The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • Old students donate N20m to school

    The members of Old Boys Association of Igbo National College Aba [IgboNaco], now National High School have donated N20m to their Alma Mater to address infrastructural decay.

    This was disclosed by the president-general of the association, Mr Azubuko Udah after the National Executive Committee [NEC] of the association in Umuahia,saying that members have decided to give back to the school that made them what they are today.

    Udah said that government should not be left alone to handle school rehabilitation in the state, adding that the governor, Chief Theodore Orji has done well in this area, stressing that what they were doing is to complement governor’s efforts.

    The President-General of Igbonaco used the forum to praise the governor for his approval and prompt intervention in renovation of dilapidated structures in the school, saying that the move has helped to improve the standard of education in the state.

    Udah recalled that sometime in 2003, some hoodlums attacked and vandalised the school’s science laboratories which he said had remained one of the well equipped within the Southeast zone saying that the association intends to replace the items that were vandalised.

    He enumerated the achievements of the association in their old school to include the repair of Azikiwe and other dormitories in the school which had cost them about N8 million, while the fencing of the school premises had cost them N5 million, and other projects is costing them N5 million.

    The President-General said: “I know that the Azikiwe and other school hostels project that is almost completed cost N8 million, the parameter fence of the school has taken us about N5m, while the provision of security in the school and minor repairs of the NYSC Corpers’ Lodge and other repairs has also taken us another N5 million”.

    Udah reminded other old boy’s associations across the state of their role in the provision of infrastructure, stressing that people should give back to the society that made them.

    He said: “Various old boys associations have a great role to play in making sure that our education system is maintained and sustained so that generation next will not be handicapped in having the requisite atmosphere in learning”.

    Also speaking, the former deputy governor of Abia State who also is an old boy of the School, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma, described the handing over of schools to their original owners in the state as one of the measures by government to improve the standard of teaching and learning.

    Nwakanma said, “It is the necessary thing to do, more so as a lot of people were clamouring for the handover of schools especially the religious institutions.They were clamouring that they need these schools to train children when they are young”.

    He praised Governor Orji for taking the bold decision when he handed over such schools to their original owners as well as in bringing sanity to the education sector in the state.

    In the same vein, thes State Commissioner for Housing, an Old boy of the school, Prince Kingsley Mgbeahuru, disclosed that the state government has begun the rehabilitation of some public schools across the state and the building of modern schools across the state.

  • Community leader petitions Orji on Arochukwu road

    Community leader petitions Orji on Arochukwu road

    A community leader in Ohafia in Imo State, Chief Onwuka Ukwa has reacted to government’s attacks on him on the stae of Arochukwu/Ohafia Road. The government had said Ukwa was not competent to comment on the road which he described as the “worst” in Nigeria.

    But Ukwa said the attack did not bother him, adding “if that will make them fix the road, let them continue abusing me. The issue of that road goes beyond party politics. As a native of the area, I am entitled to my opinion because my people have suffered untold hardship because of that road,” Onwuka insisted.

    He said no amount of intimidation would make him prevent him from commenting on the road until the Federal Government thinks it right to fix it by awarding the contract to a reputable construction company.

    While saying that he would not join issues with the government of Abia State, he, nonetheless, wrote to Governor Theodore Orji complaining that the attacks on him were unnecessary and uncalled for. The letter which was made available to our correspondent reads:

    “Your Excellency, my governor, you know me very well, but consistently addressed me during your press conference as one Onwuka Ukwa of APGA. In my usual character, I will not display such disrespect to your person and office.

    Your Excellency, Governor T. A. Orji, your persistent vicious attacks on my person suggests there are really more the public and the two communities need to know about Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road.

    “Your Excellency, Governor T. A. Orji, I pleaded with you privately that I elected not to respond publicly to the unwarranted assault and attack on my person and APGA for an innocent appeal Chief Onwuka Ukwa made to the Federal Government and President Goodluck Jonathan for urgent rehabilitation of a totally collapsed Federal Road (Ohafia-Arochukwu Road).

    “Among the reasons I gave was my respect for your person and the office you represent as my governor. I equally pleaded with you that I never in that interview in The Nation Newspaper of Thursday,  February 27;  2014.

