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Tag: abia

  • Osinbajo launches N10,000 collateral free loans to petty traders

    The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday said that the Federal Government will continue to initiate and sustain programmes aimed at uplifting Nigerians at the bottom of the pyramid, especially petty traders regardless of socio-political background.

    He made the remark in Abuja at the formal launch of the FCT TraderMoni programme, a collateral and interest free loan scheme initiated by the Federal Government to assist petty traders across the country.

    The scheme, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, is part of the Social Investment Programme of the present administration.

    He said that the programme has been launched in Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Abia and Osun states and would be extended, in quick succession, to traders in all the States of the federation by the end of 2018.

    Speaking to traders at the Utako market shortly after witnessing the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries, the Vice President said every petty trader was eligible to benefit from the scheme.

    He urged petty traders across the country to take advantage of the scheme to improve their businesses.

    He said “This programme is for the petty traders selling in the markets, it is not for bigger traders. It is for the petty traders to improve their businesses. For now, we are giving you N10, 000, if you pay back in six months or less, you will get another N15, 000. We want to encourage petty traders, so that they can have sufficient amount to improve their businesses.”

    Read Also: Osinbajo, Atiku clash over restructuring

    He assured beneficiaries that the amount given to them would be increased if they paid back their loans within the stipulated period, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari himself was interested in the welfare of the traders.

    “The one we did before was for big traders under the GEEP programme, we gave them as much as N100, 000. If you do well with this one we are giving you now, we will increase the amount.

    “Everybody can benefit from this scheme; the President himself has said that he wants to make sure that those who are selling small items in the markets benefit from this programme.

    “When we give you this money, we want you to pay back and no interest is involved.” he said

    Earlier on arrival at the market, Osinbajo went round interacting with petty traders before he proceeded to address traders who had thronged access roads around the market to receive him.

    The Vice President was accompanied to the programme by two Ministers of State: Industry Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar and Zainab Ahmed among other top government officials.

  • Abia Radio/TV station workers shutdown transmission

    Workers of Abia State owned Radio and Television Station; Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) on Tuesday morning shutdown transmission of broadcast and other administrative services .

    Information reaching The Nation has it that the staffs were protesting non-payment of salary arrears and accrued leave allowance.

    It was gathered that the management and other staff of the media outfit were taken unawares as the executives of the staff unions kept information about the strike sealed until the close of work on Monday.

     

    More details later…

  • Emenike: I lead Buhari’s true supporters in Abia

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has said the party  is the true arm of those behind President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Emenike said anyone is free to describe him as a Buharist and that he is not afraid or shy to admit that.

    Speaking at Isialangwa North council during his tour of local government areas, Emenike said Buhari was one of the few Nigerians that has fought corruption to the end.

    Emenike said because those who stole public funds are afraid of his anti-graft fight, they canvass that APC was Hausa party.

    He noted that APC is a national party where everyone ready to fight corruption is free to join in the fight to liberate the country from those stealing the country dry.

    The Abia APC chieftain dispelled insinuations that they do not want people to join APC, saying the party has an open-door policy.

    He said: “APC is a party for everyone who has the spirit to help in fighting corruption and we do not discriminate on those who want to join us, because we run an open-door policy, where people are free to come and join us”.

    Emenike said those the party did not want are people joining with the intention of destroying it.

    “Such type of people will never be allowed or welcome into the party as we want growth not destruction”.

    He said an APC government in Abia State is not going to change those who are running the affairs of government.

    “Rather, we are going to show them a new way of doing things that will turn around the fortunes of the state and its people”.

    The Abia APC leader said: “Since I joined politics, I have never been to government house Umuahia because I do not want to be around and see where they are sharing our money which is supposed to be used for the development of our state”.

    Emenike continued: “If I go near the Government House, and see them sharing money, I will not only shout to let the people know what is happening but will go further to ensure those given the money return them for the use of the state”.

    He maintained that any government that cannot pay workers and pensioners is not worthy to be in office, adding that such a government should leave office for those willing to work and pay workers.

    “As a worker deserves his wages”.

    The APC chieftain told the people that they have tried the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the past twenty years, “Please we should try another party like APC come 2019 as it is a party that is ready to bring the desired change”.

  • 2019 general elections will be violence-free – Kalu

    Chief Orji Kalu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Abia has predicted that the 2019 general elections would be violence-free across the country.

