Tag: abia

The Federal Government has flagged off the construction of a 250 housing units in Bende Federal Constituency of Abia state as part of efforts at addressing the Housing needs of the country. 

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa performed the ground breaking ceremony of the project in Umuoche. 

Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency, expressed gratitude to  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for choosing Bende as the location for the Renewed Hope agenda housing estate in Abia State. 

The project, which is a 250-unit estate, is being constructed under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development was attracted by the deputy speaker who also represents the constituency in the House of Representatives. 

The 250 housing unit in Bende will consist of 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.

President Tinubu through the Minister of Housing and Urban Development called on developers to ensure the project was completed within the three months window and according to specifications also.

Under Phase One of the programme, the government plans to deliver 50,000 housing units, including 7 Renewed Hope Cities with between 500 and 1,000 housing units per site in each of the six geopolitical zones and the FCT. 

The Minister was accompanied by Abia Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu and the Deputy Abia Speaker, Hon. Okezie Augustin Nmeregini, represented by the Federal Commissioner representing Abia State in the National Population Commission (NPC), Hon. Emmanuel Eke. 

While commending the President, Kalu said that the project cuts across the federation will ultimately address the housing deficits in Nigeria.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu said the project would boost the confidence of the people in the APC led federal government under him. 

The Deputy Speaker also assured the people of more democracy dividends, appealing to them to support the administration of President Tinubu. 

The event attracted Bende traditional rulers, several youths and women from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). 

•Otti commends Tinubu’s initiative

The Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa, has performed the groundbreaking ceremony of 250 housing units; an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme.

The 250 housing units, just like in each of the states, will consist of 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.

The ground-breaking event in Abia State was a follow-up of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in February 2024.

Dangiwa told the developers of the Renewed Hope Estate project across the country to ensure completion of the project within the months stipulated period to enable Nigerians in the respective states to occupy the houses as quickly as possible.

Read Also: National Sanitation Day: LASG urges residents to keep environment clean

The second round of groundbreaking covers eight states in the South and North-Central zones of the country, namely; Ebonyi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Osun, Oyo, Benue, and Nasarawa State, each comprising 250 housing units, making a total of 2,000 units in the round.

Dangiwa said, “By the end of this second round, we would have broken ground for a total of 6,612 housing units across the country since February this year, creating direct and indirect jobs for over 165,000 at an average of 25 jobs per unit.”

On the sales of the houses, the minister said “We have created different options to enable everyone who has a source of income and livelihood to own these homes when they are completed.”

He listed the options to include; single-digit mortgage loans that beneficiaries can repay over 30 years; rent-to-own schemes provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, and outright purchase options for those who can afford to pay upfront.

The Abia Government on Tuesday announced the prohibition of the operation of tricycles and motorcycle in Aba and Umuahia between 7 pm and 6 am, with effect from July 1.

The Commissioner for Local Goverment and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Uzor Nwachukwu, made this known  at a press conference at the end of a meeting between the government and stakeholders in the transport sector, in Umuahia.

Nwachukwu said that the decision to restrict the operating hours of tricycles and  motorcycles was informed by the need to secure lives and property in Abia.

He said:”The information available to security agencies reveal that most of these robbery attacks happen in the evening hours, late night hours and very early morning hours in these cities.

“The restriction does not stop Keke and Okada operators from operating from 6am in the day to 6pm in the evening.

“So they are still doing their business; it’s just that the state government has decided to curb the operations of these criminals who use these means of transport to perpetrate their criminal activities.”

According to him,  the government had met with leadership of the relevant unions of the operators and  urged all  residents to comply accordingly.

He said that government would equally attempt to review the restriction when it becomes necessary and said security agents have been alerted on the development.

Nwachukwu said that the government would implement the policy with human face assuring the people that there would be no victimisation of any innocent individual.

Read Also: Operatives raid drug bunk in Abia

He said that as part of measures to enhance security in the state, the government would commence a compulsory enumeration and registration of all commercial vehicles in the state.

Nwachukwu also said that the exercise would enable the government and security agencies to identify the real owners and  operators of commercial vehicles for security purposes.

The commissioner said that a committee had been set up to that effect, with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security , Navy Commander MacDonald Ubah (Rtd) as the Chairman.

He also said that the government set up the committee to ensure effective compliance  by all  commercial vehicle operators in the state.

“Security is everyone’s business and we want everybody to please take this message home because to develop as a state, we must ensure that there is safety and security of lives and property in Abia,” he said.

In his remark, the Technical Adviser to the Governor, Mr Charles Egeonu, said that the present administration evolved  policies focused on improving the welfare of the people.

Egeonu said that the government had engaged with the tricycle and motorcycle operators and believed that their deliberation would be very fruitful.

He said :”Please bear in mind that it is a decision that we would undertake and would attempt to review as we go along.”

In their separate speeches, Mr Victor Azubuike, the Chairman of  Abia State Tricycle Operators Union(ASTOU), Aba Zone, the Chairman of  ASTOU,  Umuahia zone,  Mr  Godson Chinwotito, and the  Chairman of Abia State Motorcycle Operators Union, Mr Chiemela Ugboaja , described the restriction as a “welcome development”.

They commended the government for getting them involved in the process of  formulating the new policy and assured that their members would comply accordingly.

