The Nation Newspaper

Tag: abia

  • NAPON decries shortage of perioperative nurses in Nigeria

    NAPON decries shortage of perioperative nurses in Nigeria

    The National Association of Perioperative Nurses (NAPON) said on Thursday that the dearth of perioperative nurses in the nation’s health sector had affected the management of surgical patients.

    Mr Adeyeni Babatunde, the National Chairman of the association, said this during the 2nd Annual National Executive Council meeting of NAPON in Umuahia.

    According to him, perioperative nurses have the responsibility of managing the operating theatre and surgical patients’ care.

    He said that the shortage of manpower in the profession had given rise to the overburdening of available perioperative nurses.

    “In most hospitals, the job meant for at least six perioperative nurses is done by either two or three perioperative nurses.

    “The situation seems to be degenerating because most perioperative nurses are retiring and the retired ones are yet to be replaced in the various health facilities across the nation.

    “We implore the relevant agencies to ensure that more perioperative nurses are employed, so that operating theatres will be manned by skilled perioperative nurses.

    “They should sponsor our willing members who are interested in specialising in perioperative nursing; this will help to solve the problem of shortage of manpower.”

    He appealed to governments at all levels to review the call duty allowances of perioperative nurses and make it commensurate with those of their counterparts in the health sector.

    In his remarks, Dr Abali Chuku, the Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, urged members of NAPON to adhere to the ethics of their profession.

    Chuku, who was represented at the occasion, said that perioperative nursing was a very delicate sub-specialty, therefore, professionals in the field ought to deliver excellent services.

    In her address, Mrs Nnenna Henry-Nwosu, the Abia Chairman of NAPON, urged the state government to build modern operating theatres and employ more perioperative nurses to manage them because  “safe surgery saves lives’’.

    Henry-Nwosu stressed the importance of providing training opportunities for nurses in state-owned hospitals interested in perioperative nursing.

  • Abia monarchs to police: we aren’t safe

    Abia monarchs to police: we aren’t safe

    Despite a raft of measures by the police and other security agencies in Abia State, traditional rulers say there is little respite from hoodlums. SUNNY NWANKWO reports

    To say the police and other security arms are not fighting crime in Abia State is to twist facts. Still, traditional rulers in Aba, the state’s commercial capital, say they are a long way from safety. That much they told the state commissioner of police Adeleye Oyebade at a meeting, urging him to ramp up security in the state.

    The monarchs knew that security agents have not been sitting on their arms. They have gone after kidnappers, knocking down, on one occasion, one of their hideouts on the precincts of Aba. The military has also tracked down oil thieves in the bush and set their camp on fire, though by the time they arrived, the outlaws had fled. So many robbers and car thieves, even child traffickers, have also been nabbed. In fact, the police periodically brief the press and announce their successes in anti-crime fighting.

    But the traditional rulers are not fooled. They told Oyebade that on account of insecurity they cannot meet with their council of chiefs or with other monarchs. They could be kidnapped. In fact, traditional rulers in Aba North Local Government Area of the state are worried and want the police to protect them.

    The rulers made their appeal to Oyebade when he visited the palace of the chairman Aba North Local Council Traditional Rulers HRH Eze Love Nwogu at Ogbor Hill, Aba.

    The traditional rulers who spoke through their secretary told the state commissioner of police that they were worried by the increase in crime within the Aba metropolis and its environs.

    They further told the police boss that the increase in crime in Aba has put their lives under threat, adding that insecurity in the council area has equally affected their meeting time which they said could not give them the opportunity to properly discuss issues affecting their communities.

    The traditional rulers however expressed their readiness to partner with the police and other security agencies in the state in fighting crime in their respective communities.

    Oyebade assured the traditional rulers of their safety, adding that the police were doing their best to ensure there is peace in Aba and its environs.

    The police chief shared some of the achievements recorded by the command under his watch, disclosing that the police command in Aba and Umuahia are working collaboratively with other sister agencies in the state to ensure that crime was reduced in various parts of the state.

