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Tag: Anambra State

  • Obiano mulls allowance increament for NYSC members

    Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano had disclosed his government plans to increase the allowances of serving corps members posted to rural and hard-to-reach areas of the state.

    Obiano made the disclosure while addressing 2018 Batch ‘C’ corps members in Umunya Temporary Orientation Camp, Oyi local government area of the state.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwelobelu, the governor said the incentive was to raise the corps members’ morale for more commitment in the discharge of their duties.

    He said, “We note with pride that Anambra state gives the highest remuneration to Corps members posted to the state.

    “We are working out modalities to offer differential payment of allowances in their favour in order to further encourage those in the rural/hard to reach areas of the state.”

    He further charged the NYSC members to abide by the electoral laws and refused being used by desperate politicians for their ulterior motives ahead 2019 elections.

    “You must emulate your predecessors who were unbiased umpires in previous elections. You must not fail the nation which reposes lots of confidence in you” he said.

    Obiano restated his continued provision of adequate security and welfare to the corps members during the elections and the remaining part of their service year.

    He also reassured the readiness of the permanent orientation camp site before the end of the year to enable the next batch have their orientation course in the new site.

    Earlier, NYSC Coordinator in the state, Kehinde Aremu, said prospective corps members who were supposed to serve in the state were moved to Ebonyi and Imo states due to insufficient camping facilities.

    He regretted that the present site owned by the Anglican church had become grossly inadequate considering the number of prospective corps members posted to the state.

    Read Also: Obiano’s wife admonishes parents on girl-child education

    He said, “Sadly, corps members deployed to Anambra will be holding their orientation course in Imo. Earlier this year, Anambra corps members were dislodged to Ebonyi and Imo states.

    “This is because Anambra is the only state in South-East of Nigeria without a permanent orientation camp.

    “I wish to seize this opportunity to appeal to the vibrant private sector in Anambra to complement the efforts of the state government towards delivering the orientation camp in Umuawulu/Mbaukwu for 2019 Batch A.”

    Aremu explained that posting of the corps members was guided by the scheme’s policy and requests from deserving employers which fitted into the human capital development strategy of the state government.

    He said the corps members had been trained with fitness drill and entrepreneurial skills as well as the culture of the people to enable them to contribute maximally to the communities they were posted for primary assignment.

    The coordinator also thanked the state government, the Anglican Church and other partnering agencies for their support and success of the orientation course.

  • Igbo endorse Atiku/Obi ticket

    Igbo leaders comprising elders, traditional and religious leaders as well as women groups, yesterday endorsed the joint presidential ticket of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

    In a five-point resolution issued at the end of the summit with the theme “Ndigbo 2019 and Beyond” held in Enugu, the leaders said that the position was based on the restructuring agenda put on the table by Atiku/Obi, which four zones of the country had agreed on.

    The resolution was read by Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).

    It states inter alia: “The Igbo people of Nigeria held a 1 day non-partisan and inclusive Summit convened by Elders, Traditional and Religious leaders on Wednesday 14th November 2018 to consider Ndigbo’s place in the polity especially in light of the forthcoming 2019 elections.

    “The summit deliberated on the State of Ndigbo in Nigeria today especially after years of exclusion from the center.  This country has never been so divided as it is today.  We Igbos have always yearned for a level playing field with justice, equity and fairness.

    Read Also: Search of Atiku’s plane routine, says Fed Govt

    “The Summit recognized the nomination of His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi Former Governor of Anambra State as the Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP and fully endorses this nomination.  It was acknowledged that this nomination puts Ndigbo back in the center of governance.  It is therefore important that Ndigbo should rally behind the Atiku/Obi ticket.

    “We identify with the Atiku/ Peter Obi ticket on the restructuring agenda as has been reiterated by 4 zones of the country namely: South South, South West, North Central and South East.  We believe that as long as the federating units remain weak the center will continue to be weak.  We equally move to appreciate the position of the Atiku/Obi ticket in promoting national unity.

    “In conclusion, the Summit reiterated that the time is now for Ndigbo to mobilize and organize effectively to realize the Atiku/Obi ticket.  We are not campaigning against anybody, we are simply campaigning for our very survival.  Igbo votes must count wherever Ndigbo live in Nigeria.”

  • Obi advises El-Rufai to shun hate speeches

    The former Governor of Anambra State and the Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi has expressed surprise at the statement credited to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, who, in his twitter account, referred to Obi as “a tribal bigot.”

    El-Rufai alleged that Obi stopped him from moving around Anambra State during the gubernatorial election in the State in 2010.

