The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • In service of the needy

    Succour has come the way of six physically challenged persons in Ebonyi State courtesy of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), reports OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE.

    It was red-letter day for six disabled persons in Ebonyi State, Nwali Benjamin, Nwafor Kingsley, Okorie Chimezie, Obiya Friday and Eze Nwaelebe as the state National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) distributed six wheelchairs to them.

    They had no hope of getting wheelchairs to enhance their mobility. They always crawled, eliciting sympathy from members of the public. Perhaps, this was why the state NYSC came to their rescue by donating wheelchairs to them.

    Handing over the wheelchairs to the beneficiaries at the Ebonyi State Secretariat of NYSC, Abakaliki, the State Coordinator, Mrs. Iluebbey Regina said the initiative was intended to impact positively on the lives of the poor and physically challenged persons in the society.

    “We decided to assist these physically challenged persons to support their mobility because they suffer a lot when they want to move around and we hope that these wheelchairs we have donated to them will reduce their suffering. This donation is the first of its kind in the NYSC. We will continue to assist the physically challenged and the poor in the society,” she said.

    She called on the beneficiaries to put in extra care and effort to maintain the wheelchairs to ensure its durability as the NYSC scheme and its partners have put in a lot of painstaking effort for the acquisition of the wheelchairs.

    According to her, the NYSC will continue to reach out to the physically challenged persons in the state, adding that the wheelchairs would greatly enhance the mobility and wellbeing of the beneficiaries.

    The Assistant Director, Corps Welfare and Health Services, Dr. Nweze Don Udo stated that the beneficiaries were identified while carrying out free medical services to rural communities across the state, assuring that other physically challenged persons would benefit in the near future.

    “We were carrying out free medical services across the 13 local government areas of the state when we saw the beneficiaries. Their condition is so pathetic that we resolved to donate these wheelchairs to them and we call on public-spirited individuals, government at all levels, corporate organisations and non-governmental organisations to join us in assisting the less privileged in the society,” he said.

    One of the beneficiaries, Benjamin Nwali thanked the NYSC for providing them with the wheelchairs not minding the present economic recession facing the country.

    He said, “What the NYSC did to me and my colleagues will not be forgotten in our lives. Most of us have no means of moving around before the NYSC donated the wheelchairs to us and we are very grateful to them. With these wheelchairs, we can move around like our other colleagues, we can do things that lack of mobility hindered us in the past. This NYSC gesture is a very big help to us.”

  • Ikpeazu okays road rehab

    Ikpeazu okays road rehab

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has opened the rehabilitation of a major road after eight years of its neglect, reports SUNNY NWANKWO.

    With well laid out roads and bypasses, the colonialists did a good job in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State. The commuter had no problems whatsoever moving from one place to another. Sadly, that is all in the past. Enyimba City now boasts a nightmarish network of impassable roads, leaving residents in utter anguish. Port Harcourt Road, one of its most prominent and also its worst, is flooded in rainy and dry seasons.

    The state governor Okezie Ikpeazu has discussed the road with Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola who has also visited the state and the road in particular.

    Ikpeazu and Fashola reportedly agreed that the state was going to fix the road, though the condition of the agreement was not made known to the public.

    Following the conclusion of the paper work on May 5, Governor Ikpeazu has flagged off the rehab work. Ikpeazu, who came in the company of Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, said the work would be completed in 18 months, adding that the 6km road would be six lanes complete with concrete pavement with drainages that would empty water into the Aba River.

    Should he fulfil his promise, Ikpeazu would be making history.

    The governor expressed his full confidence in the construction company; Setraco Construction, saying the federal road on completion would boost commerce and economic activities in Aba and the state.

    He further said he would be flagging of construction of Omuma and Osusu roads soon.

    Speaking at the event, Governor Umahi told the cheering crowd that he came to witness the flag-off, adding that Ikpeazu “is a special breed”.

    Umahi said he was impressed with the infrastructural strides of the Ikpeazu administration, urging Abia residents to support him. Other speakers at the event said they were happy the governor flagged off the road work.

