The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • Agency warns politicians over billboards

    The Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA), has threatened to take senators Andy Uba and Margery Okadigbo to court for refusing to pay for their billboards.

    Also, the agency has warned other senatorial, House of Representatives and state Assembly aspirants to pay for the use of billboards or risk having the structures dismantled.

    Briefing reporters in Awka, the managing Director of (ANSAA), Sir Jude Emecheta said that Uba and Okadigbo had not paid the state government since inception, describing them as worst offenders.

    Before now, the state commissioner for information, culture and Tourism, Chief Tony Onyima had put up an announcement citing the Anambra State physical planning law 2013 that forbids the erection or display of bill boards without approval.

    According the Onyima, “ANSAA will bring down all illegal billboards, banners and posters and prosecute all those pasting posters on electric poles, public buildings, road dividers, roundabouts and all unauthorized surfaces”.

    However, Emecheta said that5 the amount to be paid by6 the contestants rages between three hundred and fifty thousand (N350, 000) to five million naira (N5m) dependi9ng on the size.

    The aspirants are not paying anything to (ANSAA) which is against the law, we will dismantle all the bill boards mounted by such aspirants and drag them the court”.

    He said that only few persons like the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grande Alliance (APGA) Chief Victor Umeh, Kidilinye Okelekwe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had started paying their bills.

    Aspirants are advised to go through Advertising Agency of Nigeria (AAN) or force the consequences of their billboards being removed”

    Emecheta further said that (ANSAA) had not given any permission to any aspirants to any aspirant or any outdoor company to erect new bill boards in the state.

     

  • Varsity gets 600-seat capacity new auditorium

    The new auditorium has lifted the spirits of the university community. With a 600 seating capacity and not bad to look at, staff and students of Abia State University, Uturu know that something good has happened to them and have been celebrating since its inauguration.

    The building was put up, equipped and donated by Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, the president, Masters Energy and governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    The ceremony attracted dignitaries from different parts of the state.

    Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Ogah said he built the structure to improve the environment in which the students and the management carry out their activities.

    He went further to debunk allegations that his gesture was politically motivated.

    “The institution is very dear to us in this state and as a result, it is important that we do everything within our power to make it one of the best in the country.

    “When you check the list of the states in the country, you will find that Abia State comes first. We therefore must keep the flag of the state flying by contributing our best to its development in every area of life.

    “The gesture is not politically motivated. It is one of my little ways of giving back to the society. I am proud to be a citizen of this great state and would not hesitate in contributing to the well being of the people and the society at large.”

    The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Chibuzor Ogbuagu expressed appreciation to Dr Ogah for his magnanimity, assured that ‘the institution will reciprocate your kind gesture by making good use of the building’.

    The Anglican Bishop of Isiala Ngwa, Dr. Nwaobia, also lauded the donor for his generosity to the people of the state.

    He prayed that God will bless him and wished him success in his endeavours.

  • Elechi’s wife provides jobs tools for women

    Elechi’s wife provides jobs tools for women

    Wife of Ebonyi State governor, Mrs. Josephine Elechi has stepped up her passion for women with the provision of jobs tools for them. Her skill acquisition programmes often organised in conjunction with the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have helped several women in the state. The youth and physically challenged drawn from the 13 local government areas of the state also benefit from the schemes.

    Mrs. Elechi’s pet project, Mother and Childcare Initiative (MCCI) set up the National Obstetric Fistula Centre in Abakaliki, which has been taken over by the federal government and run by the Federal Ministry of Health.

    The centre under the administration of the Medical Director, Prof. Sunday Oduoye and supervised by Mrs. Elechi has provided free surgical intervention for about 1,785 VVF clients from over 20 states of the federation and 473 women with uterine disorders.

    On cancer eradication, over 764 clients have been screened for prostate cancer while about 12,718 have been checked for breast and cervical cancer free of charge at the screening centre established by Mrs. Elechi at the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki.

    Speaking at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during the 2014 Ebonyi Women’s Day Celebration with the theme: “Women as vanguard for adequate Security in Ebonyi State, the wife of the governor stressed the need for the discouragement of obnoxious practices against women such as forbidding women/girls to inherit, domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape, violence at workplace, forced prostitution and widowhood practices, among others.

