The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • ‘Most VVF patients are victims of FGM’

    At least 85 per cent of Vesico Vaginal Fistula patients in the country are victims of Female Genital Mutilation and cutting FGM/C, according to a recent research.

    Medical Director of the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre of Excellence Abakaliki (NOFIC), Prof Sunday Adeoye stated this at a two-day training of Community Champions on FGM Abandonment in Ebonyi State.

    The event was organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

    Describing the practice as unacceptable, Prof Adeoye canvassed a bottom-top approach to curtail the practice.

    He said, “Among over 412 patients we studied, over 85 per cent of them have suffered some form of mutillation or another which is not acceptable.”

    While noting that FGM/C is a contributory factor to VVF in the county, Prof Adeoye commended the efforts of the wife of the Ebonyi State governor, Mrs Rachel Umahi to stamp out the practice.

    He noted that there is need for the people at the grassroots to join the fight against the practice in order for it to be successful.

    Unicef Chief of Enugu Field Office, Charles Nzuki in a goodwill message regretted that many women lose their lives during childbirth because of FGM.

    He said, ”We must abandon FGM because it is one of the major reasons women die during childbirth and suffer from Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) painful menstruation, painful sexual intercourse, exposed to life threatening infections such as HIV and Tetanus amongst other negative consequences”.

    “Ending FGN is life-saving. There is need to prevent millions of girls and women from undergoing painful, harmful an irreversible damage to their genitalia. Let us encourage parents and caregivers to leave genital organs of girls and women as naturally created”.

    The state Director of NOA, Dr. Emma Abba said Ebonyi state has the highest prevalence rate of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) in the south east region of the country.

    He said 15 million girls between 15 and 19 years are at risk of being subjected to the inhuman treatment by 2030 if nothing is done to stop the practice.

    He listed local government areas in the state where the practice is common to include Izzi, Afikpo, Abakaliki, Ezza North and Ebonyi local government

    He noted that the agency will soon approach the state House of Assembly to pass a bill prohibiting female genital mutilation.

    He said, “In the southeastern region, Ebonyi State has the highest prevalence rate above the regional average at 62%”.

    “About 120 million to 40 million women have been subjected to FGM and 3 million girls are at risk each year, according to World health organisation (WHO).”

    “FGM relates to all procedures that involve partial or total removal pof external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.

    “This practice is an abuse of human rights and causes serious health complications, including fatal bleeding”.

    General Manager of Radio Nigeria-Unity FM Abakaliki, Gregory Odiakosa said it is still surprising that it is still being practised despite all the campaig.

    He expressed shock that Ebonyi is number two in ranking of prevalence rate in the country.

    Describing the training as a very nice move he said the expectation is that participants will go back and work assiduously to end the practice.

    Mr Odiakosa who described FGM as a wicked and evil practice blamed tradition for its continued practice.

    He noted that the practice has very negative consequences for the women and the girl-child, urging stakeholders to ensure that the practice stopped in the state.

     

  • Abia NIPOST sensitises on World Post Day

    Abia NIPOST sensitises on World Post Day

    The Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) Umuahia chapter has celebrated this years’ World Post Day with one thing mind: to tell everyone that NIPOST is still in existence and in business.

    Speaking while leading the workers of NIPOST in Umuahia, the Area Postal Manager (APM), Mr Pascal Ijara said that the day is set aside by the United Nations all over the world to celebrate post offices and their services.

    Ijara said that the UN established the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to also remember when postal administration worldwide was co-opted into the UN since 1874, therefore this year makes it 142 years since the celebration started.

    He said that the Umuahia chapter of the NIPOST decided to have a road march to let the people know that they have not been shut down like other organisations that were created with them many years ago.

    The APM said, “We decided to have a different World Post Day celebration from what we normally used to do by moving around the state capital to let the people know that post offices are still working hard to deliver mails and parcels to the door steps of people and promptly too.

    “We went to the state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the commandant asked us if NIPOST is still in existence, what we did have opened the eyes of many people who never knew that we are still operating”.

    “Many people have this funny feeling that with the demise of NITEL that NIPOST had also gone the same way because we were created the same day, however being born the same day does not mean that we are going to die the same day, we are still very much alive”.

    “People also have the feeling that with the advent of GSM phones and Internet that NIPOST has died a natural death, but I want to let people know that our services are quite different from the modern communication technology, which is the reason behind our still being in business”.