  • Community refutes crisis ‘rumours’

    Community refutes crisis ‘rumours’

    ‘Let the truth be told, Ibeku is not for sale and the days of imposition are over forever and so anybody pushing for the recognition of any person through the backdoor other than Ukaegbu is trying to cause trouble’

    The stakeholders of Ibeku kingdom in Umuahia North council area of Abia State have denied that there is crisis in their community, urging those spreading the crisis ‘rumours’ to desist.

    Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, the state capital, the spokesman of the group, Chief Joshua Ogbonna said those behind the reports were people ostracised by Ogurube IV, Eze Samuel Onuoha for opposing him.

    Ogbonna said that the Ibeku Egu Asa Development Association (IEADA), on January 26 this year, conducted an election for the executives of the association which produced Chief Princewill Ukaegbu which did not go down well with some people.

    He said such people, 31 in number, were causing problems in the community and saying things against their revered Ogurube which led to their being cursed.

    “They have been told what to bring to appease the gods, which they have started doing,” he said.

    The Ibeku stakeholders spokesman said that what took place last week which was reported in the press, “Is those who have been ostracized after presenting materials to appease the gods which the Ogurube did for them and they are free to join IEADA”.

    Part of a statement which Ogbonna read said, “For the avoidance of doubt, there was no peace settlement meeting ever held in Ibekuland, rather what transpired was that those who were sanctioned and ostracized by the Ogurube-in-council for desecrating the land…had gone to the Ogurube to beg for pardon and appeasement of the gods of the land. Let no one be deceived as the purported peace settlement did not take place, all that transpired was a mere plea for re-admission of those who had despised the stool of Ogurube.

    “Let the truth be told, Ibeku is not for sale and the days of imposition are over forever and so anybody pushing for the recognition of any person through the backdoor other than Ukaegbu is trying to cause trouble”.

  • 102,099 cartons of imported poultry seized in 7 months

    102,099 cartons of imported poultry seized in 7 months

    ‘The tonnes of frozen poultry products intercepted during the time under review showed that the cabal behind this illicit trade has remained adamant despite the renewed onslaught by Customs’

    In about seven months no fewer than 102,099 cartons of frozen poultry products have been impounded from smugglers by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the Southsouth and Southeast.

    Smugglers in the regions have had a bad run, losing over N1billion of their illegal imports.

    The seized consignments are destroyed as soon as they are grabbed. But have the smugglers been deterred by this huge loss occasioned by the clampdown on smuggling activities in the zones, recently reinvigorated by the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’ Owerri, Comptroller Mohammed Uba, who took office last October.

    The tonnes of frozen poultry products intercepted during the time under review showed that the cabal behind this illicit trade has remained adamant despite the renewed onslaught by Customs.

    On the other hand, the Comptroller Mohammed has vowed to fight smuggling and illegal importation to a standstill, especially in the zone, describing the activities of smugglers as sabotage to the economy.

    The huge number of seizure of poultry products recorded since he took over control in the zone, showed that Customs boss is making good his threat.

    Within the short period, 102,099 cartons of illegally imported frozen poultry products with Duty Paid Value of N1, 275,712, 500 were impounded, aside from other contraband also seized.

    Speaking recently, during the public destruction of some of the seized poultry products, Mohammed, the impounded goods were destroyed in accordance with government policy.

    He asserted that poultry is still under import prohibition and any of such found will be seized and destroyed in compliance with the relevant laws and government policies.

    Given a graphic detail of how one of the seizures was made, the Controller, revealed that “operatives of the FOU Zone ‘C’ Owerri on 19 intercepted 24,032 cartons of imported frozen poultry products with Duty Paid Value of N259, 545,600, conveyed in a Mack Truck with registration number AJL 861 XA along Benin Ekiadolor axis by Lagos Expressway, Edo State. The poultry items include turkey parts, chicken parts, poultry gizzard amongst others”.

    He noted that the seizures were achieved through the diligence of his officers and men, who he said have recently been encouraged to put in their best with the recent promotion of Officers and men of the Service by the Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (Rtd).

    He reiterated the commitment of his officers to ensure that smuggling is brought to a minimal level.

    He said, “As trained officers, in the course of our duty, when we intercept any suspected goods and confirm it to be brought in contrary to the laws it will be seized and disposed of. We will continue to make sure that the public is adequately informed so that importation will be done in conformity with the laws and we will stem the menace of smuggling”.

