By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja

The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has denied reaching financial deals with individuals in connection to the party’s candidate for the November 6, Anambra State governorship election.

The party in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Secretary, Comrade Yahaya Makama, described as false, reports making the rounds alleging that the National Chairman, Dan Nwanyanwu, has reached an agreement with an unnamed candidate after sums of monetary payments.

Makama said: “The attention of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has been drawn to a misleading and mischievous report in a national daily, alleging that our party has reached certain financial deals with some individuals in connection to our candidate for the November 6, Anambra State governorship election.

“The false report also went ahead to mischievously claim that the National Chairman of the ZLP, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, reached the alleged agreement after receiving sums of monetary payments.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the ZLP clearly states that it has not reached any agreement, neither has the national chairman received any payment from any person as being falsely suggested in the publication.

“ZLP is not for sale to the highest bidder, but is rather yielding itself to Ndi Anambra as a platform for a strong coalition among political parties, support institutions and the body of electorate in the coalesced effort ahead of the governorship election.”

He, however, confirmed that the party had entered into high-level discussions with stakeholders from the three major political parties as well as no fewer than seven other minority parties on ways to use the party as a platform for a formidable cross-party coalition ahead of the election.

The ZLP national secretary promised that the party would make its decisions regarding the coalition open to the public soon.

The party advised the public, particularly the people of Anambra, to disregard the mischievous publication, which the party claimed “is the handiwork of desperate politicians in a particular party, who are jittery over the emerging coalition and seek to confuse our fold.

“In that regard, the ZLP will never be distracted by any blackmail, but will continue to work with the people of Anambra State in their aspiration to coalesce on our platform and enthrone a purposeful leadership in the state.”

ZLP enjoined reporters to be circumspect and always cross-check their facts before going to press, so as not to allow desperate politicians to use their platforms as avenues to mislead the public..

By Nsa Gill, Calabar

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected in Cross River State to perform the inauguration of a two-lane bridge at  the Mfum/ Ekok border between Nigeria and Cameroon.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, made this known yesterday when he inspected the bridge and the approach road in Etung Local Government.

He expressed delight and hailed the project, which was implemented by the Road Sector Development Team (RSDT) at a construction cost put at $38,836,552.3, paid for by Nigeria and Cameroon.

Fashola said the project would facilitate the influx of investments to Nigeria and strengthen the relationship bond between Nigeria and Cameroon.

He said Nigeria is a signatory to African Continental Free Trade and the bridge, which is a strategic infrastructure, is built in conformity to international standard because it cuts across two countries.

Records show that the construction of the bridge, which was handled by CGCOC Group, began on April 26, 2017 and was completed on March 31, 2021.

By Nsa Gill, Calabar

Members of forest communities in Cross River State, particularly Ekuri and Edondon communities, are drawing government’s attention to the high level of timber exploitation by people suspected to be illegal loggers operating with impunity.

They said the exploitation is alarming, happening across communities in Akamkpa, Obubra, Etung and Boki local governments.

The people of Ekuri, whose community is divided into ‘Old and New Ekuri’, yesterday held a peaceful demonstration to demand action from the federal and state governments, as well as other stakeholders in forest management, conservation and climate change.

They carried placards, accusing the state Forestry Commission of destroying their forest and heritage.

Chief Edwin Ogar, the head of Obioform village at New-Ekuri in Akamkpa Local Government, who spoke on behalf of his community, said they were demonstrating because of impunity in the operations of the illegal loggers, “who have taken over our forest.”

He said: “By their activities, the Edondon road, the only access road to old-Ekuri and new-Ekuri villages have been destroyed.

“Our farmers can no longer bring out their goods. Movement to and from Ekuri communities has been impeded. We have complained to the state government. Sadly, the government is not listening to our cries. This is why we are calling their attention in this way.”

Ogar said the government and the public need to know the extent of the destruction going on in the state’s forest communities.

He said, for instance, Ekuri community has a forest area of about 33, 600 hectares and by estimation, about 10,000 of that have been exploited by illegal loggers.

He alleged that it came to their knowledge that the state forestry commission recently approved a concession to a group for logging of the forest reserves in the new-Ekuri forest, against the moratorium that had been in place.