    Ijara said that most people still prefer using NIPOST to receive their parcels from all over the world as it one of the most trusted way of sending things to their loved ones, adding that other services includes new money order and stamp duty.

    Earlier in his address the Director-General of Universal Postal Union, Bishar Abdirahman Hussein said that since the establishment of the union that their customers have always been their main focus all over the world.

    Hussein said that for the past 142 years that UPU came into being, “We have been able to create a seamless network for communication across borders, allowing the Post to deliver the world and modern communication and consumer demands have pushed the Post to deliver right to customers doorsteps.”

    He said, “Our customers trust us and we are also the only trusted partner to provide locally and globally essential services to the public even as delivering at door steps is no longer enough, as people want service when and where they need it, which requires more flexible and personalised services.”

  • Agencies fight HIV/AIDS in Anambra

    Agencies fight HIV/AIDS in Anambra

    The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and its Anambra State counterpart ANSACA have ended a crucial meeting in Awka, the state capital, and it seems they are making progress.

    The meeting was aimed at strengthening the state’s coordination and prevention of HIV/AIDS in various health facilities in the state to ensure best practices.

    Mrs. Doris Ekeh, NACA leader from the Abuja World Bank team, said she was satisfied with the development in Anambra.

    The team was briefed on its arrival in the state by the Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr. Onyeakachukwu Ibezim.

    The meeting was also to strengthen what ANSACA is doing for programme efficiency and help deepen the state’s intervention towards decreasing HIV prevalence in the state.

    Speaking with The Nation, Ibezim said the Governor Willie Obiano administration had embarked on proactive projects in the state in line with its vision of being a foremost platform for the control of HIV/AIDS in the state.

    He noted that the Agency under his watch was poised to record landmark feats that would curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Anambra State in accordance with the mandate from Governor Obiano despite the challenges of the current global economic crunch.

    He said, “The ANSACA Office has been operating without electricity supply for three years but we have successfully restored electricity and the staff is once again operating under conducive working conditions. This has also increased our productivity.

    “This feat was achieved courtesy of the office of Her Excellency, the Wife of the Executive Governor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, whose office superintends ANSACAs’ activities. She provided us with a connection of the electricity.”

    “At present there are 43 treatment facilities providing free Anti Retroviral drugs, and over 300 PMTCT facilities supported by the FHI 360 through the SIDHAS project and PPFN in the state”

    “The state governor Chief Willie Obiano is very supportive and he has given his directives on curbing the spread of the virus to its lowest ratio while taking care of those already living with it”

    “Ibezim informed that ANSACA organised a residential workshop on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) lectured by NACA facilitators on the ways of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, different rape situations and legal actions to be taken in these situations with participants drawn from different Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations and individuals”

    “He added that the Workshop also featured a UNDP sponsored section on Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PHA).”

    “This featured sharing of experiences among the persons living with HIV/AIDS. The impact of this session was that they were exposed to effective resistance of stigmatization, healthy living, importance CD4 Count and check when necessary, adherence to prescribed drugs, etc.”

    He recalled that ANSACA in collaboration with the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ), organized a road show featuring television and radio interviews by the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) with more than 200 participants gathered at the ABS Complex where holistic lectures on HIV/AIDS were delivered by ANSACA Staff.

    He added that through the March, effective sensitization and creation of awareness on HIV/AIDS was carried out. This was achieved through distribution of fliers, on-the-spot counseling, amongst others.

    He said “the NACA Supportive Supervision to Anambra State took place and the team accessed the SACA team to enable them write a comprehensive for extension of the Project”

    “A debriefing meeting was held between the Executive Director of ANSACA and the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS Executives (Anambra State Chapter)”

    “The essence of the meeting was to sensitize the support group the need to adhere strictly on their ARVs drugs and constant check of viral load also the need for the general public to stop stigmatization”

    “The Support Service Organisation (SSO) visited us to deliberate on CSOs achievement so far. SSO’s are support organization engaged by NACA to oversee their Project and report back to them”

    Ibezim said “there was also a visit by the NACA/World Bank on Safeguard and Environmental Management to discuss the modalities in facilitating effective and efficient execution of environmental social safe guard in HIV/AIDS Project”

    “The was series of meetings which enhanced cordial relationship between ANSACA and its coordinating units”

    A debriefing meeting was also held with 21 LACA Managers and 21 M&E Officers, 7 Project Managers of CSOs and 7 Finance Officers.