    At the event, she provided work items such as sewing machines and hair-dressing kits to women.

    She lamented, however, that despite the increasing participation of women in governance, the rate of violence against them and their persistent deaths due to pregnancy complications and childbirth remain a major problem.

    “On my part, I have through my pet project, MCCI remained steadfast in my commitment to the promotion of healthcare delivery services, welfare programmes for the physically challenged, widows, educational support for orphans and vulnerable children and provision of relief packages for people living with HIV/AIDS among other welfare programmes.

    “It is with great pleasure that I use this opportunity to inform you that this event, like previous years will feature the empowerment of youths/women and indigent widows with equipment in various vocational skills to enable them to be self-reliant and employers of labour, thereby harnessing their socio-economic conditions”.

    In their separate goodwill messages to Ebonyi women, the Head of Service, Mrs. Ugo Nnachi and the State focal person of Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Mrs. Ngozi Obichukwu, extolled the laudable contributions, tenacity and achievements of the Ebonyi woman in different strata of society.

    They added that no amount of challenge and opposition would deter the Ebonyi woman from climbing the ladder of success for the betterment of the state at large.

    In his remarks, the former Minister of Health, Prof. Chukwu praised Mrs. Elechi for her contributions towards the establishment of the National Obstetric Fistula Centre which has benefited women from different parts of the country.

    The occasion witnessed a march past from different women groups and organisations, cultural display and presentation of Award to the Wife of Ebonyi State Governor.

  • 2015: Abia group calls for equity in power sharing

    As 2015 approaches and the dust of the just concluded PDP congresses yet to settle in Abia State, an organisation, Movement for Justice and Equity, has called on the leadership of the PDP across board to ensure that the governorship and senatorial slots of the party zoned to Abia South senatorial zone rotatesý between the people of Ukwa and Ngwa to avoid chaos and protests that may cost the party victory in next year’s general Elections.

    In a statement made available to journalists, in Umuahia, signed by Barrister Alozie Nwakamma and comrade Sylvester Nwamuo, state coordinator and secretary general of the organization respectively, the group commended the Abia State Governor Chief T.A. orji and the state PDP for zoning the Governorship slot to Abia south senatorial zone.

    They said “since Abia South senatorial zone of the state comprises of the people of Ukwa and Ngwa, it is morally and political wrong and defeats all forms of Equity, justice and fairness for either the Ukwaý or Ngwa people to assume both the governorship and senatorialý positions of the zone in next year’s general election”.

    “We shall vehemently reject and oppose it and we urge the PDP not to allude to a ploy in whatsoever guise to take a selfish decision that would affect negatively the electoral fortunes of the PDP in the 2015 elections “they said.

    The group explained that between 1999 – 2007, the senatorial seat of Abia South senatorial zone was occupied by an Ukwa son, and former senate president, Chief Adolphus Wabara after which an Ngwa man, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe assumed the position from 2007 and will exit in 2015 after two tenures served by both of them.

    “It will be practically, politically and morally unacceptable for the senatorial slot to remain in Ngwa land while the Governor also emerges from there and vise-versa.

    “We hereby warn leaders of Abia South senatorial zone to eschew selfish political motives, personal contraptions, absurdity and ensure that the right thing is done in order not to cost the PDP victory next year “they said.

    “The people of Abia south senatorial zone should know that if it was by struggle that it would have been difficult for them to produce the governor of state in the next 22 years but only for Equity and justice that the PDP did that “they said.

    The group called on the leaders of the zone to know that “he that goes for equity should go with clean hands and should act right in order not to sabotage the golden opportunity the present government have provided the zone”.

    The group maintained that any contrary arrangement of any party on this position will be counter-productive.

    Leaders of the PDP in Abia South Senatorial zone last Saturday adopted former Senate President Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu from Obingwa Local Government Area of the state as their sole candidate for the governorship election next year.

    The outgoing senator of the zone, Chief Enyinnaya Abaribe is also from Obingwa Local Government Area while the member representing Ugwunnagbo, Obingwa and Osisioma in the House of Representatives, Hon. Eziuche Ubani also hails from the same council.

    There has been rumours that the outgoing senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe has been given automatic ticket back to the senate but political watchers of the state say this will cause doom for the PDP should the party allow such political blunders.

