The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • NBL inaugurates projects in Enugu

    NBL inaugurates projects in Enugu

    Nigerian Breweries Plc has commissioned three community relations projects in two communities and also at the Customs barracks in Enugu State.

    The benefitting communities included Oma-Eke in Udu local council where a water borehole and toilet were provided for the Community Primary School and  Ogwofia Imezi Owa where a six ultra modern classroom and library block with modern facilities at the Community Secondary School.

    The Nigerian Customs Service benefitted with the provision of a multi millon naira Officers” Mess at the Enugu barracks.

    Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nigerian Breweries, Nicolass Vervelde who was represented by the Corperate Affairs manager, Kufre Ekanem said at the various occasions that the company sees education as the greatest legacy to be bequeathed to children and remains “very paramount to our existence and sustainable development.”

    He told the audience at the occasions that the Nigerian Breweries would continue to identify and respond positively to the  cause of the people through “our various corporate social investments in Education, environment, water, youth development amongst others.

    Said Vervelde: “In 1994, we established the Nigerian Breweries Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund to take a more active role in educational and research activities towards the development of education in Nigeria. Our investments and initiatives have continued to contribute immensely to improve various aspects of education all over Nigeria in line with our philosophy of Winning with Nigeria.

    “What you see here today is an outcome of this investment. Within Udi LGA alone, we have commissioned similar school blocks like this in the past few years including Nsude, Ngwo Uno, Ahwum and Eke communities.”

    He told members of the communities that their support towards the commercial success of the company remains strong and we look forward to sustained and improved partnering and support.

    To the school children, Verlverde admonished them: “My dear children as you learn in this complex, and acquire the desired knowledge for growth, you should always think of the right ideals for you to be better Nigerians. You must shun violence and other vices militating against our economic development and nation building.”

    And to the teachers: “I hope this motivates you  and encourage you double your dedication for the development of our children who are leaders of tomorrow. If they lack the capacity today, tomorrow will be bleak for us all and our children unborn.”

    At each of the occasions, the attendance was graced by representatives of Enugu state governor, Traditional rulers, legislators, captains of industries, chairmen of local government councils and education stakeholders,

    At the commissioning of the Custom officers’ mess, the NBL Managing Director, said that the company recognized the key  role the customs service plays in the nation’s economy and  “it was against this background that we acceded to the request by the Enugu command to support a rebuilding of this mess which was in dilapidated and pathetic shape.”

    He Added: “We have constructed and furnished this mess to a comfortable level and do hope it will serve its purpose for a long time into the future with your care and maintenance.”

    The Comptroller Enugu command, Emmanuel Amaka expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Breweries for the gesture and assured that only products of the company would be on sale in the mess.

  • Lawmaker’s jobs tools for constituents

    Lawmaker’s jobs tools for constituents

    A member of the House of Representatives Hon Lazarus Ogbe has distributed sewing machines, motorcycles and other tools to some members of the Ikwo/Ezza South constituency in Ebonyi State whom he represents.

    He also promised to provide more after the passage of the 2016 budget by the National Assembly.

    Ogbe gave the assurance while distributing the items at the Onueke Township stadium in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state.

    He said his efforts were to complement those of Governor David Umahi in uplifting the people.

    Ogbe said, “All these things I was able to do without the passage of the budget and now that the budget has been passed and our dear President has promised to implement it to the letter, I think it is going to be El Dorado for my constituents.

    “Believe you me, I sleep, wake up, thinking how to better the lot of my people.”

    He lauded the courage of the people of Ikwo council for voting for him despite pressures from their kinsman and immediate past governor of the state, Chief Martin Elechi whose son, Nnanna Elechi who contested for the senate in the same constituency under the Labour Party platform.

    He promised to deliver on the mandate through federal jobs and the training of the youths and women on various skill acquisitions to help them escape from the hydra of poverty.

    He urged the people to support him if convinced he was doing well but should also be free to withdraw their support if they found the opposite.

    He said the unity existing among the Reps members from the zone was an evidence of good things to come.

    He said, “When you are given a mandate, you do not have every opportunity on earth to gallivant, most especially the one propelled by votes of your people, utilise it and when you are doing that, God that sent you there will be glorified and the blessings will be yours.”