    According to Oyebade, the recently launched Tactical Response Squad (TRS) with its operational base at Abayi Police Divisional Headquarters would complement efforts of their men in other squads already on the ground in Aba in tackling activities of hoodlums in the city.

    The state police boss thanked the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris for giving the command two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu for paying some allowances to the officers in the state.

    He said that it was the desire of the command that Abians and visitors to the state would go about their businesses freely and to sleep with their eyes closed. Oyebade urged members of the public to provide the police with useful information about the activities of hoodlums in their areas, stressing that the police whose response to distress calls have improved would not hesitate to come to their rescue at all time.

     

  • Dogara inaugurates projects in Abia

    To mark his second anniversary as member of the House of Representatives (APGA, Aba North & South) Ossy Prestige came to Aba with Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, who promptly inaugurated some projects Prestige initiated. In response, His Highness Eze Isaac Ikonne, the Enyi 1 of Aba, bestowed on Dogara the “Omeudo (Peacemaker) 1 of Aba.

    Speaking at his palace, Eze Ikonne said that he and his cabinet decided to conferred the title on him because of his leadership qualities such as uniting all the lawmakers in the lower chamber regardless of their political affiliations.

    Eze Ikonne appealed to the speaker to assist the state governors and lawmakers from the Southeast to draw the attention of the federal government to the deplorable roads in the region in addition to addressing the plight of traditional rulers across the country.

    Dogara thanked the people of Aba North and South for the warm reception accorded to him, and the traditional ruler for honouring him with the chieftaincy title.

    Dogara described the lawmaker as one that has been able to distinguish himself in the service to the country and the constituents through his contribution at the floor of the house and the manner he has carried out his assignments.

    Dogara said, “Though he is coming to the National Assembly as a first timer, Ossy has been able to show himself worthy of representing the people of Aba North and South. He is a leader of an association of parliamentarians. Ossy is pregnant with ideas of projects he would deliver to the people. He has delivered some, but he has lots of projects to give birth to and he can achieve this through your (Aba North and South) support and prayers.”

    He used the opportunity to assure traditional rulers in the country that efforts were being made to ensure that they were given a constitutional role. He also urged Nigerians to support the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Prestige pleaded for more federal attention to some of the projects in the state.

    He said, “Though we are happy that Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road has finally been awarded by the federal government, we are uncomfortable with the contractor’s insistence on starting the construction from the Odukpani end of the road. We plead that the Honourable Speaker will assist us by ensuring that work starts from the Aba end of the road that requires urgent intervention or at best, from both ends of the road simultaneously.

    “The dehumanising condition of Port Harcourt Road, Aba; the supposed gateway into Aba City from the Port Harcourt international Airport has remained an eyesore and a sad commentary on the humanity of our past governments in the state. Though my Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has graciously pledged to undertake the reconstruction of the road, we still ask for the assistance of the federal government in that regard, considering the fact that the job is big and beyond the financial convenience of our state to handle alone.

    “My Speaker, all the roads as listed and mentioned above are within the works jurisdiction of the NDDC, which we (Abia) are part of. We therefore plead and believe that you will make it happen for us.”

  • Abia ex-Governor Kalu backs state police

    Abia ex-Governor Kalu backs state police

    Former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu has backed the call for the establishment of state police across the country.

    The frontline businessman and publisher said it would address insecurity challenges in states.

    Kalu addressed reporters yesterday at the Aba High Court during this year’s annual general meeting (AGM)/Law Week of the Aba branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

    He allayed fears that the creation of state police would lead to using its officers by governors to fight their perceived political enemies.

    The former governor also joined the call for the restructuring of the country, saying the current administrative structure is a “unitary democracy”.

    Kalu said the country should be split into eight to 10 regions to accommodate the inadequacies of the nation’s structures.

    He said: “I have always supported restructuring remember when I was governor. I called for state police, which the then Military President Ibrahim Babangida is calling for today. During the first year in my first tenure in 2000, I called for state police, having tackled the problem of criminal activities in Aba by creating Bakassi (Abia State Vigilance Group).

    “I called for state police, since we were not having enough men from the police. That was why Bakassi was created and they brought peace to Aba.