    Kalu made the prediction on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Umuahia, the Abia Capital.

    He said: “There was no violence in 2015 in spite the general fear and predictions before the polls, so there will be no violence in 2019.

    “The elections will be peaceful here in Abia and across the whole Federation.”

    He said that the ruling-APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari would stop at nothing to ensure hitch-free election.

    “The elections will not be marred by violence. APC-led government will leave no stone unturned to protect the nation democracy.’’

    He said that the pressure of electioneering usually heated up the polity and described the development as natural and often precedent to general elections anywhere in the world.

    According to the ex-governor, such heat being experienced should not be mistaken as a sign of imminent violence.

    “Even in the U.S., the polity is presently heating up ahead of the midterm elections coming up on Nov. 6,’’ he said.

    Kalu, who is a senatorial aspirant for Abia North, took exception to the recent destruction of billboards and posters belonging to political office seekers in the area.

    He blamed the act on desperate politicians and their thugs, saying that people should not make politics a do-or-die affair.

    Read Also: Osun 2018: APC has laid good foundation – Tinubu

    “People should see politics as a game, if you win, you rejoice but if you lose you take it in the spirit of sportsmanship. It should not be a do-or-die affair.’’

    On the recent defections across different party lines by some prominent politicians in the country, Kalu said that the actions were intended to satisfy personal interest and “not in the interest of the people.’’

    “Those politicians that are defecting are doing so for their selfish interest because they felt that they would not get the ticket from their former parties.’’

    He attributed the trend to the lack of ideology among the nation’s political class, saying that politicians should learn to play politics of ideology.

    “You saw that when I left the Peoples Democratic Party I did not return rather, I joined APC because it meets my expectations and that is where all Nigerians of note are sitting.’’

    Kalu said that he was determined to bring the Southeast geo-political zone into the mainstream of the nation’s politics.

    “I am currently working hard day and night to ensure that APC wins the governorship and National Assembly positions in all the states in the zone.

    “My ambition is to make sure that I bring the South-east to sit where other Nigerians are sitting and we must achieve it in 2019.’’

    Kalu reiterated his earlier position that APC would have a landslide victory in the zone in 2019.

    He said APC would score at least, 75 per cent votes in Abia and 51 per cent in the other states in the zone.

  • Abia PDP chieftains defect to APGA

    The leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has received about 3,500 defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

    Obingwa is Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s local government, which is noted for its high voting strength in the state. In the last general elections, it was said to have delivered over 82,000 of votes that gave Ikpeazu victory.

    The defectors should have been received by APGA leaders at a ceremony held last week at the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Umuokahia, Obingwa council area, but it was disrupted by thugs allegedly hired by the PDP. This, it was said, prompted the party chairman to issue a statement condemning the action.

    Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Maduka Akpulonu said the group decided to dump the PDP for APGA because “the party party has failed to provide purposeful governance to the people of the state in the past 20 years”.

    He accused chieftains of his former party of making efforts to stop them from defecting to APGA, stressing that nothing will make them to return to the PDP.

    His words: “We decided to dump our former party for APGA because PDP as a party has failed to provide purposeful governance to the people of the state. Some chieftains of our former party made efforts to stop us from defecting to APGA, but we resisted the move, saying nothing will make us return to PDP.”

    While welcoming governorship aspirant, Dr. Alex Otti, and other party leaders to the area, Akpulonu urged Otti to extend his campaign to all the 11 wards in the council. The chairman apologised for the botched rally.

    He said: “We apologise for the botched rally last week. Our defection has shaken the PDP to its foundation in Obingwa.  They frustrated our efforts to dump the PDP. The party (PDP) won’t do anything for the people and won’t allow them to leave to a better party.”

     

     

     

  • Gunmen kill man one month to his wedding in Abia

    Residents of Federal Housing Estate and the adjoining Emelogu Road in Ogbor Hill axis of Aba, Abia State have reportedly been thrown into mourning as yet-to-be identified gunmen storm the area and shot dead a commercial tricycle operator whose identity is yet to be known.

    Our reporter was told that the gunmen numbering about four had accosted the tricycle operator whose name was later identified as Kalu, an indigene of Abiriba, in Ohafia Local Government of the state and demanded the keys to his Keke which sources suspected would be used by the hoodlums to perpetuate evil as that has been their style of beating prying eyes of security agencies.

