The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • Igbo in Ogun allege marginalisation

    Ahead of next month’s election, the Igbo community in Ogun State has alleged that its people were marginalised in the running of the state, threatening to vote only for politicians who would improve their welfare

    The group alleged that Igbo people were being excluded in the politics, and other important sectors of governance in Ogun State despite their huge contribution to the economic development of the state.

    The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ogun State, Ogbuefi  Austine Nkeze, who  stated this during a media briefing

    in Ifo  local Government Area of the state, noted that they had  been living in harmony with their host communities.

    He said: “It is indisputable that Ndigbo constitute over thirty per cent of the state population. Our contribution and participation in the political, economic and social engineering of the state is well known to the whole world.

    “ but we  have been continuously marginalized in the scheme of things in Ogun state. We are just remembered a few days to general elections, when some politicians would visit us  as individuals or minor groups and after collecting our  votes, abandon us  until another four years. In fact, we become important Nigerians in Ogun state once in four years.

    Towards this end, the Igbo leadership in the state led by Eze W.O Ejimkonye, has created the Ndigbo Political Committee headed y High Chief Vitalis Onwuelezi  to carefully study the manifestos of all the political parties,  antecedents  and pedigrees  of the candidates  to support in each particular election, even as he stressed that the era of  rice,  Ankara and Semovita was over.

    Speaking at the occasion, Chief  Vitalis Onwuelezi said in the past ten years, Ndigbo  in Ogun state had nothing to show for their support to successive governments in the state.

    He said:  ”Ogun state is a peaceful state. And we cherish the cordial relationship existing between us and the state government. We only ask that we be   given a sense of belonging. We want government to improve our welfare.

    “Politicians and their various parties should appreciate the contributions Ndigbo are making towards the development of the state and should reciprocate the gesture, by carrying our people along in the scheme of things.

    “We ensured that our people a large number of Ndigbo registered during the registration exercise. Ndi Ezes are united. The era when we could not speak with one voice is over. Now, we are in unity.

    Speaking also the Eze Igbo, Ifo Local Government Area of the state, Eze Ejimkonye, called for the appointments of more Igbos   into boards of parastatals and agencies in the state.

    Meanwhile  25-man Ndigbo Political committee headed by Chief Vitalis Onwuelezi has been set-up to advise the Igbo leadership on which party and /or candidate to support in each particular election. The leadership will in turn take decision and direct Ndigbo accordingly.

     

  • Candidate promises to reinstate sacked Abia workers

    Despite may come the way of non-indigenous workers who were disengaged from the Abia State civil service in 2010. But that is if Chief Chikwe Udensi, the state’s governorship candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), wins the election.

    Speaking at an event where his wife Chidinma distributed gift items to indigent women and widows in Aba, Udensi said that the sufferings of non-native workers disengaged from the state by the incumbent administration would end if he became governor.

    He emphasised that he would not only recall them but also pay their arrears.

    The PPA candidate said he was disturbed by the plight of the workers and decided to make it a priority, if elected, to address the injustice when he learnt that it was only workers from the core Igbo speaking states that were affected.

    He said it was wrong for the Igbo who he stated had been unduly treated in other parts of the country to also suffer the same fate in their land, stressing that it was more disturbing that workers from neighbouring non-Igbo  states were not affected by that mass sack.

    The former National Secretary, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) said apart from recalling the sacked workers, that he would pay their outstanding salaries and other entitlements if he won the election because, according to him, they were unjustly sacked.

    He also promised to pay retirees their pensions and gratuities.

    “Workers have suffered in this state, but I will definitely put smiles on their faces if I become the governor of the state after next month’s election. We are going to ensure that their salaries and other emoluments are paid promptly. A situation where retirees will stay for years without receiving their gratuity and several months before their pension are paid will be a thing of the past under our watch,” he assured.

    Prince Emeka Okafor, PPA state chairman who also graced the event thanked the women for standing solidly behind the party all these years despite all odds, adding “what Abia needs today after years in the doldrums is prosperity” which he said PPA represented and assured that the party would rebuild Aba and others parts of the state if it comes to power by May 29.

    He urged the women in particular and Abians in general to ensure they obtained their permanent voters cards (PVCs) and use them wisely during the election in order to get the desired change.

    The wife of the PPA governorship candidate, Mrs. Udensi said she decided to fete the women at this auspicious time due to her love for the poor in society.