     

  • Workshop on rural IT Centres in Enugu

    A one-day workshop on rural information Technology centres for the Southeast states was held in Enugu with participants from all the five states of the zone endorsing the Rural Information Technology centres (RITC) sensitisation and sustainability training.

    The workshop was put together by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Foundation for Public Private Partnerships Nigeria (FPPPN) as a major instrument to drive the IT Centres and achieve the purpose of empowering underserved communities and bridging the digital divide would be realised.

    Participants also praised the focus of the papers presented at the workshop which captured the reason behind the RITC project: value addition to Communities; sustaining RITC infrastructure and focus; advocating the use of the PPP option to sustain the RITCs, and how to leverage FPPPN expertise to create partnership for RITC sustainability between NITDA and the private sector.

    The presentation of the chairman of the programme, Engr. Wilson Agu who is also a member of the board of NITDA, representing the South-East, added value to the training by expounding on personal testimonials and that of others on the importance of ICT in growing businesses in all sectors of the economy.

    Agu encouraged participants to make use of the RITCs situated around them to access benefits derivable from ICT.

    At the end, a communique was issued which recommenmded that there be provision of adequate security for the RITCs infrastructure (computers/accessories, alternative power supply facilities, tables and chairs, etc).

    That a manpower development programme for efficient functionality, management of the RITCs be put in place as well as development of a business plan  for the financial sustainability of the RITCs.

    It was also recommended that a multi-stakeholders partnership be formed for the effective management of RITCs a deliberate courting of decision makers to ensure the needed political backing for government funding and patronage.

    Also, demographics that favour youth population should serve as a criteria for selecting locations for siting RITCs and viability assessment and needs assessments should be carried out to determine sustainability of RITC and whether the community of choice understands the need for it.

    It was further recommended that a token sum should be imposed on users of RITCs for maintenance purposes and to ensure community people value them, just as libraries, RITCs should issue registration cards for paid membership.

    The participants unanimously agreed with the leacture paper that the public-private partnership (PPP) option is the best and most viable option for sustaining and maintaining the functionality and performance of the RITCs. Through the PPP arrangement there will be: an infusion of additional capital into the RITCs; improved customer service orientation as a result of performance-driven management; and significant cost savings in the delivery of RITC and its objectives.

  • APC rallies members in Enyimba City

    APC rallies members in Enyimba City

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southeast held an impressive unity rally in Aba, the economic hub of Abia State, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    Unlike the cloudy and rainy weather which   characterised other days of the week, the Enyimba City was very dry and pleasant on the rally day. There was free vehicular and human traffic on the major roads. Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) trooped into the city from the 17 local government areas of the state and other neighbouring states. Traders locked up their shops and headed for the rally ground eager to hear the message of change that the party was bringing to them.

    There was a delay in the programme as a police patrol team restricted early callers from the venue. This was later resolved by the party officials at about 2:00pm and the gate of the Aba Recreation Club was flung open. Over 10,000 APC supporters from the state and beyond were at the venue.

    Among the early chieftains of the party to the venue were Sam Nkire, Chief Okey Nwagbara (APC Vice Chairman, Abia Central), Rt. Hon. Stanley Ugochukwu Ohajuruka (Ikwuano/Umuahia House of Reps aspirant), Hon. Obioma Iheanacho (Abia Central Senatorial District aspirant), Chief Nyerere Anyim and Nath Ikeocha (Abia governorship aspirants) and other state and national officials of the party.

    They were later joined by Chief Osita Izunaso, APC National Organising Secretary, Chief George Moghalu, Emma Enukwu, Hon. John Egbuta, Enyi. C. Enyi, Hon. Onyemaobi, Senator Chris Ngige and Imo State Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha whose entrance triggered wild jubilation among party members and supporters who were happy to have the chairman of APC Governors’ Forum in their midst.

    The organisers of the rally who spoke exclusively to The Nation said that the event was to assure the members across the 17 local government areas of the state that peace has returned to the party after many months of internal bickering, adding that the turnout was a tip of the iceberg compared to what will happen when the party hosts a state rally soon.