    The commercial tricycle operator, who was said to be living in a near Emelogu Road, was reported to have refused parting with the keys to his keke which forced the hoodlums to shoot him.

    The victim was said to have died instantly because he was shot from a close range.

    The men of the underworld was said to have made away with the tricycle, leaving the keke operator in the pool of his own blood.

    A source hinted that the commercial tricycle operator was heading towards Ngwa Road from Ogbor Hill when on getting close to the Orji Uzor Kalu Bridge, the hoodlums accosted him.

    Read Also: ‘Lunatic’ who killed Ekiti monarch arrested

    The source said the victim who was to get married to his heartthrob in less than one month’s time, initially thought the men were passengers who wanted to engage his services.

    According to him, “It was when they demanded for his keke’s key that he knew they were armed robbers. The keke operator resisted them, the hoodlums shot him severally and he died instantly

    “From what we have been able to gather, these hoodlums do park their car in a nearby bush, come out on the road, and snatch a tricycle from its owner to go after their victim and to beat security operatives on the road.

    “When they succeed attacking or kidnapping their target, they will either snatch another keke to run or abandon that keke elsewhere to escape into the bush. Some people are in jail today because police traced their keke to have been used in a robbery operation without knowing that the owner of the keke doesn’t have any hand in the kidnapping or robbery.

    “Some keke owners are lucky to find their keke abandoned in a nearby bush where the hoodlums abandoned their keke before heading off with their victim. It is unfortunate that the innocent young man fail victim of these heartless individuals,” narrated.

    Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Abia State Police Command, Geoffrey Ogbonna could not be reached at the time of filing this report.

    However, a senior police officer who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the killing of Kalu and said that police was on the trail of the hoodlums.

  • Six males arraigned in court over homosexual act in Abia

    Abia State Command Headquarters of Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said that it would be arraigning six male suspects homosexuals arrested in a hotel in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.

    The suspects, according to the Commissioner of Police in the state, Anthony Ogbizi were Fred Ndubuisi, Anyanwu Chidera, Kamsiriochukwu Onuaha, Anderson Emeruwa, Sampson Nwadike and Nnadi Promise.

    Among suspects was an undergraduate, who were allegedly said to have been caught practicing homosexual in a hotel room.

    Ogbizi while parading the suspects at the Command’s Headquarters in Umuahia, the state capital said that they were arrested at City Global Hotels by Ekenna, off Okigwe road Aba through intelligence report.

    Ogbizi said they were caught in the act at City Gobal Hotel, Aba, about 2a.m. The commissioner said the suspects were nabbed following a distress call from the manager of the hotel.

    He added that the manager alleged that the suspects were seen kissing one another at the hotel bar by a worker who reported the incident to the management.

    Ogbizi said the manager went to the hotel room where two of the suspects had checked in earlier and discovered that they were six in the room, romancing and kissing one another.

    According to the police boss, the suspects were interrogated and it was discovered that they were members of a gang who came into the state from nearby states to practice unnatural act in the hotel room.

    The commissioner said the hotel management would bring its evidence against the suspects when they were charged to court.

    However, the suspects denied being homosexuals. The suspects said they were in Aba for the birthday party of one of their friends, Ndubuisi taking place in the same hotel.

    One of the suspects, who gave his name as Chidera, claimed to be an undergraduate of the Imo State University, Owerri.

    He said they all checked into one hotel room because they were told that the category of room they asked for was not available, in the alternative therefore they decided to manage one room to change their clothes before going to the club within the hotel.

    “I arrived the hotel about 6p.m. and I asked my friend to book a room for me, when I discovered that we were many in one room but he said that the hotel management said the N5,000 rooms we could afford were not available again. So we decided to manage that one room.

    “After drinking at the hotel bar, we went to the room to change our clothes for clubbing. It was at that time that we heard a knock on the door and when we opened the door, the manger started asking why we were six in the room and after explaining to him, he said they don’t allow more than three people in a room. That was how he accused us of practicing homosexuality in the room.

    There was nothing like kissing or making love in the room and we are not gays,” Chidera said.

    The celebrant, Ndubuisi, who claimed to be a hair stylist, also said that he only invited his friends for his birthday party and lodged them in the hotel. Ndubuisi added that they did not indulge in any homosexual act.

