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  • Abia police rescue four children abducted by new tenant

    Abia police rescue four children abducted by new tenant

    The Abia state police command headquarters on Monday, December 25, announced the rescue of the four children kidnapped in Umuahia by a tenant who packed into a new compound.

    The police disclosed that two of the children were rescued on December 22, while another two were rescued on December 24.

    The Nation had reported that a female tenant who packed into a compound, whose name could not be identified whisked away two sisters and a cousin, including the child of another tenant to an unknown destination

    The state police public relations officer, Maureen Chinaka disclosed that eight suspects including one Ifeoma Abonyi have been arrested in the cause of investigation.

    The police spokesman said that Abonyi, a 35-year-old female was arrested in Asaba, Delta state.

    Chinaka who disclosed that a DNA test would be conducted on the children to affirm that they were the biological children of their parents, further revealed that six other children were recovered from the suspects in the cause of the investigation and arrest of the suspects.

    She disclosed that the feat was a collaborative effort of both the police and personnel of the Department of State Security (DSS); a product of the robust synergy between it and other security agencies in the state.

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    Chinaka in a statement issued on Monday said: “On 16 December 2023, one Mrs. Ifeanyi Udoma Ibe (Female) of Ubakala Street, Ossai Road, Umahia, reported the abduction of her children and her neighbours’ by an unidentified tenant.

    “In response to the complaint, the Abia State Police Command commenced investigation into the incident. Leveraging robust technical intelligence support from the DSS in Abia state, on 22 December 2023, police detectives from Abia State Police Command, successfully apprehended one Ifeoma Abonyi, a 35-year-old female in Asaba, Delta State.

    “Ifeoma Abonyi has been identified as the hitherto unknown tenant responsible for the abduction of the four children on 16/12/23.

    “We are happy to inform the public that all the four missing children stolen on 16 December 2023 have now been rescued. Two of the children were rescued on 22 December 2023, while another two were rescued today 24 December 2023.

    “A total of eight suspects (five females and three males) are currently helping the Police with the investigation into the crime. Three other persons suspected to be complicit in the crime are still at large. We are intensifying efforts to ensure their arrest soonest.

    “Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing to determine the real status of six other children that were found in the custody of the arrested suspects. This might entail the conduct of DNA tests, as some of the suspects are claiming that the children are their biological offspring. We shall keep the public informed of the outcome of the investigation as soon as possible.”

  • Abia Teaching Hospital regains lost accreditation

    Abia Teaching Hospital regains lost accreditation

    The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has restored the accreditation of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) to graduate medical students, about three years after the accreditation was withdrawn by the council.

    This was disclosed to the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo, yesterday, after the Accreditation Team of the MDCN, who had been in Abia to inspect the state of facilities and other prerequisites had concluded their visit and reached a verdict.

    “We just concluded our meeting with the team. To the glory of God, we have full accreditation to graduate medical students for the next five years; increase in our admission quota from 120 to 150 per session; renewed accreditation to train 60 house officers per annum for the next four years.

     “The number can be increased if we employ more full time consultants in the department of pediatrics. Thanks immensely. We are most grateful to the Executive Governor and to you. Remain blessed,” read a message sent to Dr Okoronkwo by a member of the Abia State University Accreditation Committee, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Maxwell Ogbulu.

    Meanwhile, Governor Otti has sworn that never again would the State’s apex health learning institution, ABSUTH, be allowed to lose its accreditation by the regulatory authorities.

    Governor Otti spoke on Thursday when he received the Accreditation Team of the MDCN, who had visited him at Nvosi, Isialangwa, as matter of courtesy.

     The Governor assured that his government would look into all shortcomings identified by the accreditation team with a view to attending to them timeously.

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    He said his administration would do it’s best to remedy the lapses, adding that the restoration of accreditation to ABSUTH was a major priority to his government.

    Governor Otti remarked that the essence of governance is for the promotion of welfare and security of the people, hence the resolve of his administration to dedicate 20% and 15% of the state’s 2024 annual budget to education and health, respectively.

    The Governor also assured that his administration was committed to the proper staffing of all healthcare institutions in the state even as he stated that his focus was to ensure that Abians and residents had unhindered access to quality healthcare.

    Speaking earlier, the Registrar Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. Tajudeen Adisa Sanusi, represented by the Deputy Registrar, Dr. Nnaemeka Nwakanma, thanked Governor Otti for the infrastructural uplift being witnessed in Abia State, but particularly in ABSUTH and other health institutions in the state.