    He further advised Nigerians against the importation of frozen poultry products, stressing that, “It adversely affects the nation’s poultry industry and have been adjudged by health authorities to be injurious to health. We have to encourage farmers and those in the agriculture sector to be productive, self-reliant, provide employment and boost the economy instead of sending out our foreign exchange and encouraging capital flight”.

    He said three suspects were arrested in connection with the recent seizures made in Benin, adding that they will soon be charged to court, while enjoining smugglers to shun the illicit business and engage in legitimate trade to boost the nation’s economy.

    On hand to witness the destruction of the poultry products were representatives of other security agencies including the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Security (DSS), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Also recently, consignments of medicaments including the banned tramadol with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N178, 209,310 and other unregistered drugs were intercepted in the zone, as well as foreign rice, used shoes, machine spare parts with a DPV of N112, 617,700.

    Mohammed, who paraded the consignments before journalists, also disclosed that the Unit recovered the sum of N48, 742,845 in underpayments within the time under review.

    He said that the Nigeria Customs Service has remained unflinching in its mission to protect the wellbeing of citizens of Nigeria through the performance of her statutory duties.

    According to him, the hard work and efforts of the Unit has paid off with 17 seizures of various contraband items with duty paid value of N112, 617,700 in the month of March. The Unit during its anti-smuggling operations in March also intercepted and detained a huge consignment of medicaments worth N178, 209,310 in duty paid value. This brings the sum of duty paid value for seizures and goods in detention made in March to N250, 951,010″.

    Giving further breakdown of the seizures, the Comptroller revealed that a total of 2455 bags of rice with DPV of N77, 558,800,  1266 foot wears with DPV of N6,076,800, 307 used tyres with DPV of N3,789,600, 100 bags of used shoes with DPV of N8,100,000 and 40 bales of used clothing with DPV of N5,280,000 and three vehicles with DPV of N4,050,000.

    Also speaking on the medicaments that officers of the Unit intercepted in the Agbor axis of the Zone, the Comptroller gave the details as 268 cartons of Tramadol, 202 cartons of Pullegra, 36 cartons of Reall Octra, 928 packets of Tramadol”.

    He said a sample of the various medicaments has been sent to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for tests and verification while the consignment is being detained for further investigations.

    Mohammed noted that “the nefarious activities of smugglers endanger the health and safety of Nigerian citizens, affects the economy, and even pose a threat to national security”.

    He reiterated the unflinching resolve of the Zone under his watch to make the Zone uncomfortable for smugglers to operate, urging Nigerians to “be patriotic and report any smuggling activities in their areas to the service, assuring that any valuable information forwarded to the Unit will be treated in confidence.

    The Comptroller commended the untiring efforts of the officers and men of the Unit who he noted have continually seen to revenue generation amounting to millions of naira.

    He noted that the continuous support of the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali (and the Service Management team in the areas of staff training and provision of working tools has further strengthened anti-smuggling operations in the Zone.

    Mohammed therefore advised smugglers as well as fraudulent importers “to channel their resources towards legitimate trade and economic ventures and desist from engaging in smuggling activities, warning that the NCS will not renege on its statutory functions of suppression of smuggling.

     

  • ‘We’re out to eliminate cleft lip’

    ‘We’re out to eliminate cleft lip’

    Cleft lip and palate leaves children with difficulty in eating, breathing, speaking, even hearing, apart from disposing them to infections as well. Nkeiruka Obi, Programme Director, Smile Train, which has funded and equipped corrective surgeries in Southeast and other parts of the country and West Africa, in this interview, throws more light on the organisation’s campaign to spare children the agony of the condition. Excerpts:

    ‘Our No.1 priority is to ensure the safety of the patient, and it is the guiding force behind every Smile Train programme and initiative, and our
    doctors and associated medical professionals abide by our strict standards’

    What is your assessment of Smile Train’s activities in Nigeria and West Africa?

    Smile Train System architecture anchors on four pillars: medical, technology, donors and programmes which revolve around financial help to poor patients who cannot afford the surgery and training of medical professionals to upgrade skills. What makes us unique is the fact that all of the surgeries we fund are performed by local doctors in local hospitals through free training, equipment and financial grants, we are helping communities become self-sufficient.