    The chairman of the state APC Hon. Donatus Nwankpa expressing his happiness over the large turnout of people said “We didn’t expect to witness this kind of crowd. Some people chartered buses on their own and from the turnout, you will agree with me that the of people the state are tired of the PDP led administration in Abia State and that they are desirous of a change in the way things were done in the state.

    “I can assure you that whatever the PDP administration has failed to provide for Abians will be provided by an APC-led government in 2015.

    “This rally marks the starting point for our movements and actions towards the 2015 election. That is why we called it unity rally, because the rally is designed to bring all groups together to embrace the spirit of peace, love, unity and for the purpose of working as a united front ahead of the 2015 election in the state and the country at large.

    “There was a period of disagreement and within that period of disagreement a lot things happened. The aggrieved members have agreed to sheathe their swords and come together to work for the party’s common goal.

    “The major aim of the party is to give Abians and indeed Nigerians a purposeful leadership, and how do you show leadership? It is when we show some discipline and that discipline is what has come to reign in the party now.

    “The national has come here and conducted election to conclude the inconclusive congress that took place in the state sometime ago which resulted in a lot of grievances and from what is happening now the people at the other side of the divide (factional group) are part of the people that formed the harmonised state structure of which I am the chairman.

    “Chief Okey Nwagbara, the zonal Chairman of the party in Abia Central, my deputy, the Publicity Secretary of the party among other state officers at present were formerly at the other divides, but now we have all come together as a block for the interest of Abians and the party because the party is supreme.

    “So, the interest of the party which represents the interest of the collective wish of the people is what has taken place and the overriding factor today is on our desire to change the bad and maladministration that has bedridden Abia for many, many years now,” APC state chairman stated.

    A chieftain of the party in the state and former Abia State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka said he was happy that the stormy weather in the party has been calmed and thanked Abians for their support and the faith they have on the party.

    Ohajuruka said that the APC was coming to bring the needed change in the state which he said would in turn place the state on the same pace with other APC governed states where the state governors have exceptionally transformed their states.

    Chief Okey Nwagbara, APC Vice Chairman Abia Central, thanked the national leaders of the party for mediating in the crisis that bedeviled the party in the state in the past and expressed optimism that today’s (Friday) rally would set the springboard through which the party would capture the seat of power in the state in 2015.

    Nwagbara however called on Abians and APC supporters to turn out in their numbers in today’s event to embrace the change the APC was bringing to the state.

    Earlier in his speech, the governor of Imo State and one of the presidential hopefuls of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Owelle Rochas Okorocha lamented the ugly and deplorable state PDP led government has left the state and the country and assured Abians that the party would correct such anomalies come 2015 when they produced the next governor of the state.

    According Owelle, “APC is not only going to be the solution to the problems of Abia State alone in 2015, but to the country at large”, stressing that the worst candidate in APC is better than the best PDP candidate.

    On his presidential aspirations, the presidential hopeful said that he was in the race to represent the interest of the ibos who according to him have been relegated behind in the scheme of things in the country by the President Jonathan’s led administration.

    To prove his point, Okorocha listed the absence of an Igbo representative(s) in some of the key and sensitive positions in the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration said it was an intentional act by the PDP leadership to sideline the ibos and make them irrelevant.

    On the insinuations that the party is anti-igbo, the governor of Imo State said “You should ignore the insinuations that APC is a non-Igbo party. If that is the case why do personalities like me, Ogbonaya Onu, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, Senator Osita Izunaso among others in the party? I was the person that gave the party its name. APC is a party for a new Nigeria. It is for the good of the Igbos. PDP has made enough mockery of the Igbo man. All of us are witnesses of how PDP messed up with our brothers; Vincent Ogbulafor, Chuba Okadigbo, Evan Enwerem among others. There is no Igbo man as heads of Customs, Civil Defence, Immigrations, Army and among others in the present PDP government.

    “They will tell us that the President is our brother and I want to tell you that that is not true. Look at the state of Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Look at the state of Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Expressway. What about the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway. A government that claims to have the interest of the Igbos at heart has tactically shut down the economy of the southeast. Cameroonians and other neighbouring African countries are no longer coming to Aba to patronise traders because they can no longer have access to our markets. Is there anything more anti-Igbo than this?