    The organizer of the event said that she had in the past seven years through her NGO catered for the less privileged including widows, orphans and procured drugs HIV patients free, stated that this will be a continuous event.

    Some of the women who spoke randomly to newsmen expressed happiness over the benevolence of the wife of the PPA governorship candidate, stressing that this was the first time the wife  of any governorship candidate would be remembering widows in the state to the level Chidinma did and wished her and her husband well.

  • NGO makes widows happy in Enugu

    NGO makes widows happy in Enugu

    Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Cari-ng Heart Foundation has made 20 indigent widows happy in Enugu State.

    The widows who were drawn from two local government areas of Ibeagwa-Agu and Nimbo in Nsukka and Uzo-Uwani  were promised cash donations that will give them a means of livelihood.

    While presenting the gift items, Mrs. Joy Agbo, President of the foundation in a remark, said their objective is to help orphans, widows and elderly people in the society to alleviate their sufferings and give them a sense of belonging.

    “We are eight women friends that formed this NGO, our objective is to assist indigent widows, orphans and elderly people who have nobody to care for them in Nsukka senatorial district.

    “We are women married in Nsukka and we are living with our husbands in Lagos, this charity oriented foundation gives succor to those who have nobody to look after them.

    “It’s not that we have excess money but we want to use the little we have to put smiles on faces of widows, orphans and elderly, “she said.

    She said that she had one to one talk with benefitting widows and what they said they needed was money to farm to enable them to get something to eat as well as take care of their families.

    ‘Before March this year when farming will start, the foundation will send some amount of money through a volunteer member of the foundation from the local government.

    According to, Mrs Amaka Ugwu, Secretary of the foundation, non-refundable cash donations will be made available to the widows which we will monitor to ensure that the money was used judiciously.

    “When the foundation gives out the money to the widows, we will monitor the use through our volunteers to know if the money is correctly put into use.

    ”You know most times when you give this money to the beneficiaries they may channel it to some other things other than what it was meant for.

    Ugwu said two months ago, the foundation gave some gift items to some orphans that today was the turn of widows adding that in the next three months it would be the turn of elderly people.

    ‘We ensure this charity work is not concentrated in a particular local government by ensuring we select beneficiaries from different LGs that made up the zone, ‘she said

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Mary Ezema said she lacked words to express the happiness in her heart, but pray God to bless the foundation for coming to their rescue.

    “We have nothing to pay them back but only God  will reward them on the year gift and promised to send money to enable us buy farmland and hire labourers ,’she said

    A women leader in Ibegwa Aka community, Mrs. Joy Ezea, who witnessed the event commended the foundation for coming all the way from Lagos to help indigent widows and prayed God to help the foundation in their own point of need.

    “God will surely reward this foundation for remembering the poor in the society, “she said.

  • ‘We celebrate our candidate’

    ‘We celebrate our candidate’

    Two questions came up when the campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan, stopped in Enugu. One was what was in store for the Southeast in the Jonathan second term if he won? The other was, who will Governor Sullivan Chime hand over the party’s flag to?

    The first issue was not quite addressed but Governor Chime quickly stepped in to assure his august guest that the state was behind his candidature.

    Also, Dr. Jonathan cleared the air about who the party’s governorship candidate was: Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    The rally at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium was turned to a carnival of some sorts.

    The crowd that gathered at the stadium had waited endlessly as the event initially billed to start at 10am could not take off until afternoon. During the long wait, gospel artistes and masters of ceremony had a swell time in their effort to fill the gap arising from the late arrival of the President. The two outstanding gospel singers who performed at the occasion, Felix Ndukwe and the Delta state-born Sammy Okposo, gave the audience a full dose of their stuff.

    The singers intermittently sang the praise of President Jonathan, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu PDP candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    President Jonathan turned up at  the stadium at 2.15pm, accompanied by his wife, Dame Patience, Deputy Vice President, Namadi Sambo, National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu,  Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu State PDP governorship candidate, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    Observers pondered soem issues, one of them being the place of Ndigbo in the Jonathan second term, should the President’s bid succeed.

    Governor Sullivan Chime assured Jonathan that the people of the state and indeed the entire Southeast would support his re-election bid.

    “The traditional rulers have told you that you have no business campaigning in Enugu. We are here to support you. We are here to celebrate our governorship candidate, Ugwuanyi”, he told the President.