    “The states are too many. We should even split this country into eight to 10 zones; the six zones are not attractive. We should split it to eigh to 10 zones that will be independent and pay taxes to the Federal Government. We have outgrown what I’ll call a unitary democracy. We are in unitary democracy and we should have outgrown this.

    “This is why you see some of our boys here in the East carrying flags and shouting Biafra. And in the Niger Delta, they are carrying flags, doing militancy. This is why you have Boko Haram. Once we have fiscal Federalism, we will get away from unitary democracy.”

     

     

     

     

  • Governor’s wife wants policewoman arrested over teenage house-help molestation

    Governor’s wife wants policewoman arrested over teenage house-help molestation

    The Wife of Ebonyi Governor, Mrs Racheal Umahi, has called for the arrest of a policewoman who allegedly poured hot water on her 15-year-old house-help for wrongfully  applying condiments in a pot of soup.

    Umahi made the call  after officials from her office and the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development rescued the girl from the policewoman at her home in Mile 50, Abakaliki.

    Mr Donatus Owo, the Chief Press Secretary to Umahi, said in a statement in Abakaliki on Saturday that she was touched by the fact that girl’s body looked irritable because she was not given proper medical care.

    “The matter has been reported to the police while the victim was taken to Police Clinic for medical treatment,’’ she said.

    The victim, Chinyere Igwe, who hails from Igbere in Bende Local Government Area of Abia, said she had lived with the policewoman for two years within which she suffered various forms of maltreatment.

    Igwe said was preparing  soup on that fateful day when her employer  got annoyed that she did not prepare the soup according to her instruction.

    “Only my mother is alive and I have been living with my madam for over two years now. This is as a result of my father’s death coupled with my mother’s financial handicap.

    ” I failed to follow her instruction and in anger she came out and carried the pot of soup together with the egusi (melon) and threw at me and it landed on my back.

    “She also carried iron and hit me on my body and ordered me to bend  down and raise my leg up but I refused because my back was paining me seriously.

    “She locked me up in a room while she went to boil water to pour on me.

    “I pleaded with her to have mercy on me but she went inside and brought teargas, then I started crying when she rushed to get hot water and poured on me,’’ Igwe said.

    The victim said that Mr Kingley Okochi, the husband of the suspect,  also hit her after the wife complained to him about the incident.

    ”Her husband also beat me up, but he was not aware that I had such injury because it was in the night.  He later apologised and asked his wife to use honey to treat my back,’’ Igwe said.

    The suspect, Mrs Joy Okochi, however, claimed when the team from Government House, Abakaliki, came to her apartment that she did not pour hot water on the girl intentionally.

    The Director of Child Welfare Development in the State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr Godwin Igwe, and the State Chairman of International Federated of Women Lawyers, Miss Olivia Okpaleke, said the culprit must face justice.

    Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ebonyi,  Mr Jude Madu,  said he had not  received the report.

  • Kidnappers den demolished in Abia

    Kidnappers den demolished in Abia

    Two houses belonging to suspected kidnappers, Chinenye and Chigozie Isreal twins from Umuerim Nsirimo in Umuahia South LGA and property worth thousands of naira  in the shop of one of the wives of the kidnappers, have been demolished by the Abia state government in line with its laws.

    Also demolished in Ndume Otuka in Umuahia North LGA is a drinking joint where kidnappers use as rendezvous.

    Speaking to newsmen at the end of the demolition exercise, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, capt. Awa Udonsi Agwu said the buildings were pulled down because of kidnapping activities.

     He explained that it is a law in Abia state that any location owned by kidnappers or where they use for their activities or meeting point will be demolished.

     The Security Adviser advised youths to take their studies seriously and desist from going into crime as whatever wealth they make will soon vanish.

     He commended the level of support the government has received from people in the localities in form of intelligence and appealed to those in the urban areas to come up with more credible information to help government in fishing out criminals.

    In his speech, the executive chairman, Umuahia South LGA, Obioma Ogbulafor said the state government through the exercise has sent a clear signal to men of the underworld that Abia is not safe for them and urged kidnappers in the state to relocate.