     

  • Environment agency cleans up Umuahia

    Environment agency cleans up Umuahia

    Mountains of refuse are giving way in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, thanks to the state Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA).

    The agency has come to life after months of inactivity, a situation which left the capital city with heaps of refuse and not a little stench in many places.

    The agency has been complaining of having rickety vehicles in its fleet to evacuate refuse which in most cases are in the process of breaking down especially when their services are needed most.

    To solve the problem, the Okezie Ikpeazu administration purchased several new refuse disposal trucks which are awaiting delivery to the environment agency.

    Worried by the heaps of waste on the streets and roads, the general manager of ASEPA, Prince Ikechukwu Apugo set up a task force to oversee the evacuation of the unsightly mountains in the state.

    Apugo with his ASEPA team launched the task force on sanitation in major streets of the state capital where the members of the task force were seen dismantling the refuse mountains to the joy and admiration of the residents of Umuahia.

    The task force which went into work was seen clearing heaps of refuse along Warri and Owerri roads in Umuahia, including dislodging of illegal traders and transporters who have turned the two roads into illegal motor parks.

    Speaking with newsmen during the launch of the refuse disposal task force, the general manager of ASEPA, Apugo said that the era when people dump refuse indiscriminately and littering the streets with sachet water packs is over.

    Represented by the deputy director of information in the agency, Mrs Chioma Daphine, Apugo said that the task force is empowered to arrest those who have formed the ugly habit of littering the streets, including those who throw refuse from their vehicles.

    Apugo announced that a mobile court has been formed for the immediate trial of any one found littering the streets of the state capital, including setting fire on the receptacle buckets.

    He said that the law prohibiting under aged children from dumping refuse in the ASEPA bins is still in place, stressing that the children who are underage find it difficult to dump refuse into the bins because of their height, leaving it on the road instead.

    The ASEPA boss frowned at the continued trading along major roads in the city despite the relocation of the city main market to Ubani-Ibeku which is on the outskirts of the capital city.

    He assured that the task force with the compliments of his office will ensure that the state government aim of restoring sanity and environmental cleanliness of Umuahia is achieved with the shortest period.

    In his speech, the leader of the sanitation taskforce Nduka Awomukwu assured that the team will not compromise standards in achieving its mandate and called on the residents to give them maximum support to achieve results.

     

  • Obi urges Igbo cohesion

    Obi urges Igbo cohesion

    Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has said that the Igbo have no option but to work together for their own good and that of the country at large. Obi said this at the 16th anniversary of the movement of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) at the International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.

    Obi who was honoured as the Grand Patron of the group for his commitment and achievements,  said that one of the ways for the Igbo to get their due in Nigeria was by their sending their best to the National Assembly to represent  them.

    He said, “Let me make it clear that after series of consultations following the pressure on me to contest for the Senate, I have accepted to do so. I am, in fact, in the race. I have studied the National Assembly as it is now and discovered that many States are represented by past Governors, who are holding important positions, I am convinced that if I go there, I will join other illustrious Igbo sons and work for Anambra and the South-East. I will work very well with past Governors, my colleagues, who are there. When other states are sending their Messi to play for them, we have to send  our own Ronaldo to match them.”

    Obi who later commissioned the Clinic Complex built by ASPMDA in commemoration of their anniversary, urged Ndigbo to stand firm wherever they are, but urged them to always fulfill their civic responsibilities at all times.

    In his speech, the President of ASPMDA, Dr. DC Offorkansi said that his administration would continue to work for the good of traders. He thanked Mr. Peter Obi for identifying with them at all times and for showing what good governance is for others to emulate.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Tony Offorma called for Mr. Peter Obi to be named the Ambassador of Igbo Nation as a man who had been tested and who  proved his onions in all ramifications.

  • APGA urges Ikpeazu to tackle insecurity

    APGA urges Ikpeazu to tackle insecurity

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State has urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to tackle rising insecurity in the state.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, APGA said it was imperative for the Ikpeazu administration to come up with a well thought-out strategy to tackle the menace and keep the state from “sliding back to the dark days when insecurity caused by armed robbery and kidnapping crippled economic activities and sent large population of the city packing.”