    Pages 34 and 35) mentioned Governor T. A. Orji or Abia State Government any where. So, I could not, in any way, have offended you Sir, or your government.

    “Despite my pleadings, cruel and vicious attacks continued to be unleashed on my person. The attacks were sustained for four days by Abia State government radio and rounded up by falsehood reported on the matter the Vanguard Newspapers publication of Tuesday, March 4, 2014 page 57) and Network news.

    “Why are you so determined to inject yourself and your state government into the matter is difficult to understand. My call for urgent rehabilitation of a collapsed federal road was to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Federal Government. Nowhere in my appeal was Governor T. A. Orji or Abia State government mentioned.

    “Under the circumstance, it is only natural that I must correct the lies being heaped on my person.

    1. ”In my interview, I asked Mr. President to send his Vice Namadi Sambo to travel by road not by air on Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road and also to return by road to experience the untold hardship the two communities (Ohafia and Arochukwu) have been subjected to for some years. On his return to Abuja, he will then report to the President about the true position of the road. I also described a journey on that federal road as a trip to hell, because I have personally experienced it. Everything I said in the interview was put in quotes. So, it is easily verifiable. Nowhere in my entire comment did I mention the name of Governor Theodore Ahamefula Orji or Abia State Government.

    “The governor, at a press conference, said I am not competent to speak about the road. My Governor, Chief Onwuka Ukwa is eminently qualified and very competent to speak on Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal Road. Let me repeat, it is a totally collapsed federal road. Once again, I humbly appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan for his immediate attention, to enable the road to be rehabilitated.

    2. ”The governor, in his press conference, also referred to me as a liability to APGA. Chief Onwuka Ukwa is one of the proud founding fathers of APGA, an eminent member of Board of Trustees (BOT) of APGA, and the Deputy National Chairman-South who raised the hand of Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji at Michael Okpara Auditorium when he sought temporary refuge in APGA from PPA. Temporary occupants of Government Houses must stop using it as a platform for abusing and harassing citizens.

    3. ”I am also alleged to have said the governor will not rehabilitate Ohafia- Arochukwu Road because it is a federal road. This is a very unintelligent fabrication. Will I be calling on the Federal Government to come and rehabilitate their road, then turn around to blame the state governor when I know he has nothing to do with it? The governor claims he spent four hundred million Naira on that federal road.

    “He should go and claim it back from the Federal Government like other governors do when they spent money on federal projects. It is not a big deal. The Vanguard Newspaper publication is pure lies.

    Let me take this opportunity to alert President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff and Director-General State Security Service that some of our governors have their children terrorising innocent civilians with police and soldiers like Mexican Bandidos (Thugs), particularly in Abia State. This is not what democracy is all about. Mr. Governor, if you see Abia as Republic of Abia with you as the imperial ruler, sir, I don’t exactly see it the same way. Abia remains Abia State under a democratic Republic of Nigeria where people have the freedom to air their views. Abia State will never be turned into a personal family property of anyone.

    Ohafia-Arochukwu Road is not a political party affair. A bad road cannot tell who is PDP, APGA or APC. We must, as a community, encourage the rehabilitation of the road. If all it will take to rehabilitate the road is the abuse of my person, please abuse me, but rehabilitate the road and other roads.

    Thank you my governor and good friend.”

    Reacting on the letter, Governor Orji, through text message to Chief Onwuka Ukwa, said: “I still insist that you are not competent to make comment about the road.”

    Speaking with our reporter in his office in Umuahia, Orji said he had never said that he would not work on that road as he had been working on that road since he assumed office despite the road being a federal road.

    Governor Orji described Chief Ukwa as an inconsequential person and a man who has nothing to show as a member of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) who is out to deceive the people of Arochukwu who have been praising his effort and that of the Federal Government in ensuring that the road is motorable.

    The governor said: “The statement credited to Ukwa is a mischievous one with the aim of causing trouble between the state government and the Federal Government. However, I am happy the people of Ohafia and Arochukwu know better.”

    Orji said he had been worried over the state of the road when he travelled to Ututu to see their traditional ruler.

    “When I saw the state of the road, I told the people of that area openly that though it is federal road that I was going to work on the road to ease their pains”.

    He said he immediately mobilised a contractor to start a maintenance work on the road, stressing that it was the maintenance work on that road that made the people to have access to their homes before the Federal Government came into the scene.”