    One of the items members of the party at the rally and particularly people of Enugu State were anxiously waiting for was the official hand-over of the 2015 governorship flag of the PDP to Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The anxiety over the flag was obvious considering the struggle for the governorship seat.

    Before the rally, there were still pockets of doubts over the actual candidate of the PDP in Enugu State. Recall that one of the contenders to the Lion Building, Senator Ayogu Eze, had claimed to be the PDP candidate in Enugu after holding a parallel governorship primaries in Filbon Hotel, in the New Haven part of the state.

    But with Friday’s rally in Enugu, the struggle for the PDP flag became history as the top leadership of the party, led by Jonathan officially handed over the flag to Ugwuanyi, who is about rounding off his third term in the House of Representatives.

    At the flag-off ceremony, Muazu, who was called up to the podium after Ikeje Asogwa and Governor Chime had presented their addresses, added to the profile of Ugwuanyi. The national chairman of the party said: “this is one of the most popular candidates I have ever met in this period of electioneering in our country”. He called on other aspirants who had run against the candidate to join hands with him and the party while also urging Ugwuanyi to work with all party faithful, whether they had run against him or not.

    He paid tributes to elder statesmen in the Southeast region such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and others who have contributed immensely to the development of the country.

    He thanked people of the Southeast for their show of support and solidarity for the PDP which has made the party grow in leaps and bounds.

    Muazu thereafter formally handed over the party’s governorship flag to Ugwuanyi, declaring that it was a flag of victory from the PDP. Hon. Ugwuanyi enjoys overwhelming support of Enugu PDP stakeholders, and the party faithful, many of whom have constituted over 100 support groups working to actualise his ambition.

    Recall that the party stakeholders in the three senatorial districts of the state had long adopted him as consensus governorship candidate before the primary election.

    A chieftain of the party and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon USA Igwesi described the handover of party flag to Ugwuanyi as a confirmation of victory for the PDP in Enugu State.

    He said that the development showed that the PDP believes in the popular will of the people.

    Chairman of the PDP in Amachalla/Ikpuiga ward, Mr Hyacinth Urama, praised the PDP for ensuring the maintenance of internal democracy in the party.

    Speaking with reporters after receiving the flag, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi thanked the party and the people of Enugu State for the confidence reposed in him and assured that he would consolidate on the current gains and take the state to the next level of development.

    The Enugu PDP governorship flag bearer who promised a robust campaign enthused: “The presentation of the party’s flag to me by the President and our National Chairman is a call to duty, a charge to work hard with my governor and the rest of the team to deliver Enugu State to the PDP 100 per cent as has been the tradition; and that I will surely do, God being my helper”.

    Many curious supporters were quick to notice that Ayogu Eze, the Senate Committee chairman on Works, was conspicuously absent in the PDP rally. It was observed that few members of the PDP who still show solidarity to the Enugu North Senator were also not near the crowded stadium venue of the rally.

    What many took away from the rally was that Enugu is a strong PDP state but critical observers point out that the main challenge is how to convert the large turnout to actual votes.

  • Enugu gets N500m for 1600 micro-enterprises

    Enugu gets N500m for 1600 micro-enterprises

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released N500 million to the Enugu State government to finance 1600 micro-enterprise borrowers as recommended by Enugu SME Center under the state micro, small and medium enterprise development program (MSMEDP).

    The Special Adviser to Governor Sullivan Chime on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Mr Anayo Agu who disclosed this in a release said the fund represented the first tranche of over 3500  potential beneficiaries of the Enugu State-CBN micro, small and medium enterprise development fund (MSMEDF).

    Mr Agu said that the second tranche comprising of small and medium enterprise borrowers, is expected before the end of January 2015.  He added the release of the funds was a fulfillment of the promise made by Governor Sullivan Chime to make capital available for small entrepreneurs to prosper and for rural farmers to grow.

    Mr Agu emphasised that the state SME loan is open to every entrepreneur and enterprise in Enugu State irrespective of political affiliation, faith or state of origin adding that subject to the program’s guidelines, an applicant including a farmer, a cooperative society, or an NGO may borrow as little as 100,000 naira for one year for a micro venture and as much as 50 million naira for five years to build a small or medium cottage industry.