    The statement added, “The party regrets that presently, the increasing insecurity in the state is taking a toll on business activities as fear of armed robbers and kidnappers is greatly affecting socio-economic activities of the people greatly, especially Aba residents and visitors to the city.

    “We are urging Ikpeazu not to treat this call with levity, but to insist that security agencies in the state are alive to their responsibilities of crime fighting and ensuring that business and economic activities thrive in the state.”

    Ehiemere also used drew the attention of the governor on the deplorable nature of roads in Aba and other parts of the state, stressing that the roads when put in good shape will help to attract more business investors to the state and enable road users in the state to have easy access in and out Aba.

    APGA also condemned the recent alleged report by the DSS, which claimed that bodies of dead Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed by members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were discovered in a bush between Abia and Imo State.

    “The party is shocked at the attempt by the DSS to link IPOB with the alleged murder of five herdsmen in Abia and wish to say that the pattern and ethnic connotation given to the sad incident even when there were no genuine evidence to prove that the perpetrators are IPOB members was highly unprofessional and inciting against the state and Ndigbo.”

    The party equally advised the DSS and operatives of other security agencies to properly verify their facts and its consequences before letting them  out to the public.

  • A lifeline for NDE trainees

    A lifeline for NDE trainees

    Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige, in his home Anambra State, gave out start-up packs to 250 persons trained by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). NWANOSIKE ONU reports

    It was a fitting homecoming for Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige. At the St. Matthew’s Catholic Church Amawbia in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, he was in good company as he gave out start-up tools to over 250 trainees of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    It was as much a good day for the trainees as it was for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration whose job creation effort seemed to be taking off. It was just as well that it was all happening in Ngige’s home state.

    The venue brimmed with traditional rulers and the clergy as well as other dignitaries.

    It was the resettlement of over 250 persons by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under the ministry of Labour and Employment manned by Ngige.

    The state governor Chief Willie Obiano sent his Deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke to represent him. The traditional ruler of Awka kingdom, Obi Gibson Nwosu and his colleagues from Ukpo in Dunukofia council, Igwe Dr. Robert Eze and Igwe Elias Nneli of Umueje in Ayamelum council attended the event.

    Ngige presented jobs tools to 30 of the trainee graduates, while over 220 others who had started practicing their skills were given financial lifelines by the federal government.

    The federal government has spent over N137m in empowering the people under the Artisans Resettlement and Mentoring Scheme (ARMS).

    Igwe Nneli advocated for a monitoring committee to be supervising and monitoring beneficiaries’ progress, as according to him, some of them sell off their equipment and squander the money.

    The monarch of Awka, Obi Gibson Nwosu, while commending Ngige for bringing such a thing to Anambra, advised the youths who are seeking admission for medicine and law to think twice as whatever you studied must be appreciated in one way or the other.

    Addressing the beneficiaries and the guests, Governor Obiano said through his deputy Dr. Okeke that the state government has similar schemes through access loans for different businesses, adding that it would increase their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    He assured that the state government would always partner the federal government in such programmes, adding that the state has arable land which necessitated its focus on agriculture.

    He regretted, however, that the greatest challenge to governments at all levels is what to do with the teeming unemployed youths in the society and taking them away  from criminal activities.

    He added that the introduction of such programmes was the answer to joblessness.

    Ngige, while addressing the people said everybody should rally round President Muhammadu Buhari to right the wrongs of the past administrations.

    “This is a government that came into power in a trying moment, there were no savings from the past regime, we feel for the people, things have gone so bad and we want to use this opportunity to correct the sins of the past,” he said.