(NAN)

The Abia Government says it is taking proactive measures to prevent the outbreak of cholera in the state.

Dr Kalu Kalu, Executive Secretary, Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHDA) disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Umuahia, on Wednesday.

Kalu said that part of measures was the agency’s insistence on the promotion of public hygiene and environmental sanitation across the state.

According to him, the agency is also working with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the campaign on the prevention of cholera outbreak in the state.

He said that cholera as a fecal-oral disease could be spread through the contamination of water or food with the feces of an infected person.

The ASPHDA official also said that cholera could be considered a waterborne disease because contaminated water remained a common vector for its transmission.

Read Also: IPOB condemns alleged indiscriminate arrest of Abia youths

Kalu urged residents of the state to only drink water from safe sources, and cautioned food vendors against selling contaminated food to members of the public.

“I can tell you that as a state, we are on top of the situation, our target is not to  record any single case of cholera.

“This is the reason we have kick-started a robust sensitisation campaign. Our health workers are taking advantage of every opportunity to educate people on how to prevent the disease.

“Our jingles are already running, fliers and posters are out. Health talks are ongoing at health facilities across the state.

“We shall use town announcers to reach out to the hinterlands. We must imbibe the habit of personal hygiene, we must avoid eating foods that are not well-washed,” he said.

(NAN)

The last of the three missing siblings from Amaoba-Ime Oboro in Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State has been found and reunited with their family.

This was after the youngest of the three siblings, whose name was identified as Israel Osinachi, was rescued by security operatives on Thursday evening.

The Mayor of Ikwuano LGA, Comrade Osinachi Nwaka, who confirmed the latest development in a telephone interview, said the four-year old Israel was found in Warri, Delta State.

It had been reported that the three siblings, Gideon Osinachi (8), Divine (6) and Israel (4), were abducted on their way home from school in Amaoba Ime Oboro, Ikwuano LGA, on Friday, May 10, 2024.

Read Also: Military raids IPOB enclaves, arrests killers of five soldiers in Abia

An okada (commercial motorcycle) rider contacted by their grandmother was said to have disappeared with them without any trace.

However, while Divine was the first to be found in Ekwulobia, Anambra State on May 21, Gideon was found on May 23 while the last of them, Israel, remained missing till Thursday morning.

Hon. Nwaka, who was full of appreciation to God, the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, and the entire security apparatus in the state, said he would speak more on the incident at a later date.

At the time of the interview, the rescue team was on their way back to Ikwuano from Warri, Delta State.

Five out of nine persons working at a construction site at Umumbi autonomous community in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State have been confirmed dead.

The three-storey building that was being constructed collapsed on them Friday afternoon as they were working at the building.

Three people were said to have mounted the roof while five others were plastering the ground floor as one of them had stepped out to go and buy food for other members of the team.

Sources within the community told our correspondent that the building, whose construction work was at the roofing stage, collapsed at about 10am.

It was gathered that the bodies of the deceased persons were all recovered at about 10 pm on Friday night following intensive search and deployment of a number of heavy duty excavating equipment by the state government in the effort to see whether the lives of those trapped could be saved.

Read Also: Five persons feared trapped in Abia building collapse

It was gathered that three bodies were initially recovered at about 7pm while the other two bodies were recovered at about 10pm to end the search operation.

Two of the workers retrieved from the rubble were said to be blood brothers who had only arrived the construction site the previous day to begin work on Friday, only for them to be trapped less than eight hours after they began work at the site.

The owner of the building was said to be outside the country while the project was being supervised by his siblings.

The Deputy President General Obingwu non-indigenes association, Chief Anthony Anekwe confirmed the death of the five workers, saying it was unfortunate that such a number of persons would meet their death at a place they had gone to find food for members of their families.

He also confirmed that their bodies had been deposited at the morgue.

A building expert, Engr. Chinedu Okwara, said the building collapse might not be unconnected with the use of substandard materials and inability of the owner of the building to use the services of qualified and certified building engineer.

The Chairman of Ukwa West Local Government Council, Newman Azu, in a telephone interview, confirmed the collapse of the building and the death of the construction workers.

Azu, who disclosed that he mobilised his team to ensure the rescue of the workers, said that the state government would begin investigation to know the remote cause of the building collapse.

The Abia state chapter chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Felix Olunkwa has been released by his kidnappers 10 days after his abduction.

Recall that The Nation had reported that Olunkwa was declared missing after he was said to have been abducted on the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway while he was driving home from Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.

He had travelled to Aba to repair his uncle’s Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the well-known Alaoji Mechanic/Spare Parts Market on the Alaoji axis of the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

Earlier that day, he had attempted to fix the car at the popular Ohiya Spare Parts Market in Umuahia, the state capital, but was unsuccessful.

Read Also: Reps order comprehensive investigation into killing of soldiers in Abia

The wife had raised the alarm after her husband whom she had communicated with on his way home from Aba could not return home at the expected time of arrival and attempts to reach him failed.

Sources close to his family claimed that the NIPR Abia State chairman was reunited with his family on Wednesday night.

It was gathered that the Kidnappers released the NIPR chairman after a ransom payment of N4 million, as their initial ₦200m ransom couldn’t be met by the family.

His close associates have described his release as a huge relief for his friends and family.

They called on the governor of the state and heads of various security agencies in the state to ensure adequate security for the citizens of the state.