    He said: “I invited my friends for my birthday and I wanted to pay for two rooms but we couldn’t because the rooms were filled up, that was why we were in one room.”

    The Commissioner of Police said that they would be arraigning the suspects in court as soon as investigation was concluded.

  • Abia community in fears over discovery of scores of dead bodies

     …IPOB calls for investigation into the killings of ‘members’

     

    The people of Obiawon village in Ogwe autonomous community, Asa in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State are said to be living in palpable fears following the discovery of corpses of yet-to-be identified persons dumped in a forest in the village.

    While the people are said to also fear arrest of innocent indigenes by members of security agencies who have reportedly been parading the community since the community members discovered the corpses, they are however calling on authorities concerned to ensure that there won’t be any outbreak of disease in the agrarian community.

    Attempts by our reporter who visited the community with the help of a guide to visit the location where the bodies of the victims were dumped were unsuccessful as reports have it that personnel of security agencies in the area have been patrolling on the routes leading to the forest.

    Some of the community members who spoke anonymously told our reporter that apart] from the bodies of about four persons found in a section of the forest, bodies of over 30 persons were spotted dumped in a ditch in another section of the forest.

    A source who claimed to have seen the said 30 corpses said that they had started decomposing as indications show that they might have been dumped in the last two weeks by yet-to- be known persons.

    “We are not at war with any community. All I can tell you is that our people are farmers and our business is farming. We were shocked when we saw the bodies in a forest in the village and one wonders who were those that took us unawares to come into our village to dump these bodies?

    “We are confused, really over this development. Something urgent should be done to avert any outbreak of disease in our community.”

    Meanwhile, the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in a release through its spokesman, Emma Powerful on Tuesday condemned the killing and dumping of the body of the deceased persons in Abia community.

    Powerful in the release claimed that the bodies of the deceased persons were members of the pro-Biafra group who were arrested and detained in various army camps across the state during the Operation Python Dance II in the southeast and called on international bodies to investigate the killing and dumping of the bodies with the aim of unraveling those behind the dastard act.

    “The site of these decomposed bodies should be designated as an international crime scene and promptly investigated.

    “Should the United Nations, ICC, USA and European Union fail to act on this gruesome discovery of mass grave of Biafrans in Ukwa Ngwa, Abia State, we would conclude that there exists a credible bias and conspiracy to exterminate and Islamise Biafra by the pro-Islamic international community.

    “As we draw near to the anniversary of the murderous invasion of Afaraukwu on the 14th of September 2017, we once again call on Igbo governors, the global Christian community, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other reputable and relevant human rights organisations around the world, to prevail upon the International Criminal Court, the Nigeria Government and her security operatives to release the remaining dead bodies of Biafrans in their custody since last year.

    “An international panel of enquiry must be constituted, as a matter of urgency to investigate the atrocities of this Buhari regime against innocent populations in Nigeria and Biafra in particular,” part of the release read.

    Efforts to reach the spokesman of the 14Brigade Command Headquarters, Ohafia, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi over the allegation by the IPOB failed as his number could not be reached, but a source at the command who pleaded not to be mentioned, however debunked allegation, stating that it is the figment of the Pro-Biafra group who tries to seek attention whenever it seems that no one is giving them attention.

  • We have not done enough for Abia, says Shell

    •Oil giant apologises to state

    The Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) Limited, Mr E. D. Ubong, has admitted that the multinational oil firm has not done enough for Abia State, where it has been operating in Owaza community in Ukwa West Local Government Area for over 60 years.

    Ubong spoke in Umuahia, the state capital, when he visited Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

    The company chief noted that though the company had tried to impact the lives of some residents, but it had not done enough as “the first son” in meeting the expectations of the residents, as was the case in other states.

    He also apologised to the government and people of Abia State, particularly the oil-bearing communities, for their long years of neglect, including Shell’s inability to return tax to the state.

    “We thank you for your patience. We have had a long relationship with Abia State. And we know a lot is expected of us. We also know we have not done enough,” Ubong said.

    He said Shell had enjoyed a robust relationship with the state for the years, adding that Abia is within the catchment area of the undergraduate and post-graduate scholarship of the company.

    The company chief thanked the governor for the cordial relationship between the state and Shell.

