often had to embark on a rather circuitous journey that took them through the Enugu-Port Harcourt highway across two local government areas. There are, in fact, some communities on whose land a vehicle has never ever driven and it’s commonplace seeing women in labour being transported to clinics in wheelbarrows. While such Stone Age scenarios may seem like mere exaggeration in a modern era, they nonetheless underline the degree of lack that a people may experience when literally cut from the rest of civilization.

    The road to redemption began shortly after the inauguration of the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration. Once he was sworn in, the governor embarked on an assessment tour of all the local government areas. It emerged from the tour that Nkanu East was the least developed council in terms of infrastructural development. Irked by the deplorable state of affairs, Governor Ugwuanyi announced the immediate award of contract for the construction of the bridge across the Inyaba River during his visit to Nkanu East to establish the sorely needed access road for villages such as Amechi Idodo, Amankanu and Ohwo.

    The focus on rural communities is consistent with a vision the governor had outlined in his inaugural speech. “Enugu State under us will pay special attention to rural development because majority of our people live in the rural areas. We will create more urban areas to boost economic growth… Giving attention to these places will speed up urban development, create fresh economic opportunities and reduce pressure on Enugu metropolis.”

    So, to the governor, the situation in communities contiguous to the Inyaba River was an expedient one for which no bureaucracy will be tolerated. So, it wasn’t long before contractors were mobilized to site, a huge contrast to past experiences when campaign rhetoric was hardly ever matched with the requisite action. The council chair, Mr. Ikechukwu Ubagu, noted that the governor would not have known the sort of grim situation faced by locals barring his visit to their community. “He walked on this wooden makeshift bridge,” Ubagu recalled, “and decided to come to our aid. This is like a rescue mission for Amagunze and Amechi Idodo communities.”

    The resident engineer from Enugu State’s works ministry, Mr. Christian Ovute, recounts the experience he met on ground: ”The experience could best be described as disastrous. For the villagers, once it rains heavily they cannot access the market at the other side of the bridge. I have experienced one rainy season here. For three months, this place was not accessible due to flooding.

    “This river has split the local government into two. People coming from Amechi Idodo and beyond cannot access their secretariat which is just a stone throw from across the river. They go round Enugu Four-Corner through Agbani before they can get to the secretariat. But with what we are putting on ground, 2016 will be the last such experience they would ever have. These bridges will solve the problem of containing the water, and then allowing traffic and humans to pass through them.”

    Indeed, the plaudits for Governor Ugwuanyi have not ceased since construction of the bridges began. ”We pray God to protect Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for us so that this project and other projects across the state will be completed successfully,” Maureen Nweke from Ozama Agu, one of the communities that bore the heaviest brunt when it rains. ”We are grateful to God for sending us a saviour in the person of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State. We pray God to prosper him in all his endeavours. God will shield his family from the eyes of the wicked ones.”

    Expectedly, the villagers are looking towards the future with optimism. With the new project, locals can easily get to their local government secretariat in less than 20 minutes, a journey that took them over two hours when the construction was not in place. The sheer scale of the project and its significance to these communities could be glimpsed further in an encounter recalled by Kenechukwu Ozor, project manager to the contractors handling the project. “One of the villagers told me that even if the governor does nothing else in Amagunze after this project he would always remain grateful to him,” he said.

    Such is the excitement in communities contiguous to the river that an indigene and businessman resident in Onitsha had to drive down from the bustling commercial city, located some 90 kilometres away, to simply experience the thrill of a concrete bridge in his hometown. “It was always an unusual experience for me; you can imagine having a car and being unable to drive to your country home. I can’t believe this is happening in my lifetime,” he said, beaming as he took in the sights of Inyaba’s leafy surroundings.

    But there is yet another reason to applaud Ugwuanyi soon. The council headquarters is beneficiary of a road project which emerged out of the governor’s determination to spur socio-economic activities in rural communities and reduce the pressure on Enugu metropolis. That vision resulted in the simultaneous flag-off of 35 projects across the state’s 17 LGAs, late last year. The road rehabilitation will commence from Nkerefi and cut through Nara and Ugbawka – villages whose roads have long been in deplorable state despite their status as major hubs for rice cultivation – towards Amagunze which reputedly had the unenviable tag as the only headquarters of a local government area in Enugu State without a well paved access road.