    The Vice Chancellor, Abia State University (ABSU), Professor Maxwell Ogbulu; the pioneer Provost, ABSUTH, Professor Akpuaka; the Acting Provost, ABSUTH, Associate Professor John Chikezie; and other management staff of the institution were present during the visit by the MDCN accreditation team.

  • Nursing council suspends Abia PTS exams

    Nursing council suspends Abia PTS exams

    The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has suspended indefinitely the controversial Preliminary Test Session (PTS) examination taken by nursing students in Abia state.

    The suspension of the examination was disclosed by the commissioner for health, Ngozi Okoronkwo while briefing the press on the ugly incident of protest that marred the rescheduled examination.

    Okoronkwo explained that the problem was the over-bloated admission of nursing students conducted by the immediate past administration.

    He said: “This admission happened in April, so they were already in school when we came in. The schools were supposed to have taken at least 75 students only for the training institution but what we met on the ground was 420 students.

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    “So we met that situation on the ground, so, this is what we are trying to manage. We didn’t create it but we have to find a solution.”

    The commissioner informed that after the protest, “the Nursing Council stepped in, sent a Director from Abuja, we held a meeting with them and they said, for the students to take the exams, they must be sure.

    She stated: “We have to now follow strictly the guidelines that the first thing first, would be to verify that they have correct WAEC result.

    “We started the process immediately, we requested the names from the Principals of the two schools; Nursing School Amachara and Nursing School, Umuahia and they provided the names, provided the documents. And have cleared about 500 students out of 7 hundred and something of them.

    It could be recalled that following earlier protests of some nursing students a few weeks ago over the alleged result and admission racketeering.

    The state government cancelled the PTS exam and rescheduled it.

  • Abia govt orders cancellation of nursing PTS examination

    Abia govt orders cancellation of nursing PTS examination

    Abia state government has ordered the cancellation of the recently concluded Preliminary Test Sessions (PTS) examination for nursing students in the state.

    This was as a result of allegations of result manipulation levelled against some individuals involved in the conduct of the examination which led to a protest by some affected student nurses and their families.

    The commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu in the company of the Principal Secretary/Chief strategist of the governor, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, and special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s Abia State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

    Kanu, while announcing the decision of the state government, said: “In order to show transparency in all its activities, the state government has ordered the cancellation of the result of the last Nursing exams.

    “This was based on the allegations of wrongdoing levelled against some individuals. As a responsible government, a committee was set up and the committee’s preliminary report is that the exam be cancelled while investigations continue.”

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    Kanu said that there would be another examination soon, adding that the committee already set up would continue its investigation into the matter.

    He stressed that nobody has been indicted or arrested yet in connection with the matter.

    Adding his voice, the Principal Secretary and Chief Strategist to the Governor, Chinenye Mba- Uzoukwu revealed that the committee met with all the necessary stakeholders and interviewed them.

    He stated: “The committee met with all the stakeholders; the students who have petitioned, the leadership of the institutions that were involved. This exam was conducted as CBT, Computer Based Test and so the vendors who provided the technology were also interviewed by the committee.

    “After reviewing all the information that has come forward from all these parties, it was clear that the examinations could have been conducted better in a manner that would have maintained the integrity that’s expected of any examination.”

    Also, the special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, maintained that what the government has done is in tandem with Governor Otti’s campaign promise of sanitizing the system, stressing that the government would continue to clear the mess by the previous administration.

    He said: “What the government has just done is in tandem with the promises made by the Governor on assumption of office.

    “Don’t forget, he declared a state of emergency in the health sector, the principals of schools of Nursing and all the rest of them were invited through the Honourable Commissioner for Health.

    “They were spoken to, the government made them understand that it was aware of all the things, the corruption that have been going on there and warned that going forward, such a thing would not be allowed.

    “Don’t forget that this government did not do the admission properly. Ordinarily, we would not have admitted one hundred and something for a quota of 75 persons. So what we are doing is the sanitization process.”

    On road infrastructure, The Information Commissioner said that a lot of roads are being rehabilitated in Aba, Umuahia, and other parts of the State including maintenance work.

    He said in a bid to improve the governance process and ease of doing business, the government was poised to issue a Certificate of Occupancy within 30 days of transaction time and may have to shorten the time in due course.

    He said the bottom line is to ensure that people have confidence in the system.