    He said the company would build a 10-kilometre gas line in the state to take gas to Osisioma and another to Ariaria and Ogbor Hill area.

    Ubong, who said he had followed the governor’s achievements, especially in project delivery, maintained that the visit was meant to listen to Ikpeazu’s wise counsel.

    He added: “We have followed you closely and we know you are a man of projects. Everywhere, we see you inaugurate projects. We will want you to come and see our construction site where you will inspect the gas line and give us the feedback on how we can improve our relationship with Abia State.”

    Ikpeazu said he was bothered about the non-existence of Shell presence in the state, after 60 years of its operation.

    According to him, Abia youths deserve some commendation for their peaceful disposition towards Shell.

    Ikpeazu urged the managing director to pay more attention to the company’s host communities.

    He said: “Your plan is at the jugular of our focus. It fits into our vision. But you need to pay more attention to your host communities and ensure to engage them in your intervention programmes.

    “Additionally, I think our youths deserve some commendation for being peaceful. Don’t wait for them to start breaking pipelines before you do what you are supposed to do for them.”

     

  • Abia plants two million palms

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has flagged off the distribution of two million oil palm seedlings (Tenera) to residents and farmers across the 17 local government areas of the state. The state is targeting being a major exporter of oil palm in the near future.

    Ikpeazu, while performing the distribution exercise at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Nursery site at Ayaba Umueze in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state, disclosed that the state government was targeting planting of 7.5 million oil palm seedlings in the state by 2019.

    According to the governor, the distribution exercise was part of the state government’s efforts to diversify its economy and reduce overdependence on the federal monthly allocation.

    “We were bordered and worried by the fact that so many years after the era of Michael I. Okpara who was best known in Nigeria as the foremost leader in the agric sector, the state has been unable to add one more palm tree, cashew, cocoa or rubber to the estate already acquired by M.I Okpara which we inherited.

    “The greatest source of worry is that if M.I. Opkara could establish University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Golden Guinea (Breweries) and other major industries in the Eastern Region in those days using only agro products, why has it taken so long for us realise what we have missed or lost in the area of agriculture?

    “It was in response to this question or gap that our administration decided to embark on oil palm revolution. In initiating the five pillars of development for this administration for which agriculture is one of them.

    “We decided not to take on every crop despite the fact that Abia is so fertile; that any crop can grow and flourish in Abia. We decided to be jack of a few trade and master them.

    “We chose for ourselves oil palm, cassava, cashew and cocoa. So what we have come here to do today is to demonstrate a manifestation of our tenacity and desire to make sure that oil palm replaces crude oil in the economy of Abia State.

    “We are aware of the fact that you cannot talk about agriculture in the 24th century unless you can boast of improved seedlings and I have been briefed and made to understand that the current specie which is the most exotic and profitable specie of oil palms was taken from Abia, Southeast and Nigeria to Malaysia at the cost of N10 and they have improved on it genetically and returned it to us with another name called Tenera.

    “So what we have done is to repatriate what was stolen from us and I am proud to say that there is no other state that has proliferated the Tenera seedling of oil palm to the extent of 2million seedlings apart from Abia State.”

    He urged those that got the oil palm seedling to ensure that they planted it in the state to achieve the desired aims and objectives of the administration

    “I am appealing to youths, traditional institution. We will go back to planting of oil palm tree. I am happy with what I am seeing. It shows that the people of the state are buying into the project. My hope is that the oil palm seedlings will be planted in the state. Our target is 7.5million. We will now rest until we meet our target. Since we have been able to know how to breed them, we will ensure that it goes round the state.”

    Earlier in his speech, the commissioner of Agriculture in the state, Rt. Hon. Uzo Azubuike said that overall objective of the ministry was to position the state to be able to feed its population as well as produce for export and provide new materials for Agro-based industries which would ultimately lead to generation of wealth and job creation.

    “By the time these plants are in full production, Abia would have been placed squarely on the economic map as the highest oil palm producer in the West African Sub-Region.

    “The multiple effect of creating over ten thousand jobs (more than half the current Public-sector workforce), the quantum leap in oil palm processing plants and the industrialisation of the State through the provision of industrial raw materials and the fabrication or processing and storage facilities by Abians will obviously transform Abia into the economic giant of the founding father’s dreams,” Azubuike stated.