The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

  • Diri to IYC: Jettison militancy, embrace true federalism dialogue

    Diri to IYC: Jettison militancy, embrace true federalism dialogue

    By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

    Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri has challenged the leadership of  Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC), to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to achieve meaningful dialogue with the Federal Government in its effort to redress years of neglect and underdevelopment of the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta.

    Diri, who gave the charge yesterday in Yenagoa during a meeting with members of the Central Zone of the IYC, stressed that they should jettison militancy to pursue the legitimate demands of the people.

    The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, noted that the governors and people of the Niger Delta were at the stage of asking the Federal Government to implement true federalism where states would control their resources and pay taxes to the centre.

    Read Also: Diri charges traditional rulers on security

    He said: “We are in a federation where resources from one region are taken to Abuja on a monthly basis to be shared with places that have created more local governments for themselves. And these resources are shared according to local governments. The Federal Government also controls 87 per cent of the resources.”

    Diri also made reference to the lopsidedness at the Niger Delta Development Commission with membership of the body cutting across board in the country and charged the IYC to focus their attention on such issues that have bedeviled the region.

    He, however, expressed delight that the present crop of IYC leadership was evolving from the era of deploying militancy and violent means to adopting meaningful engagement to make its voice heard.

    He decried the situation whereby Bayelsans, particularly the youths were not in control of the local economy as the state is not engaged in any productive activity, and urged the IYC to change the narrative.

  • Ayade moves to ensure renovation of NYSC camp in Cross River

    Ayade moves to ensure renovation of NYSC camp in Cross River

    By Nsa Gill, Calabar

    Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, of has taken steps  to ensure the renovation of the orientation camp of the NYSC in the state as promised by him last month.

    Commissioner for Youth and Skills Acquisition, Hon. Omang Idiege, disclosed this after an assessment tour of the orientation camp to ascertain its current state.  He assured the NYSC State Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Nakamba, that the renovation work will commence in earnest.

    Read Also: Ayade equips security outfit to combat crime

    He said: “ We were here about three or four weeks ago during the swearing in ceremony of the 2020 Batch B Stream 1A Corps members and we did deliver a message from His Excellency, Senator Prof Ben Ayade, on the urgent need for the rehabilitation and renovation of certain structures at the camp. It has all along been his concern that the camp needs attention so we came to see things ourselves because all these reports were compiled and sent to His Excellency about a few weeks ago and he sent us to confirm if they are still in the same state. And as we have seen, they are still in that same state.”

  • Mobile policeman shot dead in Delta

    Mobile policeman shot dead in Delta

    By Elo Edremoda, Warri

    A mobile policeman was on Friday afternoon, shot dead in Effurun, Uvwie Council Area of Delta State.  His rifle was also carted away by the arms-wielding hoodlums.

    The Nation learnt that the incident occurred at about 2:30p.m along the popular Jakpa Road.

    Details surrounding the incident were still sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

    It was gathered that the deceased was detailed to an unidentified man who had stopped by a shop along the road to purchase some items.

    Read Also: How police shot me in my shop, by 75-year-old woman tells Ekiti panel

    The hoodlums were said to have zoomed to the spot in a vehicle, shot him multiple times and made certain that he was dead before driving away with his gun.

    At least five mobile policemen have been killed and their arms carted away within the past two months, in the state.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the incident, but could not give details about the deceased officer.

    “It is true. I don’t have any information but the truth is that a mobile policeman was killed along Jakpa Road. But his details, where he is attached to, I don’t have for now,” the PPRO said.

  • Uwazuruike faults raid of MASSOB secretariat

    Uwazuruike faults raid of MASSOB secretariat

    Damian Duruiheoma, Owerri

     

    FOUNDER of the Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM-MASSOB) Ralph Uwazuruike has faulted the alleged raid on the group’s office at Umuneke Ohuba, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

    A statement by the Director of Information, Chris Mocha, said policemen were looking for members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in MASSOB secretariat without proper investigation.

    Uwazuruike described the raid as unnecessary, and wondered why the policemen drafted from Mbaitoli divisional headquarters, Nworieubi, could act on hearsay.

    “The allegation is just giving the dog a bad name in other to hang it,” the statement said.

    Read Also: MASSOB to Uzodinma: Prevail on Army to release our members

    The release added that a group leader in Owerri Zone, Samuel Njoku had reported how policemen raided the Owerri Zonal Secretariat at Umuneke Ohuba village, Ubomiri, on allegations that IPOB members were using the place for their meeting.

    It said: “IPOB was classified as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government because of its violent approach to the agitation for Biafra. But BIM-MASSOB and IPOB have nothing in common.

    “We had expected the policemen from Mbaitoli divisional headquarters to tow the same line  of action by not raiding the office, knowing that IPOB has no existing structure in the Southeast.”

