Category: Southeast report

The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State  in the House of Representatives, Chinedu Ogah, hadthe South East will be the most beneficiary of Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration if elected the President of the country in 2023.

He said the Tinubu/Shettima ticket was the right choice for the zone and that it came through a well thought out considerations on the regions and candidates that have the capacity to win election across the country.

Ogah spoke on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital at the ongoing media parley organised by the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state.

He noted that it was only the Tinubu/Shettima ticket that can win election convincingly in the North and South West because of the antecedents of the two personalities who he said have built many people in the regions and other parts of the country when they were occupying their previous positions and urged the Igbo to support the ticket.

He boasted that APC was the only party that can win election in his Ebonyi State as according to him all those with their PVCs are APC members.

Ogah said “the greater number of those that have their voters card in the state are all APC members. They will vote APC across boards because 90 percent Ebonyi people are APC. If you see those that are complaining in the APC, they don’t have voters card.  The candidates we have in APC both at the National and State levels are very credible.

“When you look at Ahmed Tinubu antecedents, you will see many people he has built and they cut across the country likewise Shettima.  Compare these personalities with other candidates of various political parties, you will discover that Tinubu/Shettima ticket is the right choice especially for the Igbo because they will benefit a lot under the Tinubu administration as the President of the country.

“Igbo should connect to the centre, they should connect to national politics and shun ethnicity.

“It is when you are inside the masquerade that you determine the dance of the masquerade. So, I am calling on the Igbo to follow the APC because it the right party for them to follow so that we can get dividends of democracy for our people.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the right person for the 2023 presidency, let us look at who can deliver democracy dividends for us. If dividends of democracy is coming, even if it is through a Muslim-Muslim ticket, everybody will be okay. I want to tell you, most of our Christians doesn’t have open door policy.”

 

The Rivers State Professionals (RIVPRO) has endorsed the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Siminialaye Fubara, for the 2023 general election.

The group yesterday settled for Fubara after deliberating on issues shaping the coming poll and analysing governorship candidates of major parties at a meeting held in Port Harcourt.

The meeting convener, Enemi George, said it had become expedient for professionals to participate in the leadership recruitment process.

He said the professionals brainstormed on the governorship candidates vying for the election, their credentials, including their academic and work background before they settled for Fubara.

George, a member of the House of Assembly, said they were also concerned with the candidate that could sustain the legacies and infrastructural revolution initiated by Governor Nyesom Wike.

He said: “So as professionals, we sat down, argued and took very deep and long deliberations because we needed to take a stand. We interrogated the credentials of the candidates that presented themselves and asked ourselves questions of who could be the one we would stand by, and commit ourselves to, deploy our time, talent and resources as professionals to ensure that person wins.

 “There were things we looked at. We all agreed that as a people, as a state, as we have a government that has made Rivers State proud. If we look back, we will remember that there was a time we were almost battered.

“But Governor Wike came on board and wiped our tears. There was a time we had reports of infrastructural deficit in the Niger Delta, especially in Rivers State. But Governor Wike came and reversed the ugly trend.

“Today, the state is the envy of the nation. So, we ask ourselves, what happens when Wike leaves? Who is that person that can sustain this tempo?  Who is that person that can build on that legacy and take us even further as a state?

“After interrogating the credentials of these candidates and what they represent, we decided that there is one man that answers these questions. One man satisfies the vertical and horizontal zoning expectations of Rivers people.

One man satisfies the riverine expectation and the senatorial district arrangements and this person is Fubara. We decided as a team, as a group that we will endorse, support, deploy our time, our talents to work with him.”

A former chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Rivers chapter, Prince Nyekere, described their assessment of the candidates and their decision to choose Fubara as objective.

He said: “As professionals, we make an objective assessment of what is happening. As professionals, we say this is where we want to go. I also want to encourage all of us not just to be onlookers, but to also take interest in what is happening in our state and country.