    The governor further said he had so far expended the sum of N400m on that road through a contractor known as New Idea.

    “You are living in this state and you are free to go and ask the contractor for the papers and how he was given the work and how much he had received.”

    Governor Orji also said with the level of work he did on that federal road before the Federal government started work, “I wonder how Ukwa who hardly comes home to his village in Ohafia will claim that I said I will not work on that road.”

    He said he had been working on several Federal Government roads in the state and an apostle of working on roads in the state whether federal or state, “since I know that my people are the ones who use such roads in the state”.

    The governor maintained that that there is nothing on earth that will stop him from working for the people of the state irrespective of their political leaning, “so long as I have the resources to do such work that will benefit the people of the state.”

    Orji said he had visited the office of the Federal Government contractor handling the Ohafia/Arochukwu Road to know why progress of work on that road is slow.

    He therefore said he had been appealing to the contractor to speed up work on that road for the benefit of the people of that area who have suffered neglect for several years.

  • Imo Police spokesperson, others decorated

    Imo Police spokesperson, others decorated

    Some officers of the Imo State Police Command have been decorated with their new ranks by the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali. They include the Police Public Relations Officer, Joy Elemoko and 16 others

    Speaking during the ceremony at the Command Headquarters in Owerri, the state capital, Ali charged the promoted officers to work harder to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Police Service Commission.

    According to Ali, the promotion was in line with the vision of the IG to ensure that officers are promoted as and when due to encourage and motivate them to put in their best in the service.

    He charged them to work harder to combat crime, adding that, “let me congratulate you on behalf of the IG for your new ranks. I charge you to go back to your various duty posts and motivate the men under you to do more because you will be held responsible for any lapses in your respective areas of command”.

    Speaking on behalf of the promoted officers, the Command spokesman, who was promoted to the rank of a Superintendent of Police (SP), assured the Police authority that the promotion will spur the officers to do more, “we are grateful to the IGP and the PSC for the confidence reposed in us. To me it is a call for higher dedication to duty. I dedicate the rank to the IGP, my colleagues for their cooperation and team spirit and to my family for their ceaseless prayers”.

    In his remarks, the Commander of the 18 Squadron of the Police Mobile Force, who was also decorated with a new rank, Samuel Jephtah, assured that the promoted officers will put in their best to get further promotions, “the only way to say thank you for the promotion is to work harder. What we got today is an appreciation for our diligent service and we will work even harder to justify it”.

  • Colloquium for Ohaeto

    Colloquium for Ohaeto

    Mr Odia Ofeimum, Rev. Prof. Josephat Obi-Oguejiofor and Rev Prof. Ikenga Oraegbunam, among others, converged on the Prof. Ezenwa Ohaeto Resource Centre on Oganiru Estate, Ahocol Phase III in Awka, Anambra State with a purpose. The gathering of the academic giants was to celebrate one of their own the late Prof. Ohaeto. They held the audience spell-bound with their oratory.

    The annual event was to keep the legacy of the renowned creative writer, critic, essayist and community leader alive.

    Before Prof. Ohaeto died in 2005 at the age of 47, he had won the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize for Literature which is the most prestigious literary prize in Nigeria, even as he was the leading light on African Literature and Aesthetics.

    To honour the late literary giant, his wife, Dr. Ngozi Ezenwa –Ohaeto built and inaugurated the resource centre on March 31, 2011.

    Penultimate week, some literary icons across the country including Prof. Odia Ofeimum, who is the chairman of the board of the resource centre, stormed Anambra State to give honour to who it is due.

    Presenting a paper entitled “Gender Relations: Character and Nation-building” Rev. Prof. Obi-Oguejiofor, gave the audience some philosophical foundations about gender studies.

    He also drew people’s attention to the phenomenon of power that include individual power, spiritual power, philosophical power and kingly power among others. These, according to him, are at the centre of all rights.

    For Rev Prof. Ikenga Oraegbunam of the Department of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, the Nigeria Constitution is flawed on all issues of male chauvinism, noting that in order to maintain gender balance, women need to fight as “there must be gender equity.”

    Describing the theme of the colloquium as apt, he said: “Many of our laws are very irrelevant. I do not know what our state and National Assemblies are doing. The same thing applies to the issue of citizenship in Nigeria which has to be tinkered.”