Comrade Innocent Edi, who introduced himself as the central unit leader representing Okom kingdom, said that 16 communities made up the Okom kingdom, namely Appiapum, Iyamoyong, Okuritet, Yamitite, Edondon, Okukuri, Ochon, Oganban, Oyenokpon, Oyenoranghan, Isaban, Odongin and Akamogbagbuni.

He said: “These are communities in Okom kingdom that coincidentally have boundaries with  Ekuri people.”

Edi said there was too much exploitation of the forest without afforestation, adding: “For some of us, we think the government should enact laws and enforce them at the grassroots, because, when these laws are enacted and not enforced at the grassroots, you have the level of impunity we are now seeing, despite the moratorium the state government has made on logging, years ago.”

Contacted on the phone, the Chairman of the Forestry Commission, Chief Tony Undiandeye, blamed the community and the security agents for the allegation of the illegal logging of the state’s timber reserves.

He said: “How does the commission encourage illegal logging?  Are we at the commission, living in the community? Are the loggers logging for the commission? The community members are the ones doing the logging.”

An environmentalist, Mr. Martins Egot, said most of the timbers being exploited at the forest are export woods that attract high international value.

“They have probably found large deposit of the high value timber species in Cross River State. A powerful clique or cabal is behind what is happening,” he alleged.

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has urged security agencies to invest more time and resources in intelligence gathering in their effort to overcome banditry, insurgency and other security challenges.

Diri spoke at a retirement party organised by the state government in honour of the outgoing Commissioner of Police (CP) Mike Okoli, at the Dappa Biriye Conference Centre in Yenagoa.

Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the governor stressed the need for security agencies to adopt a holistic approach that would encourage the participation of civilians in their campaign against insecurity.

According to Diri, until security is seen as everyone’s business in the society, the use of kinetic approach to address security challenges will yield little or no meaningful result.

Calling on the police and other security outfits to be above board in the performance of their duties, he urged the citizens to always volunteer information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of criminals.

The governor said: “Security is everybody’s business, but more often than not, it is seen as nobody’s responsibility. Sometimes we want somebody to do something about security, and nobody does anything about it, and at the end of the day, security is not taken seriously.

“But somebody has to do something about security. We should all do something about security so that our state can be safe.

“I will like our security agencies to be more proactive and preemptive in carrying out their duties because it is cheaper to be preventive. They have to make more effort in the area of intelligence gathering from the civil populace.”

Describing CP Okoli as a refined product with an unblemished record throughout his service in the Nigeria Police, Diri said the society had a lot to learn from the wealth of experience of the retiring Commissioner of Police.

He acknowledged the sacrifices being made by security personnel, noting that some of them get killed or become paralysed in the course of securing lives and property, and therefore, must be appreciated in the society.

The Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, His Royal Majesty King Alfred Diete-Spiff, and the Commandant of Police Staff College, Jos, Assistant Inspector General, Don Awunah, acknowledged CP Okoli’s contributions to the relative peace and security in the state.

They described him as an outstanding and an accomplished officer with an unblemished track record in the Nigeria Police and wished him the best in his future endeavours.

Okoli thanked Governor Diri, and his deputy, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, for honouring him by hosting his retirement thanksgiving reception.

He also thanked the service commanders and everyone who made out time to attend the event, especially the Commandant of Police Staff College, Jos, A.I.G. Don Awunah, and prayed God to bless them.

The reception was attended by government functionaries and service commanders in the state, including the Commander, 16 Brigade Yenagoa, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. A. O. Awolo; the Commander, NNS Soroh, Commodore Peter Effah, and the Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Christiana Abiakam-Omanu, among others..

By Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu

Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) at the weekend arrested seven fake revenue collectors operating within Enugu North Local Government Area.

The fake revenue collectors, who claimed to be staff of the Ministry of Environment and Enugu North Local Government Area, were apprehended by chairman of ECTDA, Mr Josef Onoh and a team of security operatives.

It was gathered the suspects at the point of arrest, had confiscated building materials from different construction sites within G.R.A axis of Enugu metropolis.

Items recovered from the suspects included 10 cartons of 60×60cm tiles, 2 bags of white cement, fake ID cards, fake Ministry of Environment tax force letter and Youth Empowerment Levy receipts of Enugu North Local Government Area.

Briefing journalists after the arrest, Onoh said the brutality of the suspects’ action in collecting property levy and other revenue was sabotaging economic development in the state.

He assured the suspects would be handed over to the police for prosecution in court.