    Obi said he was shocked to read such an  outburst of hate from El-Rufai, especially when, according to him,  “the statement came unprovoked, suggesting that it was what he sat down to think of rather than thinking about how to solve the many problems plaguing the country.”

    Obi was speaking in answer to journalists that sought his reply to El-Rufai’s tweet during Youth Programme at Nnewi on Saturday.

    In Obi’s words: “What His Excellency, Gov. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai said about me has been brought to my attention. I believe that as we grow older and are saddled with more responsibilities, we are expected to become circumspect in our thinking and avoid recklessness in our speeches and utterances.

    “How does the circumstance he referred to related to bigotry to warrant such a label?  All I do for people like El-Rufai is to pray for them and encourage  them to concentrate on  doing those things that will better the lots of Nigerians rather than engage in hate speeches that will divide and destroy  the country.

    Read Also: El-Rufai flies Muslim-Muslim ticket

    Insisting that Nigeria does not need violence of speech to solve her numerous problems, Obi continues:  “At this difficult time in our country, when thousands of our brothers and sisters across ethnic divide are killed  all over the country, including innocent citizens in Kaduna state;  millions of our  children from all the parts of the country  are  out of school;  millions of Nigerian youths from all the parts of the country are without jobs, our  pre-occupation, especially among those that are in government should not be  making reckless speeches.  What our leaders should be doing today is seeking solution to numerous problems of our dear country.”

    Concerning the claim that he was arrested on the election day in Anambra, Obi said : “I am aware that during  the said election he referred to, security agents merely  restricted his movement  because he has no business being in Anambra as I would not have any  being in Kaduna  on an  election day.”

    Concluding, Obi cautioned Nigerians, especially those in positions of authority, to avoid the dominance of the vice of hate  over the virtues of love in whatever they do.

     

     

     

  • Anambra accident claims couple, daughter, mother-in-law

    A couple, together with their daughter and mother-in-law, on Saturday lost their lives in a ghastly accident in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The accident which occurred at Nkwelle Ezunaka junction, involved a tipper lorry and Toyota Camry car.

    An eye witness said the victims who were in the Toyota Camry car had a head-on collision with the articulated lorry, leaving all the occupants of the vehicle dead.

    He said they were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were confirmed dead on arrival.

    Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed said the corpses of the victims had been deposited in a morgue.

    “There was an accident involving a Tipper and a Toyota Camry along  Nkwelle Ezunaka junction in Onitsha.

    “The accident occurred when the two vehicles had a head on collision. As a result of the accident, the Driver of the Toyota Camry, one Mr Godwin Akaeme and three other passengers in the car comprising his wife, daughter and female in-law whose names are still unknown sustained various degrees of injuries.

    Read Also: Woman banker, man drown in Anambra flood

    “Police Patrol team attached to 33 Division visited the scene and rushed casualties to Apex hospital for treatment but unfortunately all the four victims were certified dead by the medical doctor on arrival.

    “Corpses were photographed and deposited at the hospital morgue for postmortem examination and efforts are ongoing to trace their relations,” he said.

    According to Mohammed, the tipper driver, who sustained minor injuries was treated and subsequently arrested.

    He added that the case was under investigation.

  • ‘Don’t allow Abacha’s loot to be re-looted’

    The Project Advisor, Civil Society Organisation, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC), Engr. Ralph Ndigwe, has commended Federal Government’s commitment in tracking and repatriating looted assets of some countries to finance development.

    He also hailed the International Community for its support towards achieving the feat.

    Speaking on Saturday in Amawbia, Anambra State, during the launch of the Monitoring of recovered Assets in Nigeria through Transparency and Accountability Project, Ndigwe however asked the Federal Government not to allow the recovered $322.5m Abacha loot to be re-looted.

    Ndigwe assured his organisation’s preparedness to raise and train local monitors who would monitor the payment of the Conditional Cash Transfer to ensure it got to the appropriate beneficiaries.

    “The $322.5m and other recovered funds belong to Nigerians and close monitoring of its usage will guarantee that they remain for Nigerians instead of being re-looted by others.

    “CIRDDOC as a monitoring organ in the implementation  of MANTRA project in the South- East would ensure that only those meant to benefit from the fund meant for the poorest of the poor were targeted,” he assured.

    Also speaking, the Anambra State coordinator of the National Cash Transfer Office, Mr Ralph Enukorah, said no fewer than 7,609 persons were currently benefiting from the programme in the state.

    Read Also: I know nothing about Abacha loot, says Al-Mustapha

    He said the figure was out of the total of 7,615 persons targeted for the programme in the state, expressed optimism on an increase in the figures.

    He however regretted the efforts of well to do Nigerians to frustrate the project by disguising themselves to enroll in the programme meant for the poorest of the poor in the state.