     

    Some of the locals who spoke including the youth leader and vigilante chairman of Umuerim community said the demolition of the buildings will serve as deterrent to other youths who may want to go into crime and lauded the state government for coming to their rescue as the kidnappers have been a source of threat to the community.

     The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, CP Adeleye Oyebade in a telephone interview described the demolition exercise as a continuous one and in compliance with the law passed by the Abia State House of Assembly which ordered that the house of anybody caught in the act of kidnapping would be brought down.

     He further disclosed that more houses used as kidnappers’ hideouts which have been identified by his men were also going to be brought down soon.

    Oyebade used the opportunity to warn kidnappers in the state or those that are considering coming into the state to carry out their nefarious act to have a rethink on how to be useful to themselves and the society and warned that the police would not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law on anybody caught in the act or using his or her house as a hideout for kidnappers or where kidnapped victims were being kept.

  • In Abia, crackdown on criminals continues

    Criminals have continued to keep the security community in Abia State busy, but the outlaws, themselves, have not quite been having fun either. Kidnappers, armed robbers and human traffickers, among other hoodlums, have not given up their thirst for criminality. A  lawmaker even called for a state of emergency on violent crimes in the state. But the police, sometimes working in concert with the military and other security agencies, have been battling them, busting their gangs, destroying their camps and tools, and arresting a number of them.

    As the onslaught continues, the state police command under the leadership of Mr Adeleye Oyebade has reiterated its commitment to making the state safe for business and economic activities. Oyebade, during a visit to some of the police divisions under his command, promised that his command would tackle kidnapping, armed robbery, child theft, human trafficking and other criminal activities in the state.

    The command’s spokesman, Geoffrey Ogbonna said the command has made some arrests and have recovered some stolen items.

    He reeled out the police efforts and results: “On 06/06/2017 at about 2100hrs, operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad attached to Area Command Umuahia on a tip-off, raided the houses of Ugochukwu Okereke ‘m’ of Umeremeze Village Nkwoegwu and Obilor Icha of Umueze Road Umuahia, where they recovered one locally made pistol and a pump action rifle buried in the ground.

    “On 08/06/2017 at about 1300hrs, patrol team attached to Central Police Station Aba while on patrol along Aba Main Park, accosted the duo of Chibuike Nwoke 20yrs ‘m’ of Umuduruji Obohia Ahiazu Mbaise Imo State and Chukwuebuka Okafor 29yrs ‘m’ of Umuezechi Bende L.G.A Abia State, with a big Sumec Generating Set, which account they were not able to give. On interrogation, the suspects confessed to have burgled the house of one Emeka Ikeafuama (alias Tuma Wowowo) ‘m’ of Ahiazu Mbaise based in USA and have brought the generator to Aba for sale.

    “On 09/06/2017 at about 0215hrs, men of Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) on patrol responding to a radio message from the control room, recovered one Toyota Lexus Jeep with reg. no. FST 202 ER, black in Colour which occupants abandoned during a hot chase by the CTU patrol team and ran into the bush at Agalaba Road in Osisioma. Effort is intensified toward the arrest of the fleeing hoodlums.

    “On 09/06/2017 at about 1220hrs, one Nissan Pathfinder Jeep with reg. no. ABM 297 FK, Navy Blue in colour, snatched from Pastor Chinonso James ‘m’ of Omoba by four armed men within the early hours of date was recovered by a patrol team attached to Omoba Division along with one Toyota Highlander Jeep with reg. no. WWR 275 SV suspected to be the operational vehicle of the hoodlums.

    “On 10/06/2017 at about 0530hrs, operatives attached to Ndiegoro Division arrested one Chidera Nwachukwu ‘m’ for stealing a Laptop belonging to one Jolly Ledesi of the Nigerian Army whose Military uniform, the suspect had sometime stolen and used in robbery incidents. It is apposite to state that the suspect had earlier escaped in a reported case of armed robbery, murder and personating sometime in March, 2017.