  • Abia breaks silence on spending N927m for Gov’s feeding

    Abia breaks silence on spending N927m for Gov’s feeding

    The Abia State Government has described reports Governor Alex Otti spent over N900 million on feeding and welfare from July to September 2023 as false.

    Several reports claimed Otti spent N927 million within three months on refreshments/meals, settlement of honorarium, allowances and welfare packages.

    A statement by Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Kingsley Anosike, described the reports as “a reflection of the mindset of the opposition to create mischief”.

    He explained that the expenditure “was not by the Governor’s office as alleged, but by the entire ministries, departments and agencies” in the State.

    Anosike said: “Following the publication of the Q3 budget report of the Abia State Government, and in line with the government’s commitment to transparency, good governance, and fiscal discipline, it has become necessary to shed more light on the aforementioned report.

    “This is even more so when there are certain distorted reports on social media alleging that the Abia State Government had spent close to N1 billion on feeding and welfare for the Governor’s Office, within the period under review.

    “The accurate situation is that nothing in that region has been spent in the Governor’s Office”.

    Anosike explained the total amount spent so far by the entire Government for refreshments and meals for the period is N223,389,889.84.

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    “This figure is for the entire state and not for the Office of the Governor, as being erroneously portrayed. The stated figure covers expenses for special events, such as retreats, conferences, and related events.

    “For welfare, the Abia State Government has so far spent the sum of N397,520,734.84. The Welfare expenditure is in line with the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability Programme; an initiative of the Federal Government.

    “Also note that the welfare expenditure covers all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and not just the Governor’s Office, as wrongly alleged. Expenses under welfare deal with issues of health, rehabilitation, and public emergencies

    “The figure is an aggregation of all the spending under this headline across the 76 MDAs in the state. The way it was presented was not well captured and completely misrepresented,” he concluded.

  • Abia govt denies owing special security force salaries

    Abia govt denies owing special security force salaries

    Abia State government has denied owing personnel of its special security squad; Operation Crush that was recently setup by the state government to tackle insecurity in the state.

    Reports had emerged Friday, that some personnel of the special joint task force were protesting the state government’s inability to pay them their two months arrears of stipends.

    The state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, in a statement issued on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Kazie Uko described the news making rounds in the state as false.

    According to Uko, the government was up-to-date with the payment of the multi-agency personnel’s stipends.

    “The general public is advised to disregard this falsehood as the state government is up-to-date in meeting its obligations to the anti-crime task force, which has been instrumental in dealing with incidents of violent crimes and dislodging the kidnapping ring around the Umunneochi-Uturu-Okigwe axis, especially on the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

    “It is worthy of note that the Government of Abia State, under the able and dynamic leadership of the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has continued to pay workers’ salaries, pensions and all outstanding verified benefits accruing to Abia workers and retirees, since the assumption of office by Dr. Otti.

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    “Only two days ago, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), the umbrella association of judicial workers in Abia State, wrote to thank Governor Otti for living up to his promise to pay the arrears of their Consolidated Judiciary Staff Salary Structure (CONJUSS), which had remained outstanding since 2015.

    “The workers, through their union leader and Chairman, Oracle Chinedu Eze, expressed their gratitude to Governor Otti and the government of Abia State for fulfilling the promise of salary payments.

    “It is with a grateful heart full of joy and happiness that I, on behalf of the entire Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria members and executives, wish to inform and appreciate you for the first batch of the CONJUSS arrears paid yesterday (November 15, 2023).

    “Sir, we are most grateful and thankful Sir. May Almighty God bless you mightily. Amen and remain lifted,” Mr. Eze wrote in a message to the Abia State Governor, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna. “Abians are not lost in the fact that the falsehood being peddled on social media is the handwork of the enemies of the state, who have lost their hold on political power in the state and have now chosen to see nothing good in Governor Otti, their Achilles heel.”

  • Bill to establish Federal Varsity of Medical Sciences in Abia passes second reading

    Bill to establish Federal Varsity of Medical Sciences in Abia passes second reading

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed through second reading a Bill for an Act to establish Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, in Item Bende, Abia State.

    The proposed legislation titled: “Bill for an Act to Establish Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Item Bende to make Comprehensive Provisions for its Due Management and Administration and for Related Matters,” is sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Wole Oke and five other lawmakers.

    Leading the debate on the general principles of the Bill, Hon. Oke said the Bill seeks to establish a university charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.

    He noted that specialised medical universities have become very important in Nigeria as there was increasing demand for medical and health professionals, especially now that the country keep losing her trained medical and health personnel to other countries of the world.