    “There is no hope for the Igbo man in PDP and that is why we must vote them out come 2015. Any Igbo man in PDP is there for his personal aggrandizement and not for the interest of our people. PDP government has nothing to show for in the last 8 years. I am, going there as a presidential aspirant to represent the interest of the Igbo community,” he assured.

    Senator Chris Ngige who could not hide his dissatisfactions over the deplorable nature of infrastructure in the Enyimba city opined that only an APC government in the state would right the wrongs of the PDP government.

    “On my way from Port Harcourt to Aba, it is only in Aba that I saw heap of refuse. It is only in Aba that I encountered bad road. The state of infrastructure in the city that generates money for a state like Abia is so bad and that is what a PDP government can give to Abians. We are going to sweep them (PDP) out of office come 2015 and how are we going to do that, it is by paying them back in their own coins and punishing them through our votes in 2015.

    “We are going to replicate such infrastructural development witnessed in other APC controlled states of Lagos, Edo, Imo and among others in Abia State when an APC government come on board. It is in your (Abians) hands to bring this change and you must do it by voting into power an APC government with your votes. Your votes should reflect your unhappiness about the state of development in your state,” Ngige advised.

  • Abia petro-chemical firm to create 7000 jobs

    The people cheered as Abia State Governor Theodore Orji flagged off the Etugo Integrated oil and Petro-Chemical Industries Ltd in Umuahia. But the joy was not just that a new firm has taken off; it was that the petro-chemical outfit is reckoned to provide no fewer than 7,000 jobs for the state’s teeming youths.

    Flagging-off the building of the industry located at Mgbarakuma Ubakala, Umuahia South council, Governor Orji encouraged indigenous entrepreneurs to come home and invest, assuring them of the protection of their investment.

    Orji said that the security network put in place by his administration has made those who had earlier left the state to come back and urged Abia indigenes who want to invest to come home and invest as they are assured of their safety and those of their investments.

    The Governor commended Etugo oil for remembering home and assured him that the investment will be fruitful, adding that the state government will provide all the enabling environment needed to ensure that the project is a success to the benefit of the state and its people.

    He also urged the investor to carry the land owners along while applauding Mgbarakuma people for making their land available to the government for projects, adding that they should feel free to extend the same gesture to any meaningful investors coming to invest.

    The governor promised that his government will pay compensation to the community for releasing their land and urged them to allow those who have purchased land from them to invest and also help to provide security as they (land owners) will surely benefit through employments opportunities.

    Earlier in his speech, the commissioner for Lands and Survey, Chief Duke Ihekwereme Okorie appreciated the Governor for creating the right environment for the rapid development of the state and appreciated Etugo oil for citing the project in the state.

    The Chairman of the firm, Chief Etugo- Ndubuisi Ogah, said that about 3000 direct and 4000 indirect jobs would be created when the $6 million plant finally comes on board and assured all those who will be employed of equal opportunity to grow in any area of their choice.

    Speaking with The Nation after the ceremony Ogah said that part of the fund for the gigantic project had been acquired through the Bank of Industry under the Automobile fund scheme, stressing that the industry apart from petro-chemical that other automobile accessories will equally be produced.

    Ogah said that already, an Indian technical partner, the Onella Group, had already arrived, the country to help in realizing the project expected to be delivered in 36 months time, adding that it is part of his contribution to the development of the state and its people.

    According to him, other products apart from petro- chemicals to be produced in the plant include: motorcycle and tricycle tyres, tubes, motor batteries, and detergents among others, “These products are expected to be marketed both locally and internationally, as there are ready market for the products”.

    He said the state government had already provided land as part of its contribution to the actualization of the project, assuring that the project would be delivered on schedule and thanked the state governor, Chief Orji for the land and assured him that it will be utilised for the purposed it was meant for.

    Ogah hinted that arrangements had also been concluded to locate a 5000 KVA power plant on the premises of the firm for constant power supply, adding that when the entire project is finally realized,  Abia State will consolidate its position as the industrial cum commercial hub of the South East geopolitical zone.

  • ‘We are deaf, not hearing-impaired’

    ‘We are deaf, not hearing-impaired’

    People with hearing difficulties are angry in Enugu State. They said they do not want to be called hearing-impaired or dumb, preferring simply to be known as deaf.