    It would be recalled that the Anambra State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (ANSACA) was established by an Act of the Anambra State House of Assembly on the 16th day of April 2007.

    It was assented to by the then Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi on May 18, 2007. It is charged with coordinating the state’s multi-sectoral responses on HIV/AIDS.

  • ‘Nigeria’ll come out of recession’

    The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa has expressed his optimism that Nigeria will come of its present economic recession.

    Nwankpa in a chat with our correspondent in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, said the APC-led government has been working tirelessly to fix the economy.

    He said, “like the President had stated, it is not going to be a quick-fix thing. We should not be in a hurry to forget that this country has been under the now opposition party in the last 16 years where so many things went wrong. I am convinced that with the way things are going, the country will soon get out of the recession.

    “The prospect of the country under President Muhammadu Buhari is better than what we had in the past.  This is not a time to start throwing stones or casting aspersions on the President but for all hands must be on deck especially at this trying time that we have found ourselves. I can assure you that Nigeria is in safe hands.”

    The Abia APC chair while commending the President for the maturity with which he has exhibited in handling the affairs of the country since the inception of his administration and even in the face of criticisms urged him (Buhari) not to lose focus or to be overwhelmed by the present economic challenge that the country is facing, stressing that countries have passed through what Nigeria is passing through at the moment and have equally come out stronger than they were before their economic misfortunes.

    “Nigeria will definitely bounce back from the present economic recession and I make bold to tell you that we still have what it takes to be among the ranks of world leading global economy. The situation of the country is right now is only but temporary,” Nwankpa stated

    He used the opportunity to call on all Abians and Nigerians to throw their weight behind the leadership of President Buhari, stressing that Buhari by the time he leaves office would not only have made his marks in the political history of Nigeria, but would be celebrated as the man who steered the ship of the country out of 16 years doldrums.

     

  • Enugu to demolish houses built on waterways, drainages

    The Enugu State government will pull down houses and structures built on waterways in the state capital, The Nation has learnt. Residential and commercial buildings as well as churches would be affected in the demolition exercise.

    Already, 141 buildings have been marked for demolition after being found built on waterways which led to blocking of drainages and streams from flowing. The situation had led to severe flooding in many cases.

    Typical examples of such buildings abound in the Fidelity Estate originally owned by former governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani. But Nnamani strenuously and successfully denied ownership of the estate while under investigation by the EFCC. The state government through the EFCC had to acquire the state since nobody else came forward to claim it.

    But before the takeover by the state government, some individuals cashed in on the ownership palaver to erect illegal structures within and around the waterways in the estate, thus causing severe flooding whenever there is heavy downpour.

    And whenever such flooding occurs it affected human and vehicular movement for several hours.

    Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) Chief Chidi Aroh recently took some reporters round the affected sites to witness “what is happening in Enugu metropolis so that should government do something drastic, they will not be accused of witch-hunting or victimising anybody.

    “I want you to see things for yourself and advice the government on what to do so that when government take some measures, they will not be seen as witch-hunting or victimising anybody.

    “We had marked some of these sites to stop work but you have seen that most of them have continued to build and when it is pulled down, people will cry out that government has demolished a building that was nearing completion.“

    He also pointed out that some of the owners of the buildings have never come to their office for certification and approval yet they have kept on building.

    Aroh said that it was the desire of Enugu State government to ensure that Enugu becomes the cleanest city in Nigeria and will not like anybody however highly placed or organisation mar the environmental aesthetics of the state.

    However, the commissioner did not give indication on when the demolition would start.

  • NUJ honours lawmaker, Orji

    NUJ honours lawmaker, Orji

    The Abia State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Correspondents chapel has held its press week, honouring the immdeiate past governor of the state Theodore Orji and two other leaders in the state.

    The two other honorees were Hon Uko Ndukwe Nkole, a member of House of Representatives for Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency and Chris Odinaka Igwe, a community developer and businessman.

    The Press Week had the theme: ‘The Imperatives of Equity and Fairness: A Case Study of Abia State’.

    Orji, now a senator representing Abia Central, was honoured for his role in the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, a development viewed as historical because no one from Abia South had governed the state.

    Hon Nkole was honoured for his various community development activities which he started long before his people wooed him into active politics and so voted him in 2015 into the federal house which he has never relented since going into the federal House of Representatives, while Igwe was specially selected for among others, partnering the state government in constructing a community road for which he, according to the state governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, paid  40% of the cost and establishing a cashew processing plant at his community.