    In his brief remark, Prof. Ofeimum asked rhetorically what kind of society do people need or have in Nigeria.

    He further said the topic chosen for the day was indeed, better than what would be discussed at the National Conference, “gender, character and nation-building.”

    In a chat with our correspondent, wife of the late Prof. and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the centre, Dr. Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto said the centre would host literary convocation next year.

    The theme of the 2015 colloquium, according to her, would be “Nigerian Youths and Character Building,” adding that the board chaired by Prof. Odia Ofeimum had tried in putting things together at the centre.

    “When my husband died, he left a small library and I thought of what to do with it. This idea came to mind to put up an institution in his honour so that people will benefit from it, especially the children

    “Some of his books are the ones you cannot find around. So, we want to use them to rehabilitate the reading culture of our people, create awareness and for creative writing.

    “We invite secondary schools that compete through writing poems. Last year, it was all literary activities. This year, we decided to hold a colloquium.”

    National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Chibuzor Asomugha, who is the project co-ordinator, told our correspondent that the board intends to incorporate other states in the Southeast soon.

    He said it had been limited to Anambra State alone because of logistics and funding, adding that soon, states like Ebonyi and Enugu would be part of it.

    Asomugha said: “One of the objectives is to provide the platform for inter- disciplinary, intellectual discourse. The colloquium is a regular biannual programme in which we course an interface between a renowned scholar and the academic community.

    “The centre has a close link with youth development and that is why biannually, the centre organises a literary convocation which targets the youth. The aim is to inspire and motivate the youth to the literary vocation through mentoring, performance, workshops and direct interaction with renowned literary figures,” he said.

    While responding to the lead paper, Prof. Alex Asigbo said if women want gender equity, they must insist on doing the same thing men do and not to stick to the areas that favour them, adding that gender issues were too dialectical in nature.

    However, in response to the gender issues raised, a renowned female lawyer in the state, Ifeoma Katchy, said the marriage certificate had given women right to challenge any action against them anywhere.

    She said the women had continued to suffer in the society because of ignorance, which, according to her, was not an excuse in law.

    Katchy referred to one of the celebrated cases in Nnewi between Mojekwu and Mojekwu where it was ruled that females had right to vie for their father’s property with their male counterparts.

  • Reactions trail Imo community government council polls

    Reactions trail Imo community government council polls

    On assumption of office, the Rochas Okorocha administration, in its bid to bring governance closer to Imo State people, especially at the grassroots, conceived the Community Government Council (CGC), also known as the Fourth Tier of Government. It was aimed at involving the communities in the government’s effort to develop the rural areas through participatory engagement.

    The creation of the CGC which was backed by enabling legislation by the state House of Assembly, led to the suspension of all existing town unions, which hitherto initiated and managed community-sponsored projects or what has been known as self-help projects.

    The concept was strongly opposed because many people regarded it as an illegal arm of government that was not backed by the Constitution of the Federation Republic of Nigeria, those against the concept said it was allegedly created by the state government to stifle the third tier of government.

    However, several community-based projects have been co-sponsored by the CGC and the government in the past one year to the admiration of the people.

    At first, the CGC or the forth tier of government was headed by traditional rulers in each autonomous community, with an appointed secretary and a Government Liaison Officer, who must be a civil servant in the state.

    Last week, elections into the Community Government Council were held across the 637 autonomous communities in the state.

    The election, which was severally postponed as a result of court injunctions, was conducted to elect President-Generals (P-G), Secretaries, Women and Youth leaders who will partner the state government in running the activities of the communities for the next two years.

    Although the exercise was generally adjudged free and fair, it was allegedly marred by violence in some autonomous communities where government officials assigned to conduct the elections were beaten up and held hostage by aggrieved villagers who accused them of colluding with traditional rulers to impose unpopular candidates on them.

    In some of the communities visited by our correspondent, the election was chaotic as there were no modalities for the conduct of the exercise, resulting in brawl among supporters of various candidates.

    But in most of the communities visited, the election was quite orderly and peaceful as the people filed behind the candidates of their choice, waiting to be counted by the election supervisors appointed from the state civil service.