    Their completion will bring to an end the embarrassment of always having a smear of red dust for the locals and passengers who commute regularly via that route. So, as the Ugwuanyi administration commemorates its two years in office, there is certainly a lot to cheer about in Nkanu East.

    • Ani, a former Editor of ThisDay, The Saturday Newspaper, and later Saturday Telegraph, writes from Enugu. Follow him on Twitter on @AniLaurence and laurenceani.blogspot.com.
  • 2000 eye patients get glasses in Aba

    2000 eye patients get glasses in Aba

    There is visual relief for over 2,000 optometric patients in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, as two non-governmental organisations, Emeka Nnamani Foundation (ENF) and Universal Mission USA provided them with reading glasses and also treated them of various eye diseases. The event lasted three days.

    Flagging off the outreach in Aba, Hon Emeka Nnamani explained why he organised the programme in partnership with Universal Mission USA.

    He said, “We gave away over 2000 reading glasses; we are working in partnership with an American-based organisation called Universal Mission USA and we are hoping by the end of the exercise, we would have been able to reach out to as many people as possible who have problems with their eyes.”

    Apart from giving free eye treatment and reading glasses, the boss of ENF hinted that his organisation would soon start up an anti-cancer campaign which is to enlighten people on symptoms, effects and causes of cancer. He equally informed that by the end of the year, his foundation will donation a dialysis machine to the state hospital in Aba.

    Declining to state the cost of the free programme, he, however, admitted it ran into millions of Naira.

    Coordinator of Universal Mission, USA, a charity organization, Nne Ihuoma Ngumoha said her outfit decided to partner Emeka Nnamani Foundation due to the similarity in vision of the two non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    “This young man has been touching lives in Aba as I heard and he invited us all the way from US to come and help to alleviate some of the sufferings of people which include those who have eye problems. If you don’t have your sight, you become debilitated, you won’t live a normal life and you become unproductive. When he invited us and I saw the need for it, we accepted and that’s why we are here to help restore sight as much as we can.”

    According to Ngumoha who is a public health consultant, “The correlation between both foundations is that we have the same vision; they say like terms attract. We work with people anywhere in the world, even we’ve been to Ghana, we’ve been to other countries where they have the same vision with us which is helping people to better our community, to reach out to the needy, to reach the underserved in any way we can, both eye check, we organize sickness awareness. Right now we have an upcoming awareness on prostate cancer which has been known to cause over 70 percent of middle age men’s death. So, we want to take care of anything we can, after that we might go into sickle cell treatment.”

  • Ikpeazu to police: curb street cults

    Ikpeazu to police: curb street cults

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has urged the police and other security agencies to check street cults.

    Speaking at Government House, Umuahia when he received the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in-charge of Research and Planning, Force Headquarters, Abuja, DIG Valentine Ntomchukwu, Ikpeazu said there is need to check the menace of street cults it before it gets out of hand.

    Ikpeazu said many youths are taking to the latest crime set-up, stressing that everything must be done to save the future of the country which is in the hands of youths.

    He said, “This is the time to nip street cultism in the bud before it gets out of hand, the police should look into it and not treat it with kid’s gloves, as the future of the country depends on their current upbringing”.

    The governor lamented that the new crime, which is ravaging some states in the country, introduces young adults to hard drugs which make them commit all sorts of crimes without knowing what they are doing.

    Ikpeazu expressed satisfaction with the effort of the police in fighting crime in the state and restated his commitment to complementing the police efforts.

    He said, “I know that if we sustain our efforts and put all hands on deck, we will be able to record a near zero crime situation in the days ahead, because without adequate security you can hardly talk about development.”

    The governor also assured of his administration’s commitment to completing the permanent site of the zone 9 headquarters soon, saying, “Work will begin on that project before the end of this month and I can assure you that once we start work we will not stop until we complete that job.”

    Ikpeazu presented five patrol vehicles and motorcycles to the state police command.

    In his speech, DIG Ntomchukwu said he is in the state as part of his familiarisation and operational review tour of the Southeast which is aimed at acquainting him with what the police is doing in the area of crime control and management in order to review the strategy towards greater success.

    Ntomchukwu said that Abia was important in the policing organogram being the commercial hub of the country and commended the Governor for his continuous support to the Abia police command and urged him to assist the police in the state build an eminent citizens’ forum.