    Smile Train has been in Nigeria for 10 years.  Since I joined in 2011, we have been able to grow the programme in scale and numbers by over 400% by simply using the “teach a man to fish” model which has enhanced the sustainability of the programme for longer term. We empower the local medical professionals to provide free safe and high quality comprehensive cleft care to as many patients in their own local communities all year round.

    We have created over 25,000+ smiles (and still counting) in the region. And I can tell you that the impact has gone beyond creating simple smiles. It is phenomenal and revolutionary.

    On initial challenges and how they were resolved

    The West and Central Africa region is a diverse multicultural territory with an estimated 390m+ population, yearly cleft birth of 12,000 in 22 highly segmented countries of three different major international languages – English, French and Portuguese. Travelling is prohibitively expensive due to the poor transportation system. We’ve had to deal with insecurity, terrorism and unstable political climate with the attendant adverse effects on the people and governance.  In Nigeria, we keep experiencing incessant strike actions by medical professionals. And as in several areas of health care, the human resources and facilities available for the provision of comprehensive multidisciplinary care of patients with cleft lip and palate deformity on the continent are very limited.

    Initially, it was insufficient cleft surgeons and cleft care practitioners in the Francophone, Central African and some English speaking West African countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. So my first task was to identify  surgeons in these countries who are interested in cleft care and organize trainings for them so as to re-inforce the scientific foundations of cleft surgery and provide them hands-on training in surgical techniques. There has been significant progress in this area.

    Then, there was the challenge of infrastructure and equipment. Most hospitals have very poorly equipped operating theatres. And our number one priority in cleft care is ensuring the safety of the patient. Smile Train have had to provide partners with equipment such as anaesthesia machines, pulse oximeters and cleft sets/instruments.  This in no small measure has helped in improving the quality and safety of surgeries and care of our cleft patients.

    We also have issue of malnutrition and underweight babies. Many of the children come from challenging environments including IDP camps and require nutritional rehab before surgery can be performed.

    As you well know, cleft deformity comes with a lot of psychosocial problems. Many cleft children suffer discrimination and their family is traumatised. Those who manage to reach adulthood are often banished to a life of isolation. We still have a huge backlog of adult cleft patients in the region. So lack of awareness is another challenge.

    Can this deformity be detected before birth in order to tackle it immediately after?

    Yes, it is possible to detect cleft deformity in a child before birth through the use of ultrasound scan. A cleft is a harmful condition though not life threatening in which the roof of the mouth and/or top lip does not close properly. It occurs due to errors in the growth process when the different parts of the face are formed in the womb. Normal lip development occurs between 4-6 weeks of gestation while the palate develops between 6-12 weeks. The upper lip develops from the fusion of two different process. Failure of fusion results in cleft.

    Why does Cleft occur?

    No one knows exactly the cause, but most experts agree that there is an interplay between many genetic (internal) as well as environmental or nutritional (external) factors. Parents who have family history of cleft have a high risk of giving birth to cleft children. It could be environmental: poor nutrition, wrong use of drugs, folic acid deficiency, infection, habits – smoking and high alcohol in-take, exposure to ionizing radiations and even parental age. The only solution today is a simple life transforming surgery that cost as little as $250 and takes as a little as 45minutes.

    What has been the success rate of the surgeries?

    Like any other surgery, there are risks involved. At Smile Train, we have had very good success rate and near zero mortality rates.    to ensure patients receive the highest level of care possible. If a child has a cleft, he/she can live with that defect for the rest of his/her life. The only thing is that the child may not enjoy life to the fullest like a normal person.

    It is important to note that since 1999, Smile Train has performed 1,000,000+ (still counting) free, safe and high quality surgeries in more than 85 countries.

    Where to do you see cleft care in the near future?

    In addition to our dedication to safety and quality by offering a multitude of cleft education and training programmes and resources, Smile Train is also committed to ensuring that the care we are providing is comprehensive. Many may not realise this, but children born with clefts need more than just one surgery, and our local medical professionals evaluate whether or not additional nutritional, speech, dental, orthodontic, and therapeutic care is needed. Where these services are available, we do everything we can to provide our patients with access to them.

    Our vision of a cleft-free nation is to have a robust medical infrastructure and personnel easily and readily accessible to as many cleft patients especially young children who if early treated, can begin a great future without having to deal with all the stigma associated with cleft and go on to live and contribute productively as members of their communities (and also to adults to give them a second chance to at life to smile.