    Police spokesman Orlando Ikeokwu could not be reached for comments as he did not answer his calls and did not respond to text messages sent to his phone.

     

  • Plans for Cally Air intact, says Cross River

    Plans for Cally Air intact, says Cross River

    Nsa Gill, Calabar

     

    PLANS by Cross River State Government to establish a state-owned airline, Cally-Air, as well as an International Passenger and Cargo Airport in Obudu Local Government Area, are still intact.

    Works on the projects are at advanced stages.

    Commissioner for Aviation Jake Enya, who addressed reporters at the airport site, said the government has already procured two Boeing 737 aircrafts to launch the airline.

    He said: “The process of procurement is completed. I assure you that we have paid and everything is done about it. We have two aircrafts on ground and we are only waiting for delivery.

    “The state acquired about 1,500 hectares of land and compensation has been paid to the five communities that own the land. We paid almost N900 million which was approved by the governor and the State Executive Council (SEC).

    “We have gone into the real work; we have cleared the entire site. The work going on now is piling and earth-works on the runway – the cutting and filling of the runway…”

    Governor Ben Ayade will leave a huge positive impact in education at the end of his tenure in 2023, his media aide has said.

    Read Also: Cross River by-election: police impose curfew

    Ayade’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, spoke when he conducted reporters on a facility tour of the newly-established British-Canadian school. The school is located in Obudu council.

    He said: “Construction is end-completion as you can see and it is expected that academic activities will begin before the end of year 2021.

    “The original idea was to have a secondary institution like no other; a combination of both the British and Canadian curriculum. A lot of people fell this infrastructure is too big for a secondary school. I don’t know what the governor has done about that, but I do know there are considerations it might become a higher institution.

    “This is one of the institutions Ayade has built in addition to the Teachers’ Training College (TTC) in Biase council. The infrastructure here can sustain even a university. So, we’re hoping that in a few months time, this would be completed. You can see that they’ve started landscaping and painting is on and, in a few months time, this place is expected to be up and running.”

    Ita hinted that about 1,000 schools have been rehabilitated in the last five years.

  • Community slams palace secretary for suspending chiefs

    Community slams palace secretary for suspending chiefs

     Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

     

    ABACHA community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State has flayed the palace secretary, Joe Mbakwe, for purportedly suspending the Prime Minister (Onowu), Paul Nzekwesi.

    Mbakwe was also chided for suspending three other prominent chiefs – Godwin Odiegwu (Ichie Nwakaibeya), Anthony Okelo (Ichie Ozo) and Ugochukwu Onyekwelu (Ichie Omenka).

    The monarch was recently suspended by Governor Willie Obiano for travelling to Abuja without permission.

    Mbakwe said the chiefs were suspended for allegedly sponsoring members of the community to protest at the Government House. The protesters supported the monarch’s suspension.

    But the community, under the aegis of Abacha Traditional Ruler Council, described the action as null, void and of no effect. They insisted it was not in consonance with the town’s laws.

    It added that Mbakwe lacked the power to carry out the purported suspension as he was merely a personal staff of his brother the Igwe.

    Read Also: Anambra 2021: Who will fly PDP’s flag?

    Nzekwesi, who addressed reporters on behalf of the Abacha Traditional Ruler Council yesterday, described Mbakwe as a meddlesome interloper, and the suspension as frivolous.

    He said: “The purported suspension is neither here nor there. The palace secretary cannot exercise a power he doesn’t have as he is just a personal staff of his brother.

    “Mbakwe is just trying to be mischievous to cause confusion and paint the town as not peaceful.

    “Our constitution is clear on the absence of an Igwe. It stipulates that in the absence of Igwe the second in command (Onowu), which is me, takes over. So I am in charge, together with the cabinet chiefs, and there is absolute peace in our community. We support Governor Willie Obiano on this action as he has done well for the state.”

    President-General of the community Ifeanyichukwu Obata, as well as Odiegwu and Onyekwelu, insisted there was peace in the town since the Igwe was suspended. They said there was no vacuum in leadership as the traditional council was working in perfect synergy with the town union.

     

  • ‘Don’t marginalise Edo in NDDC board appointments’

    ‘Don’t marginalise Edo in NDDC board appointments’

     Bisi Olaniyi, Benin

     

    THE Benin National Congress (BNC) has raised the alarm over plots to deny Edo State of being a part of the planned board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    It gave a nine-day ultimatum for assurances of fair treatment from President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Its President, Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo, said Edo houses the largest gas reserve in West Africa and many oil wells. He said the state should not be denied its deserved role in the next board of NDDC.

    Edokpolo said: “Edo State, as host to the largest gas reserve in West Africa, is eminently deserving of the managing directorship or executive directorship, but some persons who do not mean well for the Niger Delta have perfected plans to appropriate the positions to Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States, which have had overstretched share of chairmanship and directorship of NDDC.