    The Coordinator also expressed sadness over alleged attack of its staff occasioned by the removal of names of citizens who enrolled to benefit from the programme.

    He said, “Some people have been targeted wrongly, and their names enrolled into the programme, after disguised as poor people to collect the money, even though they could afford basic means of livelihood.

    “We have been attacked by people in local parts of Anambra State, who entered their names, hoping to benefit from the programme, but were removed when we found out that they did not fall into the category of people targeted to benefit.”

    He further listed absence of counter-funding from the state government, accommodation and power supply as major challenges the officials were battling with in course of their assignments.

  • Brothers buy N50,000 gun to avenge father’s death

    Two brothers, Peter and Paul Vonddip, have been arrested by men of the Edo State Police Command for being in possession of a locally made double barrel pistol which they bought in Anambra State for N50,000.

    The brothers told police interrogators that they were taking the gun to Plateau State to avenge their father death and protect their cows from rustlers.

    They said their father was killed earlier this year at his farm by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    A Police patrol team along Agbor-Urhonigbe road accosted a Nissan Vannet bus they were traveling in and a search conducted led to the recovery of the gun and three live cartridges.

    Paul aged 30 said he work as a security at Agbor in Delta State.

    He said, “I was arrested on my way to Warri to give my brother a gun to take to Plateau State. I bought the gun in Anambra State. My junior brother is a tanker driver. I wanted to give him the gun when I was arrested. My father was killed so I bought the gun for my brother to protect the cow. We have about 100 cows but it is now remaining 15 because of crisis in Plateau State.

    Read Also: Policeman found dead in pit in Delta

    “My father was killed by Fulani herdsmen at our house in the farm. I did not buy the gun to avenge by father’s death but to protect myself and the cows.”

    “Peter said his brother Paul bought the gun to protect their cows. Police stopped us at the check point and search our car, that was how they saw the gun. Our father was shot dead in the farm. The gun was to stop cattle rustlers.”

    Edo Police Commissioner, Babatunde Kokumo, said the suspects confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court.

  • Anambra: New chief registrar, five others take oath

    The Chief Judge of Anambra State and Chairman of Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Justice Peter Umeadi has sworn-in Mrs. Chinyere Ossy-Okoye as the new Chief Registrar for Anambra State Judiciary.

    Umeadi also sworn in five other Deputy Chief Registrars, following their appointment by the state Judiciary Service Commission JSC.

    Ossy-Okoye, until her appointment, was the Deputy Chief Registrar in charge of the State Probate Registry.

    Performing the swearing-in on Wednesay in Awka, Umeadi said the shake off was informed by the steady increasing cases coming to the states’ high courts.

    “This development has led to the creation of new judicial divisions, establishment of more magistrates’ courts and the robust legal practice resulting to the elevation of more lawyers from the state to the rank of SAN,” he said.

    Read Also: Flood kills 20-year-old in Anambra

    According to Umeadi, the restructuring in the administrative system of the state Judiciary has also become imperative in-view of the closure of the state customary court of Appeal and the subsequent roll-over of the Appeal judges into the high court bench.

    He said, “The Judicial Service Commission having taking cognizance of the new structure of the high court of Anambra State, have rationalized the top echelon of its administrative staff, to achieve utmost efficiency”.

    Speaking on behalf of others, Mrs. Chinyere Ossy-Okoye thanked the JSC for finding them worthy of the new appointments.

    She pledged to support the Chief Judge in his effort to improve the staff welfare, reposition the state judiciary, and enhance justice delivery to the public due process.

    Other DCR’s sworn-in include three magistrates, Mrs. Onyinye Nweke  Uchegbu, Mrs. Vivian Udedike and Mrs. Ukamaka Nkechinyelu Ofodiama. A Former President of Customary Court, Mr. C.C. Mojekwu and a private legal practitioner Mr. E.E. Nwankwo, also made the list.

    The appointees were later assigned portfolios and offices, while the previous occupants of those positions were redeployed to magistrate courts.

     

  • Fake beggar nabbed in Anambra with drug, cash

    A 16-year old man has been arrested by the police for allegedly faking deformity to extort money from innocent residents of Awka, Anambra state.

    The suspect, identified as Sunday Justice, from Ebonyi state, was arrested at the popular Aroma junction, while begging for alms.

    The Nation gathered that the suspect who pretended to be handicapped, with bandaged left hand, was notorious for harassing pedestrians for money for feeding.

    Read Also: Anambra fights restiveness with skill acquisition

    A newspaper vendor who gave her name as Agatha, said luck, however ran out on him when some police officers, stationed at the area, accosted him after noticing his suspicious movements.