    ”Let me reassure all present here today that the plans of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to change the face of the entire nation for good is fully on course”

    “Those of us charged with the task of creating jobs for the teeming unemployed in Nigeria have long put on our thinking caps and today’s event is just one of the products of our efforts”

    “In the next two months, the second phase of this exercise would have been carried out and I want to assure you that over 2,800 new businesses would have    been    generated    across   the   country, through   the Resettlement   Scheme   of the   NDE”

    “The scheme   seeks to empower already trained persons in any vocational skill with relevant starter packs to commence a small scale business”

    “The Directorate in the last one month has recruited and placed in training, another 1,850 persons nationwide under the Community-Based Training Scheme (CBTS)”

    ”Ladies and gentlemen, in another two months this number of persons shall be resettled to commence small scale businesses in the rural communities across Nigeria”

    “Similarly, Three Hundred and Seventy (370) newly trained agricultural entrepreneurs under the NDE Commercial Farmers Training Project (CFTP) have received soft loans amounting to N137m Thirty Seven Million Naira to start agro-businesses in each j state of the Federation and the FCT”

    “Ladies and gentlemen I am happy to inform you that this scheme complements the proposed Federal Government programme’ called “Teach Nigeria’’ which will soon take off”

    “In the face of all these laudable efforts and programmes, it is pertinent that all well meaning Nigerians should rally round the Federal Government in its quest to turn around the fortunes of our great nation”

    “I will not end this address without placing on record my gratitude to the Government and good people of Anambra State for the conducive operational environment and support they have provided the NDE to function within” Ngige said.

    The acting Director General, (NDE), Mr. Kunle Obayan, said the initiative was under a fresh scheme called the Artisans Resettlement and Mentoring Scheme (ARMS).

    “The desire of the (NDE) over the years has always been to empower all beneficiaries of our skills training programmes and what is happening here today is that change we desired for,” Obayan said.

     

  • Orji gives farming a push

    Orji gives farming a push

    Former Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has provided farming inputs for growers in his constituency.

    Orji, who now represents Abia Central District at the Senate, gave out fertiliser-spraying tools to farmers as he concluded the first phase of his constituency outreach.

    Speaking at the ceremony in Umuahia, he said he was simply demonstrating why his people sent him to the Senate, adding that he hoped beneficiaries would make judicious use of the equipment.

    He said, “This item is fertiliser-spraying equipment which is used to spray the farm with liquid fertiliser instead of the normal hand application of fertiliser.”

    The senator told the farmers to try the implement out on their farms to see if they work well, in which case, they should request for more.

    Orji said, “Those who will get any of the several empowerment items should use them judiciously, while those who may not get should wait for another outreach.

    “This programme is a continuous exercise, as there will be more empowerment programmes from me,” Senator Orji said.

    He noted that he is at the senate for their own good and that whenever anything comes out from the National Assembly which is meant for them, he will be there to get their own for them without any delay.

    The senator explained the essence of the programme, for which he set up a committee.

    He said, “I charged [the committee members] to go to the rural areas to get those who are really in need of the items and will make use of them and not those who will get them and turn around the next day to  sell them.”

    Earlier in his speech the chairman of the ceremony, Chief Uzodinma Okpara said that they are not surprised that their senator is empowering the people of his constituency, as he had done the same while he was the governor of the state.

    Okpara, the son of the late Premier of the defunct Eastern Nigeria recalled that while Orji was the governor he brought security, peace and political stability to the state, “which were the several reasons we decided to send him to the Senate”.

    He charged those who will benefit from the empowerment programme to make good use of the items to enable them to be self dependent and also help them to ensure that their families are well fed.

    In their various speeches Chief Allen Nwachukwu who spoke for Isiala Ngwa North and South and Osisioma council areas said that within the few months Orji has been at the senate, “He is doing this, then when he stays four years and more there will be a tremendous change in our  areas”.

    Col Austin Akobundu (rtd), who spoke for Umuahia North and South and Ikwuano council areas, described Orji as a senator very dear to their hearts and assured his people that more good things are still on the way with Orji as their senator.

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu described Orji as the pillar of democracy and equity in the state, stressing that his political ingenuity led to his emergence as the governor of the state.

    Ikpeazu who was represented by Chief Henry Ikoh, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, said Orji’s empowerment programme is not a surprise to him.

    “It is part of dividends of democracy and I urge the beneficiaries to make good use of the items,” he said.

    Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Samuel Enyeribe thanked the senator for the gesture of which the physically challenged also benefitted.