    The keynote address was delivered by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly Rt Hon Martins Azubuike with the topic derived from the theme of the Press Week, saying that equity is derived from a concept of social justice and represents a belief the people.

    Azubuike said that there are some things which people should have, that there are basic needs that should be fulfilled, that burdens and rewards should not be spread too divergently across the community and that policies should be directed with impartiality, fairness and justice towards these ends.

    The Abia Speaker said, “Equity is the quality of being fair, unbiased and just and involves ensuring that everyone has access to the resources, opportunities, power and responsibility they need to reach their full, healthy potentials as well as making changes so that unfair differences may be understood and addressed”.

    “Equity as a concept is also fundamental to sustainable development and well entrenched in international law and universal declaration of human rights”.

    The occasion which was chaired by the State Works Commissioner a journalist and immediate past member of the House of Representatives Hon Eziuche Ubani said that Abia state has not gotten to where it ought to be in the community of states in the area of development despite that it has the right people piloting its affairs.

    In a speech, the National Vice President for the Southeast Zone Comrade Chris Isiguzo, said, “The Southeast zone of the country has been landlocked and additionally heightened by the menace of herdsmen”.

    “There are no [passable] roads now from Onitsha to Enugu, Enugu to Port Harcourt, Umuahia to Ikot Ekpene, Enugu to Abakaliki, Owerri to PH, Owerri to Okigwe, Aba to Ikot Ekpene.”

    Isiguzo called on the federal government to quickly declare a state of emergency on the Southeast roads and urged the governors from the zone to find a solution to infrastructural decay in the region.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Kidnappers demand N50m for abducted businessman

    An Aba businessman popularly known as Chief Okpotemba, a native of Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, is yet to be freed  after over one week of being abducted by unknown gunmen.

    Okpotemba is one of the biggest clearing agents in the commercial city.

    The Nation gathered that the gunmen stormed his office in the  evening of September 16 while he was about leaving.

    Sources close to the family told our reporter that the hoodlums, before whisking him away to an unknown destination, shot the philanthropist in the leg after he allegedly resisted them.

    It was learnt that the inability of the kidnappers to release the man in the past one week has traumatised his family who are worried about his health.

    The Nation also gathered that efforts made by the family to persuade the kidnappers to allow the victim speak with the family fell on deaf ears, even as the kidnappers kept assuring them that the man whose health is frail is fine.

    It was said that the abductors made an initial demand of N50 million ransom when they contacted the family.

    The family said they did not have the amount demanded by the kidnappers, The Nation learnt.

    Negotiations were ongoing at the time of filing this report.

    Some of the residents of Dear John Estate, off 7Up Road, Ogbor Hill where the victim lives described the man as kindhearted who has used his wealth to touch the lives of the downtrodden including widows and orphans, among others.

    A resident of the area who claimed to know the victim, described Okpotemba as a detribalized man who enjoys making people around him happy.

    The resident wondered what offence the businessman could have committed that caused the kidnappers to have held him in their custody this long despite his state of health.

    The source said, “The continued detention of Chief is causing more psychological trauma to the already traumatised family and we are urging the police and other security agencies in Aba and the state at large to ensure that the man regains his freedom and to also make sure that the perpetrators of the act were brought to book. Chief is a good man and has been using his wealth to affect people around him positively.

    “Are we talking about countless jobless and unemployed youths that he has helped to become landlords and living big in this city? We learnt that he single handedly sponsor the August Meeting of his town’s women. We learnt that Chief was shot in the leg before they took him and we are wondering the kind of treatment that the kidnappers should be giving to a man that they kidnapped. What we want is his immediate release.”

    When contacted, the Abia State Police Relation Officer, ASP Ogbonnaya Nta confirmed that the kidnapped businessman was still in the custody of the kidnappers and assured that the police were on top of the situation to ensure that the victim was reunited with his family members.

  • Ex-Governor Obi rallies youths

    Ex-Governor Obi rallies youths

    Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has told youths that what they want to be in future is determined by the choices they make now.

    Obi made this remark while speaking to the youths undergoing training at the Peter Akinola Foundation in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

    Obi who acknowledged that the country is presently in hard times, said that rather than be discouraged, the youths should see that as a challenge for them to remain focused and make the best out of any situation they find themselves. He encouraged those being trained to take the exercise seriously and see it as a possible avenue to future greatness.

