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Tag: Anambra government

  • ‘Our rejection of Atiku’s endorsement by Ohaneze is apolitical’

    The Anambra Government says its rejection of the Ohaneze Ndigbo’s endorsement of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku has nothing to do with politics or Mr Peter Obi.

    The Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C-Don Adinuba made the clarification at a press briefing in Awka on Monday.

    He said that the clarification was necessitated by the story making round the media and instigated by the group that the state rejected the endorsement of Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, because of his running mate, Obi.

    He said that the state had not in any way made reference to Obi directly or indirectly in any of its interviews on the issue.

    “The government and people of the state are disheartened by decisions of Ohaneze to desecrate the memory of Zik which coincided with the date the endorsement was made,” the commissioner said.

    He said that efforts were made to reach the Leadership of Ohaneze to shift their time to 7pm as it was not fair to hold the meeting by 10am when they knew the President was visiting the state.

    The commissioner said that the appeal of change of time was to give Anambra delegation, the opportunity to partake in the meeting but they hurriedly held the meeting scheming out Ebonyi and Anambra.

    Adinuba said that the Obiano government was not bothered about who the Igbo Apex Social Cultural group pitched tent with, rather the timing of their meeting coincided with President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state.

    Adinuba said that the Ohaneze leadership led by Chief Nnia Nwodo should have taken into consideration that Zik of Africa was being honoured on the same day of their meeting.

    “Wisdom should have been applied by the leaders to give honour to whom, it is due,” he said.

    He said that Ohanaez Ndigbo was supposed to be part of the delegation receiving the President on such a remarkable day.

    He pointed out that for 23 years, many administrations had come and gone without giving due consideration to completing the mausoleum and on the day of its commissioning, ohanaeze desecrated the memory of a worthy son of Igboland.

    “The act is considered a sacrilege or a sabotage, Zik is the only patron of the group and he was insulted by his own, so sad,” he said.

    Adinuba described the action of the Chief Nnia Nwodo led Ohanaeze Ndigbo group as a `political fraud’ saying that Ohanaeze should not be political and should stop endorsing political candidates.

    He said that Ohaneze had in the past endorsed Jonathan, Shagari and they never won the elections, so they should stop.

    In a swift reaction, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene , President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Anambra said that the reactions of the state government was not reasonable.

    Read also: IPOB issues sit-at-home order as Buhari visits Abia

    He said in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that at first instance, the group was not in the know about the President’s visit and its timetable.

    Okeke-Ogene said that the group had observed all its due process in holding meetings from Abuja, Enugu and concluded its program.

    He said that the meeting was statutory and would not have been cancelled for anything and said that they honoured the request of time change from 10 am to 4pm.

    He said that the group had been endorsing candidates before now like other geopolitical zones.

    “We endorsed Obiano and urged that the North should complete their tenure before going to South,” he said.

    Okeke-Ogene said that Obiano was enjoying the endorsement of Ohaneze ndi Igbo and wondered what changed.

    Also, Chief Chris Eluemunoh, the immediate past President of Ohanaeze said that the group was desecrated by the state government for not involving such important group in a special visit like that .

    He said that at their level, nobody from the group would attend any function not invited and said that political leaders should learn how to respect their foundation. (NAN)

  • Two principals sacked in Anambra over corruption

    Two principals sacked in Anambra over corruption

    The Anambra Government on Wednesday said it sacked two school principals for collection of unapproved fees.

    Prof. Kate Omenugha, the Commissioner for Education made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

    According to the commissioner, the action is to rid the education system in the state of corruption.

    The commissioner, who declined mentioning the names of the sacked teachers and their respective schools, said the move was also to demonstrate government’s position in the fight against corruption and impunity by public servants.

    She said that the sacked teachers collected illegal fees from students against government position, noting that the present administration had zero tolerance for corruption.

    The commissioner said that under her watch, all bad eggs would be weeded off the education system.

    Omenugha said that another teacher was facing disciplinary action for aiding examination malpractice and assured that the ministry would ensure that sanity returned to the schools.

    She said the measure was part of efforts to promote quality and affordable education in the state.

    On welfare of teachers, she said that plans were ongoing to build teacher’s quarters in schools, especially in the rural areas.