    Together, we can make sure every child in our region born with cleft is given an opportunity to live productive life.

  • ‘Let’s return to Imo rice farms’

    ‘Let’s return to Imo rice farms’

    Did you know that Imo State was once known for rice production, churning out over 10,000 tonnes a year? When the Nigerian economy thrived on agriculture, the state was one of the major contributors to the national GDP, ranking among the highest producers of rice.

    In Okigwe zone were majority of the rice farms were located, over 10000 tonnes of rice was produced annually. The economy of the rural communities was buoyant and the youths were gainfully engaged. The state was then exporting rice to other parts of the Southeast and the rest of the country.

    This prompted the World Bank in conjunction with the Federal Government in 1977 to cite the multi-billion naira irrigation project in Egweleze Umukara in Ihitte Uboma Council Area to aid commercial rice farming in the state.

    The project with an expansive rice farm measuring 66 hectares and 6,500 meters wide dam was constructed by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and managed by the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), which engaged a workforce of over 5000.

    Apart from the rice farm and irrigation project, the state government and other private investors consequently built rice milling factories across the district as part of the value chain.

    The economy of the state, especially the immediate communities was buoyant. The enterprise created wealth and employment. That was then when agriculture was the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

    An irrigation expert and field engineer in the defunct rice farm, Mr. Keke Ikechukwu, described it as a food basket of the state, which he said provided the food security for the state. But shortly after Nigeria jettisoned agriculture for oil, this critical investment was abandoned and soon died out altogether. The once important dam has turned to a major threat to the agrarian communities after the water broke the barrier and flooded not only what used to be a flourishing rice farm but other surrounding farmlands.

    Today all the farm equipment, as well as administrative and other office buildings, are dilapidated. The connecting farm roads have all been washed away and overgrown by forest.

    This is the sorry state of the World Bank Rice project that was once a major employer of labour in the state. Most painful is the fact that neither the World Bank with a controlling share of 60% and the state government has taken any step to salvage the situation.

    For more than 20 years it laid comatose, while the weary staff dispersed after appealing to successive governments to revive the farm without success.

    Fortunately, the abandoned project has gotten the attention of the Senator representing Okigwe Senatorial zone, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, who has begun an agricultural revolution to revive dead and dying agribusinesses in the zone as part of his constituency projects.

    The Senator during a fact finding tour of the project, lamented that such huge project with the potential of creating wealth for the entire nation was abandoned to decay.

    The Senator, who blamed government’s indifference to agriculture for the collapse of the project and other similar agro-allied companies across the country, said that the rice farm has the capacity to meet Nigeria’s annual rice demand, which he put at 6.5 million tons a year.

    He said, “At a time when countries like Thailand, which is among the world’s highest exporters of rice, were setting committees to control rice production, Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari’s regime set up a Committee headed by Umaru Dikko to supervise rice importation instead. This is how we got to where we are today”.

    Speaking further, he said, “Today Nigeria consumes 6.5 million tonnes of rice annually, while the production rate is at 1.5 million ton annually leaving behind a huge deficit. But if projects like this are up and running, it will help to return Nigeria back to the map of global rice producers”.

    The Senator, who was conducted round the abandoned rice farm by the former field Engineer, explained that, “with the global economic situation, agriculture is the way to go. Today the Federal Government spends huge sums of money to finance agricultural ventures in the North but if a quarter of that sum is spent in the Southeast, we will soon be exporting food to the North”.

    He stressed further that, “we are going to attract private investors to partner in this project because as you can see, it will take about N1 billion to get this project back to track. We need the support of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Agriculture to revive this all important venture.

    “In this part of the country, we have arable land that has not been cultivated all we need is for the government to provide equipment. For instance we have only three dams in the Southeast. But I am using this opportunity to show that we can surpass even the North in agriculture. Today, Anambra and Ebonyi states have quadrupled its rice production and we hope to even beat that record in Imo.

    “I am appealing to the FG to see the need to help these communities to realize their agricultural potentials. We have fertile lands, all we need is to open up these lands and provide palliatives and other incentives for the people to return fully to agriculture. We must feed ourselves and our nation”.

