Category: Southeast report

There was a fire on the fourth floor, and she jumped from the balcony, sustaining severe injuries on the concrete below.

That is the fate of Miss Chidubem Nwankwo, a student of Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology (ASCOHSMAT) Aba, Abia State.

Miss Nwankwo, who hails from Okigwe in Imo State, has been lying in her hospital bed since the incident.

It was gathered that the fire started at about 6.00pm on December 16, 2017. Occupants of her flat, and others ran in different directions as a huge smoke enveloped the apartment. The facility is an off-campus female hostel of ASCOHSMAT.

The smoke was said to have come from a burning cable at the entrance of the apartment.

in panic, Miss Nwankwo climbed the balusters in the balcony of her apartment and was hanging on a rail preparatory to jumping down when neighbours and passersby shouted that she should not jump as they were making every effort to put off the fire.

A resident of the area told our reporter that at about 6.15pm when they heard shouts of help from the students’ hostel, they rushed to the scene to see the back flat of the fourth floor on fire.

The man who spoke anonymously said, “As we tried to put out the fire and rescue the students who were trapped inside, we noticed that one of them had already made an attempt to jump down and we pleaded with her not to make that dangerous move as we are doing everything possible to put out the fire and rescue them.”

However, before the fire could be put out, the girl, in her early 20s, had jumped down, landing on the concrete floor.

Miss Nwankwo sustained multiple injuries in both legs and was rushed to a private hospital located in the area.

Miss Nwankwo, while narrating how she jumped from the fourth floor, said that the smoke from the fire that started from the entrance to the apartment was so choking that it was difficult for them to breathe.

She said as the fire was advancing and there appeared not to be any help, she decided to jump down to save her life.

The girl said when help came and people were shouting at her not to jump, she was already in a fix as her hands which had hung on the concrete slab were becaming weak and could no more carry her. She fell off, she said.

Nwankwo said she was responding to treatment, adding that she might have a surgical operation on her right leg for multiple fractures.

Efforts to reach officials of ASCOHSMAT on the issue were  not fruitful, but a staff of the institution, who craved for anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the press on the matter, admitted that some of their students live in the off campus hostel, though he denied knowledge of the incident.

Investigations revealed that earlier in the year, there was another fire incident at the hostel which was caused by a cooking gas, but it was promptly put out by neighbours before it could cause any harm.

A House of Representatives member representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, Ossy Prestige has visited Miss Nwankwo, promising to pay her medical bill.

The medical director of the hospital Dr. Akunne-Wariso described Miss Nwankwo’s survival as divine, saying she was responding to treatment and recuperating faster than was thought.

Prestige encouraged Dr. Akunne-Wariso and his team not to relent in the effort to get Miss Nwankwo was back on her feet as soon as possible to enable her return to her normal life and continue her education.

Prestige also promised to give every necessary financial support in order to make sure that Miss Nwankwo gets all required medical attention.

He also interacted with other patients and encouraged them to hang on and look up to God as their source of healing. The lawmaker equally offered financial assistance to them.

 

In much disrepair, having been built 22 years ago, the 1.7km Uwana Road in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, is coming back to life. The state government is reconstructing the road built by the Premier of the defunct Eastern Nigeria, Dr Akanu Ibiam.

The road leads to the palace of the late Ibiam who, until his death in 1995, was the Ezeogo of the Unwana Kingdom.

The road was left unattended since his demise.

It was therefore not surprising that the people of the area came out en masse to witness the flag-off performed by the state governor David Umahi through the Ebonyi Roads Maintain Agency (EBROMA).

The women and youths danced and rejoiced with the chairman of the council and Umahi’s Senior Special Assistant on Roads Maintenance, Ali Odefa who led his Ebroma team to the event.

Mr Odefa, said the reconstruction would last for a maximum of six weeks, adding that the  project costs N100m

He said the present government was committed to bringing needed development to Unwana, the country home of late Dr. Akanu Ibiam, adding that the late statesman meant a lot to Ebonyi State and Nigeria in general.

Umahi promised that by the time the road would be fully reconstructed, street light would also be extended to it to enhance business and night life in the area.