    However, at Umuokpoko, a boundary community in Owerri West Local Government Area, suspected hoodlums allegedly hired by a popular politician in the community, assaulted security men and government officials who insisted that the guidelines for the election must be strictly followed.

    In some other communities, the exercise was disrupted by the presence of traditional rulers who were earlier directed to remain in their palaces but allegedly came out to influence the election in favour of their preferred candidates.

    Addressing reporters after monitoring the exercise at Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area, the state Commissioner for Information Dr Theo Ekechi, described the exercise as successful, urging those that lost the election to join hands with the elected officials to develop their communities.

    Highlighting the benefits of the Community Government Council, the commissioner noted that “CGC will bring government closer to the grassroots. It is a concept of taking government and governance to the grassroots. This government has been vindicated on both the popularity and the timing of the concept of the CGC. We have been vindicated in the sense that the turn out and the massive participation by residents of the various communities has really shown that there is a craving for participatory government at the lowest level.

    “If you compare the emotional attachment in the participation with that of normal election, you will see the difference. Because there is a total commitment on the part of the people to ensure that their choice of candidates are elected unlike in secular elections.”

    However, the acting Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Enyinna Onuegbu described the exercise as illegal and a violation of court orders which, he said, restrained the conduct of the election.

    He said: ”The PDP cannot participate in an illegal exercise. There were subsisting court orders restraining the election from holding but the state government went ahead with the illegality which we cannot be part of. We have consistently maintained that the current administration does not have regard for the rule of law.”

  • Oguta Wonder Lake: A treasure abandoned?

    Oguta Wonder Lake: A treasure abandoned?

    The Ogunta Wonder Lake has been described as source of revenue for government and employment opportunities for Imo citizens if its potential are well harnessed. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    Oguta Blue Lake or the Oguta Wonder Lake in Imo State is one of the wonders of nature which potential appear to be under-utilised.

    Deriving its name from the unique bluish colour of the water, the lake combines the ambience of heaven and beauty with an uncommon confluence where two rivers with different colours meet.

    Located in Oguta Council Area of the state, the lake transverses the two oil producing local government areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta and provides aquatic splendour and bliss.

    Before it over flowed its banks years ago, the blue lake was an awe-inspiring spectacle to behold as tourists from far and near visited Oguta in their droves for relaxation and to behold the awesome work of nature. Oguta and other satellite communities around the lake ought to benefit immensely from the fame brought by the publicity that was given to the lake.

    Such is the allure of the Blue Lake that the Oguta community, apparently engulfed in the beauty of its scenery and the huge oil deposits within its shores, composed a community anthem sang in the Igbo dialect, Oguta obodo oma, Oguta obodo oma, obodo oma, Oguta bu Obodo anyi maramma, meaning, “Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta the beautiful city, Oguta our beautiful city.”

    Aside from this, Oguta Blue Lake can best be described as beauty unsung and treasure abandoned. With the potential of significantly boosting the economy of the state through tourism, the Lake has been left untapped, without any visible plan of converting its rich prospects to the benefit of the people.

    Although Governor Rochas Okorocha made feeble attempts to reposition the tourist site by laying the foundation stone for the Oguta Lake Tourist Centre, with the intention of harnessing its huge tourist potential, much is needed to be done to transform Oguta Lake into an international tourist centre that will not only benefit the state but also the entire country.

    It was during the administration of former Governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim that government made some remarkable efforts to upgrade the facilities within the centre to an international standard.

    To achieve this objective, the government raised N18 billion bonds from the Stock Exchange Market to develop the area so that the state could become a tourist state. However, the project was abandoned, even though the former Governor allegedly claimed he left N13 billion in the coffers of the state government for the completion of the project.

    Ex-governor Ohakim, who fielded questions about the Oguta Wonder Lake project, which is under probe by the current administration, said  he conceived the Oguta project to harness the potential of the area and create job opportunities for Imo citizens.

    He said: “We embarked on the project to develop that area so that Imo will become a tourist state. We were able to raise N18 billion from the Nigeria Stock Exchange. We were one of the first states in Nigeria to go to the Stock Exchange and raise that kind of money.

    “After renovating the Oguta Motel, we left N13.3 billion so that the project can go on. It is sad that I went there few days ago and notice that the whole place has been covered by weed. The N13.3 billion I left behind, I do not know what has happened to it.”