    Some of the items given out to the people included two buses, 15  wheelchairs, 15 motorcycles, 21  sewing machines, 100 fertiliser spraying machines, eight tricycles, 21 grinding machines and 20 power generating sets.

  • Traders to Ikpeazu: get rid of extortioners, stop relocation plan

    The leadership of National Association of Nigeria Traders (NANTS) at Ariaria International Market, Aba, Abia State has cried out over what they called harassments and threats of their members by persons posing as agents of the state government.

    The traders urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to get rid of the people who repeatedly extort them.

    NANTS officers also urged the governor to shelve the government’s plan to relocate traders to a new site.

    In a two-page letter addressed to Ikpeazu captioned “Plea for your urgent intervention in respect of indiscriminate harassment of traders and threat to demolish shops at Ariaria International Market, Aba” the traders alleged that some people who pose as agents of government under various names have been coming to the market to extort money, sometimes claiming they were sent by the governor.

    A part of the letter signed by Chairman Michael Aniorji and Secretary Ben Amaechi, read in part, “We write to bring to the attention of Your Excellency the atrocities going on at Ariaria International Market, Aba with particular reference to the daily indiscriminate harassment of traders at the market by touts and other people posing as agents of government. Some of them claim to come from office of the Governor, while others claim to come from office of the Deputy Governor. They go by different names such as Abia State Market Development Committee, Abia Urban Renewal, Task Force or simply People from Governor’s Office. These people extort money from the traders and threaten to demolish shops if they are not ‘settled’. Right now, many shops in Ariaria International Market have been marked for demolition even when these shops are clearly located within the approved areas.

    “Traders in Ariaria International Market are now confused and do not know who to listen to or who to obey as these people with conflicting demands are claiming to be working for the Abia State Government. As a result of the activities of these enemies of the state coupled with the continued flooding of the market, most traders no longer pay their rents and storage fees.”

    “Many are now relocating to Akwa Ibom and other neighbouring states in groups. If this development is not checked now, Ariaria International Market, Aba will soon become a place for few traders… these facts can be verified so that if Your Excellency so desires, he can set up an Independent Investigation Panel to determine the truth or otherwise of our allegations.”

    The market union reiterated its support for the state government.

    They also commended the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads in Aba by the state government even as they pleaded that such government gestures should be extended to roads leading traders and investors to the Ariaria International Market which are in deplorable state especially, Ukwu Mango, Umule, Faulks road amongst others.

    In a related development, shop owners at Park I, II, A-line Zone, C-line lockup zone, respectively in Ariaria International Market has urged the state governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu to consider rescinding its action of relocating them from their present location.

    The state government through a radio announcement had directed dealers on Mobile Phone and its accessories, Electronic dealers at Pound road, Hospital road and amongst to relocate to the Aba Mega Mall, Osisioma.

    But the traders said they feared that the decision of the state to relocate them to the Aba Mega Mall would displace over 2000 traders from their legal means of livelihood.

    According to one of the traders who simply gave his name as Goodluck, majority of the traders were allocated their shops by the past government when the place was still a shanty which they used their money raise them to block shops.

    “Should we at this time be uprooted from our investments and livelihood and thrown unto untold hardship of relocating to a private landlord’s property where we are not even sure of our future, it is not going to be in the interest of the traders. We are not civil servants that depend on their pension to survive. This is our pension. Most of us have spent over 40 years here and government should see reasons why it should rescind its decision because of the negative effect it will have on our businesses.”

  • Enugu, China in N11b housing pact

    Enugu, China in N11b housing pact

    In its effort to provide housing for all, the Enugu State government has teamed up with a firm FIT Consult Ltd for the development of New Independence Layout in the Enugu metropolis.

    The project, expected to gulp N11 billion, is to be undertaken by the Shenyang Yuanda Commercial Company Ltd, a Chinese firm. The new estate would also take the pattern of Chinese housing estates known as the Heliu Residences.

    Facilities to be enjoyed in the estate include 24 hour water supply, 24 hour security, serviced plots, paved roads, street lights, recreation club, shopping mall, sidewalks and parks.

    The state Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Hon. Solomon Onah told reporters at the presentation of the housing project that such estate has not been developed anywhere in the Southeast.