He explained that the road would be constructed on concrete pavement such that the quality would last for more than one hundred years before requiring any maintenance.

He noted that the state of the road was very bad and unbefitting as a road that leads to Akanu Ibaim compound, hence, the reconstruction.

He said, “It is a rigid concrete road with about 10.3 meter drain to drain. So, it is a good road and upon completion, it should have a life span of about a hundred years. None of those living today is going to see it collapse,” he said.

The governor further said the borehole which was sunk along the road will be donated to the community on completion of the road construction by Ebroma.

Speaking, Uchenna Ibiam, the Coordinator of Ubeyi Development Centre, thanked the governor for keeping his promises to the people of Unwana.

Ibiam said in the past, people came and took their votes and ran away but when Umahi came, he said he was going to transform Unwana and he had kept to the promise.

He assured the governor that the people of Unwana would reciprocate by fully supporting his reelection come 2019.

He urged the people to ensure they obtain their voters card to be able to vote for the Governor.

Also speaking, Princess Allu Ibiam, the regent of Unwana community and first daughter of late Dr. Akanu Ibiam, said she was impressed by the developmental strides of the governor as well as the manner Umahi was carrying Unwana community along.

Others who spoke including the council chairman of Afikpo North LGA, Hon. Oko Enyim; Lecturer with Ebonyi state University Abakalikk, Prof. Egwu U. Egwu among others, praised Governor Umahi for bringing development to Unwana community.

The elated people of Unwana community came out in their large number to witness the flag off of the road.

 

The wife of the Ebonyi State governor, Mrs. Rachel Umahi has commissioned some facilities meant to improve the living standards of the people of Afikpo South otherwise known as Edda land.

The commissioning was part of activities lined up during a one day visit of the governor’s wife to the local government area.

The projects include Ogiri village Hall with eight market stalls, a 32,000-litre capacity water scheme at Ndeokpor Oso Edda and a four-classroom block with headmaster’s office, toilets and store at Igboeze township school in Ekoli Edda

Speaking shortly after the commissioning, the wife of the governor said that the projects would impact positively on the lives of both women and youths in the area and give a face-lift to the Council area.

Mrs. Umahi pointed out that the vision of the present administration is not only to improve the living standard of the people but also speed up infrastructural development of Afikpo south LGA and the state at large.

She commended the people of the council area for their unfettered commitment and support to the progress of the Governor David Umahi-led administration and expressed optimism that agenda of the present administration would benefit the people of the area.

Mrs Umahi enjoined the people to continue to be peaceful stressing that meaningful development can thrive in n atmosphere of rancour and violence.

Mrs Umahi later attended a rally in the Council where she inaugurated the Rachel Umahi for Akubaraoha 2019 Organization.

Meanwhile over 10,000 women from the 11 autonomous communities of Edda clan in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi state at a rally  unanimously adopted the state Governor, Chief David Umahi for a second term in office.

The women in doing this cited his numerous achievement in the area of infrastructure and human, capital development in the state in the last 2 and half years.

The women who took the decision at the Egbebu Primary school, Ekoli Edda in Afikpo South LGA during the Rachel Umahi Women for Akubaraoha 2019 solidarity rally stated that the Governor has since assumption of office has transformed the state capital and the 13 local government areas in the state.

Some of the women who took their turn to eulogise the achievement of the Governor said that they have commenced the mobilization and sensitization of every woman within the voting age who is yet to register and collect her voters card to immediately do so to enable them vote massively for the People’s Democratic Party in the state.

A woman activist in the state who was also the former Head of Service under the administration of Chief Martin Elechi, Mrs. Ugo Nnachi while enumerating the achievements of Governor David Umahi stated that in 2019, no one from the clan would summon the courage to come out to contest against the governor as he has achieved many of the yearnings and aspiration of the people of the community.

Mrs. Nnachi listed some of the achievement of the Governor to include construction of minimum of twenty kilometers rigid concrete paved roads in each of the 13 local government areas, provision of street lights in Abakaliki Capital Territory and all the 13 local government areas, completion of Ebonyi State School of Nursing Uburu and the completion of the construction of Amangwu Edda twin bridges among others.