    The community in the state on the platform of Enugu Deaf Citizen Rights Movement is unhappy with what it called “careless and protracted discrimination,” by the society and state government, a situation which such apparently nice appellations have done nothing to rectify.

    Last week, they mobilised scores of their members whose number is put at around 5,000 to press home their grievances against the society and the state government.

    The protest march, though peaceful, featured placards with various inscriptions, and took Enugu residents and Government House staff unawares. After registering their presence at the Government House entrance, the protesters assembled at the Okpara Square.

    On their arrival at the Government House, they requested to see the governor and no other person for him to address what they called discrimination against deaf citizens’ rights by the Enugu State government. The governor was out of town, but they remained there till 7pm until the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Anthony Ani came to plead with them to return at a later date to see the governor.

    It was an uphill task for the Government House security to control the crowd. The President of the group, Comrade Solomon Chukwu addressed the Attorney-General through an interpreter, Nwankwo Edith. He told Mr. Ani that they were at the Government House to protest their ill-treatment by the Enugu State government on the account of their disability.

    He requested Governor Sullivan Chime to put an end to what he called many years of discrimination in areas of education, employment, social life, judicial system, health, sports and other areas. Comrade Chukwu argued that a deaf person can do anything except hear, wondering why normal people can have access to tertiary education, government posts and state-organised sport tournaments, among others, while the deaf cannot.

    He also bemoaned the lack of interpreters in schools, hospitals, TV sign languages through which they can understand daily news, interpreters in the courts and other things.

    Chukwu also cited Section 42 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, which states: “no citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of birth”.

    He called on the media, human rights associations, civil society groups to come to their rescue.

    He further disclosed that seven years ago they brought to the attention of the governor their plight as deaf citizens but up till now the answer they got is “we are working on it”.

    In area of education he said the deaf citizens must have their educational rights spelt out in the constitution. “The government should install supportive service centres and special educational [services] for the need of deaf students in all tertiary institutions in the state”. This centre, he said, should have interpreters, deaf studies anchor, special education counselors, special assessment planners and sign language teachers, among others.

    He further demanded that interpreter services be placed at the courts to help deaf citizens access justice as well as a strong policy to be made to ensure that deaf citizens get employed in Universal Basic Education, State Management Education Board, Local Government Councils, SURE-P, etc so as to ensure equality of all citizens.

    In the area of sports he said the Enugu government has not sponsored any deaf sports programmes since the PDP-led government look over the state in 1999 till date unlike other states like Imo and Abia, citing the “Anambra State Deaf Sports Festival 2013” as an example.

    He, however, thanked the governor for everything he has done in Enugu but stated in strong terms that the deaf people demand deaf representatives in the government, recognized sign language policy in the state as deaf citizens’ primary and culture methods of communication and accepted as one of the official languages, T.V. sign language interpretation in Enugu Broadcasting Service and likewise NTA, recognized employment scheme for the deaf citizens.

    Some of the placards they displayed read: “We demand for equal employment, education, scholarship, army etc.”, “Why treat deaf citizens like animals in our dear state?” “Deaf representative in Enugu State government now”.

    One of the deaf people with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Mr. Ezeagu Sylvester stated that deaf persons can be Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers etc, and urged the government of Enugu State to appoint deaf person to represent them in government.

    The chairman, Enugu State Association of the deaf Mr. Chibueze Eya who also spoke through an interpreter said that deaf people are brilliant and law abiding and should be provided with the needed facilities to excel in their chosen fields of endeavour.

    The chairperson, Enugu State Deaf Women Association, Doris Agudeogu, lamented the neglect which deaf citizens suffer in Enugu. She stated that they needed employment and skill acquisition centers to be able to do something in order to cater for their children.

    The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Enugu State  Anthony Ani who  pacified  the deaf citizens as they insisted they would not leave until the governor comes out to address them told them that the  governor was not around but he has taken note of their demands and when the governor returns it would  be reviewed.

    Ani who is also the patron of the deaf citizens argued that some of the issues raised by the deaf citizens have already been solved and most other issues were still being solved.

    He said that the deaf citizens’ school in Coal Camp was already under renovation, even as he said that some of the deaf citizens would be undergoing assessment to see if hearing aids can be provided for them.

