Category: Southeast report

Former Anambra State Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Rural Development Mr. Bonaventure Enemali has declared intention to contest the House of Assembly election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

He said his choice to run for the House of Assembly instead of the National Assembly election was not informed by power and wealth, but to touch lives at the grassroots and transform the masses.

Speaking to reporters yesterday after purchasing nomination and expression of interest forms to join the race to represent Anambra West Constituency, Enemali said he was heading for the house on a rescue mission.

He said: “I believe Anambra State legislature is the place I can be. My representation will have impact on my constituents.

“If I win the election, which I strongly believe I will, I will spend the next four years participating in most of the legislative roles in the state.

“It will also enable me to look inward to see what we can do to address the challenge of backwardness in Anambra West.”

Enemali, who had spent 16 months as commissioner for Youth Empowerment and Creative Economy, said his presence in the house would fast track smooth implementation of the recently-launched Anambra West 12 years Development Plan, which he championed.

“I believe that being the lawmaker representing Anambra West at the state legislature will give me ample opportunity to drive that process of actualising the Anambra West 12 Years Development Plan.

“Having been in the executive committee in the state, I am in a better position to work with the executive to see through the development plan of the local government. So, I am going to the House of Assembly for quality representation and to drive the Anambra West development initiative.

“My aspiration is not a personal quest for power and wealth. Otherwise, I am contented with what I have achieved so far and ready to walk away and pursue other non-political objectives.

“I consider it a sacred duty to use my experience and exposure to represent Anambra West at the House of Assembly. I’m stepping into the race to rescue the ordinary people of Anambra West,” he said.                                                                                        

 

 

Work on Calabar-Itu road for which the Federal Government has released N79billion to Sematech Construction Company, is being hindered by demand for the payment of compensation to displaced people and communities.

The former Nigerian Ambassador to Uganda, Etubom Asuquo, made this known in Calabar while commenting on the pace of work on the road.

Asuquo, one of the traditional leaders in the area, said work on the rehabilitation of the Calabar-Itu road project on Odukpani axis, undertaken by the Federal Government, might not be completed on schedule, following threat by five communities along the road corridors to stop work by June, if adequate compensation was not paid to them for the properties lost, due to the road expansion.

He said on the Cross River State axis of the project, the government divided the contract into two and gave same to Julius Berger and Sematech.

“Julius Berger has fulfilled its aspect of the contract terms by paying compensation before moving to site. But Sematech is doing a different thing,’ Asuquo added.

He said five communities along the road corridor had given Sematech till middle of June to pay compensation.

He noted that the road work would displace a lot of people, as houses, petrol stations, factories, farmlands and business premises would be demolished.

Asuquo alleged that the company handling the road had fallen foul of the local content requirement, as it had not employed even one casual worker from the area or given one person an LPO to supply anything to them.

Stressing his lack of confidence in the firm to carry out a job of that magnitude, Asuquo said the indigenes and residents should benefit from the road, urging the company to do the needful.

 

 

A former Secretary to Ebonyi State Government (SSG), Prof. Bernard Odoh, has declared intention to run for governor on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Speaking in Abakaliki, he promised to engage the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other separatist groups in a dialogue to tackle insecurity in the state and Southeast.

He said: “Solving the security challenges we face here at home with a committed and advanced partnership with our existing conventional security apparatus in the state, will be our priority.

“To the leaders and followers of IPOB, our strongly held view is that we will not shun them or cast them out into the wilderness.

“Any Igbo man or woman who pretends that the grievances of IPOB members are irrelevant or that Ebonyi is an isolated island, unconcerned about those central issues, is what Igbo people call ‘efulefu or ohu’.

“An avenue of dialogue must not just be created, but also remains open, genuine and altruistic until the case is solved and closed.”

Odoh, who resigned his appointment as SSG under Governor David Umahi’s first term after three years of the administration, said governance in Ebonyi was in a state of paralysis under the current government.

He said his coming into the governorship race presented a positive alternative and hope to the unfolding political machinations threatening to bring the state close to anarchy.

Odoh said: “Over the past 18 months or so, the political fever across Nigeria has reached a hysterical crescendo. The dust of political activities has risen to the atmosphere, blanketing us all with roaring noise, rumours, innuendos, blackmail, intrigues, plotting, scheming and betrayals.