“Every programme and policy of the government, whether we like it or not, impacts on us not only in our professional calling and career, but also on our economy. This is why we should take interest in politics and governance.”

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has presented a budget estimate of N258, 970, 175, 905 to the House of Assembly.

The budget tagged: “Budget of Acceleration”, was presented at the assembly chambers.

It went through first and second readings, which caused commotion at the legislative chambers among the lawmakers.

The second reading was opposed by the opposition members, led by Somtochukwu Udeze (Ogbaru 1 Constituency) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.

He was supported by Lawrence Ezeudu, All Progressives Congress (APC) member (Dunukofia Constituency).

Capital budget of N164.2 billion accounts for 63.2 per cent, while recurrent expenditure of N95.5 billion accounts for 36.8 per cent.

However, the budget, with a deficit of N13 billion, has N91.8 billion or 56 per cent of the total capital expenditure devoted to roads, transport, power and urban regeneration.

Prof. Soludo hailed the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature, saying amid challenges; his administration intended to implement its disruptive change agenda.

He recalled that the seventh assembly approved for his government to borrow N100 billion, noting that it had not been borrowed.

He said N90 billion was applied for.

Speaker Uche Okafor said barely eight months after assumption of office, the Soludo administration had recorded achievements.

He said the budget would be given accelerated hearing.

The Knights of St. John International (KSJI), a religious organisation, has donated N8 million to flood victims across the country.

More than 30 states are affected with the  flood damaging  homes and farmlands.

President of KSJI in Nigeria, Remy Uche, said the organisation had earlier approved N6 million for flood victims, but added N2 million after considering the  level of destruction.

He said the  donation was  also aimed at supporting the rehabilitation of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN)   institutions affected by the  flood.

“The act of charity exist not only in the love for God, but also extends to the love of our neighbour.  Through this gesture, we believe, we would have assisted families and children in need but also to follow them over time,” he said.

Read Also: NDEP gives succour to Rivers flood victims

Beneficiaries of the donation are the dioceses in Idah, Markurdi, Lokoja, Auchi, Bomadi, and Warri, as well as the archdioceses in Onitsha and Owerri.

Chairman, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Catholic archbishop of Owerri ecclesiastical province, Lucius Ugorji, hailed  KSJI for the donation. He said it was imperative to support those affected by flood in their difficult moment.

“Interestingly, this charity is happening on the feast of All Saints Day. As Christians, we have important roles to play towards making society beautiful and a better place for all,” he said.

The Knights of St. John International, came to the country in 1976. It is described as “a family apostolate charged with the defence of the Roman Catholic faith”.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bayelsa State, Dr. Emmanuel Hart, has said there was no going back on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation during the 2023 general election.

He spoke yesterday in Yenagoa at a meeting with party leaders, to give them update on the coming poll.

The REC said there was no going back on the transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time on election day, adding that there would be no incident form that enabled ineligible persons to vote, using other people’s permanent voter cards (PVCs) during elections.

He said the foundation for credible election was the voter register, noting that before now, INEC began an update of the register during the CVR, which started on June 28, 2021 and was suspended on July 31, 2022.

Hart said while the exercise was on, the commission gave updates on a weekly basis.

Read Also: BVAS will enhance credibility of elections, Akpabio

He said:  “I wish to remind you all about the initial outcome of the statistics of voter registration for Bayelsa State when the Automated Biometric Identification System was used to clean up from June 28, 2021 to January 14, 2022.”

“Of a total of 132,628 people that completed registration, only 43,678 were valid and 88,950 invalid. Invalid registration for that period was 67.1 per cent.

“The reasons were double/multiple registrations, underage registration and outright fake registration.

“The commission has completed the exercise to clean up the register and in the next few days, hard copies will be displayed at the 105 registration areas (wards) and eight local governments.

“The register will also be published on INEC’s website for claims and objections as required by law. The physical display of the register will take place at the registration areas (wards) from November 12 to 18.”

