The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abakaliki

  • Two killed, three injured as truck rams into bus in Abakaliki

    Two killed, three injured as truck rams into bus in Abakaliki

    • By James Eze

    Tragedy struck early Saturday morning in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State as a truck rammed into a commercial bus in front of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) Permanent Site, leaving two people dead and three others injured.

    Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in Ebonyi State, Anthony Ogbodo said the crash occurred at about 6:05a.m along the Abakaliki–Enugu Expressway.

    The incident, which he said was classified as a fatal road traffic crash, involved a Mercedes 911 truck with registration number TTM467XA and a white Mitsubishi bus marked KMM426XA.

    Read Also: 10,000 jobs created as Sanwo-Olu opens Oluremi Tinubu Leather Hub in Lagos

    The Sector Commander, who attributed the accident to dangerous driving, said it involved ten occupants—seven men, a woman, a female child, and a male child.

    “Two passengers, a man and a woman, were confirmed dead, while three men sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Mr Ogbodo said.

    The Sector Commander said the FRSC Zebra 31 Unit in Abakaliki, which responded to the distress call within 10 minutes, evacuated the injured victims to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA II) for treatment.

    “The bodies of the deceased were deposited at the FETHA I morgue after medical confirmation”.

    “The wreckage was cleared to restore traffic flow, while both vehicles were handed over to the police traffic division for further investigation,” he added.

    The Sector Commander cautioned motorists against reckless and dangerous driving, warning that such behavior is the major cause of needless loss of lives on the highways.

  • FG rehabilitates more portions of failed Abakaliki/Enugu highway

    FG rehabilitates more portions of failed Abakaliki/Enugu highway

    The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Ebonyi State (FERMA) has rehabilitated more  portions of the Abakaliki/Enugu highway.

    Mr. Akinyemi Ojo, Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer of the Ebonyi State Field Office, stated this in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State.

    He noted the agency had to intervene because some portions of the road had become death traps for motorists and other road users

    According to him, some of the fixed roads were constructed with concrete.

    He blamed road failures on human activities and urged people to avoid disposing of dirts on drainages which can cause floods and destroy the roads.

    He said: “We discovered that some concrete roads failed and from investigation, we discovered that it was from the foundation.

    “So, after cutting and scooping out, we confirmed that what happened was that water was rushing out from under the ground that showed that the ground level water was up and they didn’t take care of that before the construction.

    “That was what caused the failure and that is what we are addressing and correcting.

    Read Also: Blackout in southeast as national grid collapses again

    “There is a washout at km 8.700 along this Abakaliki/Enugu road, that one has been corrected, we have fixed it and it is motor able.

    “When that one happened, our attention was called by the Civil Defense and DSS to that location which they wrote to our agency and immediate action was taken and we were able to rectify that.

    “There is another one in that same location, the approach of the bridge. Some months back, it was a death trap for motorists but to the glory of God, we have been able to arrest that, we have fixed it properly and it is working.

    “There is another bridge that is accident-prone. Our attention too was called to it by the DSS at the front of FETHA 2 in Abakaliki, here, and we have corrected that. We have opened it for traffic.”

  • Abakaliki residents worried as bank notes scarcity re-emerges

    Abakaliki residents worried as bank notes scarcity re-emerges

    A cross section of Abakaliki residents yesterday expressed worry about the re-emergence of scarcity of bank notes at commercial banks and among Point of Sales (PoS) operators.

    The residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), believed the shortage of cash could disrupt their financial and social lives.

    Visits to some various banks and PoS outlets by NAN in Abakaliki showed that some bank customers were worried the development was coming close to a festive period.

    NAN recalls that Nigeria faced fund scarcity between January and March following the redesigning of 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes.

    Mr. Henry Okpor, a civil servant and bank customer, told NAN that the scarcity of the notes had persisted at the commercial banks for some time, with PoS outlets now becoming part of it.

    He said in spite of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) earlier directive to banks to continue to issue both new and old notes simultaneously there was still a shortfall in the supply of the notes.

    “I think the development began because citizens thought banking regulators may ban some old denominations by end of 2023,” Okpor said.

    Read Also: Tribunal dismisses LP’s suit challenging Uguru’s victory in Abakaliki/Izzi election

    Another civil servant, Mr Jude Ekete, was also worried that the development could cause more hardship and disruption to businesses if not checked.

    “It is worrisome that it is even more disturbing that it is coming at this period when people are going through hard times to survive’’, he said.