    Some of the villagers who expressed fear over the rising threat by the dam appealed to the government to quickly repair it to avert impending disaster.

    “If the irrigation project is revived, apart from working in the company, we will also go back to rice production fully and we can cultivate all year round,” they said.

  • ‘Aba the next global destination’

    ‘Aba the next global destination’

    His going to China was not a feel-good, sightseeing trip; it was to turn the world’s gaze on the state and the products it churns out. That was the information journalists got upon Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s return from China.

    Speaking with newsmen on the trip, Ikpeazu said the buy made in Aba campaign has been taken several notches higher. He said soon producers in the state’s commercial hub will attract buyers from all over the world and will create more job opportunities.

    Ikpeazu said that while in China he visited a shoe factory whose owner was willing to come to Aba to establish a factory where the people will work and learn the modern ways of producing shoes faster and in larger quantities in a short time.

    The governor said that 200 people from the state will be taken to China to learn shoemaking, and then supervise those who will be employed to work in the factory as the Chinese would not bring in labour from their country.

    He explained that the arrival of the Chinese will not be the end of shoe makers in Aba as they will exist side by side with the factory as every business has its target market, “So there should be no fear for our people”.

    Ikpeazu said, “We want to attract economic activities into the state and turn it into a place where people could come into a conducive environment to produce their products and sale, the era of made in Aba products has gone to the next level of come to Aba and produce”.

    He said that the owner of the shoe factory in China has a franchise to sell and produce shoes for American market and he has not been able to make up the 2% required by his customers.

    The governor said that the factory when established will cost the owner the sum of $1.5 million, “It is expected that 65% of the shoes that will be produced will be for export as he has been struggling to meet up his 2% demand in America”.

    Ikpeazu said, “The establishment of the Chinese shoe factory in Aba will even make shoemaking easier and faster for our people this is because if a customer comes to them with a design they would just take it there while the customer is waiting and have the shoes despite the quantity produced within hours”.

    The governor who recalled a theory propounded by one of his aides, Sam Hart that when Nigerian breweries arrived the country in the 60s that palm wine tappers felt threatened that they may go into extinction which is not the case today as they exist side by side, “So it will be the same case with the Chinese shoe factory and our own shoe makers”.

    He said that during the visit to China that he and his team also visited a company that produces machines for shoe making and government is ready to acquire some of the machines for its own shoe production line.

    Ikpeazu said, “We want to turn our state into a place where people would come and establish their production businesses while their customers will come and buy, thereby making our people not only busy also increase our revenue base. This is the reason behind our rebuilding infrastructure in our state such as roads, hospitals and schools so that when these people come everything would be in place, while moving around will not be difficult; we want to ensure that things are made here”.

    He said that government has established Abia State Industrial Development Strategy where large parcels of land have been acquired in all the three senatorial districts across the state.

    Ikpeazu said that such acquired parcels of land are backed up with certificate of occupancy (C of O) with the necessary infrastructure in place so that any organisation that wants to operate in the state will have a place to start from.

    He told newsmen that some of his visits abroad have started yielding fruit, adding that, while in Turkey, he paid a counterpart fund of just $25,000 which has brought in a container of goods worth well over $400,000.

    The governor said, “Another container with health equipment worth over $2 million which we paid another $25,000 we are ready to go to any length to ensure that our people get the best so long as the funds are within our reach”.

  • Ugwuanyi’s day at Nsukka

    Ugwuanyi’s day at Nsukka

    William James’ philosophical musing that “the best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life” aptly applied to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State when a grand reception put together for him by the natives of the university town of Nsukka, the second largest urban area in the coal city state, took residents by storm. It was a day both the indigenes and other residents of the town rolled out their drums of honour to salute the governor, a man who to them, came with a Midas touch after decades of official neglect that left the area in a rustic state, making the town a ridicule of an ideal university city.

    The governor’s speedy transformation of the town in less than two years has certainly struck the people like a pleasant dream situation. But it is a reality that the roads infrastructure delivered to the people by the Ugwuanyi administration certainly meets every international standard. The state of the arte dual carriage way coursing from Opi Junction through adjoining Ede-Oballa community through the varsity town has been decked with street lights just as the various roads delivered by the magical hands of the governor are beautifully garlanded with novel pedestrian walkways.