    He also noted that the rising wave of external migration of medical and allied health professionals seeking greener pastures in more developed countries further compounds the problem.

    The lawmaker said the university when established will encourage the advancement of learning and hold out to all persons without distinction of race, creed, sex or political conviction, the opportunity of acquiring a higher education in Medicine and other Health Sciences.

    He also said the university will develop and offer academic and professional programs leading to the award of diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate research and higher degrees with emphasis on planning, technical, maintenance, developmental and productive skills in the field of Medicine and allied professional disciplines relating to health resources.

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    Oke said: “The importance of education in the society cannot be over-emphasized. It is important for a happy and stable life, for better income and livelihood and for social equality. Furthermore, it is important to have specialized universities especially in the field of medical and health sciences. This will help in filling the gaps seen in conventional universities’ run medical faculties which often grapple with lack of resources among other things. Recall that in the past the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had recommended that universities should consider the establishment of independently administered Colleges of Medicine as a way to partly decentralize power and garner additional resources for medical schools. You will recall also the successes of specialized medical universities around the globe.

    “Some critically needed health professionals are not adequately produced in the country at the moment. Clearly, government cannot completely halt the emigration of trained medical and health personnel. It would be more appropriate to tap into the huge export market of trained medical and health personnel, by investing more into the education and training of medical personal in large numbers to meet both domestic and international demands. Health indicators may continue to decline in the absence of aggressive interventions to reverse the trend. More doctors and other health professionals leaving the country has led to a shortage of medical professionals in the country. This has in turn resulted into heavy strain and dissatisfaction among those medical professionals remaining in the country.

    “The general objects/purposes of the University shall, among other things, shall be to – offer to the general population, as a form of public service, the results of training and research in medicine and allied disciplines and to foster the practical application of those results; and establish appropriate relationships with other national institutions involved in training, research and development of health care.”

    After the debate, the Bill was put to a voice vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the session, after which it was passed and subsequently referred to the House Committee on University Education for further legislative input.

  • ‘Abia ready to investigate School of Nursing’s admission racketeering’

    ‘Abia ready to investigate School of Nursing’s admission racketeering’

    Abia State Government has said it is ready to investigate allegations of admission corruption going on at Athe School of Nursing during its Preliminary Test Sessions (PTS) held recently.

    The government in a statement signed yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communication, Mr. Dodoh Okafor, said the government was concerned with allegations of bribery and other forms of process distortions going on at the School of Nursing.

    He urged parents with evidence to forward same to the government.

    Our correspondent reports that the state government decided to investigate the allegation of corruption at the School of Nursing after some parents and students had during a protest in front of the Government House in Umuahia accused some workers of the School of Nursing of corruption and other forms of financial inducement and exploitation.

    Okafor, who said the Governor Alex Otti administration would be transparent in every process of governance, noted that every allegation would be investigated against officials of the School of Nursing.

    He said all accused persons would be called to present their side of the story. 

    This is even as the state government noted that nobody would be shielded and that nothing would be swept under the carpet. 

    “Abia State Government wishes to acknowledge the grievances expressed by certain students and parents, who were involved in the recent Preliminary Test Sessions (PTS) examinations into nursing schools owned by the state government.

    “Being a government that is responsive and sensitive to the feelings of its citizens, the administration is concerned about the allegations of bribery and other forms of process distortions as the affected students and their parents have publicly made. 

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    “Even then, responsible governments all over the world, it must be noted, act only on facts and established evidence, and not on hearsay and conjectures. 

    “As the officials who addressed the protesting students and parents in front of the Government House, Umuahia directed, the students and their parents are required to write a formal petition to Governor Otti, stating the issues and providing reliable, foolproof evidence to substantiate their allegations. 

    “Such petitions should reach the Office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor as quickly as they can be properly put together. 

    “We assure citizens that every allegation will be investigated and all accused called to present their side of the story. Nobody will be shielded and nothing will be swept under the carpet. 

    “Governor Otti is committed to running a transparent and sincere administration where international standard practices will be adhered to in all issues regarding service delivery. He has already directed that nobody should honour any illegitimate request allegedly coming from him,” the statement said. 

  • RCCG pastor emerges Abia monarch designate

    RCCG pastor emerges Abia monarch designate

    A pastor of the Redeem Church of God (RCCG), Prince Eberechukwu Oji has emerged as the Eze Aro of the Arochukwu ancient kingdom.