    In his reaction the state commissioner of Police, CP Leye Oyebade disclosed that the Abia police command has enjoyed tremendous support from the Governor and vowed to ensure that crime was reduced to the barest minimum in the state.

    At the police headquarters, Ntomchukwu charged the officers and men of the command to always uphold the rights of those they are arresting or in their custody at all times, adding that they should not arrest outside the stipulated laws of the land.

    Ntomchukwu said, “When arresting a suspect you are expected to inform him or her of the reason for the arrest and the right of the suspect must be respected at all times irrespective of the offense allegedly committed”.

    The CP, Oyebade said that they have enjoyed a cordial working relationship with the officers and men in the command including the state government and the press.

  • Police honour Umahi

    Police honour Umahi

    The police have descri-bed Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi as the best police-friendly governor in the country.

    The force, through its Deputy Inspector-General, Valentine Ntomchukwu, presented Umahi with a special plaque at the state Executive Council Chambers, Government House in Abakaliki.

    Ntomchukwu said, “The Inspector-General Ibrahim  Idris  has asked me to tell you that you are the most police-

    friendly governor in Nigeria and I am not saying it because I am in Ebonyi State. It is because of what I have seen which you have done for the state police command.

    “Honestly, on arrival to the police command, I saw streetlights and other things I have never seen in other police command and when I asked they said the governor did those things for the command. I can see houses for policemen of rank and file and I can see a storey building also built by the governor for the command.

    “I am going to relay what I have seen to the IGP and maybe he will come one day and see for himself the wonders you are doing in terms of infrastructural development.”

    Ntomchukwu also lauded Umahi for the communication equipment he “provided for the command and the ongoing renovation of the perimeter fencing and security post of the command headquarters which have lifted the status of the command.”

    Presenting the plaque, Ntomchukwu said to  the governor: “Sir, find anywhere in your office and place this plaque so that any time you turn around, you will look at it as a mark of honour and appreciation of your support to the police.”

    The DIG told the governor that prior to the outcome of the findings in respect of the communal clashes between Ebonyi and Cross River states, a new police squadron would be established as a buffer to forestall further loss of lives and property in the area.

    He said, “We have been able to identify some peculiar security challenges you are having in the area of communal clash between some borderline communities between Ebonyi and Cross River. We have noted some of the reasons why historically it happened. There are practical steps we can take to curtail loss of lives and property. We are already thinking of establishing buffer police station in that area in form of a new mobile squadron.”

    Responding, Governor Umahi announced that plans were underway to empower police officers’ wives as well as the wives of other security personnel in the state to motivate their husbands to work more efficiently.

    The governor appealed for the deployment of 10 mobile policemen to man the exit points of the state day and night with the aid of CCTV, adding, “We’re trying to man all our exit points and we need your manpower support. We want to have a small base by each of the exit junctions and then we use CCTV to see what happens 300 metres along the road. Every base will be powered by solar light. So, we’re starting the pilot scheme but we have shortage of manpower.”

  • ‘Protect facility in your area’

    ‘Protect facility in your area’

    Pesidents of Nsirimo in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State have been told to protect the water borehole that has just been sunk there.

    The advice was given by former governor of the state Theodore Orji who represents Abia Central Senatorial district at the Senate. The senator, who facilitated the project, told the people to watch over the facility knowing that its parts could be vandalised if not protected by the residents.

    He said, “Nsirimo is very dear to my heart, I could have sited this project anywhere, other than here so when the need for this water project came, my mind went straight to you people and I am happy that it was sited at the appropriate place”.

    Speaking while commissioning the project, Orji pointed out that in the six council areas he is representing there is none without his project.

    He said, “It is a debt I owe you for voting for me and ensuring that I am a senator today, that is the way it should be and that is what leadership should be, when God blesses you, you have every right to bless others around you”.

    “Anyone who is in a place of authority should be able to help those who are beside them, as it is one of the ways to spread the dividends of democracy and not to be like those who do not want the state to grow or be at peace with their petition writing”.

    “There are people who are bent on destroying my name through negative write-ups in different media outfits. I forgive them as they do not know what they are doing but only trying to be politically relevant as they know that when they mention my name they will be noticed”.

    In his speech the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh charged the people of Nsirimo to utilise the motorised borehole project handed over to them and not to allow it to be vandalised.

    Ogbeh who was represented by the State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ebere Oziri said, “The people of Nsirimo should be aware that this project belongs to them and should therefore do everything to protect it”.