    The people’s joy knew no bounds at Ugwuoye Primary School, the modest venue of the grand reception. They expressed it with various cultural dance performances and effusive speeches. In solidarity with the governor on that Tuesday were personalities such as Prof. Uche Azikiwe, wife of the late first president of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, deputy governor of the state, Hon. Cecilia Ezeilo, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, representing Enugu North Senatorial zone in the Senate and president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, among others.

    Chief Donatus Chinweaku is the president-general of Nsukka Town Union and spoke generally collectively for the grateful people of the four autonomous communities that make up Nsukka town. Addressing Ugwuanyi as the people’s governor, he stated that “this great occasion could not have taken place at a time better than now as our people have

    longed for a day like this”. He informed that the reception was “organized by the entire people of Nsukka town to appreciate in a very special way our own son with whom we are well pleased”.

    He further capped the people’s appreciation thus: “Your Excellency, we lack words to express our immeasurable joy for having a brave and courageous Lion like you. Today Nsukka history will never be complete without mentioning you in a special way. This is

    because what the town had been yearning for has been made real, physical and evidence-based in terms of getting commensurate democratic dividends. You have not only given a new look to Nsukka town, but equally a new look to our economy, a new look to our peace and unity, a new look to our dignity and most importantly a new look to our political status”.

    The people of the area also set the tone for what turned out a general political stocktaking by the people of the state that eventually resulted in an overwhelming approval of the governor’s profound and legendary style of stewardship since he assumed office on May 29, 2015. In their speech as delivered by Chinweaku, they had also told Governor Ugwuanyi that “You have restored hope to our people and also presented yourself as an epitome of undiluted

    democrat through your wide consultations, peace-building and people-oriented projects executed with prudent management of scarce resources.

    “You have proved your mettle by dwelling on the height of recession to break the ice of impossibilities. You have set an unbeatable standard in good governance that constitutes threat to your detractors. Remain focused”, they told the governor whom they also assured that campaigns for his re-election come 2019 have already been consummated.

    Governor Ugwuanyi had during his inaugural address pronounced his grand plans to transform the university town of Nsukka, a city founded over 50 years ago, into an ideal urban area, especially to come at par with other first generation university towns elsewhere in Nigeria. He never minced words. He later promptly secured the approval of a very expanded meeting of stakeholders of the state held at the Old Government Lodge, Enugu to go ahead to develop Nsukka Urban in line with one of the four-point agenda of his administration to create new urban centres to drive sustainable development for the state.

    Hence, the event offered a huge opportunity of scoring high political points for the governor whose popularity rating has continued to grow in leaps and bounds within and beyond Enugu state. Among those who urged him to continue with the current tempo of development that now touches all 17 local council areas of the state in a manner never experienced before now in the history of the state were Senator Utazi, Senator Fidelis Okoro, Hon. Chinedu Nwamba and Hon. Nkechi  Omeje-Ogbu of Enugu State House of Assembly, various groups, industrialists, among others.

    In fact, Senator  Okoro, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former three-time member of the senate representing Enugu North zone in the senate capped the plethora of calls on the governor  not to bother to return to campaign in the town he has so transformed come 2019. Okoro told the governor that he has been governor for all and that if in 2019, the people want him to get his second term in office, he (Okoro) would not be found wanting in offering his own support.

    For the apparently elated governor who had to manage the deluge of encomiums and sundry kind words in acknowledgement of his outstanding performance so far, it was also an opportunity to thank the people for their show of love. Yet, he also used the occasion to assure the people that his administration has never tampered with funds belonging to the local councils in the state while executing all the projects across the state.

    “I use this occasion to state clearly that Local Governments in the State made no financial contributions or commitments whatsoever, towards the execution of state government projects,” he said. “We have relied solely on federal allocations, grants or loans as well as our internally generated revenue”.

  • Wabara, Kalu, others grace church’s 150th anniversary

    Wabara, Kalu, others grace church’s 150th anniversary

    Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State has a lot to celebrate. It has produced successful people in business and politics, one stand-out scion being former Senate President Hon Adolphus Wabara.

    One sore area, though, is its forbidding roads, the Aba-Azumini probably the most worrisome. In fact, commuters have been bickering with the contractor handling the federal road project.