    He called on the Federal Government to address the situation before it got worst.

    Mrs Judith Eze, a trader, told NAN that it was unfortunate that some banks were rationing the notes at the counter, while ATMs of some banks were programmed to dispense limited cash.

    “We faced cash scarcity between February and March this year, which resulted in the collapse of some small businesses.

    “Authorities should stop this trend before it gets worse again,” Eze said.

    Mrs Regina Mbam, a bank customer, said if this was part of plans to implement a cashless policy, it would not work unless adequate plans were put in place.

    She said some customers were paid with lower denomination for huge withdrawals.

    Mr Benjamin Essong, a PoS operator, called on the authorities to take concrete steps to address the situation.

    Some bank officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the scarcity was due to hoarding of the bank notes, instead of returning them into the economy after the earlier cash scarcity addressed.

  • FG renames Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki after late Ekwueme

    The Federal Government (FG) has approved the renaming of Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA) to Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.

    Alhaji Ahmed Ramalan, Chairman of the hospital’s board, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abakaliki at a press conference.

    He said the renaming was with immediate effect.

    Ramalan said Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, gave the approval on behalf of the government as it is important to bring the action to the notice of the people of Ebonyi and Nigerians.

    “We hope that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will unveil the hospital’s new logo when he visits before the May 29 swearing-in of elected leaders in the country.

    “This is a big achievement in the “next level” mantra of the present administration and it is hoped that the renaming will make the hospital attain greater heights,” he said.

    He said the request for the renaming was made by the University and the Federal Ministry of Health graciously approved it.

    “The university requested to have FETHA as its teaching hospital as the development will bring lots of benefits to it.

    “It will receive funding of infrastructural development from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and manpower capacity building of staff from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF),” he said.

    Ramalan said the board had a successful year in the saddle haven been inaugurated in March 2018.

    “We have recorded successes within the period which include; completion of the construction and furnishing of a 500-seater auditorium and that of a lecture hall.

    “The medical ward complex has undergone 70 per cent completion while we have completed the renovation of the Resident Doctors’ quarters.

    “We have purchased and installed a 5000 KVA generating set and an Echo scan, blood gas analyser, embedding machine, among others,” he said.

    Dr Emeka Ogah, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, noted that the renaming has elevated the hospital to a teaching hospital status.

    “We are presently more equipped to execute our core mandate,” he said.

  • I am not corrupt, Buhari tells Nigerians

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday stated that he was never convicted of corruption in all the positions he held in the country.

    He promised Nigerians that he will continue to uphold the trust they have in him if re-elected for a second term in office.

    He made the declaration at the Park Oruta Ngele Township stadium Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, during the All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential campaign.

    Buhari was former military head of state (1983-85), governor of the defunct North Eastern State (1975–1976), and chairman Petroleum Trust Fund (1994-95).

    He said: “I can assure you that I, as the president, today have never been in a position of abusing trust. As a governor of the whole six north eastern states, as minister of petroleum for over three years and as a former head of state. I was arrested, detained, investigated but they never found anything against me.”

    The President thanked Ebonyi people for turning out in their large numbers for the rally, saying that they demonstrated that they cannot be bought; he urged them to hold him by his words.

    Buhari recalled that when he came for campaign in 2015, he promised three things: to tackle the security situation in the country that time in 17 local governments in the North East were under the control of Boko Haram but as at today, there is no local government under the control of the terrorists.

    He said: “The important thing is that, please try and hold us by our promise. When we came here the last time, we told you there are three fundamental things the country is facing. First we had to secure the country because part of the country was under threat in the North East, at least 17 local governments were in the hands of Boko Haram; second was the economy. The able-bodied unemployed persons in Nigeria are too many. The thirdly was to fight corruption.”

    The president congratulated the military and other law- enforcement agencies that today none of the local governments in the North East is under the control of Boko Haram.

    “They have resulted in indoctrinating young men and abducting young girls below the ages of 15, wrap them with explosives and send them to soft targets – churches, mosques, market places and motor parks. Even that is becoming rear now.”

    Buhari also said that with a favorable weather, Nigeria had achieved food security and no longer imports rice, adding that the money saved from importation was now being used for infrastructural development.

    He added that the money is now being channeled to building roads, rails among other infrastructural development.