    “On 10/06/2017 at about 0900hrs, following a report at Area Command Aba, that from 2300hrs of 09/06/2017 to 0300hrs of 10/06/2017, cultists numbering up to 14 besieged a compound in Egbelu Street Aba with arms and axe. Consequent upon the report, operatives of Anti-Kidnapping Section attached to Area Command, Aba swung into action and arrested five (5) boys and two (2) girls, two locally made pistols and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered in the process. Suspects will be arraigned in Court as soon as investigation is concluded.

    “On 12/06/2017, one Stephen ’m’ reported that he was robbed of his Gionee M2 phone valued N28,000, along Uzuakoli Road, Umuahia on 11/06/2017 by three men and a lady, one of whom was dressed in military uniform. Based on the report, one Nwadi Paul was arrested by combined efforts of patrol teams of 28PMF and Central Police Station Umuahia. Subsequently, on 13/06/2017, the fake soldier identified as Okezie Chukwuebuka was arrested with one Gift Johnson, a female member of the gang and the following items were recovered from them: Two pairs of Army camouflage uniform, Two Itel phones, Cash sum of N23,000.00, UBA cheque leaves belonging to Uwajumogu Ikechukwu, Fidelity Bank and Skye Bank cheque leaves belonging to Eni Virginia Enyinnaya, One Peace Corps ID card for Nwadi Paul, One UBA ATM card belonging to John Oluchi, One Diamond Bank ATM card belonging to Paul Nwadi, Two wraps of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, Four passport photographs of Paul Nwadi, One voter’s card of Paul Nwadi. The suspects confessed being members of a gang terrorizing Umuahia residents and dispossessing them of their valuables. Suspects will soon be arraigned in court.

    “On 13/06/2017 at about 1540hrs, Operatives attached to Ugwunagbo Division recovered one white Toyota Hilux van with reg. no. FKJ 853 BH in a bush at Umugwu Umuodo village, Ugwunagbo. Documents found inside the vehicle indicated that the Hilux van belong to one Colonel Orire Nikiro (rtd) and his phone number was also seen on the documents. The Officer was contacted through the phone number and he disclosed that the vehicle was removed from where it was parked on Sunday, 11th June, 2017 in Elimbi Rivers State. Investigation conducted so far has confirmed that the incident took place in Rivers State Command.

    There were several other inroads the police made in keeping criminals at bay in the state, according to the police spokesman, but enjoined members of the public to provide information about the activities of suspected hoodlums within their neighbourhoods.

    With more work from the police and cooperation from the public, crime would be unattractive in the state.

     

  • ‘Shelve ‘Biafra’, negotiate for Nigeria’s presidency’

    Chief Donatus Nwankpa, the Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia, has advised pro-Biafra agitators to shelve their secession plan and negotiate to produce an Igbo president in the country.

    Nwankpa gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Sunday.

    The APC chieftain stated that the agitation for a Biafra Republic is not a viable option for the Southeast zone of the country.

    “For the Biafran agitators, I think Ndigbo need two things: One is that they should try and produce a president of Nigeria.

    “They should try and work hard to see that a president comes from the Southeast.’’

    Nwankpa said a president of Igbo extraction would make the ‘no victor, no vanquished’ declaration at the end of the 30-month Nigerian civil war more realistic.

    He, therefore, urged prominent Igbo politicians to mobilise their resources and contacts to negotiate for an Igbo president.

    Nwankpa further said Ndigbo needed to ensure massive infrastructure and economic development of the zone.

    “An Igbo man is hardworking, industrious and creative.

    “He does not need government empowerment, which to me, only makes people lazy.

    “The Igbo man needs good roads, regular power supply and a conducive economic climate to drive his enterprise to the peak.’’

    Nwankpa, a one-time state legislator, also spoke on the growing agitation for the restructuring of Nigeria along regional lines.

    “The agitation for restructuring has to do with the problem of discomfort and suspicion of one another in the country,” he said.
    He said Nigerians needed to understand and coexist peacefully rather than to tolerate one another.

    The APC chair further said there was nothing wrong with the present structure of the country and its constitution.

    He said, “the Nigerian constitution is one of the best drafted constitutions in the world.”