    Eze Aro is one of the revered traditional stools in Igbo land because of the significance of the stool to the Aro kingdom and its historical value to the Igbo race.

    Pastor Oji, who is the Eze Aro designate, is a member of the lineage that produces the Eze Arochukwu royal family.

    He is also a notable businessman in the oil and gas sector of the country.

    It was gathered that Pastor Oji emerged as the Eze Aro designate after a thorough screening by the Okennachi kindred and a screening committee found him most suitable for the position which has remained a vacuum after the death of his uncle and immediate past Eze Aro, Mazi Vincent Ogbonnaya Okoro, CFR who died in 2021, after 25 years reign on the throne.

    Our correspondent reports that the late Eze Aro before ascending the throne, was trained in the United Kingdom as a Medical Laboratory Scientist and later became the pioneer head of the Department of Laboratory Technology at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu and later retired as the Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist at the UNN in 1988 when the call to serve his community came.

    It was gathered that since 2021 when the former Eze Aro died, the royal family has been searching for and screening members of the royal family before they later settled for Pastor Oji and his cousin, Mazi Godwin Kanu Idei.

    The screening committee was said to have later settled for Pastor Oji after a long and rigorous process.

    It was gathered that the community which has been without a king has fixed December 26 for the coronation and public presentation of the 50-year-old Eze Aro designate to members of the public.

    In an exclusive chat with Pastor Oji, he promised to lead the people of Arochukwu with the fear of God and respect for the traditions and customs of the Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom, with the firm promise that he would be a king for all the Arochukwu sons and daughters across the globe.

    The philanthropist and business guru noted that the Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom under his watch would witness tremendous change.

    He added that part of his vision for the Aro ancient kingdom was to initiate plans that would not only promote the traditions and culture of the people but also draw the attention of the global community to the historical and tourist sites in the area.

    Asked if his pastoral calling would not clash with the cultural belief of the Aro kingdom, the Eze Aro designate said “We have to separate the religion and culture as there’s no conflict between both. While we preserve our culture, we ought to also separate our culture from idol worship and I will exercise the kingship to all Aro and not to a certain few.

    “We have to separate individual faith from our beautiful culture. The number one monarchy is the British and they have reconciled their culture and monarchy to their religion. The last Eze Aro who was my uncle was a Christian, he was an Anglican. So there’s no conflict at all.”

    On how he emerged as Eze Aro, he said: “Our cultures are very clear in Kingship selection. It’s not hereditary. We do not present anyone who has a case of mental illness, robbery or has ever been to prison.

    “A screening exercise is done until the committee identifies someone worthy of the throne. That’s the culture.

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    “The Okpara Ezi is my uncle who is 91 so we approached our elders and told them that it would be wise to hand over the mantle of leadership to the younger ones while they become the guardians to modify our culture and create more development.

    “This was applauded by most people and our fathers agreed. The search for a younger Eze started and we ended up with multiple young people. The criteria was that nobody above 70 would be considered.

    “In my family, we were two but my uncle graciously stepped down for me. Through the screening, we made our case on why we deserve to be the Eze.

    “On the day of the election, five persons voted for me while the other two committee members voted for the other contestant Prince Godwin Kalu Idei Kanu Okoro Oke who is parading himself as the Eze Aro.

    “But once the result was announced, he stormed out and urged that he be declared the Eze. We weren’t perturbed and went to the Ndi Oke Nnachi family comprising of Asi Eko Oke Nnachi, Kanu Okoro Oke Nnachi, and Oji Okoro Oke Nnachi who performed the traditional rites and I was presented as the Eze Aro designate.”

  • Abia seeks prosecution of deputy speaker, LP state chairman

    Abia seeks prosecution of deputy speaker, LP state chairman

    The leadership of Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Police Commissioner Kenechukwu Onwuemelie to prosecute the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Austin Nmeregini, for allegedly leading protest against the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    It also demanded the prosecution of the state Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Ceekay Igara, for also allegedly mobilising members of the party to lead the protest, which the PDP said was capable of causing breach of peace.

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    The Court of Appeal last weekend removed Darlington Nwokocha of the LP and restored the mandate of Col. Austin Akobundu of the PDP as the winner of the February 25 National Assembly election.

    Speaking at the state secretariat of the party in Umuahia, the Vice Chairman of the party in Abia North and acting Publicity Secretary of the party, Abraham Amah, accused LP of trying to cause commotion in the state.