    Read Also: Presidential rally: Buhari arrives Abakaliki

    According to him, “we thank God that Nigeria prayed very hard and the three previous rainy seasons were good. The government realised it and asked the Central Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture to give soft loans and make fertiliser available to farmers at half the price it used to be. And every able-bodied person who does not feel too big to earn a living went back to the farm and nobody regretted it. We have now virtually achieved food security; we no longer import rice as we used to and the money we have saved are for infrastructure. We are doing the roads, the rails and we are doing the new standard gauge and we are improving on power.”

    He added that “the last thing is about fighting corruption and bribery. Fighting corruption is a very difficult process, but we are doing our best by trying to reorganise the Nigeria police and the judiciary itself. Because, we appointed people that went into public office without their own houses, without even maybe good cars, but within three years they build houses in Abuja, opened accounts in Europe or America and we cannot touch them. But when we discover what they have, we take them to court and when we take them to the court, we hope they will be prosecuted and then we will punish them.

    “I can assure you that I, as the president today, have never been in a position of abusing trust. As a governor of the whole six north eastern states, as Minister of Petroleum for over three years and as a former head of state. I was arrested, detained, investigated but they never found anything against me. So I went through all the rigmarole that is against our development as a nation. God has given us people; he has given us resources.

    President Buhari, therefore, urged the people to vote for him to continue with the good work his administration had started.

    According to him, “what this administration is doing and what it will continue to do, if you vote me is to make sure we realise the potential of our people and the resources God has given us to make life better for this country, for our future generations.”

    Also speaking, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who received 25 leaders from other parties, who have resolved to work for the APC, accused the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar of working for foreign interest.

    According to him, Atiku who wrote letters to United Kingdom (UK), Unites States (US) and European Union (EU), was appealing to western sentiments angling to take over Nigeria’s economy.

    “The right to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable,” the APC party chairman said.

    Oshiomhole maintained that Atiku referring to western interest would only injure Nigerian economy and pauperised the people, calling on the voters never to vote for him.

    He described the forthcoming election as a class war between the elite and the poor, just as he insisted that Buhari’s policies including TraderMoni were pro-poor despite the complains of the likes of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He asserted that no external force can impose leaders on Nigeria. ENDS

     

     

  • Presidential rally: Buhari arrives Abakaliki

    President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday arrived Abakaliki in continuation of his presidential campaign tour of the 36 states of the federation.

    Buhari arrived Abakaliki around 9.30 am amidst tumultuous welcome at the Nkwegu Military Cantonment where he was received by the Cantonment Commander, other security chiefs in Ebonyi and major chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Buhari, presidential candidate of the APC shortly on arrival paid a courtesy call on Chief Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi at the Government House in Abakaliki.

    Mr Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the APC, Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment and Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Deputy Director of Buhari Campaign Organisation were among dignitaries that accompanied the President.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was tight security in and around the Pa Oruta Ngele Township stadium, Abakaliki, venue of the presidential mega rally.

    Read Also: Ohaneze youths back Buhari over suspension of CJN

    The president is expected to inaugurate a number of projects built by Sen Sonni Ogbuoji, APC governorship candidate in Ebonyi at the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki before kicking off the rally at the stadium.

    NAN also reports that a mammoth crowd of APC and Buhari supporters thronged the 8000-capacity Ngele stadium to welcome the president.

    Chief Austine Edeeze, Chairman of the planning committee of Ebonyi presidential campaign in an interview with NAN expressed joy on the overwhelming crowd of APC supporters that turned out to receive the president.

    “The unprecedented crowd that turned out to receive the president is an indication of his wide acceptance by the people of Ebonyi.

    “I am confident that the rally will be a huge success and I am calling on Ebonyi people and South-East to vote en-masse for the re-election of Buhari in the February 16 presidential election.

  • Buhari storms South East again on Wednesday

    President Muhammadu Buhari is returning to the South East on Wednesday, January 30 in furtherance of his presidential campaign in the zone.

    Buhari is billed to storm Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital in what the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu said would be the most comprehensive of all the campaigns so far.

    Buhari’s Wednesday visit to Ebonyi state would be the third since he became the Nigeria’s president.

    Onu made the disclosures at the weekend when key officials of a pro-Buhari group, “True Nigerians For Buhari (TNFB)” paid him a solidarity visit in his country home at Uburu, Ohaozara Local council.

    The minister enjoined all Ebonyi people, and indeed, the party supporters in the southeast zone to come out en mass and welcome President Muhammadu Buhari,  the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate as he flags off his campaign in Ebonyi State.