    Nwankpa blamed the underdevelopment of some sections of the country on the excesses and self-aggrandisement of some of the past and present governors.

    He alleged that the governors wielded so much power but failed to channel such power toward the development of the country.

    Nwankpa described the three-month ultimatum issued to Ndigbo by some Arewa youths as “a wake-up call on Ndigbo to come home and invest and develop their area’’.

  • ‘Ikpeazu on course in Abia’

    ‘Ikpeazu on course in Abia’

    In this piece, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s media aide Emmanuel Apollos highlights his principal’s achievements in the last two years and the challenges confronting the state.

    The 2017 Democracy Day celebration on the 29th of May in Abia State will remain an issue of public discourse for a while because of the uniqueness of the celebration. Some folks who have served in previous governments in the state must have thought it would be business as usual and follow the regular scripts. Plans, proposals and budget running into millions of naira, put together by some top government functionaries, was ready, waiting for the Governor’s red ink.

    As at Friday, May 26, not even a dime has been made available to anybody for the ‘almighty’ May 29 Democracy Day celebration. It was on Saturday, May 27 that the Governor gave audience to some topshots of the government who had came from Umuahia to the Governor’s Lodge in Aba for the long awaited red ink.

    Prudently, and after painstaking study of the proposal before him, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu gave an approval that was considered a far cry  from what was expected.

    Again, many had thought that, having won the final case against his election at the Supreme Court on the 12th of May, Governor Ikpeazu would have ordinarily succumbed to the pervading feelings and suggestions that he should use the May 29 democracy day for an elaborate double-barrel outing; marking his second term in office, celebrating democracy day and celebrating his second and final victory at the Supreme Court over Uche Ogah, Alex Otti and Friday Nwosu.

    Governor Ikpeazu shocked everybody, starting with his close aides. First, he instructed the Secretary to the State Government, who was chairman of the planing committee to extend invitations to the May 29 democracy day celebration to every Abian, including former Governor Orji Uzo Kalu, Uche Ogah, Alex Otti and Friday Nwosu, that would have ordinarily been described as his political foes. He beckoned on every Abian, not minding their political affiliations to join in the event marking the return of democracy to Nigeria.

    On Sunday, May 28, an interdenominational thanksgiving was held to mark the second year anniversary of the Governor in office at the Abia State International Conference Center in Umuahia.

    Immediately after the thanksgiving service, by the evening of Sunday 28, the Governor, alongside his Deputy, Sir Udo Oko Chukwu, and the “who is who” in Abia politics returned to the conference center to listen to the Commissioners as they present their scorecard of achievements in their various ministries. It was the first time in Abia that such a public review by stakeholders held.

    The event which started at 6pm lasted till 12.30 am, with the Governor and all other invited guests in attendance.

    On Monday May 29, while Abians were waiting and hoping to attend the usual gathering at either Umuahia township stadium or the Abia State International Conference Center, Umuahia, for the celebration of long flowery speeches, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, chose to embark on a state wide tour of some ongoing projects and commissioning of completed ones with stakeholders in the Abia project.

    As early as 8am, on Monday May 29, the buses where lined up and ready to move for the business of the day.

    Abia leaders, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Hon. Uko Nkole, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Col Austin Akobundu, Prof Mkpa Agu Mkpa, Chief Mba Ukariwo, Chief Okezie Anyamele, Chief Allen Nwachukwu, Chief Acho Nwakanma, the members of the State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Chikwendu Kalu and his Deputy Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe, cabinet officials etc were in government house to join the Governor and his Deputy, Sir Udo Oko Chukwu, to embark on the tour.

    The tour buses left Government House Umuahia at about 9:30am

    First stop was the inspection of Abia State Mushroom farm located at the headquarters of the State’s ministry  of Agriculture, where the performing Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Uzo Azubuike, conducted the Governor and his entourage round the farm. Senators Abaribe and Ohuabunwa were given the opportunity to harvest mushrooms.

    From the mushroom farm the train left for Arochukwu, where energetic and hardworking Commissioner for Works, Hon. Eziuche Ubani was already on ground at the ongoing Ndi Okereke Bridge to brief the Governor and his team on progress so far made.