    He further disclosed that  the Enugu State government paid the 3 per cent cost of the N2 billion available to the state from CBN under the scheme and waived it to potential borrowers in order to  make the soft loan very attractive to qualified applicants, .

    Additionally, it approved that the participating microfinance banks earn only 6 per cent as administrative charge or interest rate per annum inclusive of all bank charges for the three categories of loans under the fund.

    It would be recalled that Enugu State was one of the twelve states that signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CBN on July 24 2014 under the CBN 220 billion naira micro, small and medium enterprise development fund (MSMEDF).

    Over the past five months, the State Special Purpose Vehicle (S-SPV) for the fund, Enugu SME Center in association with the Ministry of Human Capital Development and Poverty Alleviation, has prospected for borrowers and held outreaches in almost every local council, major commercial town and religious denomination in Enugu State.

     

  • Monarch urges peace

    Monarch urges peace

    One of the oldest monarchs in Ngwa area of Abia State, HRM Isaac Ikonne has called on politicians in the state and across the country to embrace peace during and after the electioneering process.

    The traditional ruler of Eziama said that the need for peace cannot be overemphasised.

    The revered traditional ruler was speaking when the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage visited him on the party’s campaign tour of the state.

    The revered king said the unity of the country should be paramount to every politician and all Nigerians.

    “As you politicians criss-cross the country to canvass for votes you should allow peace be your watchword and this will in turn guarantee the unity of the country which I believe is paramount and sacrosanct.”

    Eze Ikonne drew the attention of the former military Head of State to the deplorable condition of federal roads in Aba which he said needed urgent attention of the federal government to put in place to help commuters and motorists reduce their sufferings and save importers the cost of conveying their goods to the commercial heartbeat of the state.

    The monarch also drew his august visitor’s attention to lack of water and ineffective power supply, urging him to address these issues if God granted him victory at the polls.

    Highpoint of the event was the conferment and decoration of Ogbuagu 1 of Aba chieftaincy title on General Buhari by Eze Ikonne while 24 other traditional rulers assisted.

    Responding, General Buhari promised to tackle the numerous problems facing Aba in particular and the Southeast in general. He aslo urged the people to vote, adding that the conferment of the title has opened another chapter of a relationship between him and Abia people.

    Some APC stalwarts who witnessed the event were Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, ex-Governor Segun Oni, senators Osita Izunaso and Chris Nwabueze Ngige, among other members of the party.

  • Community dedicates cathedral

    Community dedicates cathedral

    Over 100 priests, including 30 Bishops and the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor were watching as the Anglican Primate, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh dedicated St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Umuchu in Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State. The massive structure was built by Mr. Godwin Ezeemo.

    The retired Dean, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Maxwell Anikwenwa and the first female governor in Nigeria, Dame Virgy Etiaba were also there.

    However, Okoh in his sermon warned that the church should not be used for politics.

    “This house is no longer Ezeemo’s, but God’s place, it is the embassy of God; the Almighty has already taken possession of the place”

    ”He has given us a completed church which is phase I and it is time to build phase II which is the building of human beings and this takes a long time to accomplish.”

    “The human beings are the temple of God because God lives in us, we must do things that will please Him, so, we should be careful”

    “It is the duty of the Bishop to handle the worship place of God, you have done your work for building God’s place, but do not meddle in it, otherwise, there will be crisis,” Okoh warned.

    Speaking with The Nation, the organizing secretary of the building committee, Mr. Ken Iloh, said when the philanthropist proposed the project, that it was like thunder out of the blues.

    He said the entire members of the community were like, was it a dream? Adding that God sent Ezeemo to Umuchu community

    Also, Mrs. May Ononuju, former President, Umuchu Women Wing, Lagos branch, told The Nation that what the man did in the community could only be equated with what happens  abroad.

    The community had been in agony for lack of amenities including roads, but today, with Ezeemo’s presence, those things that were lacking in the area are now present.

    “We thank God for giving this remote community a person like Godwin Ezeemo, he is a blessing to not only the community but to the people in Anambra in general”.

    For Mr. Dona Agupusi, the pocket of the man who made it possible for the area to have such a massive church would never run dry.

    At the church service Ezeemo told the congregation that he did not do it for anybody to praise him, rather it was a kind of agreement with God.

    Furthermore, he said it was also a kind of alleviating the sufferings of the people and reducing their burdens, especially the widows and less privileged in the society who always donates for such projects in the rural areas.