The REC appealed to the party leaders as critical stakeholders to take the opportunity of the display to scrutinise the list and help the commission clean it further so that the final register of voters for the 2023 general election could be compiled and published.

He, however, said Bayelsa was facing challenges with the flood experienced in the past six weeks, stressing that the import of that was that a number of the registration area headquarters might still be inaccessible at the beginning of the display on November 12.

Edo State Government and the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Col. David Imuse (rtd.), yesterday clashed over the sixth edition of Alaghodaro Investment Summit, holding between today and Sunday in Benin.

Commissioner for Communication and Orientation Chris Nehikhare said the summit would be used to unveil developmental and growth-oriented initiatives of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration.

He said: “At the 6th Alaghodaro Summit, important guests and resource persons are scheduled to give talks on business development, youth empowerment and other sectors, where our state has made significant impact.

“We are also going to launch governmental initiatives. We have a lot of things to launch on Friday (today), and a lot of good news for Edo people. The government is very pleased with the progress we have made. We have reviewed our progress in the last six years, and we are on the right track.”

Edo APC chairman, reacting through the state’s Assistant Publicity Secretary, Victor Osehobo, described the summit marking the anniversary of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) government, as an annual hollow ritual that had been celebrating Obaseki’s incompetence.

He said: “The APC in Edo frowns at the hollow ritual called Alaghodaro Investment Summit by the state government, and the false claims that it annually consolidates on years of building a vibrant private-sector-led economy.”

“The claim by Edo government that this year’s summit will showcase the businesses and made-in-Edo products is even worrisome, in a state where the policy since 2016 has been to destroy and demolish every trace of entrepreneurship.

“We wish to condemn Edo government’s registration of ‘Alaghodaro Company Ltd by Guarantee (GTE),’ which is a grand ploy by Obaseki to legitimise his annual ritual of wasting Edo tax payers’ funds by uniting his cronies and business allies under one business name, while bolstering government’s efforts at sustaining Edo State as the most investment-unfriendly state in Nigeria.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has assured the people as well as investors and members of the business community that if voted into power, his administration would transform the state from subsistence agriculture to a hub of agro-allied industrialization, driven by technology.

He spoke at the ongoing town hall meetings held at Aninri East and Aninri South development centres, while interacting with sections of the communities to ascertain their needs and integrate them into his programmes.

The meetings were organised to avail members of the communities, including professional bodies, of the opportunity to interact with the business mogul and make demands from his anticipated government in 2023, as well as attract thousands of community leaders, religious leaders, traders, market women, farmers and trade union bodies, who took out time to express their concern about the future of the state and what they expected from Mbah’s administration.

In their speeches at the two development centres, the member representing Aninri State Constituency, Chinedu Okwu and the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Uchenna Ogbonna, bemoaned the recurring flood in the areas during rainy season, which they blamed for low production of farm produce.

They urged Mbah to complete the water dam began by the Federal Government, stressing that he had the intellectual grit, competence and proven capacity to make a huge difference in the lives of the people.

Bemoaning the frequent clashes between the people of the area and some parts of Ebonyi State over land disputes, the duo accused the Ebonyi State Government of trespass, bellicosity and land grabbing, saying Mbah’s intervention would solve the feud.

The presidents-general of Okpanku and other neighbouring communities led by Obiora Obasi, Chief Jonathan Achara, retired Justice Okeke, among others, called for the establishment of hospitals and upgrading of the existing ones.

They said youth empowerment was a key concern to them.

Others speakers, Hon. Sebastine, Sir Ogbonna Chukwu, Peter Ajah, a lawyer; Mrs. Happiness Ajah, former Education Commissioner Prof Uche Okolo, Pastor Nwankwo Chukwuma, Ejikeme Christopher, Philip Ikechukwu, among others, enjoined Mbah to provide an enabling environment to encourage the dominantly agrarian area in their farming activities.