    From Arochukwu, the convoy returned to Umuahia and inspected the ongoing reconstruction of Aba Road in Umuahia by Arab Contractors.

    Already pressed for time, the team left Umuahia  to the location of ongoing Umuocheala road at Isiala Ngwa south and from there to the ongoing Osisioma flyover before heading to MCC/Samek road and Faulks Road/ Ifeobara basin at Aba north.

    At about 3pm, the convoy arrived the Ndiegoro area of Aba, off Ngwa Road, in Aba SouthLGA, where the Governor commissioned four cluster of streets, namely; Aharandu, Onyebuchi, Enejiaka, and Ibadan Streets to the delight and lavish celebration of residents of the area who have never witnessed anything of that sort for more than 60 years.

    The stakeholders team later moved to Obingwa and inspected three different active sites, including the ongoing expansion of Ururuka road, the ongoing construction of Owoahiafo/Onicha Ngwa Road, and also ongoing Umuaro-Ekwereazu Ngwa road. The last two roads are expected to provide alternative links to Akwa Ibom State as the federal government is yet to complete the reconstruction of Ana-Ikot Ekpene Highway.

    The convoy then returned to Isiala Ngwa south again, and inspected the Umuokoro-Umuoba road.

    The final inspection for the day held at about 6pm at Umunkpei-Amaiyi road in Isiala Ngwa north and the convoy returned to Government House Umuahia, after 11hrs.

    For the stakeholders, it was an eye opening engagement as summarized by the retort of Chief Mba Ukariwo; “I have never seen anything like this since my involvement in Abia politics, honestly I didn’t know Governor Ikpeazu was doing so much work even while he was battling with court cases”.

    Governor Ikpeazu was sworn in as the fourth democratically elected Governor of Abia State on May 29, 2015. May 29, 2017 marked exactly his two years in office.

    Within this period under review, Governor Ikpeazu was jointly distracted with various frivolous court cases by the trio of  Uche Ogah, Alex Otti and Friday Nwosu, who dragged him from tribunal, High Court up to the Supreme Court twice, and he emerged victorious, with the mandate given to him by Abians, supremely confirmed.

    Despite the distractions and paucity of funds, Governor Ikpeazu kept his eyes on the ball, bearing in mind the promises he made to Ndi Abia during the electioneering campaigns. In other words, if Governor Ikpeazu were like others, the two years of distraction, coupled with the economy that went into recession, was enough excuse not to perform. Yet he rounded up his first-half of his 4-year tenure with unmatchable feats, especially in the area of agriculture and infrastructural development in the state.

    For Abians and those familiar with the state, Governor Ikpeazu’s first-half as Governor represents two years of experiences and challenges, that have thoroughly reshaped the political direction and alignments of the state, as well as opened new frontiers in the sociology-economic infrastructure of Abia state.

    It is first-half of unmatchable feats, amid distractions. Most observers within and outside the state believe that no government in Abia state since 1999 has done and achieved what the Ikpeazu administration has achieved in two years, despite the obvious distractions that were designed by the old political order in the state and their proxies to pull him down.

    Despite the verifiable landmarks of achievements already recorded, Ikpeazu, as a sincere leader said this to Abians during his May 29 state address: “much as I can confidently state that we have done a lot in the last 2 years, I will equally be the first to acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done in different areas.”

    His greatest worry remains the issue of outstanding salary of teachers and pensioners. Hear him: “I am unhappy with the fact that although we are up to date in the payment of the salaries of civil servants in the state, many teachers and pensioners are still being owed. I wish to reaffirm my commitment to the welfare of workers and further pledge to find a lasting solution to the salary impasse within the next few months.”

    Recall that Ikpeazu upon assumption of office, identified five Pillars of Development, where he anchored the developmental vision of the state under him.

    These pillars, as identified by the governor, are education, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and commerce, as well as oil and gas.