    He said he was willing to donate some of his belongings to the church, for the purpose of evangelism, adding “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”

    Before now, Ezeemo had built a two-storey building for the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Anambra state which the state government or any other person had failed to do in the state.

    The last child in a family of seven, will soon celebrate his 61 years of existence on earth from a highly illustrious and devout Christian family.

  • ‘The rich should help others grow’

    ‘The rich should help others grow’

    Sir Chris Nkwonta, businessman and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senatorial candidate, in this interview with journalists, among whom was SUNNY NWAN-KWO, speaks on sundry issues, including his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and chances of victory in his battle to represent Abia South in the Senate. Excerpts:

    You withdrew from the 2011 race, why?

    Well, I did not participate because when you are engaging in a process you have already known the outcome, then I do not see any reason why I should continue to be part of that process. You know I campaigned vigorously in all the nooks and crannies of Abia State, selling myself to the people. I went to virtually all six Local Governments in Abia South, I ended up at the zone and I was ready to win, then three days to the party primary, I was told there was supposedly instruction that the sitting senator should return and I felt that was injustice; I felt that the Ukwa people and the Ngwa people have rotated this position every eight years, I felt it was wrong for two positions to be zoned to one Local Government and I felt that in the last eight years, not much has been done in terms of senatorial representation. That was why I decided to move to APGA on which platform I’m going to contest and by the grace of God, I’m going to win.

    APGA is hardly known in Abia; where lies your optimism?

    I think we should be looking more at the individuals and not the party per se. What is a political party without human beings? Human beings make up a political party and in any political party where the preponderance of men and women are not good people, what do you expect or where the fielded candidate is not acceptable to the people? So, I think we should go beyond that and unmask the individual who is the person that is running on this party platform. I have been around for quite some time, people know me and I believe there are people who are not happy with the way I have been treated by the PDP, they are there, they are waiting. So, I do not have any problems with the fact that APGA is not as strong as, maybe, the PDP. I believe that my popularity, my acceptance, the programme that I will put in place once I become the senator of Abia South will endear people to me.

    If I get to the senate, I will ensure I contribute towards the process of making quality legislation in the Upper Chambers of the National Assembly. I will also empower youths and bring about the development of Abia South because as a senator, you have network of contacts with other senators including those that will be over seeing the Works Ministry, those that will be overseeing the educational and other sectors. I’m saying this because one of the problems we have in this country is that we have teeming unemployed youths and one of the things I am going to do is that youths will be empowered. I have already started doing that through the Chris Nkwonta Foundation where we have trained over 148 persons as we speak now. I will also ensure that infrastructure gets to the zone that I represent through a synergy between me and the government at the state level, so these are some of the things that I have in mind if I’m elected.

    I will not close my eyes to the bad network of roads in my zone. Though as a senator, you may really not be awarding contracts, but I am of the opinion that any senator that is representing his or her people very well should be able to attract federal presence to his zone. Go to Enugu State and see what Senator Ekweremadu is doing, go to Benue and see what David Mark is doing. I believe that if you are able to sell yourself amongst your peers, amongst your colleagues in the National Assembly, you should be able to bring about a rejuvenation in terms of the state of infrastructure in the state where you come from. For example, we have a federal road that runs from Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State to Obehie in Abia. The contract for that road was awarded in 2006 and up till now, nothing much has been done.

    The question is why is it so? Any senator that is worth to be called a senator should have highlighted this. He should have drawn the situation to the attention of the federal authority.

    Being rich, why are you going to the Senate? 

    Well, I’m not aware I’m rich, but assuming I’m rich as you have said and stay in the comfort of my home and get detached from the larger society, of what use is that wealth? So, basically, what is propelling, pushing and driving me is to be able to do more, to leverage on the political platform and be able to reach out to people by way of employment because if you are rich and the people around you are poor, by definition, you are a poor man.

    In every community, you find people that God has elevated, God may not elevate everybody. God in His wisdom will choose one or three persons and it is for a purpose and if you understand that purpose, then your days will be long and whatever God has given you will not diminish. And what is that purpose? God wants to use you as a caretaker which is to say, ‘I have given you this and I want through you to reach other people’ and that is basically what I have been doing so far and this is what I will continue doing when I’m  in the senate. My mission in politics is service.

    What is your selling point?

