The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

  • PDP candidate: I’m bringing hope to Imo North

    PDP candidate: I’m bringing hope to Imo North

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Imo North senatorial by-election, Emmanuel Okewulonu, has said he is contesting the election to restore hope to the district.

    Okewulonu lamented that Okigwe Zone has been short-changed over the years by its representatives, which has affected its development.

    He said: “There is no single motorable road in the whole of Okigwe; unemployment is high, infrastructure deficit and there is decay in the system, our bad leaders caused it.

    Read Also: PDP Reps warn against fifth columnist working to derail democracy

     

    “Today in Okigwe, the poverty level is high. I just want to change the narrative of leadership where we ensure that whatever allocation we get reaches the people.

    “I’ve come to ensure that service delivery is almost 100 per cent. From the floor of the senate, I can vouch for support from federal government agencies to ensure Okigwe zone is captured in all the federal allocations so we can have good roads, build schools, jobs, and other things…”

  • Ikpeazu to reward exceptional corps members

    Ikpeazu to reward exceptional corps members

    From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba and Nsa Gill, Calabar

     

     

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has promised to reward outstanding corps members. He also reiterated his administration’s readiness to make the atmosphere conducive for corps members to serve.

    Ikpeazu spoke yesterday during the swearing in of the 2020 ‘Batch B Stream 1A’ corps members at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp in Umunna, Bende Local Government Area.

    About six hundred and eighty nine corps members were sworn in.

    The governor, represented by Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development Emeka Ikwuagwu, noted that his administration had recently offered automatic employment to two ex-corps members and rewarded five members of the 2019 Batch ‘B’ and ‘C’ for their contributions to the state’s development.

    Read Also: NYSC: No Corps member tested positive for COVID-19

     

    He said: “Abia is noted for her industry and entrepreneurial spirit, and I urge you to pay attention to the skills acquisition and entrepreneurial programme that will be introduced to you during this orientation course. The acquisition of these skills will go a long way in shaping your future and give you access to getting soft loans to establish your own business.”

    NYSC State Coordinator Lady Bona Fasakin lauded Ikpeazu and his wife for rehabilitating facilities at the camp. She assured corps members, parents and guardians of the scheme’s readiness to ensure a COVID-19 hitch free orientation course.

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade welcomed 600 corps members for the orientation course. Ayade, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth Development and Skills Acquisition; and Chairman, NYSC Governing Board Signor Idiege, urged the corps members to focus on national consciousness and integration.

    “Despite our collective challenges as a country, Nigeria remains a strong entity full of opportunities especially for the educated youths,” he noted.

  • Community petitions NERC over outrageous billing

    Community petitions NERC over outrageous billing

    From Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

     

    Residents of Ezema/Ubulenu and Osita-Osili communities of Uke, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have petitioned the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over the ‘strange and unnecessary outrageous estimated bills’ by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

    They said the crazy bills were outside the method of estimated billing and prepaid billing approved by the commission.

    The residents, predominantly retired old rural people, demanded an investigation of the ‘large scale estimated billing fraud and irregularities heaped on their area by the power company’.

    Led by Chiefs Mmaduabuchi Anekwe and Okechukwu Anakwuo, the residents said their October 13 letter through their lawyer, C. H. Asiegbu, called on NERC to intervene since several correspondences to EEDC did not yield any result.

    They expressed their readiness to use the courts to press home their case if they were not attended to or satisfied.

    Read Also: NERC chairman commends EKEDC’s improved power supply

     

    Former Secretary-General of the Uke Development Union (UDU) Bon Onwubualiri said they were shocked that EEDC was charging very high tariff on residents of such remote rural village. He accused the firm of over-billing and disconnecting their supply, thereby throwing the area into darkness since June.

    He said: “We appeal to NERC to investigate EEDC because the villagers are ready to go to court if not satisfied.”

    But a Senior Manager of EEDC Jefry Nwainokpor blamed the communities ‘for not managing their energy consumption well’. He urged them to replace all incandescent bulbs with energy saving bulbs, and enjoined them to ensure their lights were switched on only at nights when needed.

    “EEDC has not increased tariff; it is inconceivable for a transformer with 200 users to be paying N143,976,” he said.

  • Ugwuanyi hails flight resumption

    Ugwuanyi hails flight resumption

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has hailed Dana Air Services for its decision to resume flights to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in the state.

    Communications Manager of Dana Air Kingsley Ezenwa, in a statement yesterday, said Ugwuanyi made the remark when Dana Air management visited the Government House in Enugu. The Dana team was led by its Chief Operating Officer Obi Mbanuzuo.

    Ugwuanyi said: “We are happy to have a reputable airline like Dana Air in Enugu. Out state is peaceful and our economy is growing really fast. With Dana air in the state, we now have the game changer.

    “Enugu is a civil servant state and our people will be returning home soon. We are sure to have very efficient service with competitive fares. We once again laud your decision to resume flights to the Akanu Ibiam International airport and we are also committed to supporting Dana Air.”

    Mbanuzuo said the team was in the state to contribute to the economy. He promised that the airline would provide daily flight services from Enugu to Lagos and Abuja.

     

  • Urhobo kingdom gets new monarch

    Urhobo kingdom gets new monarch

    From Elo Edremoda, Warri

     

    Chief Emmanuel Okumagba has been installed as Orosuen of Okere Urhobo Kingdom, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

    Okumagba was a Chairman of the Delta State Primary Education Board (SPEB), now Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

    The new monarch, to be addressed as Okumagba II, succeeds Prof. Paul Oghenero Okumagba, Idama II, died in July 2019.