    “Upon investigation, the policemen discovered that Justice had no injuries on his bandaged left arm.

    “They also discovered cash of various denominations on him and a substance suspected to be drug probably used to get him high,” she said.

    When contacted, the Police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Haruna, confirmed the arrest, saying investigations were on-going.

  • We want more than SGF, South-West PDP tells Atiku

    The South-West Zone of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to give more key positions to the zone if he emerges as president.

    The South-West Vice-Chairman of the party, Dr Eddy Olefeso, made the demand in Lagos on Friday night, at a meeting of key members across the six states in the zone.

    The meeting, which lasted hours, had in attendance a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George; the current Deputy National Chairman (South),Chief Yemi Akinwonmi; and a former National Vice Chairman of the party, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo.

    Also present were former Minister of State for Defence, Mrs Sola Obada; a former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Alhaja Makanjuola Badru; and a member of the National Assembly, Sen. Abiodun Olujimi.

    The party’s governorship candidate in Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde; the governorship candidate in Ogun, Mr Ladi Adebutu; and a former governorship aspirant in Osun State, Chief Akin Ogunbiyi, was also at the meeting, among others.

    Olafeso said though the promise of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) slot by Atiku was a good development, the zone deserved more key political and government positions.

    The Vice-Chairman said that the zone had been schemed out in the power arrangement of the party for the past few years.

    Olafeso said for Atiku to give the zone a sense of belonging and compensate “for the years of abandonment”, he should zone key positions of the Chief of Staff to the President and Àttorney-General of the Federation to the South-West in addition to the SGF.

    He said the South-West had the second highest voting population in the country and would demand its fair share of political positions if PDP wins in 2019.

    “We have been denied for too long. In 2011, the country under the control of our party zoned the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the zone and it was taken away.

    Read Also: I earned N60.2m in three years, Atiku tells INEC

    “And from 2011 to 2015, we were left just like that and the reverberating effect of that abandonment is the reason why we are still having the hangover of neglect till today.

    “Now we are here again, the party is working with a zone with 14 million votes, the second largest in the country.  We refuse and we will not accept where we finish the job in the next election and for one reason or the other, we will not be considered.

    “We don’t have to wait till after the election before we say what we want. We want to let the party and our candidate know that certain positions are strategic to governance and we want them.

    “Yes, the SGF is great, but there is nothing wrong with having the Chief of Staff and Attorney-General on top of it to compensate us for the denials of the past, so that all of us can work as a united front.

    “We will continue to fight for it, we will speak with a loud voice. We give so much, so the zone deserves a lot,” he said.

    While congratulating Abubakar on his emergence as presidential candidate, Olafeso said the zone was pleased with the choice of Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, as his running mate.

    He said the country was faced with serious economic challenges, and Obi had the pedigree that could realize the party’s economic vision for Nigeria.

    Olafeso said the zone was concerned about the travails of former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over a case.

    He urged members of the party to stand with Fayose at his trying moment, saying the former governor was paying for being truthful and standing against injustice.

    “I was in the court the last time and I am glad to tell you that he has been granted bail.

    “We will do our best to ensure that he perfects his bail conditions and he is released soon,” he said.

    Olafeso also said he was confident that the verdicts of the Osun and Ekiti governorship elections, where the All Progressives Congress was declared winner in both polls, would be upturned at the tribunal.

    Olafeso urged members to be leave behind post-primaries disagreements and work together to ensure the party’s victory in 2019.

    He said the party had come out of its recent factional crisis to emerge strong, expressing the confidence that it would dislodge APC in 2019.

    Akinwonmi, on his part, said the party was working assiduously hard to wrestle power from the APC in 2019.

    He, however, said the party executive could not do it alone, calling on all members to do their bit to help achieve the electoral goal.

    NAN

     

     

  • 19 vehicles burnt as fire razes mechanic workshop in Anambra

    No fewer than nineteen vehicles were on Friday morning, destroyed by fire in a mechanic workshop in Awada, Onitsha, Anambra State.

    The inferno, which occurred around 2 am, at Amanator street of the area, left most of the vehicles burnt beyond repair.

    Read Also:Oil thieves cause of pipeline fire incident in Abia – NNPC

    The Nation gathered that although no life was lost in the incident, high tension wire which passed through the area was also affected.

    Eye witness account had it that the fire was put off by the residents of the area.

    The Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.

    He said, “Police Patrol team attached to Awada division rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation to loot.”

    He further disclosed that the Enugu Electricity Distribution company (EEDC) has been contacted to effect necessary repairs on the affected power line.

    “Case under investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident,” Mohammed added.