    The former governor urged the youths to form what he called “a healthy habit of self-examination, hard work and understanding of those things that make for greatness.”

    Commenting on the problems facing governance in the country, Obi called for the reduction in the cost of governance at all levels.

    “Those in authority run into trouble by spending money on frivolities that do not add to the progress of our society,” he said.

    The proprietor of the Centre and the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Akinola said the centre invited Obi because over the years he proved himself as an exemplary leader who has the fear of God.

    Other dignitaries that graced the occasion included General Theophilus Danjuma and Chief Chris Oshonkoye, among others.

  • Militants lay down arms in Imo

    Militants lay down arms in Imo

    Peace returns to Imo State communities following militants’ surrender, OKODILI NDIDI reports

    It was as dramatic as it was momentous. Immediately it was confirmed that militants had surrendered their weapons, pledging to be of good behaviour, the residents started celebrating. Economic and social activities began to pick up in the hitherto deserted oil-producing communities. Traditional rulers who fled their thrones in the height of the militancy came back. Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas of Imo State had found peace again after two and a half years in the grips of militants.

    The agitators and other cult groups in the state renounced militancy and surrendered their weapons to the state government and were pardoned.

    No fewer than 300 were killed while properties millions of naira were destroyed during the crisis. At Awara, the epicentre of the militancy and cult activities in Ohaji-Egbema council, the scars of those years of horror are still fresh. Bullet-ridden and skeletal remains of razed buildings that were once the beauty of the serene community are still standing.

    But thank God for the state governor Rochas Okorocha, who initiated the disarmament programme that saw the dreaded militants embracing peace and renouncing violence and all manner of criminalities.

    It was an emotional moment as the residents returned in droves to start rebuilding their ruined homes.

    The monarchs have written the state governor to convey their joy and gratitude that they were able to return to their kingdoms after wandering for more than two years.

    Among those who surrendered their arms and ammunition and renounced militancy was the Niger Delta Red Squad, the major militant group that has been responsible for the bombing of pipelines and other oil facilities in the state. Also embracing the state government amnesty programme were over 9,000 militants belonging to other armed groups which also handed over their automatic weapons including AK 47 Riffles, Rocket Launchers, Pump Action Guns of different sizes and large quantity of explosives.

    They were consequently granted pardon by the state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who presided over the disarmament exercise under the watch of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier General KAY Isiyaku and other security Chiefs.

    Presenting the militants to the governor at the Government House Chapel, the chairman of the State Disarmament Committee Mr. Kingsley Uju, an engineer, said that it took the committee over four months concerted efforts to get the agitators to renounce militancy and embrace

    the state government amnesty programme.

    He noted that from their interactions with the militants at their various camps in the creeks, the major reasons they gave for taking up arms after the Federal Government Amnesty Programme of 2008 was their exclusion from the resultant empowerment programme and the

    underdevelopment of the region.

    He said, “These people you see here gathered are from Oguta and Ohaji-Egbema Council Area of the state. Your Excellency, on assumption of duty, the committee met with the militants and in the course of our deliberations with them we were able to find out that the oil companies that have been operating in their land since 1953 have done nothing to develop the communities.

    “It was on this note that we appealed to them to renounce militancy and embrace peace as the only way the development they are yearning for will come to them. Today these ones are yearning to be reintegrated back to the society. They have decided that they are tired of sleeping in the bush and carrying guns. This is why we are presenting these leagues of agitators today for state pardon, having lost a lot to militancy. We are appealing that the state will therefore extend pardon to these ones and save them and their families by recommending to the Federal Government to grant them full amnesty”.

    While publicly renouncing their membership of all militant and cult groups, the armed militants said they were forced to resort to armed struggle as a result of marginalisation by oil companies operating in the communities.

    They also expressed their anger over their exclusion from the training opportunities and empowerment offered to other militants from other Niger Delta States by the Federal Government, adding that they felt used and abandoned after they were lured to surrender their arms in 2011.

    They said, “We are happy to announce today that we will no longer destroy pipelines or kill anyone. We have embraced the amnesty programme of the state government. We want to be empowered and we will help to guide the pipelines. We are happy that we have been forgiven of our crimes and we want to be reintegrated back to the society”.