    Until his installation, Okumagba was a member of the Delta State Advisory and Peace Building Council of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration.

  • ‘Anambra 2021 will determine Igbo’s place in politics’

    ‘Anambra 2021 will determine Igbo’s place in politics’

    By Nwanosike Onu, Awka

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin, has said the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State will determine the place of Igbo in Nigerian politics.

    According to him, the PDP has all it takes to win the 2021 election. He also urged party leaders to begin grassroots mobilisation to make it a reality.

    Jibrin spoke at the weekend during a reception for the state Chairman, Ndubuisi Nwobu, by the party’s chapter in Anambra Central.

    According to him, the reception was another strategy to unite the party ahead of the election.

    He said: “All hands must be on deck as next year’s election will determine the future of the state and the fate of Ndigbo in the Nigerian political structure.”

    Nwobu expressed satisfaction about the party’s unity, saying the PDP would produce a governor who would understand governance, care for Ndi Anambra and the state’s growth.

    He assured the national leadership that the party, under his watch, would do everything legitimately possible to win the 2021 governorship.

    The reception was attended by National Vice Chairman Austin Umahi and former National Women Leader Chief Josephine Anenih.

    However, former Governor Peter Obi, Senators Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah, were absent and no reason was given for their absence.

  • ‘Revoke Kanu’s UK citizenship’

    ‘Revoke Kanu’s UK citizenship’

    By Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

    Conference of Igbo Youth Professionals Worldwide has called on the United Kingdom (UK) to revoke the citizenship of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

    The group urged UK and Israel to restrain Kanu from taking advantage of his foreign citizenship to incite violence in Nigeria.

    It recalled that ‘IPOB is a terrorist organisation in the eyes of the law as declared by an Abuja Federal High Court’.

    A statement yesterday by the President-General, Maduabuchi Nwodo, urged Ndigbo across the globe to demonstrate courage by denouncing Kanu, IPOB, its members and all that the group stands for.

    The statement reads: “We are disturbed at the incessant inciting statements coming from Kanu against the Nigerian state. We are aware of his status as a citizen of both the UK and the Nation of Israel.

    “Having worked to see Nigeria at its present state, we believe the UK and Israel would not want to see Nigeria a shattered place. It is in this regard that we appeal to them to rein in on Kanu because his activities have been against Nigeria’s unity.

    “The latest call by Kanu on some security agencies to abandon their duty post, resign and burn their uniforms must be ignored. Kanu is alone in his cessation project and has nobody behind him…”

  • Obiano: Fed Govt should honour Zik with holiday

    Obiano: Fed Govt should honour Zik with holiday

    By Nwanosike Onu, Awka

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has shut schools, markets and other private establishments to honour the first President of Nigeria, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

    Obiano first declared a public holiday for Zik in 2019.

    He wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari to also declare every November 16 as public holidays for Zik.

    Obiano said the government’s failure so far to declare Zik’s birthday as a national holiday has become a national and international scandal.

    Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment C-Don Adinuba, who spoke for the governor, said all government offices, except those which provide essential services, would not open, just like the private sector and open markets.

    He said: “The Ghanaians observe President Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday as a national holiday. Angolans observe Dr Agostino Neto’s birthday as a national holiday, just the way Tanzanians do the birthday of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

    “Interestingly, it was Zik who discovered Nkrumah, mentored him, and sent him to Lincoln University in the United States of America (USA).

    “Zik inspired a generation of Africans, including Nigerians, into African nationalism…”

    Obiano maintained that Azikiwe remained Nigeria’s most detribalised leader in history.

    “Nigeria is in dire need of transformational leaders like the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the symbol of national unity and progress,” he added.

  • Umahi to join APC this week

    Umahi to join APC this week

    By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi is set to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) this week.

    A source said the governor confirmed his defection during a meeting with stakeholders in his Uburu Ohaozara Local Government Area country home on Sunday.

    The meeting was attended by bigwigs including the lawmaker representing Ezra South/Ikwo federal constituency Chinedu Ogah, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Elias Mbam,  State Chairman Senator Julius Ucha, Nwachukwu Eze and Senator Anthony Agbo, among others.

    Read Also: APC bent on self-destruction

    Minister of Science and Technology Ogbonnaya Onu did not attend the meeting.

    Though details of the meeting were still sketchy as at last night, a source at the meeting said the governor also promised to reshuffle his executive council in December to accommodate members of the APC.

    “He did not give us the exact date he will officially defect but he was categorical that it will happen this week,” the source said.

  • NNPC, SEPLAT embark on $700m gas project in Imo

    NNPC, SEPLAT embark on $700m gas project in Imo

    By Chris Njoku, Owerri

    Chairman of SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Bryant Orjiako has said the construction of a $700 million gas plant at Assah, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, would accelerate rural development and create jobs.

    Orjiako, at the weekend, said the project would be completed within the last quarter of 2021.

    He conducted Governor Hope Uzodimma on a tour of the project site. According to Orjiako, the project is jointly sponsired with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on equal percentage.

    Orjiako said: “We decided to site the project here because we have our biggest gas asset here. We have one already in Sapele, Delta State, for the development and transformation of this country.

    “The project would provide energy solution and about 30 per cent of gas supply in the country.”

    Uzodimma described the project as important to the state and Federal Government. He denounced the discriminatory approach adopted by previous companies in the provision of basic infrastructural facilities.

    He, however, pleaded with the firm to provide jobs, scholarships, and basic necessities of life for the people, and to assist in the renovation of dilapidated infrastructures.