    As the controversy surrounding the Oguta Wonder Lake project continues, the fact that a natural treasure that could provide great opportunities for the people of the state, especially the host communities, is still allowed to lie fallow cannot be overlooked.

    Despite the claim by the former Governor and the huge resources purportedly deployed into the project, it has remained a mere ruse as the Oguta Lake remained neglected several years after.

    Before the conception of the project, Oguta Lake witnessed a sizeable number of tourists because of the Golf Course that was by the bank of the lake. This attracted Golf lovers within and outside the country who patronised the Oguta Golf Club because of the serenity of the lake.

    But the Ohakim’s administration allegedly took over the Golf Course for the failed Oguta Wonder Lake project to the chagrin of the residents who attributed the decline of commercial activities in the area to the unsolicited closure of the Golf Club.

    Speaking with our correspondent, a speed boat driver, Nwasah Ugozue, who ferried the reporter across the lake to the site of the controversial project, regretted that economic activities have dropped in the coastal communities following the failed attempt by the state government to harness the tourism prospects of the lake.

    He said: ”Before former Governor Ohakim came up with the Oguta Wonder Lake project, the Golf Club was booming and people were coming from within and outside the country to visit the club. Then, the people were doing well. But today, the story is different. We can hardly survive; our businesses have collapsed because tourists no longer visit the lake.

    “The worst is that the claimed Oguta Wonder Lake project is only in the internet and pages of newspaper. Nothing was done except the convention centre that was built by Governor Rochas Okorocha, which is also abandoned and now houses reptiles and other dangerous animals.”

    Another group of rough-looking youths, who clustered around the waterside, smoking and drinking locally-brewed gin, lamented that ”when the tourists were still coming, we were making enough money to take care of our families and not worried about unemployment. But today, we can hardly feed ourselves. Our God-given resources are wasting away while we are languishing in poverty.”

    Chief Gabriel Okafor described the lake as precious gift of nature that has not been appreciated.

    “You can see the beauty of the lake, especially its blue colour which changes with the time of the day. It is one of the wonders of nature. All the government should do is open up the sand beaches, build embankments and create environment conducive enough to tourism and the place will bounce back to life.

    “We are depending sorely on oil in this country and that has adversely affected other sectors. If not, the Oguta Blue Lake is one of the tourists’ sites that should be harnessed as source of revenue for the state and employment opportunities for the youth.”

    Continuing, he said:  ”We learnt that the previous administration borrowed N18 billion to execute the Oguta Wonder Lake project. There should be investigation into how the money was spent. This is because there is nothing on ground at the site at all. The former Governor came to the lake one day and just flagged off the phony project and the next we saw was completed Oguta Wonder Lake on internet and newspaper pages. It was a huge fraud.”

    This nature’s masterpiece which was adored by the surrounding communities has become a huge threat and source of worry to coastal villages on the possibility of the lake overflowing its banks.

    During the flood disaster that swept across most states two years ago, the lake, like a rampaging monstrous beast, overflowed its banks, submerging over 200 buildings and washing away hundreds of acres of farmland with over 5,000 people, including women and children, displaced.

    Although the state government, in the wake of the flood disaster, promised to take proactive measures to ensure the lake does not overflow its banks again. Nothing has been done to check possible re-occurrence, especially as the rains are coming.

    A community leader from Oguta, who spoke in confidence, said: ”We had expected that by now the dredging of the lake would have been completed. But nothing has been done in that direction and we are worried that the lake may overflow its banks during the rainy season. The water level is already rising and we are not sure what will happen next. We are just hoping and praying that government will do something to avert any disaster.”

  • Honour for Senator

    Honour for Senator

    Senator Nkechi Nwaogu has been honoured by the Isiala-Ngwa South Traditional Rulers’ Council and a social group, Liberty Organisation.  Sunny Nwankwo reports 

    In Igbo custom and tradition, the sound of ‘Ikoro’ (talking drum) is usually heard at great events or when such event are about to happen in a particular community. It can also be a means through which the people are summoned to the village square when the Eze, Igwe or the traditional ruler wants to address them or when important decisions which require contributions from other members of the community are to be taken.

    Despite the down pour that Saturday, the people of Umuoba community and residents of Isiala Ngwa South, friends and well-wishers gathered to know why the ‘Ikoro’ sounded.