    As I speak with you now, I’m not carrying any political baggage, I’m unencumbered, and I’m free. Again, you need to look at my antecedents, what I have been able to do even before venturing into politics and then juxtapose that with what the incumbent senator has done or is doing, if any.

    The edge I have over others is that I am someone who is development oriented, I am someone who feel for people, I am someone who would want to see things done properly. I am not if you like the conventional politician, I’m a businessman who is in politics, that is the selling point I have.

    People talk about experience, but let me tell you about experience, how does it start? By the time you get into the National Assembly and spend a month to three months even if you are a dummy, you should be able to understand the workings, the mechanics and the way things work there.

    If you look at all that I have been able to do so far in my life; people that I have granted scholarships, people that I have taken abroad for medical attention, it will give you an idea as to what edge I have over the other people.

    Recently, I read in the newspaper that Senator Smart Adeyemi distributed 50 vehicles and gave out N10m cash to members of his constituents, that is empowerment. But here have you heard of any such largesse?

    Who has drawn the attention of the condition of federal roads in Abia South to the federal government? What is the essence of going to represent people? Is it not to look after their welfare, to protect them?  What we have seen in the past seven and half years is abysmal failure, so I will go there to make a difference.

    Are you satisfied with the level of development in the state?       

    No, a whole lot of work needs to be done especially in Abia South and Aba in particular.

    People said you left the PDP because you were not a loyal party man?          

    If anything, it’s PDP that is not loyal. But then how do you define loyalty, what does loyalty mean? In 2011, I was a clear winner of that primary election, but on the night before the election, touts were brought in as delegates. I had ample evidence to go to court or leave the party at that time, but I did not.

    When the party’s reconciliation committee led by General Ike Nwachukwu came to my house, the first thing I did was to play a video clip of what happened in the field to them and when they saw it, they knew there were no primaries. But I told them that as a loyal party person, I would accept their pleading, that I would remain with the party and that I would support the party and I did.

    In 2011 immediately after the primary, when I invited the Governor T.A Orji to my house, I hosted him here, collapsed my structure and gave him two brand new buses plus other things I did for him and asked all my supporters to work for him. What does that tell you, loyalty or disloyalty?

    Then in 2012, I came out to run for governor and there was this argument that because of our numerical strength and because of the fact that governorship was coming to Abia South for the first time, that we should allow our Ngwa brothers to go first and at that time, I was getting a whole lot of support from Abia North. There was nowhere I did not go and after telling them what I would do if I became the next governor of Abia state, they all accepted me. But when I was prevailed upon, I said okay, fine, let me go and run for the Senate. What do you call that, loyalty or not loyalty?

     

     

  • Monarchs back governorship candidate

    Monarchs back governorship candidate

    Traditional rulers from Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State have said who they want to succeed Chief Theodore Orji in the Government House next year. It is former Managing Director, Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    The traditional rulers made their position known during a meeting with the governorship candidate at the palace of His Royal Majesty, Eze Sunday Nwankwo of Umuaku, Isuochi.

    They said that what informed their decisions to support his candidature was simply because of the pedigree of Otti and their conviction that he would do better if elected the governor of the state.

    Some of the traditional rulers who spoke in turns, including the host, Eze Nwankwo lauded the former Diamond Bank MD for not only taking the financial institution to an enviable height but also using his former position to provide job opportunities for unemployed Abia graduates.

    The traditional rulers who lamented that the Abia State Government was yet to pay them their three months salary arrears pleaded with the APGA governorship candidate to treat them the way governors of their southeast; Enugu, Anambra amongst counterparts treat their traditional rulers when he emerges the governor of the state.

    In his response, Otti who thanked the traditional rulers for their warm reception promised that his administration was going to focus on urban and rural development programmes to spread dividend of democracy across the state.

    The APGA candidate who boasted of team of professionals among his campaign organisation said they were carefully chosen because of their backgrounds and antecedents, adding that he was optimistic that team was not going to disappoint the Abia electorates if voted in power.

    According to him, “We have been led in the past by people that don’t have vision. It is important for Abians to look for people that are self made and people with proven characters and records. We have carefully selected people that we know that will deliver this state. Through a careful study on Abia State by experts that we consulted, we have been able to identify some of the major problems facing the state which we shall tackle as soon as our administration comes on board”.

    The visitor who said he has so much respect for the traditional institution also assured them that his administration would take care of the traditional rulers needs even as he promised that development in all parts of the state would be simultaneously.