    “Mr. President will be visiting Ebonyi State on Wednesday, January 30. I call on all Ebonyi to come out in very large number to receive Mr. President, and also come out en mass to vote for all APC candidates at all levels.

    “We are happy that President Buhari is in love with our state. Mr. President insisted that the rail-line that links Port Harcourt to Maiduguri will not be complete without passing through Ebonyi State.“I call on the people of Ebonyi State, the southeast zone, and Nigerians to support President Buhari’s re-election,” Onu admonished.

    Onu told the visiting members of the pro-Buhari grouo that although the problems which the Buhari-led administration inherited were enormous and would take a long time to solve, he expressed delight that within three years of being in office, the government had made tremendous progress in the areas of diversifying the economy from oil-dependent one to agro-based economy, creating jobs and consistent fight against corruption in the country.

    Read Also: SEC takes e-Dividend campaign to South East

    He recalled that Buhari took over office “when all the indices of our national economy collapsed; when our economy depended mainly on crude oil; when the price of crude oil was very low and when the production of crude oil was very low in the country, not even up to half a million barrel per day; when what the country had was half of what she needed to have”

    He expressed the hope that if given another four years, President Buhari would be able to consolidate on the gains made by the administration   so far. “We need to grow the economy and create enough jobs for our people,” Onu remarked.

    He expressed happiness upon realizing that a group such as the TNFB members were currently working hard alongside other numerous organizations in the country for the re-election of Mr. President for him to continue with his good works.

    He assured members of the group of all the necessary support they would require to actualize their aims and objectives, adding that their efforts would be rewarded by the consolidation and sustainability of government’s achievements.

    The leader of TNFB, Chief Ajayi Nicholas Adekunle said their visit was part of the campaign for the re-election of President Buhari.

    Adekunle said: “We are here because we felt it’s important to come to you and say thank you for the way you are mobilizing the entire southeast for the re-election of Mr. President.”

    He advised all Ebonyi people to troop out and vote for all APC candidates during the forthcoming elections.

  • Breaking: Tanker on fire in Abakaliki

    A tanker said to be carrying gas moments ago fell along the ever- busy Enugu- Abakaliki road and caught fire.

    A witness told our correspondent the tanker seemed to have suffered brake failure as it suddenly lost control and veered into the embarkment dividing the road.

    Read Also: Fire guts Abakaliki rice mill

    “As it hit the embankment, it turned to the side spilling some of its contents, which caught fire but not before the driver and conductor escaped to safety,” the witness said.

    The fire was still raging at the time of this report as all efforts by the state fire service to put it out have not been successful.

    The fire caused traffic gridlock on the expressway as vehicles had to look for alternative routes in or out of the city.

  • Ohanaeze, others flay IPOB attacks on Ikpeazu, Umahi

    Ohanaeze Youth Council and a coalition of Igbo groups on Monday condemned the verbal attacks on governors of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu and his Ebonyi State counterpart, David Umahi by members of the opposition parties and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

    IPOB leader, Nnamdi KANU, had said in his recent broadcast that Abia and Ebonyi people should vote out Ikpeazu and Umah, claiming that they are sabotaging their agitation.

    The groups described their actions as unacceptable and laughable.

    National President of OYC, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, after their meetings in Abakaliki, said Kanu has derailed from his Biafra agitation and should not be listened to.

    He urged Kanu to concentrate on the no-election campaign and leave Ikpeazu and Umahi alone to concentrate on their quest to reposition their different states.

    In a statement, he said: “The coalition of Igbo groups; namely World Igbo Youth Congress, Southeast Women Professionals and Igbo Students Movement had met with the Forum of BibeingaAgitators and resolved that the attack was laughable.

    “It is laughable that Kanu is derailing from his Biafra agitation and now being sponsored by politicians to cause confusion and pursuing campaign of calumny against those who mean well for him.”

    The coalition expressed concern at the outburst, asking why the IPOB members did not register to obtain their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), despite that they were advised to do so.

    Read Also: Stronger, more focused Ohanaeze Ndigbo emerging, says Nwodo

    Isiguzoro urged the IPOB to emulate the maturity and non-violence approach of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), led by Uchenna Madu.

    It lauded the group, which had expressed willingness to allow INEC to conduct election in the southeast, and also ensure that there is no bloodshed during the ongoing Operation Python Dance111.