    He further disclosed that some of the deaf people in Enugu State were already employed in their various local council because there was a deliberate policy to employ some of them who can work and dismissed as untrue that deaf citizens were totally neglected in the state.

    He therefore advised them to go home promising that those issues which were not yet addressed would be addressed in a no distant time.

  • Imo senior citizens relish eight years arrears pay

    Imo senior citizens relish eight years arrears pay

    Their sad story has changed. After eight years, pensioners of the Imo State civil service have been paid their arrears, thanks to Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    It looked more like a dream than reality for hundreds of the retirees as they sat in the expansive hall of the state International Conference Centre (IICC) waiting to be paid their arrears of pensions and gratuities for eight years. The beneficiaries retired from the state civil service between 1993 and 2001.

    As they waited, their wrinkled faces appeared to have assumed the freshness of youth and their otherwise sunken eyeballs sparkled with expectation. Although some of them who were led into the hall by their wards or other relatives as a result of failing health, dozed off immediately they sat down, other senior citizens chatted away happily as they relived their years of service to their state.

    While most of them looked radiant and happy, others wore a look of despair and indifference, apparently because they had been abandoned for a long time by previous administrations in the state and had suffered untold hardship, so much that the decision to offset all the entitlements owed them by the Rochas Okorocha’s administration, meant little to them. Many of their close friends and colleagues have died in penury while waiting for their cash.

    That notwithstanding, it was a memorable day for the pensioners as they relished the joy of been remembered and rewarded for their contributions to the growth and development of their father’s land. Even some of their family members who came with them also shared in the moment as they lauded the state government for not allowing the labour of the senior citizens be in vain.

    One of the pensioners, Mrs. Gladys Njoku, who leaned heavily on her walking stick as she spoke with The Nation, rejoiced that at last God has answered her prayers, adding that she had been prayerfully waiting to receive her gratuity after her retirement from the state civil service 13 years ago.

    According to the octogenarian who broke into dancing midway into the interview, despite her obvious health challenges, “I am a widow, because my husband died three years before I retired and two of my children child in a car accident the same year I retired so I am left with my youngest daughter who has tried very hard with her husband to take care of me, especially my medical bills but with what the Governor has done, my life is restored. I can now live out my years joyfully and cater for my needs, instead of dying painfully out of want”.

    It was also a song of joy for 78-year-old John Ubanze, who thanked God for sparing his life to see the day, “I had given up hope that I will ever receive my gratuity, so I am indeed very grateful to God for sparing my life to this see this day. Most of my colleagues that retired with me and even those that retired several years after, are no more today, so I have every reason to thank God and my Governor for remembering us and wiping away our tears”.

    Nze Christopher Njoku, was among those that had taken ill while waiting for the gratuity. Looking pale and weak, Njoku, who was brought into the hall by his grandson, cut the figure of a man who had long given up hope of any form of reward from government.

    Partially paralyzed from stroke, the retired Director in the state Ministry of Health, who spoke through his son, commended the state Governor for his kind gesture, adding that it will motivate the current generation of civil servants to be more dedicated in the service to their state, knowing that they will be rewarded at the end.

    Justifying the decision of the state government to pay the eight years arrears of pensions and gratuities to the retired workers, the state Governor, said that it was a fulfillment of his election promises and not politically motivated as insinuated by the opposition.

    He said it was the continuation of his administration’s resolve to pay the last kobo owed all the retirees in the state.

    The Governor argued that “it is a crime against humanity and sin against God to owe citizens who spent the most vibrant parts of their lives to serve the state”.

    He stated that the problem would have been less cumbersome “if previous administrations had seen the payment of pensions and gratuities as a special case”.

    The governor maintained further that, “all my life I hate seeing people suffering or going through pains. That is why I established the Rochas Foundation. That is why I introduced free education. That is why I am doing all these in Imo. I won’t rest until I see all these pensioners go home with their pensions and gratuities. I regret those who must have died without collecting what they worked for before my administration.

    “I decided to run for governorship in 2011 for issues like those of pensioners, children who suppose to be in school but do not because nobody to train them and others. Governance is all about services to God and mankind. It is not all about acquiring wealth”.

    According to him, “the payment of the bulk pension arrears and gratuities to the retired workers is for both local government and state establishments. The Rescue Mission Government is determined to wipe away their tears by also paying those involved from 1993 to 2001.