    According to Governor Ikpeazu during his state address on May 29: “We have taken considerable steps to deliver on those pillars and enablers and the results are there for all to see. I am grateful to the distinguished Abia leaders who took time yesterday to make inputs into our plans during our interactive session at the International Conference Centre and I assure them that we will take those inputs into cognizance as we move to the next phase of our developmental objectives.”

    On his administration’s achievements with regards to roads and bridges, the governor highlighted some completed and ongoing projects including 40 roads commissioned and 45 still ongoing and at various stages of completion.

    “One of the very first actions I took on the first working day after my swearing-in as Governor was to flag off construction work on roads in Aba and Umuahia. We are mindful of the importance of good roads to the stimulation of economic and social activities and we have not relented since day 1. To date, we have succeeded in completing about 40 roads across the state out of the about 80 roads we embarked upon from inception. Mention must be made of the fact that most of these roads, especially in Aba, are being constructed with rigid pavement technology which guarantees their longevity.”

    “While I will not go into the list of all the roads we have constructed and are constructing, permit me to emphasize that the reconstruction of Faulks road by Setraco Construction Company is solving the perennial problem of the Ifeobara basin and Ukwu Mango which hitherto always caused the area to be flooded. Today, to the glory of God, the company has achieved significant milestone in fixing Faulks Road and creatively solving the problem of the Ifeobara Basin.

    “Also noteworthy is the fact that we have commenced work on Port-Harcourt Road in Aba which is another key economic road. I assure you that we have engineered a unique funding model for the road and it will be delivered in record time.

    “In Umuahia, you are all witnesses to the work Arab Contractors are doing on the Aba Road from Stanpol to Isi Court. The quality of the project underpins our determination to ensure that we use the best contractors to deliver the best quality of work in Abia State.

    “In Abia North Senatorial District, among all the ot her roads we are doing including the Abiriba Ring Road, the Abiriba Nkporo Road, the Ohafia Township Roads, the Eluama-Otampka Road, the Eke-Obuzor-Ngodo Road and the Nkpa Road, permit me to single out for special mention, the Bende-Arochukwu Road. This road was conceptualized to serve as an alternative to the perennially impassable Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal Road. I had the opportunity to inspect it during our Thank-You Tour to Arochukwu last week and I witnessed the laying of the bridge on the road. My promise to Abians today is that by Christmas of 2017, the road will be completed and commissioned so that our brothers from that axis can comfortably travel to their communities.” Governor Ikpeazu said.

     

  • Army to curb insecurity in Abia

    •‘Aba ‘ll be safe for business, economic activities’

    The Brigade Commander of 14 Brigade at Ohafia in Abia State, Brig.-Gen. Audu Ibrahim, has promised residents of Aba and other parts of the state of the command’s willingness to curb kidnapping, robbery and other crimes.

    Ibrahim spoke during a tour of 144 Battalion at Ukwa in West Local Government Area.

    The Brigade Commander, who took over from Brig.-Gen. Lawrence Fejokwu, also said the command recently smashed a kidnapping syndicate that had been terrorising the state.

    He said the brigade was trailing fleeing members of the gang.

    Ibrahim hoped the war on insecurity would be won or reduce crimes through collaboration with other security agencies.

    According to him, the Army was aware of the major role Aba plays in the state’s economy and the nation’s.

    Ibrahim said the military would ensure that residents and visitors sleep with their eyes closed and do their businesses without fear.

    He called for prayers for soldiers fighting insurgency in the Northeast, saying: “In the face of your duties, you must be very professional in the manner you perform your duties. Aba is a place where there is high level of commercial activities. It is not your duties to go and settle cases between civilians; that is a civil affair. Your Commanding Officer will never do that. I, as a General, will never do that.

    “Therefore, we don’t expect you as soldiers to do that. Do not go out on illegal duty. If you are not sent on a lawful duty by your Commanding Officer, Company Commander, Platoon Commander, as the case may be, don’t follow others to do duties that you have not been sent to do. That will be a criminal breach of trust and you know that the Army frowns at criminal misconduct.

    “Always remember soldiers in the Northeast in your prayers. Support them spiritually. Their families are here. If you have any way you can assist the families they leave behind, please do that because they are our brothers and colleagues.”