“Such is the universal nature of politics. It is par for the course, provided that violence and bloodbaths are avoided at all costs.

“But here in Ebonyi State, however, we have watched as events have unfolded and political machinations are threatening to bring the state close to anarchy.

“The political space cannot and must not be surrendered to political manipulators or to dangerous clashes of ambitions. As we witness the paralysis that has overcome the process of governance, Ebonyi people must be given hope for a better future and better prospects for themselves and their families.

“And this is exactly what I am presenting to us – I represent that positive alternative; a generational forward-match that will take us, as a people, into the immense developmental opportunities of the 21st century.

“This state of paralysis today is dramatically typified by the comical spectacle whereby two-thirds of the House of Assembly is judicially sacked and the remaining one-quarter has arbitrarily been suspended or allegedly resigned, leaving a lacuna in governance that is both intolerable and dangerous in a democratic setting.

“This would have been laughable under normal conditions, but we live in dangerous and anguished times and, therefore, cannot afford any aspect of our full complement of governance to be in abeyance or crippled by crisis, no matter the circumstances.

“The primary purpose of this media interaction, ladies and gentlemen, is to publicly announce to the long suffering Ebonyi people that an alternative, a credible and competent alternative, to the current way of doing things will now be provided under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).”

The Professor of Geophysics promised to restore water supply to  Abakaliki within three months of assuming office.

He described the state civil service and the health sector as being moribund and comatose.

The aspirant promised to revitalise the health sector through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

 

Former Anambra State Chief Judge Prof. Nnanna Umeadi yesterday joined the presidential race.

He bought the N25million expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to vie for president in 2023.

Umeadi, who was CJ during the tenure of ex-Governor Peter Obi, was accompanied by members of his support group to the APGA national secretariat in Abuja, where he paid for the party’s presidential forms.

Speaking to reporters after a brief closed door meeting with the APGA National Chairman, Victor Oye, Umeadi said he was among the most qualified among the aspirants, adding that he was bringing into his governance, rule of law and autonomy.

He urged Nigerians to fight to ensure that their votes would count in the 2023 general election.

While hoping that the poll would be free and fair, the APGA presidential aspirant said although President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2022 Electoral Act late, it was better late than never.

 

There is disquiet in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, following the decision of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and 10 other officials in the Governor Douye Diri administration to join the race for the state and national assembly elections.

It was gathered that among those serving under the current administration in the state that had accepted the calls from their constituents were the Secretary of the State Petroleum Task Force Committee, Waikumo Amakoromo, a commissioner at the Local Government Service Commission, Cleopas Carter, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Legislative Matters, Alfred Belemote Watson and the Special Adviser on Investment, Dr. Jonathan Obuebite.

Many politicians in the state claimed that the decision by the government officials to join the race was a deliberate move to replace the incumbent legislators and create a loyal camp around Governor Diri.

But others described the decision as a normal and healthier decision that would allow for the best to emerge to represent their constituencies.

Thousands of card-carrying members of the PDP, comprising youths, women and men in Gbarain/ Ekpetiama, Yenagoa Constituency 2 took to the streets to explain reasons behind their demand for the Secretary of the State Task Force on Petroleum Monitoring, Waikumo Amakoromo, to join the race for the state assembly election.

The representatives of the five wards in Constituency 2 of YELGA from ward 7-11, said the decision to call on Amakoromo to join the race was due to his contributions and status as a worthy party stalwart, who could win elections for the PDP to support Diri’s administration.

Amakoromo, who received the group at his hometown in Koroama Ward 9, expressed appreciation for the confidence reposed in him by the party stakeholders in his constituency.

He said as a card-carrying member of the PDP from inception, he was willing to support Diri’s prosperity mantra and protect the interest of the party in the constituency, to provide more democratic dividends for the people.

 

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has sworn in Justice Ihemnacho Obuzor as the substantive president, Customary Court of Appeal.

Inaugurating Obuzor yesterday in Port Harcourt at the Executive Chamber of the Government House, the governor reiterated the need for the nation’s judicial officers to remain courageous in dispensing justice without fear or favour.

He said having continually advised the judiciary on courage and justice, it was left for judicial officers to do what they considered fitting in any circumstance.

“There is nothing more I can say. Everybody knows we have said much about the judiciary. So, there is nothing more to say. Whatever anybody wants to do, you’re free to do,” Wike said.