    “Again, the absence of strike action by Imo workforce in the past three years was due to the regular payment of salaries. The administration won’t relent”.

    He further stated that, “the very sick and old retirees will be paid cash to save them from the inconveniences of going to the banks. Those talking about politics with a sensitive issue like the payment of pensions and gratuities only want to justify their failure to pay the pensioners.”

     

  • A lawmaker’s relief for seven councils

    A lawmaker’s relief for seven councils

    They had heard of scholarship before, but now are beneficiaries. Their best clothes and their singing and dancing to the rhythm of their unrestrained drums expressed their joy. One other thing they did was chant the name of their benefactor: Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige. It was a gesture appreciated from the heart.

    The lawmaker provided scholarship for all secondary and tertiary students in the seven local government areas of Anambra Central Senatorial zone which he represents. And it is for life, as the Senator put it.

    Some in the Senatorial zone and beyond had accused Ngige of doing such a thing for political reasons knowing full well that elections are around the corner. The medical doctor turned politician disagreed, saying that as Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, he has made enormous investments in electricity infrastructure including installation of transformers in various communities within his constituency and the time has come to invest in human beings.

    No fewer than 6,000 students benefitted from the scholarship scheme. The needy and less privileged have been praises God for the Senator’s gesture.

    There are over 78 communities in the zone spread across Anaocha, Njikoka, Dunukofia, Idemili North, Idemili South, Awka North and Awka South councils, where he won the election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    The party now called the All Progressive Congress (APC) also won six House of Assembly seats in the state legislature and one at the House of Representatives in the State in 2011.

    Each secondary student N20,000 while their tertiary counterpart received between N60,000 and N80,000.

    Ngige said, “The youths are leaders of tomorrow but many generations of our youths are going about without jobs because of bad governments everywhere. We are going to turn you into good leaders. After training you, you will not come out and follow others who do not have jobs and that is what APC stands for in this country”

    Ngige, noted that he was not offering the scholarships because he has money, but to show appreciation to those at the grassroots who elected him to represent them in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly.

    According to a former Commissioner for Information and Culture in Anambra State, Chief Charles Amilo, the Scholarships would help in alleviating the sufferings of the less privileged students in our State.

    Chief Dennis Ngene, Chibuzor Obiakor, one of the aspirants for House of Representatives in the state, Igwe Ben Nweke of Urum, Muomaife Augustine, APC youth leader in the state, all paid glowing tribute to the Senator.

    All of them said none of the persons who represented the zone before Ngige , were able to do what the Senator had done to his constituents.

    They said such a thing was seen in Yoruba land when it was done by Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo which they said had been on till date.

    Amilo further said that Ngige had raised the bar for other representatives in the State and others to come from the State, adding that it was what people see as good representation when you are elected by the people.

    The Nation gathered that it was the first time such a multimillion naira scholarship was offered to the students across the state.

    One of the beneficiaries from Dunukofia Local government Area, Odilora Lawrence told The Nationthat nobody had done such any where before now.

    A law student of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Odilora said they were grateful to Ngige for such gesture, adding that none of them would forget this “we will continue to support you”.

    The mother of another beneficiary, Mrs. Eucharia Oliora said God will continue to lift Ngige higher in his political career.

    Ngige said, “This kind of thing we are doing, you can only see something similar in APC states where they have free education. They do not do it in PDP states; the crime I committed in PDP was that I did not share money. They are begging me to return but I said no, you have not changed your bad character, after sharing money, what will I tell my people?

    “When I said APGA was playing trading politics, what I said has it not happened? With Peter Obi’s defection”, you give traditional rulers N10m car and collect 10 per cent commission”

    “Who is fooling who? The roads they built did not last for four years and they have scattered but we hope Willie Obiano will change that Orientation. The roads we did  during my administration from Otuocha-Nteje, Awkuzu, Oye-Agu, Abagana, Mbaukwu, Ukpor in Nnewi and so many of them have lasted 10 years; they are also like the one we did at Nibo, among others.”

    All the local government areas in his constituency will “witness bigger things” if they vote for “APC government in the centre,” Ngige said, adding that education will be free under the APC-led Federal Government.