Mbah said the meetings showed positive results, as the main purpose for the engagements was achieved.

Akwa Ibom State Government has expressed confidence that it would meet the December 2022 target of planting at least two million coconut trees.

Agric Commissioner Dr. Offiong Offor, who gave the assurance at the weekend, said more than one million hybrid seedlings had been planted in the last six years at locations in the state in a renewed effort to meet the demands of St. Gabriel Coconut Refinery.

The multi-billion Coconut Oil Refinery in Mkpat Enin Local Government has two million coconuts per day refining capacity.

The commissioner said new plantations had been established at Okobo, Ini and Eket to complement the main plantation sandwiched between Eastern Obollo/Mkpat Enin/Ikot Abasi, while an initiative aimed at encouraging the growing of the plant in public secondary schools had been expanded to public primary schools, local governments and traditional rulers council.

Read Also: I massage with hot coconut oil – Becky Bassey

“We thank Governor Udom Emmanuel for his vision of raising the raw materials base for the refinery because when the plantations start fruiting, we won’t have issues feeding the factory. So, just like a baby when she is born, she must sit, crawl before she can stand on her feet. So, people should not have fears that we will not have raw materials to feed the factory,” she said.

The coconut oil refinery, according to her, had begun refining at a limited scale, using fruits from the main plantation and private growers, who had embraced the coconut initiative when it was launched some years ago.

Offor said her ministry had collaborated with the National Emergency Management Agency and State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials for farmers and fishermen, who were affected by recent flood.

 

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has asked Abia State Government to pay a former Chief Justice of the state, Justice Theresa Uzokwe, her retirement benefits.

Our correspondent reports that the NJC, under the chairmanship of  Justice Walter Onnoghen, at its 85th meeting held on March 24, 2018 recommended that Justice Uzokwe should proceed on compulsory retirement, following the recommendation of the two panels that investigated allegations against her by the Attorney General of the state, Justice Umeh Kalu, alleging illegal constitution and working with a parallel Judicial Service Commission, instead of the one constituted by the governor and confirmed by the House of Assembly.

According to the NJC, Justice Uzokwe was also accused of misconduct in suit No. Hu/131/2005 where she delivered judgment in the sum of N825,000 in favour of a litigant, but reportedly signed a garnishee order of N109, 612, 500.

Although many saw the House of Assembly’s action as a violation of the constitution and an affront to the independence of the judiciary, the NJC in March 2018 recommended her compulsory retirement.

However, Justice Uzokwe, through her counsel, Nnamdi Ahaiwe, petitioned the NJC for a review and the setting aside of its earlier decision, citing an error that the NJC failed to comply with paragraph 16 (1) of the 2014 NJC Judicial Discipline Regulations, thereby denying Justice Uzokwe a fair hearing in the proceedings.

Read Also: Abia recalls suspended poly management

The Nation, however, learnt that Uzokwe on March 29, 2018 wrote to the former Minister of Justice and Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad, calling for the review of the decision of the NJC to recommend her compulsory retirement.

In a letter sighted by our correspondent, Uzokwe in a letter dated May 8, 2019, addressed to Justice Mohammad, said: “The decision of the NJC came as a shock.”

NJC, after the review, reportedly absolved Justice Uzokwe from any wrongdoing and resolved to pay her arrears of salaries and allowances from the date they recommended her for compulsory retirement to when she attained her statutory retirement age of 65.

In a letter signed by Justice Mohammad titled: ‘Request for Payment of His Lordship’s Retirement Benefits/Entitlements’, referring to letters with Ref. No. NJC/S.1/AB. HC/4/VIII/177, dated December 16, 2021 and Ref. No. NJC/S.1/AB.HC/4/VIII/198 dated April 7, 2022 Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was urged to pay Justice Uzokwe her retirement benefits and entitlements.

It was, however, gathered that Justice Uzokwe was yet to be paid the entitlements by the state government as directed by the NJC.