In another development, a businessman and renowned farmer in Enugu State, Alhaji Sani Friday Nnaji has hailed the investment drive of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration.

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He said the effort has been yielding dividends in key sectors of the State. economy.

Nnaji, who is the managing director of Ansar Technology Limited, attributed the influx of investments into the State to the peaceful atmosphere which Governor Ugwuanyi has entrenched.

Speaking in his Mbu country home in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area where Ugwuanyi visited him and other Muslim faithful, the businessman, also commended the Governor for the level of infrastructural projects in the State, noting that his investments had been most profitable.

According to him: “The peace you have entrenched in Enugu State is the reason I came back home from Zamfara State to establish my farming business.

“And ever since I returned, we have acquired hundreds of hectares of land and have been able to make cotton one of the most important cash crops in the state.

“In the North where I have my major businesses, we harvest cotton four times in a year but in Enugu here, we’re harvesting up to 12 times. Your Excellency, I can assure you that onion is doing well here. All this we do without any fear of insecurity.”

He informed to leave its imprint on the State, his company empowered 1200 farmers from Isi Uzo LGA with inputs worth about N127 million for cultivation of maize.

The leadership of New Delta National League (NDNL), an advocacy group has called on Urhobo indigenes sons and daughters and Deltans in particular who are 18 years and above that have not registered for their Permanent Voters Card PVC to do so as that is their power to vote leaders of their choice and also to be voted for.

In a statement issued to newsmen by the National President Comrade, Yisah Omarayerue Peter and the Secretary Comrade Chanumuya Andrew Azubuike respectively, in Warri, Delta State, the advocacy group said, “It is carrying out massive sensitisation and mobilisation of eligible voters to go out and register for their PVC.”

According to the NDNL chairman, the issue of PVC remains very key for the electorates as that is the only legal right to cast vote for the candidates of their choices.

The group decried the lack of interest shown by some Nigerians who have lost hope in government as a result of bad governance said the processes of electing credible leaders begins with the registration and collection of PVC’s.

NDNL noted that, the Independent Electoral Commission INEC has commence online Continuous Voters Registration CVR, and as matter of fact all sundry is expected to register and has right vote for credibility leaders,

Adding that, intending voters who are 18 years and above can register online and thereafter proceed to INEC designated centers to complete with the processes.

The group had so far visited several units, wards and local government areas across the state sensitising the people on the need for eligible voters to register for their PVC as 84 million Nigerians are on the voters register which is not commensurate with the eligible populace.

By Nsa Gill, Calabar

In line with Federal Government intervention to eradicate polio in Nigeria, the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency and its partners is targeting the vaccination of 900,000 children during the Inactivated Polio virus Vaccines (IPV-2) exercise within one week.

The target also includes 300,000 pregnant mothers making it a total of 1.2million within the state.

The Wife of the Cross River State Governor, Dr. Linda Ayade who flagged off the Maternal Newborn and Child Health Care week in Calabar South, on Thursday noted that Nigeria is rid of wild Polio having had more than half of global cases less than 10years ago but in all of that, Cross River State did not record any case of Polio.

Ayade noted that the flag off exercises which took place in Bogobiri (Hausa/Fulani community in Cross River State) was to felicitate with Muslim faithful in marking Sallah celebration and to sensitize people of that community on how important it is to receive medical care specially during pregnancy and childbirth period.

She appealed to fathers to release their wives to receive the free medical care and encouraged the women especially the ones with children under the age of five to take this exercise very serious by taking their children to vaccination post near them.

“I lend my voice to say that this exercise is very important and I want to plead with the fathers to permit their wives in those nine months of pregnancy to go and receive the medical care that they need, so that the baby will be born healthy. A healthy nation is born out of healthy children.”

Subsequently, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu revealed that over 900,000 children and over 300,000 mothers will be reached during this one week exercise because health worker will be dispatched to take those services down to the doorsteps of everyone both in urban and rural areas in Cross River State.

According to the health Commissioner, “This exercise is vast, it has comprises  the immunization, the deworming, the malaria intervention where we will be giving out free birth nets, malnutrition screening where we will be screening every child that is malnourished and then provide such child with multi nutrients. To achieve these, we’ve been engaging the Christian Association, Muslim Association and all the tribes and communities in Cross River State just to ensure that we meet our target. Indeed, His Excellency, Prof Ben Ayade is committed to seeing that Cross River State remains a safe haven for mothers and children.”