    But on April 23, not even the road could discourage dignitaries who turned up in the ancient kingdom to mark the 150th anniversary of Ohambele’s other icon, the St. Paul’s Anglican Church of Ukwa Diocese. Former governor of the state Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu led the way, and with him were Hon. Donatus Nwankpa (APC State chairman), Comrade Chris Akomas (former Abia Deputy Governor) Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, Chief Nyerere Ayim (APC Abia governorship candidate in 2015), Hon. Sam Nkire (APC BoT member), Mascott Uzor Kalu (former Abia Chief of Staff), and Chief Marshal Wokocha of Modum Associates Limited, among others. They joined the members of the Ohambele Archdeaconry of St. Paul’s to celebrate its 150 years of existence.

    The church, founded in 1865 by early missionaries and European traders, has retained its aesthetics and continued to play its role: winning souls. The church has produced sons and daughters who are ordained priests in both Anglican Church, Methodist and other churches.

    The event lasted for three days with a rally on April 21 and free medical care the following day, closing on Sunday 23 with a thanksgiving and fund-raise.

    The event was also used to honour about 37 persons, including Sir Adolphus Wabara, his brother and former CEO of Hallmark Bank, Marcus Wabara, the oldest lay reader of the church, and Chief Monday Nnah, among others, who have contributed to the growth of the church and the propagation of gospel in the community.

    In his homily, the Bishop of Ukwa Diocese, Rt. Rev. Dr. Samuel Kelechi Eze eulogised early missionaries for bringing Christianity to Ukwa, describing it as a courageous act. Eze urged Christians to imbibe the spirit of giving without murmuring. The Bishop also thanked the Ohambele people for allowing the early missionaries to settle in their midst, from where the gospel spread to other parts of Ukwa land and beyond.

    Chairman of the occasion, Rt. Hon. Adolphus Wabara thanked the priests and authorities of Anglican Church for keeping the history of the church, adding that so many communities in Abia State are yet to enjoy the gains of Christianity which the Ohambele people are enjoying.

    The chairman of the anniversary planning committee, Sir Marcus Wabara said the significance of the day lay in thanking God for using the land of Ohambele to take the gospel of salvation to other communities.

    Wabara said, “We rejoice in this reminder of our privilege and historic status as the first Ndoki community to embrace Christianity. From time immemorial and ever before the establishment of the pax Britannica, our great Ohambele Kingdom has confronted and overcome untold conflicts, difficulties and hardships.

    “Without fail, Almighty God has encouraged, reinforced, and strengthened our people. No wonder, then, that the Most High God occupies a special place in our kingdom, in our homes and in our hearts.”

    In an interview, the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu who was the special guest of honour said that it gladdened his heart that he was alive to see a church with such a great historical background attaining 150 years of life.

    Kalu, who described Marcus Wabara as a friend, said he also came with the APC family in the state to join the Anglican Communion in Ukwa and the country at large and the Wabaras to celebrate the day.

    The APC chairman, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa recalled that most schools and hospitals which were established by early missionaries helped in the intellectual grooming and physical development of Nigerians such as Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chinua Achebe, among others, who benefitted from their teachings and services.

    Nwankpa called on the people of Ohambele to ensure that the legacies handed over to them by their forefathers were guarded jealously.

  • Abia Poly workers to get Nov pay ‘soon’

    Acting Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Prof. Friday Ezionye Eboh said staff of the polytechnic would soon be paid their November 2016 salary. This is even as he has assured that the institution under his watch would not experience any industrial dispute.

    Eboh in a maiden press conference with newsmen at the conference room of the polytechnic  described industrial action as an ill wind that blows anyone in the institution any good.

    According to him, the school since his assumption as the acting rector has saved a lot of monies for the institution through plugging of so many leakages and wastages used by being individuals to siphon monies that were supposed to be remitted into the school’s coffers.

    He said that the current steps taking by his administration was to ensure that there won’t be any breach of the institution’s academic calendar as it were the case in the past.

    “We are here to institute a system that works and outlive us and others that will assume office as the head of the institution. We want to ensure that the students get effective delivery of services which they paid for. It is our resolve that the school get back to winning and glorious ways.”

    The rector said that his administration was exploring other avenues to generate more money for the school in order to compliment the monthly subvention to the school by the state government.