    Omenugha said this would go a long way in encouraging and motivating teachers to put in their best in the discharge of their duties.

    She called on well-meaning individuals to key into the state government’s  “Adopt a School Policy Programme’’, noting that the business of education should not be left for the government alone.

    Omenugha also urged wealthy individuals to also support schools in their respective communities to ensure that children of poor background have access to quality education.

  • Anambra to spend N3.6bn on community projects

    Anambra to spend N3.6bn on community projects

    Anambra Government says it plans to spend N20 billion in the 181 communities in the state in the second phase of its Community-Chose-a-Project programme.

    The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Mark Okoye, said this at a joint post-budget presentation news conference in Awka on Wednesday.

    Other officials at the conference were Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Tony Nnacheta, and Special Adviser to Gov. Willie Obiano on Budget Efficiency, Mr Melie Onyejekwu.

    Okoye said the fund for the community projects was provided for in the 2017 Appropriation Bill which was presented to the Anambra State House of Assembly by Obiano on Dec. 6.

    He said the budget, which was a product of wide consultation with the communities and civil society organisations, was realistic and in tune with the current economic realities.

    Okoye said the budget was based on the principles of optimal resource allocation, stronger collaboration with the Federal Government and holistic approach to development partners.

    He said the N115.5 billion budget was with deficit proposal to the tune of N10 billion designed  to take the state out of recession.

    According to the commissioner, the budget christened “Budget for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth”, was an amplified version of the stimulus package announced by Gov. Willie Obiano two months ago.

    He said the state projected to realise N20.4 billion as Internally Generated Revenue, adding that it would largely be realised from corporate taxes and blocked leakages through improved automated collection system.

    Okoye said the government would make the public-private-partnership with investors more robust and mutually rewarding.

    He said the pact of the school feeding programme with the Federal Government was concluded on Dec. 5.

    According to him, the state government was targeting no fewer than 70,000 school children at a tentative rate of N70 per day for every child, but subject to review.

    Obiano, on Oct. 6, presented an Appropriation Bill worth N115.5 billion in the ratio of 51:49 for capital and recurrent expenditure to the State House of Assembly.

    According to the draft, road and infrastructure got the highest chunk of N24.1 billion, representing 40.9 per cent of the capital estimate, while poverty alleviation and agriculture were second and third with N5.6 billion and N5.4 billion representing 9.4 and 9.2 per cent, respectively.