    Read Also: NDDC IMC under fire as calls for their sack grow 

    “Edo people are made to believe that peace and order-minded nationalities are prone to repression, suppression and all forms of devious marginalisation. The president’s prompt intervention will certainly be the saving grace.

    “Edo is host to some of Nigeria’s productively endowed oil wells, some of which were appropriated to neighbouring states under military regimes, while some were resolved back to Edo, without any form of reparation whatsoever. Our oil-bearing communities are the most underdeveloped in the Niger Delta, against all established protocols of sustainability.

    “The tragedy of the Niger Delta’s underdevelopment is connected to an unwritten rule by the so-called big four states that they must revolve the managing director and executive directors among themselves, against the unambiguous dictates of the NDDC Act, as amended. This is flagrantly absurd.”

    The group also urged President Buhari to rise to the occasion and do the needful so Edo indigenes will not be pushed to the wall.

  • ‘Artisans, business owners should access survival fund’

    ‘Artisans, business owners should access survival fund’

    Our Reporter

     

    IMO State has advised artisans, transporters and other business owners to key into the Federal Government’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund to empower and grow their businesses.

    The governor’s Special Adviser on Bureau for the Coordination of Donor/Development Partners Fund, Mrs. Amaka Njoku, spoke yesterday in Owerri at a town hall meeting organised for artisans and transporters.

    The meeting was tagged ‘MSME Survival Fund: Artisan and Transport Support Scheme Town Hall Meeting’.

    Njoku regretted that despite the continuous sensitisation by her office, artisans and businessmen had refused to access the fund. She described the fund as a COVID-19 survival initiative under the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry Payroll Support.

    She said: “Imo State has been lagging behind when it comes to accessing funds from the Federal Government. To benefit from the MSME Survival Fund, Governor Hope Uzodimma appointed a focal person in my honour.

    “I, therefore, call on artisans, business owners, companies to remove doubt, fear and biases, and register with the office because there are a lot of advantages.

    Read Also: APC wins Imo North bye-election

    “Artisans should not be afraid to release their BVN. This is a good venture from the Federal Government to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.”

    Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment Mrs. Mariam Katagum said the town hall meeting was to interact with, and engage the artisans and transporters on the government’s schemes designed to alleviate the effects of COVID-19.

    Katagum, who was represented by Mr. Ubadigbo Okonkwo, a Member of the Board of Trustees, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), urged artisans to ensure they benefited from the fund.

    “The survival fund is a conditional grant of N30,000, “grant not loan”, to 333,000 Nigerians. For Imo State, that is about 9,000 beneficiaries of which 45 per cent of them should be women,” Katagum said.

  • Groups calls for Agbazuere’s sack

    Groups calls for Agbazuere’s sack

     Chris Njoku, Owerri

     

    CONCERNED Abia Professionals (CAP) has called on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to sack his Chief of Staff, Anthony Agbazuere, for lavishly throwing money at a guest inside the Government House.

    A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity, Christian Nwogu, urged the governor to hand over Agbazuere to the anti-graft agency for prosecution.

    The statement reads: “While we hail the government for Agbazuere’s suspension, we believe the only way the government can boost its public trust is to disengage Agbazuere and hand him over for proper investigation.

    “Such act, as exhibited by the Chief of Staff, does not suit times like this when Nigerians are trying so hard to overcome the ruins made of businesses by COVID-19.

    “Agbazuere’s attitude is incompatible with his office and so let the law take its course fully so that public confidence is not lost…”

     

  • Police recover vehicle in Cross River

    Police recover vehicle in Cross River

     Nsa Gill, Calabar

     

    A 2018 Toyota Corolla (EPE 210 FQ) was on Tuesday recovered by policemen in Cross River State.

    The car was snatched in Calabar and taken for sale in Akwa Ibom State.

    Commissioner of Police Abdulkadir Jimoh said the vehicle is owned by Ikechukwu Ibekie of No 6, Bassey Ete-Ita Street, Calabar. He works with North West Company in Calabar.

    Jimoh, who paraded the three-man gang on Tuesday, said they were caught following an operation spearheaded by the anti-kidnapping/cultism team.

    According to him, the police tracked the gang to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State where they were arrested after robbing their victim in his house.

    Read Also: Police nab fake Air Force Captain in Katsina

    He said: “We have just arrested a gang that specialises in robbing filling stations and snatching cars.

    “After robbing their victim in Calabar, the culprits took his 2018 Toyota Corolla, which cost over N8 million, to Uyo without knowing they were being tracked.

    “They were intercepted about 12 midnight yesterday in synergy with our people in Akwa Ibom State. They all confessed to the crime and will be charged to court after investigation.”