    The President General, Nsirimo Amaise Development Union (NAIDU), Chief Raymond Nwosu described the gesture as a dividend of democracy.

    He said, “Representing the people without positively affecting the lives of people is no representation. Our distinguished Senator here is actually representing the good people of Abia Central well at the senate”.

  • Relief for indigent patients in Imo

    Relief for indigent patients in Imo

    ‘I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home’.

    ‘I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home’

    For months they were not allowed to go home after they were treated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri. Why? They could not pay their medical bills. The stranded patients, Derek Peter and parents, Francis Victoria, Chinonyerem Rejoice and newborn Eliezer Chibiko, and their parents had to contend with the unfriendly antics of the nurses, who treated them like inmates in a prison facility.

    While their parents ran from pillar to post to raise the money and free their loved ones, the children played away their time in the hospital ward, trying to get used to their new environment. Some visiting clerics encouraged them to be hopeful. A miracle could happen.

    And it has, just when they least expected it. Not only were their bills paid, they were given enough money for their upkeep.

    The haste with which they packed their belongings and hurried out of the hospital ward spoke volumes about their relief after a nine-month ordeal.

    The journey to freedom for the indigent patients started on a note of coincidence. That fateful evening, the Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, was informed by one of his aides that his little child was hospitalised after suffering burns when she accidentally threw boiling water on herself. Moved by the story, the Deputy Governor left for the hospital almost immediately to see for himself. On getting to the ward where the little girl was admitted, the sight of the disenchanted patients who were huddled at a corner of the room with their parents caught his attention. He beckoned on one of the women and asked why they were looking dejected.

    On learning that they had been held in the hospital for up to nine months for not offsetting their bills, Madumere who was accompanied by his wife, asked that all their bills running into hundreds of thousands of naira be calculated and he wrote out a cheque and that settled it.

    Recounting her ordeal, one of the patients, Mrs, Eunice Chibiko, who was in the hospital with her newborn baby after she had a Caesarean section, stated that she had committed her case to God after her husband and relatives abandoned her.

    “I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home”.

    She continued that, ”not only that I am going home, but I have enough money that will help me take care of my baby until I am strong enough to resume my petty trading”.

    Also speaking, one of the nurses, who didn’t want her name mentioned, described the act as commendable.

    She said, ”We actually felt for the patients but there is little or nothing we could do to help them.  It was a management decision that patients who can’t pay their bills after they have been discharged should not be allowed to go until the bills are paid. We used to allow them to go before but they don’t come back to pay. So what the Deputy Governor has done today has relieved not just the patients but the hospital staff as well”.

    Madumere who took time to chat with the patients, advised them not to give up to despair but should remain positive about life.

    The Deputy Governor encouraged Nigerians to extend a hand of charity to those who do not have. He described the act of giving as the duty God has commissioned man to do, adding, “giving brings about fulfillment since riches mean nothing when the needy are not given hope”.

  • Abia charms Umahi, Navy

    Abia charms Umahi, Navy

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi and the Navy are the latest visitors to Abia State, the former to gain new technological insights, the other to buy Aba products. SUNNY NWANKWO reports.

    Aba is proving hard to resist. When Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the commercial hub early in the year, he found the garments and footwear made in the city amazing, just as we was astonished by the artisans’ industry. Investors have also been pouring in, including a prominent Chinese tycoon who owns a chain of shoemaking factories in China. The visiting businessman had investment on his mind, seeking to team up with Aba shoemakers.

    The Nigerian Naval Headquarters has also dispatched its officers led by Commodore Chris Obinta to Abia State to determine the state’s readiness to supply them with Aba-made footwear and uniforms. The state has also hosted Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi who came with a large team. Governor Umahi said he came to learn from his Abia counterpart Okezie Ikpeazu.

    Umahi’s visit is coming at a time the when the federal government is calling for diversification of the economy and shoring up its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the face of economic challenges.

    Speaking to newsmen at the Government House Lodge in Aba, Umahi said, “There are so many things to talk about. We are on a working visit and I came with over 25 members of State Executive Council. On arrival, the first thing that we noticed was the neatness of the town. We also noticed tremendous streetlights and while we approached the state capital, we saw a lot of roads.

    “Today we saw the amazing mushroom technology which is the first of its kind in Nigeria. I immediately told my people that it is either we acquire the technology or we steal it. So, we had to video what we saw there. It was quite amazing, I must confess to you.