He congratulated Obuzor, who pledged to serve with diligence.

The oath of office was administered on Justice Obuzor by the Acting Chief Registrar of the Rivers State Judiciary, David Ihua-Maduenyi.

 

 

The Ministerial Leader of World Zionist Union in the Southeast, Prophet Godfrey Gbujie, yesterday decried the use of charms, violence and killings in the pursuit of Biafra struggle.

He said such heinous activities would never guarantee the state of Biafra.

Gbujie, who condemned the criminal and violent acts of some miscreants disguising as pro-Biafra agitators, wreaking havoc and causing atrocities, said the whole thing was against God’s plan.

The prophet’s remarks came as sit-at-home continued again in Enugu and other parts of Southeast yesterday.

Speaking with reporters as part of activities marking his 66th birthday in Enugu, Gbujie warned the agitators to refrain from further violent acts, “as this will never help us.”

He urged the agitators to wait on God, noting that using charms or other negative things was against the plans of God.

 

 

 

A governorship aspirant and an industrialist, Chris Iyovwaye, has been presented an expression of interest and nomination form to run in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Delta State.

The form was purchased by three groups, Isoko/Urhobo Unity Forum, Youths Arise and Committee of Friends.

Presenting him the form amid jubilation yesterday in Warri, a leader of the groups, Chief Hope Erute, described the aspirant as one who could win across Delta State, given his track records.

“It is the confidence the groups have in Iyovwaye that has moved them to purchase the form for governorship. The support is not ordinary. The support is fundamental.

“We start from presenting him the forms for governorship race today, on behalf of Isoko, Urhobo Unity Forum and the Committee of Friends all over Delta State. We have young men, youths arise, who are with us solidly. They are prepared to transverse the length and breadth of Delta State.

“We are picking a candidate that is ‘sellable’, a candidate that will win in the length and breadth of Delta State. We do not mince words when we say so. He is a grassroots man, a man who fears God,” Erute said.

Iyovwaye, the chief executive officer of Wellmann Group and an indigene of Aghalokpe, Okpe Local Government, thanked the groups for deeming him worthy of the gesture.

He said if elected, tackling insecurity, energy and youths unemployment would be his focus, adding that his administration would introduce the Smart PLUS agenda to build on the legacies of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

“I am grateful. I want to assure you that by the time we get there and with the things we set up, things will happen for Delta. The state needs a governor that understands the environment and the people.”

“The first problem we have as a state is insecurity. Once insecurity, which is a major problem, is sorted out, Delta will grow rapidly. Of course, you can’t have infrastructural development where there is insecurity.

Supporters, including the oldest Okpe chief and a member of the PDP, Chief Daniel Okoro, were present at the ceremony.

A member of the Committee of Friends, Dr. Hossanna Jaloghor-Williams, said: “We need a technocrat. He is a large mind when it comes to the business world and development.”

A member of the forum, Mrs. Felicia Suleiman, said women were in support of his candidacy, adding: “We have seen a man that has the qualities no other aspirant has.”

 

Enugu Diocese of the Methodist Church of Nigeria yesterday embarked on special prayers to seek end to violence in the Southeast and Nigeria.

The prayer session was in line with the outcome of the Bishops’ Conference held recently in Enugu directing all denominations to sound bells in their churches by 11am on April 4, for commencement of the special prayers.

The Methodist Archbishop, Most Rev Christopher Edeh, prayed for deliverance of the zone and the country from banditry, insurgency and terrorism.

He appealed to those who caused mayhem to have a rethink, noting that the ‘sit at home’ order had caused damage to Southeast’s economy.

Edeh prayed God to save the country from maiming, kidnappings, killings and destruction of lives and property by evil doers.

“We come to you in tears Lord, because you are the only one that can save Nigeria from her current challenges. Everyone is confused; no one understands what is happening again, as the society has lost focus.

“We pray for restoration of peace, justice, equity and fairness where everyone will have a sense of belonging,” he said.

The archbishop also prayed for wisdom for leaders to be able to handle the security challenges as well as for protection of security agencies, who sacrificed their lives in combating crimes and vices.

He called on the youth to shun vices and channel their potential for positive development of the country, urging them to reject calls by politicians to engage in political thuggery.

Edeh urged Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Cards to elect credible leaders who would save Nigeria from her socio-economic and political crisis.