    It was a call to them to come out to honour one of the community’s leaders. Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Resources.

    It was a day all the traditional rulers in Isiala Ngwa South honoured Senator Nwaogu with the chieftaincy title of Akaraka Nwanyi Ndi Ngwa which literally means ‘Ngwa woman of destiny.’

    The honour was in recognition of her contributions to the growth and development of her constituency, the state and country.

    Speakers eulogised her for her quality representation and selfless service to the community. They urged her to consider serving the people of Abia State in 2015 so that she can use her wealth of experience to bring more development to the state.

    They maintained that Chief (Mrs.) Nkechi Nwaogu has the prerequisite knowledge and experience to turn the economic fortunes of the state around.

    Responding, Senator Nwaogu thanked the people for the honour, stating that she was delighted her people acknowledged her contributions.

    According to her, it would take a Senator as exposed, experienced and connected as she is to attract the type of developmental projects which dot Abia Central Senatorial District in the last 11 years she has been at the National Assembly.

    She revealed that her 11 years at the National Assembly have been characterised by rendering services to her people, stressing that the welfare of her constituents remains her concern at the Senate.

    Nwaogu enumerated some of the projects she had attracted to the local government in the past six months  to include an ICT centre  at Nkwoudara, Umuapu, installation of 300KVA transformers in Umuduru and Umuikaa and the  ongoing reconstruction of a 15km old DFFRI Road from Isieketa Junction to Umuaro.

    “Attracting these projects in the past six months alone is not easy. We are 109 Senators, 360 members in the House of Representatives and about 40 ministers and other Federal Government functionaries.

    “Everybody wants to take projects to his or her own people. So, you can understand the high level politics and negotiations that go into attracting one single project. But to the glory of God, I have succeeded in attracting these much to my constituency because of my experience, exposure, contacts and goodwill which I have built over the years,” she said.

    While promising to push their request for a solar-powered borehole, electricity cables and classroom blocks at their school in the 2014 budget, she said she was going to use her personal money for scholarship assistance to 150 undergraduates from the state and also provide equipment for entrepreneurial skill acquisition for youths in the area.

    Chairman on the occasion, Prof E.J Otagburuagu extolled the virtues of Senator Nwaogu who he described as one of the few Senators that have made Nigeria proud.

    He urged her to consider serving the state in a different capacity come 2015.

     

  • ‘North should solve Boko-Haram problem’

    Northern political leaders have been urged to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram insurgency . The Spiritual Head of the Eternal Order of Cherubim and Seraphim [C&S] Church worldwide, and the Prelate of the Church, His Most Eminence,Baba Aladura Lazarus Anuba Onyeleonu gave the advice in Umuahia.

    Speaking in Umuahia, Dr Onyeleonu said that Boko-Haram came into being as a result of bad leadership and selfish interests of politicians and advised the insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

    The cleric warned that bloodletting can only aggravate the situation instead of solving it, quoting the Biblical injunction that: “he who lives by the sword, will die by the sword”.

    The man of God claimed that there are enemies within sponsoring or supporting the bloodletting. “The problem of bloodletting by the Boko-Haram insurgency is being sponsored by politicians in our midst. I suggest that the North should rally round and solve the problem, more so when the president has promised them amnesty “,he said.

    The cleric said that politicians should be made accountable to the masses and use the resources at their disposal judiciously for the development of their communities.

    Onyeleonu urged politicians to wage a relentless war against ills that have been pulling the society back, saying : “They should desist from stealing, political and economic sabotage, godfatherism, etc, because posterity and God will judge them”.

    He extolled the virtues of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan whom he said has done better than most past rulers in Nigeria, adding that given the opportunity, he will do more for the people and the country.

    The spiritual leader said: “The fact that he is not a lion, but came in a lowly guise and allowed people to criticise his government, even unconstructively without them being harassed or assassinated is one of the greatest gifts any leader can give to Africans”.

    He advised Jonathan to remain focused on his developmental efforts, but that he should step up the fight against corruption, stressing that by so doing, the people will have confidence in the government.

    Dr Onyeleonu warned ahead of 2015 elections, that Nigerians should be careful so that selfish politicians do not divide the country because of parochial interests, adding that people should be vigilant to avoid mistakes of the past.