    “We also saw something that was so amazing to us; the poultry farm. That technology is simple but very effective and I think that is the way to go. These two put together, including other programmes, were all aimed at empowerment of the youths. Any governor that is securing the future of their citizens is the governor for today and tomorrow because if we had this kind of opportunity from our past leaders, by today we should be somewhere. But you can see the state of our nation and I commend Ikpeazu very well because he came on time.

    “We came into Aba, the commercial nerve of Africa where the governor is doing well. At the flag-off of Port Harcourt Road, I told a story of how we used to float on that road back in the 90s during my stay in Aba between 1990 and 1992 as the project engineer of Ndiegoro flood control measures where I came in contact with most of the dilapidated roads within the area then. Today, I’m so excited and shocked with the number of roads that the governor has completed within the two years of his administration. What he is doing at Ariaria sector of this city is quite tremendous and honestly I have been wondering how the problem of erosion and flooding in Aba can be solved. But today, I saw works of ingenuity. For me, the problem of Ariaria, Ndiegoro, Ohanku and Port Harcourt roads are all solved.

    “Amazing also is a number of street roads that he is doing. I have a couple of properties here in Aba, so he is also my governor. I want to commend him very highly. The mighty work he is doing on Faulks Road joining Aba-Owerri Road to Ariaria is tremendous. Time will fail us to talk about the number of roads that he is doing, but I think he is being too quiet about what he is doing. We also went to the PPP Centre (Abia Investment House). My people are coming; we have investment companies, so that they will understudy that. Another area we are also understudying is IGR. We have about 14-man committee that will interface and study Abia IGR system. I am personally going to understudy the mushroom technology because I don’t want to toy with that.

    “I am so amazed with the quality of dresses that are made in Aba; of course 90 per cent of my dresses are made in Aba. I want to commend the governor for the shoes, the bags and facilities for the law enforcement agents. This is wonderful. The governor told me that he is going to partner with private industries and to make sure that those that have gone moribund will be revitalised. So, your guess of what will be the impact of this to the economy of the state when this happens is as good as mine.”

    Governor Ikpeazu said his government was ready to partner the Nigerian Navy in its efforts to bolster the made-in-Aba products which the administration has championed for nearly two years. Ikpeazu said this when the naval delegation paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Lodge in Aba, adding that he was happy with the Navy’s swift response to his appeal to look inwards for its kits.

    “Since the past one year, the state has been engaged in promoting made-in-Aba and made in Nigeria products,” Ikpeazu said, adding that as far as he was concerned, made-in-Aba is bigger than this geographical entity called Aba. ”It is a philosophy and a key paradigm to drive the desire of Nigerians to the buy Nigeria, enjoy Nigeria and live Nigeria.”

    Speaking further, he said, “We believe strongly that patronage and demand drive perfection. Incidentally, the leather and shoe industry as well as garment industry have existed for so many years and even the World Bank acknowledges that at least one million pairs of shoes leave the shores of Nigeria through the Abia window on a weekly basis, it’s a no mean feat”.

    Ikpeazu told the Navy delegation: “We don’t want to shortchange ourselves again, and to the glory of God, we have it in our minds that to compliment the efforts of Mr. President, we proudly label our products made-in-Nigeria.”

    He said he sees the navy as a strategic partner not only in the protection of lives and property but also in economic development of the country, adding that if the navy patronises made-in-Aba and made-in-Nigeria, it will go a long way to enhance the confidence of artisans in the trade.

    He assured the delegation that his administration was very serious about making Abia and Aba a hub for leather and garment manufacturing not only in Nigeria, but in Africa.

    “While we were in China, we were able to reach an understanding that automated production lines will be established worth $1.5b in our environment. As I speak, I’m happy to announce that I will be in Lagos to welcome a foreign partner that will sharpen our skills in shoemaking. I know that they will learn a lot of things from our shoemakers in Aba because the creativity and craftsmanship of our shoemakers here is about the best all over the world.

    “This is our opportunity to put our skills side by side with the best of the world and tell them that indeed we are the best.”

    Commodore Obinta, leader of the delegation, said they came to discuss with the governor on how Abia State will partner the navy in terms of trade especially the made-in-Aba shoes and other products. He said they would go round the state to see things for themselves and look at the goods the Navy would be able to purchase for its personnel.