  • Anambra government and the Odysseus of our time

    Recently, I was accused by the aides to the Governor of Anambra State for having taken the pictures of an Aircraft parked at the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu and posted it online through my agents as chartered by their boss.
    Whether Anambra State Government charters aircraft or not is not the issue in focus here. My main concern is that my name was tossed recklessly as having taken pictures of the aircraft when I was neither in Enugu nor the said airport at the time in question. Despite my confirmed disclaimers, the hordes of aides serving in that government continued to move against me like antibodies gathering to attack an infection. For an administration intent on destroying me, my principal and other perceived enemies, it is curious that these aides would go out of their way to ‘rescue’ me from airport security. More revealing in their subterfuges are that neither has any Enugu airport security confirmed my ‘arrest’ nor the CCTV footage of the said date screened to indict me.
    When an account of the present Anambra State government is documented, it would be presented as a government that introduced the use of individuals he considered as opposition to write commentaries on state radio. In attacking some of the state’s best and being insensitive to shame, the administration had rendered Anambra a general butt for mockery and opprobrium. With such a recurring feature in the administration, their propaganda machinery has cranked into over-drive and caught up with them. In this day and age, it is appalling to witness ferocious outbursts of hate, misrepresentations and malice from these effete aides.
    The lies they live with reminds one of the story of the wanderer, Odysseus, who could hardly speak without “lying or act without treachery”. In my earlier release ‘My Life is in Danger – Obi’s Aide Cries Out’, I stated, inter alia, that what were going on were state-sponsored falsehoods against me. I said also that “the way some of his aides even claimed to have seen me personally can only be explained on the theory that they sell dummy to the government as a means of extorting money from her to fight imaginary enemies. I even went extra mile to clear all doubts by beckoning on God to take my life if were in Enugu that day. I also implored Him to treat my accusers according to His will”.
    By choice, many of us have stayed close to Mr. Peter Obi even after he left government. We are happy with his continued people-oriented, value-added pursuits, including his School Apostolate and sharing his experience on good governance at various fora. Yes, monetary compensation is a fact of life, but we have gained more than money. When one of his commissioners, a lecturer in a state university, Dr. Patrick Obi applied to join a federal university, the interview panel told him that to have served with Mr. Peter Obi was enough testament to his qualification to work in any institution in the world. He secured the job. In small business I am engaged in, many of his friends in commerce and industry have granted me generous credit facilities, simply because I am associated with him.
    Virtually all the negative publications about the former governor, Mr. Peter Obi are procured and sponsored – paid by the Anambra State government. Each time Obi’s popularity which has remained high threatens to burst at the seams, they respond with panicky, contrived falsehoods. Mr. Obi’s inspiring presentation at the 2016 edition of The Platform and the subsequent mentoring to the youth in Enugu so much ruffled feathers in Government House, Awka that the former governor was again subtly cautioned to stop attending functions and visiting schools in Anambra State.
    Many people of goodwill have wondered and asked why Anambra government is so hostile to Mr. Peter Obi. Here is a man of substance, even to his enemies – solid with experience, exposure and practical statesmanship.
    On becoming governor, Peter Obi realized that the dog that buried the bone; the squirrel that gathered nuts for a later feast; the bees that filled the comb with honey; the ants that laid up stores for a rainy day, were among the precursors of savings. It was these creatures that taught man the wisdom of providing for tomorrow out of the surplus of today. Obi practised this very effectively by creating that surplus through pruning the cost of governance, and was able to save over N75 billion for the state. His US Dollar savings, going by current exchange rate, is valued at over N185 billion. The SAB Miller project Anambra State government invested in under him has remitted over N300 million in dividends to the state this year alone. Interestingly, the huge savings were matched with tremendous achievements in all critical sectors with the instrumentalities of the acclaimed Anambra State Integrated Development Strategy [ANIDS].
    Who is so indolent as not to wish to understand what formulae of governance that Obi applied in eight years to restore the glory of Anambra State – a thing unique in history? Those inviting him to talk to them recognize his worth and utility. Many are eager to tap from his experience and replicate in their realm what he did in Anambra State.
    All over the world, it is the ideas of great men that rule the world. If you appeal to history, you will discover that the great Ashoka of India built his empire on the ideas of Buddha as Lenin built his with those of Karl Marx. Likewise, people like Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and John Locke gave powerful inspiration to democratic revolutions in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. On the negative pull, Hitler modelled his Third Reich after Nietzsche’s lunatic visions. Peter Obi performed very well for Anambra State and his model has been acknowledged as the best template for states. Indeed, Professor Paul Collier of Oxford University, UK was engaged by the World Bank to study some of the things Obi did to achieve rounded success. It is disheartening that his successor seeks to vilify Peter Obi rather than pursue good governance for the people of Anambra State.
    In the eyes of his traducers, Peter Obi’s great weakness is that he does not believe in fighting dirty. If they are discerning, they need not look far to know that his guiding ethics are the fear of God, due process and evidence-based performance.

    •Obienyem wrote this piece from Lagos.

  • Erosion, land encroachments in schools worry Anambra government

    Sixty secondary schools in Anambra State are battling erosion and over 60 others facing land encroachment problems.

    Anambra State government, led by Commissioner for Education Prof Kate Omenugha met yesterday with the school headteachers and proprietors on the way forward.

    The meeting was held yesterday at the Women Development Centre in Awka.

    While addressing the school proprietors and headteachers of public schools yesterday Omenugha said “we have challenges on land encroachment by the communities and individuals in our different schools today”.

    “Another one is the erosion problem ravaging some of the schools and we are not going to keep quite on such matter, all the schools that are involved should put down their names for us to know what to do”.

    Another problem according to the commissioner, was what she called moral decadence which she said was a major challenge in the society, adding that there are lots of vices in the system.

    She said that the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano had given approval to arrest any child hawking along the streets of Anambra State during school hours, while their parents would face the full wrath of the law from government.