    Onah noted that since the creation of Enugu state 25 years ago, no new area has been developed in a proper manner, with full modern facilities until now.

    He explained that the Heliu Residences at the New Independence Layout is to be constructed in partnership with a consortium of local and international companies led by FIT Consult Limited.

    He threw some light on the project, saying, “This is a Public-Private partnership, where the state government is contributing the land required, while the consortium will develop the infrastructure, so that the serviced plots can be made available for individual development. The estimated total cost of infrastructure is about N3.5billion and we hope that the much needed revenue the state seeks will come from the sales of the plots while providing job opportunities for our teeming youths.”

    Presenting the specifics of the project, the managing partner of the FIT Consult Limited, Chief Loretta Aniagolu explained that FIT Consult and its consortium would provide financing to construct the infrastructure and houses.

    She said that total estimated infrastructure cost is N3.5billion while estimated housing construction cost is N7.5billion. She further explained that only single family or twin family duplexes and bungalows are permitted and not exceeding two floors of ground and first.

    According to Aniagolu, a plot of land at the estate is obtainable at between N9.5million and N10billion and allocation is within 10 working days of down payment while the certificate of occupancy is obtained within 14 working days of payment of statutory fees.

    “All home construction must commence by March 2017 and money back guarantee of infrastructure not provided by March 2017,” stressed Aniagolu.

    The Chinese managing partner, Xin Jiang Johnny in his contribution said the estate is in two sections. One will be fully developed by the consortium while the other to be built by individuals but strictly to the specifications.”

  • UNN graduates 63 physiotherapists

    No fewer than 63 physiotherapists have graduated from the University of Nigeria, with new Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Enugu campus (UNEC) Prof Smart Uchegbu urging them to stick to the ethics of the profession and work with the fear of God.

    Uchegbu, who represented Vice Chancellor Prof Chukwuma Ozumba, at the induction of the graduates at UNEC, expressed the hope that with the quality training they received during their study, they would excel. He said that although the global economy was in bad shape, the graduates should not cut corners or enrich themselves at the expense of patients.

    Presenting the physiotherapists to the Registrar, Medical Rehabilitation Therapist Board of Nigeria (MRTB) for induction, the Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Dr. Anthonius Ezeukwu stated that despite the numerous achievements recorded by the department in its 24-year history, there were still some teething problems needing to be addressed by the university administration to enable it to consolidate on the gains made so far.

    Ezeukwu described as the youngest head of the department since its inception, submitted that the overwhelming and increasing quest for admission into their programme put enormous pressure on their facilities and personnel.

    Speaking further, he said, “Clinical students are finding it difficult to secure the minimum clinical 2000 hours required to acquire sound clinical training, as they have to go in batches in order to access limited clinical facilities in the various hospitals within our catchment area and this has affected the capacity of our classrooms, library, laboratory and personnel demands”.

    The lecturer identified the non-appointment of specialist physiotherapists in the department as consultants to the teaching hospitals in their areas of expertise as one of their greatest problems.

    He said, “This appointment is critical considering that the department has been operating for the past 24 years and should have all necessary staff complement in place by now.”

    Explaining further, Ezeukwu said, “In fact recently, this challenge attracted the attention of the visiting National Universities Commission, NUC Accreditation team and our external examiners who heavily criticised the programme, and the main reason for their displeasure is that there is lack of recognised clinical training programme for students, since staff of the department are not authorised to teach their students, using, the teaching hospital patients”.

    He also disclosed that a proposal has been sent to the university administration to expand the department to accommodate other aspects of the profession, adding that the department had secured a large space for laboratory and needed equipment in the Electrotherapy Unit, Gymnasium, Occupational Therapy equipment and other facilities.

    The head of department expressed joy that after passing through a very turbulent period in the history of the department, since assuming office August last year, they still produced one of the few first-class students of UNN at its last 45th convocation ceremony at Nsukka recently, even as he noted that 106 students of the department were inducted in 2015 against this year’s 63, despite challenges.

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was represented by the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Charles Ndukwe, the Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, UNN, Prof. Kalu Agwu, traditional rulers, the clergy and the academia were in attendance.