    In an interview, Otti described the visit as part of his campaign programmes to reach out to the people at the grassroots, feel their pulse and sell his manifestoes to the people and convincing them to vote for him and his team.

    He expressed the hope that this year’s election was going to be a lot better than the previous elections going by the promise coming from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s boss (Atahiru Jega) has made to ensure a free and fair polls.

  • Enyimba City ticks again after holidays

    Enyimba City ticks again after holidays

    The hum lessened during the Yuletide. You could hardly hear the clang and jangle of the workmen’s metals or the sustained din of hagglers. Aba, the commercial headquarters of Abia State, lost much of its bustle. But now, it is ticking back to what the people used to know. Artisans, traders, commercial drivers and other residents who travelled out to their hometowns are returning and the Enyimba City is filling up again.

    Some returnees, especially parents making purchases for their children and wards lamented that the economic crunch was still taking its toll on their finances.

    One such parent, Mr. Frank Olewe, said, “I returned to Aba from Item on January 1 because one of my daughters’ school resumed on the 4th and her other siblings including those at the university will be resuming soon. So I am here to buy some of the things that they will need for the term. We thank God for granting us the grace into 2015, but the truth is that majority of the civil servants are finding it hard especially as some of us are yet to receive our salaries”.

    Another parent, Gideon Offor who said he worked in a private firm, said, he was in the market to buy things for his kids before prices of goods and other commodities got out of reach of low income earners as was usually the case in January when most traders capitalise on the limited goods to exploit traders.

    “Most companies from my experience usually take stock from December until sometime mid-January when they will start supplying goods in the market. So some of the traders who stocked products that are in demand will always hike their prices because from experience, it is usually like that in January and that is why I am here before the market gets crowded”.

    A trader who sells textbooks at Ariaria International lamented low patronage blaming publishers for supplying books and other learning materials to schools that persuades parents to buy from the school instead of coming to the market to patronize them.

    The situation was not the same at school road market where parents and people that sells school bags in commercial quantity were seen making choices of school bags for sell and their kids. Some of them who commented said school bags were part of the inevitable that children needs and can be affordable for parents of any class depending on the person’s choice and taste.

    However, visit round some of the commercial park reveal that until the time of this report people are still coming back the hinterlands and other places where they spent their Christmas, a few of the commuters including Mrs. Ngozi Chika told our reporter that she was coming back from one of the northern states and would not be going until the 2015 election ends.

    According to Chika, there is so much tension surrounding this election. My family (Children) came back December. My husband is no more and I can’t risk my life and that of my children staying in the north until this coming election passes by. Until the election ends and swearing-in of whoever that will emerge the president takes place, we are not going to go back. At least, we can talk about feeding for now and talk about how my children can continue with their studies later”, she said.

    However, while the Christmas returnees were enjoying a relative peace and secured environment, the Aba Area Commander, ACP Peter Wagbara in a chat with The Nation attributed the peace recorded within his command during the festive period to the commitment of men and officers in his command towards achieving the instructions and directives of the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba and Abia State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim that police in Nigeria and Abia State should humble, loyal and dedicated to their duties.

    According to Wagbara, “we also adopted a proactive operational strategy such as visibility policing; where police were seen in almost all the nooks and crannies of the city, because we believe that high visibility policing will scare hoodlums from taking the advantage that people left their homes for the hinterlands to come and loot their properties. Our men patrolled with their vehicle and on foot including stop and search points, all in a bid to ensure a crime free festive period.

    “Adhering to the IGP’s and CP’s directives has helped in the reduction of crime and criminality drastically within the Aba and Abia Command. It might interest you to know that in this command (Aba Area Command) throughout the festive period and ass the moment that I am talking with you (Tuesday), we have not recorded any crime in the command.

    “We have enjoyed a robust relationship with Aba residents which also yielded to the success we recorded during the festive period and to ensure that we maintain the standard, we are going to organise routine seminars and lectures for our officers and men to ensure that they didn’t drift from the attitudinal change.

    “We are also collaborating with other security agencies in Aba, its environs and the state at large to ensure that we synergized to curb crime rate in Aba and its environs”.

    He further appealed to the general public to provide the police with valuable information that would to the minimal reduction of crime rate in the commercial city that host a lot of business groups and economic activities on daily basis.