    On Adams Oshiomhole’s allegations that Ikpeazu has been collecting bailout funds without paying salaries, it said: “We are shocked because our members who are Abia workers are paid as at when due, while no Abia or Ebonyi worker is being owed.”

    “We unanimously state that zoning formula favours Ikpeazu and Umahi. The opposition parties in Abia and Ebonyi know that their candidates cannot win in these states, because there are no vacancies to be filled in the two Government Houses till 2023.”

  • ‘My father was beaten to death inside police station’

    An 18- year- old undergraduate, Ebenezer Israel Inya has accused policemen attached to Kpirikpiri Police Division, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital of beating his father, Israel Inya Aluu to death while in their custody.

    The incident, according to Ebenezer, happened on Wednesday August 28, 2018, after he was arrested alongside his father and some of his friends at the Assemblies of God Church beside their house.

    It was learnt that Ebenezer, who lives on 4 Nri Street, and his friends were playing football on the street when their ball flew into the compound of the church located on No 2 Nri Street.

    The church officials then allegedly invited a policewoman, who is also a member of the church, to arrest the boys and Ebenezer’s father for allegedly disturbing the church programme by playing football around the premises.

    Ebenezer explained that they had earlier quarrelled with the gateman of the church after he seized their ball when it fell into the church premises.

    “I was playing football with my friends when the ball entered the Assemblies of God premises. We met the gateman and pleaded with him to release the ball to us but he refused and started insulting us, we then engaged him in a quarrel”

    “The pastor’s daughter came in and asked us what was happening and we told her that our ball flew into their premises, urging her to get it back”.

    “She promised to plead with the man to release the ball to us. After sometime, we returned to the church and pleaded with the gateman to release the ball to us, but he started exchanging words with us. The senior pastor of the church too came out and started insulting us, while the pastor’s children and worshippers started attacking us. They later asked us to go to our house so that the crisis could be resolved and we went back to our house”.

    He said some members of a para- military outfit attached to the church later lured him into the church premises where a policewoman arrested them.

    “I was about taking my bath in order  to come to our shop at Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) at the police headquarters when two security men came to me and asked me to come with them to apologize to the pastor so that peace could reign. I insisted that I will not go anywhere, but they threatened to call in the military if I don’t resolve the matter their way.

    “When we got to the church we saw a policewoman who was on maternity leave and was wearing mufti came with a handcuff to arrest us and we asked the offence we committed and insisted she must tell us our offence. She refused to give us the reasons and locked the gate. They started beating us inside the church. My dad who was in our house heard about it and rushed to the church. He said they should stop beating us again and that we should all go to the police station to iron things out.

    “They insisted that they were not going to the police station but must do everything inside the church. When they saw that the pressure was high, the policewoman took us out of the gate and started beating us. We got to the station with my dad and they detained all of us including my brother and beat us mercilessly.

    ‘’They (policemen) asked my dad to follow them to a room, and my father went in with them together with the leaders of the Assemblies of God Church. The next thing I saw was when they (policemen) came and released us and asked us to come and carry our father’s body”.

    Contacted, police spokesman, Loveth Odah confirmed the incident, saying: “On August 29, 2018, the Divisional Police Officer( DPO) of Kpirikpiri Division, said that there was a call from the Assemblies of God Church at Nri Street, Kpirikpiri, that (some) children were playing football and they played into the church premises.

    “So the security officer whose name I do not know seized the ball, because he said that it was a regular thing which he said disturbed the occupants during the church hour.

    “So, yesterday unfortunately the ball entered there and the security officers seized it. According to them, children started throwing stones on top of the zinc roof of the church. Along the line, the security officer decided to open the door to see who was doing it.

    “He saw the two children who were doing it. He accosted them into the premises and now called the policewoman who had handled their matter before.

    “The policewoman was actually on maternity leave. She was passing through the church to go and fill her gas cylinder.According to her, she parked her bike and entered inside (the church) to see what was happening.

    “The security man opened the door for her and the access paved the way for their father to enter with her into the church premises. According to the policewoman, they were all judging the matter as children’s play.

    “But the father to the children insisted that since he has accosted the children inside, by so doing, (they were)illegally detaining them, so the police must be aware of it. The policewoman assisted them to the police station and went her own way because she was not on official duty”.

    Contacted, the pastor in charge of the church, Reverend Joseph Nwakpakpa refused to comment on the matter. He instead warned our reporter to stop disturbing him.