    Speaking further on behalf of the militants, one of the Commanders, General Bobo Uzo Ndem, aka Cross and Die, and Commander Amonon Uzoma alias Motor-Boy, admitted that they had been responsible for all the killings, and blowing of oil pipelines in the Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Oil producing areas of the state, stating that their areas have been abandoned by oil companies operating in the area and were not carried along in the Amnesty programme of the federal government.

    They assured that they won’t fight again but would rather help to ensure peace in the areas, and also asked that attention should be given to their areas while the contract for the surveillance of the oil pipelines in the areas should be given to them, thanking the governor for his initiative which has brought them out from the bush where they had been fighting.

    The State Governor, charged the repentant militants to go back as responsible members of the society and contribute to the development of their state.

    He assured them that all their grievances will be articulated and forwarded to the appropriate quarters for prompt attention, “those of you who are involved with militancy or in agitation, or those of you who have killed many innocent souls, today, I speak as the governor of Imo State to grant you pardon, SIN NO MORE, come back to the society and be part of the society and contribute to the development of our state.  I hereby declare as the Governor of Imo state that you are hereby pardoned”.

    Okorocha stated further that, “the state Government will take every necessary step to meet your needs and make life better for you. For that reason, I hereby request that the army from today henceforth, no more shooting in Oguta and Ohaji Egbema. Your presence there will be for peace.  I hereby declare as Governor of the state, no more shooting, no more firing, you will only be there to maintain peace and order and to you no more violence”.

    “After all the killings, arson, blowing of pipelines, today peace has returned in Ohaji Egbema”. The amnesty programme will be declared by the President, I will convey all your request and concerns to President Muhammadu Buhari for immediate action, he is aware you are coming here today and has promised to do the needful.  He has sent the Chief of Naval Staff who will soon arrive to see for himself. “The Federal Government is aware of what you are doing, we know that our sons and daughters are not violent people, situation and circumstances must have led you to this.  From now henceforth I believe you will keep your promises of dropping arms and been peaceful people”.

    “I assure you again that the government will meet your needs, all your issues of request we shall meet them, but please it will not be an issue of today or tomorrow, it will take a short time to meet your long agitations such as light, road and hospital, we shall call on all the oil companies immediately to meet the committee which will be set up by government to discuss about the welfare of the people of the Niger Delta”.

    He also stressed that, “we are aware that some of the leaders are taking advantage of this situation, and taking the money from behind and making you kill yourselves, now that government is involved you shall never see that again. So a new committee known as the Amnesty Committee by the President comes in which will be headed by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Army and Police will be members and equally the Priests and Pastors from the areas”.

     

  • Women seek more grassroots development

    Women seek more grassroots development

    Villages should be transformed enough to attract tourists, and women should be architects of such transformation. People should point to significant facilities built by women to lift the profile of grassroots settlements and the residents.

    That is the aspiration of women of the Southeast who gather every year in their homeland in what is known as the August Meeting.

    One of the leaders of Southeast women in Lagos, Lady Ify Onwubiko, articulated this position in an interview.

    The August Meeting has existed for more than 50 years, being a platform to rally Southeast women to foster good relationship not just among themselves or in their homes and zone, but also ensure that women contribute their quota in developing the region.

    It becomes all the more interesting when the intellectuals among them create meaningful projects to market goals and ideas of the platform in the hinterlands.

    The meeting deals with empowerment in various fields; it imparts and enhances knowledge to participants in culinary matters and crafts.

    Such crafts include bead making, clothes making, computer and mechanised farming, and even new methods of fish farming.

    In an interview, Lady Ify Onwubiko said the meeting platform aims to execute more capital projects in the villages and make them tourist attractions for those coming from other parts of the world to be part of the ceremony.

    She spoke about some of the attractions, mentioning various traditional dances and wrestling competitions among various groups.

    Lady Ify also itemised various Igbo delicacies on offer during such meetings, some of which prepared in a contest. The contestants try their hands on how best to make  ugba, abacha and such soups as oha, ogbono, onugbu, achi, achara, nsala, and utazi with pounded cocoyam or ede and white soup.

    In addition, snail entrepreneurship scheme was introduced to them at home. Some talk shows were organised to update the women on cervical cancer, breast cancer, and how they should go for frequent medical check-up.

    A health expert Mr. Obi Nnorim said there is a need for people to go for regular medical check-ups to know the status of their health. He discouraged them from indulging in female genital mutilation, and patronising local birth attendants.

    Also, opticians and experts in blood pressure informed the people that the more they aged, the more their body was prone to ill-health especially during rainy season.