    He said: “ The solution Nigerians should look for is how to drive away hunger, illiteracy, tribalism, corruption, and other ills from our polity. We should embrace peace and unity rather than dwell on where a ruler comes from because it is only God that anoints a leader.”

  • NBL takes campaign on cleanliness to host community

    NBL takes campaign on cleanliness to host community

    As part of the company’s commitment to promote a clean and hygienic brewing environment, staff and management of Nigerian Breweries, (NB) PLC Aba, Abia State have embarked on a one day hygienic sensitisation exercise in its host community.

    The brewery manager, Mr. Ukeje Udah said that the exercise, with the theme: “Care/Respect for the Environment” is in line with one of the cardinal values of the brewery which ensures that staff and management of the company personally participated in ensuring a clean, greener and friendly environment within the community where their factory was situated.

    Udah, who expressed the willingness and the desire of the company to sustain the campaign however pointed out that it would further take the cooperation of their host community to make the programme a success.

    The Commissioner for Environment Chinwe Nwanganga, who was represented by a permanent secretary in the ministry, Elder Okechukwu Aguwa described the state governor, Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji as an environmental conscious governor thanked NB PLC for thinking about the hygiene of its workforce and the cleanliness of the host community where it brews its products.

    According to Aguwa, Abia State government and the Ministry of Environment was going to partner with NB PLC to make sure that the aim of the project was not defeated and therefore called for the sustainability of the programme.

    The permanent secretary while urging other private organisations in the state to emulate the positive steps taken by NB, expressed hope that impact of programme will have a trickledown effect on the entire commercial city.

    The General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, attributed the programme to the outcome of a familiarisation tour to private and corporate organizations embarked by his agency.

    According to the ASEPA GM, the need for a greener and healthier environment cannot be over emphasized, adding that his agency was not going to relent in its effort to make Aba a cleaner commercial city.

    He described the NB PLC’s action as a wakeup call to individual and corporate organizations operating in Aba and urged them to see waste management in and within their offices/factories as a collective responsibility.

    Ikpeazu said that his agency was working out modalities to improve on waste management system in Aba, calling Aba residents to always make use of the waste buckets at designated points and avoid dumping refuse on the main road.

  • ‘Ndigbo are not maginalised’

    ‘Ndigbo are not maginalised’

    abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji has said President Goodluck Jonathan has not marginalised the people of the Southeast geo-political zone contrary to some people’s notion.

    He said in the recent time some Presidents have ruled the country and that none of them have touched the lives of the people from the Southeast as the current President, even as he urged the people to ignore such views as they do not wish the zone well.

    Speaking with reporters in Umuahia after his return from the ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of the building of the second Niger Bridge at Onitsha Anambra State, Orji said the people of the zone have never had it so good since the current republic.

    Orji further said the building of the Second Niger Bridge will open up the economic potential of the zone which has remained untapped, stressing that the bridge will serve as the link to both the people of the zone and some parts of the South-South zone.

    He said: “For a zone that has been marginalised, will the President lay the foundation stone for another bridge when there is an existing one, set the money aside and also set a deadline for the delivery of the project.”

    He said the Second Niger Bridge is very important because the old one is becoming weak and over used, adding that the bridge will help in reducing the pressure the people from Southeast and some parts of South south zones experience during festive periods.

    Orji also mentioned other projects the Federal Government has executed for Ndigbo which include the reconstruction of the Enugu-Onitsha express way, the Onitsha-Owerri road, making Enugu Airport an international one and the ongoing reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt express way.

    On the prospects of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in the zone, Orji who is the new South East Governor’s forum chairman, said that the party in the zone under his leadership, will be stronger and are going to reclaim the lost states in the forth coming elections.

    He said: “The PDP is not afraid of any elections in the zone, we lost Anambra State due to internal problems, which we have resolved, while

    Imo State which had a similar problem is being handled. The people of Imo State have learnt from their mistakes and they are ready for any elections right now”.

    On what he intends to do as the new South East governor’s forum Chairman Orji said that he is going to forge a common united front for the zone in the area of economics, “ We want to leave a legacy for the people of the zone”.

    The governor explained that the people of the zone are noted for their business acumen, stressing that the greatest legacy the present governments in the zone will leave for the people is sound economic background that will stand the test of time.