The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anambra

  • Five teenagers die in Anambra community river

    •Council chief condoles with family

    Five teenage members of a family in Umueze-Anam, Anambra West Local Government area, yesterday died in a river in the community.

    The deceased were four boys and a girl.

    They reportedly drowned in Omambala River where they had gone to swim.

    The teenagers were said to have just returned from Lagos to spend the Christmas holiday with their family.

    Umueze-Anam is the home town of former Minister of State for Transport, Prince John Emeka.

    The Nation learnt that the deceased were from a family of six.

    All six reportedly went for a swim.

    The sixth member reportedly shouted for help when the river reportedly carried away the others.

    The villagers were said to have rushed to the scene but the teenagers had drowned. then.

    It was learnt that the local government chairman, Chief Alex Chukwurah, has visited the bereaved family.

    Three of the deceased were said to be the children of a man, simply identified as Chief Okonkwo; one was said to be the child of his sister’s, (Nwadiana’s) child.

    The fifth child, who reportedly hailed from Delta State, was said to be on holiday with the Okonkwos.

    The survivor reportedly did not jump into the river with the others.

    Chukwurah confirmed the incident.

    The council chief said he has visited the Okonkwos, adding that they live near his office.

    He said: “I have gone to condole with the family. That happened because they were not living in the village. There is no way such could happen, if they were villagers or regulars. But because they didn’t know how to swim, they drowned immediately they jumped into the river. The only survivor refused to jump into the river with them. God knows the best…”

  • Anambra hands over health centres to communities

    Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State has announced the immediate handover of all the local health facilities in the state to the communities where they are located to manage.

    Obi made the announcement at Umueri and repeated same at Atani General Hospital while launching a one-day polio campaign.

    The handover is a fulfillment of an earlier promise he handed down on Tuesday during the inauguration of a task force on immunisation.

    The governor said the purpose of the handover is to ensure that the health centres are run smoothly, as each community owe it a duty to monitor workers posted to each health facility and can decide whether such workers merited their pay.

    At Umueri and Atani local government areas, Obi also inaugurated a task force on immunisation headed by the chairman of the local government traditional rulers’ council.

    Chairman of the transition committee of the local government, the Head of Department of Health, local government immunization officer among others, are members of the task force.

    Obi urged the task force to aggressively pursue the issue of immunisation with a view to ensuring that it does not come back to the state.

    Earlier, the newly appointed Commissioner for Health, Dr. Lawrence Ikeakor, urged women to take up the challenge of making the state retain its polio status by getting their children immunised.

  • Anambra to close illegal daycare centres

    The Anambra State Government will close unregistered day care centres in in January, the governor’s wife, Mrs. Margret Peter Obi, has said.

    Mrs Obi spoke in Awka, the state capital, during a workshop for proprietors of daycare centres.

    The workshop was organised by Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development.

    It included the presentation of gifts and N40,000 cash to each mother of triplets and multiple children.

    Mrs Obi urged proprietors of daycare centers to register their non-curriculum institutions with the Ministry of Women Affairs or have them closed.

    She said issues affecting children should be handled with care and diligence.

    The governor’s wife said the era of children abuse at day care centres was over, adding that there is need to document workers and environment of every day care centres, which were hitherto left in the hands of non-professionals.

     

  • Obi presents 21 vehicles to Anambra judges

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has presented another set of 21 new vehicles to judges in the state.

    The governor presented the Honda Accord cars at the Governor’s Lodge in Awka, the state capital.

    A statement by the Media Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Mr Valentine Obienyem, quoted Obi as saying the gesture was in appreciation of the judges’ contributions to the Judiciary.

    The governor noted that the vehicles would enhance the beneficiaries’ work to uplift the society.

    The Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, thanked the governor for his magnanimity.

    He noted that it was the first time a governor responded quickly to their request and provided their choice of vehicle.

    Justice Umeadi said Obi has a cordial relationship with the Judiciary, adding that he has never interfered in its activities.

    The Chief Judge assured that the vehicles would be used well.

     

  • SSS, police stop PDP group’s rally in Anambra

    SSS, police stop PDP group’s rally in Anambra

    •Ekwueme, Emordi, others call for peace

    Former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emordi, are among top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains seeking to settle the crisis in the party’s Anambra State chapter.

    The party has been engulfed in leadership crises in the last 10 years.

    Last weekend, a group within the party, Anambra State Fresh Congress Group, led by Pastor Emma Obiora, held a rally.

    But it was aborted by an order of the Federal High Court in Awka, following a case filed by a party member, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi.

    The State Security Service (SSS) and the police last Saturday invaded the rally ground at Emmaus House in Awka, the state capital, to enforce the court order.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Awka, Obiora alleged that some members of the group were being threatened by “party leaders”.

    He said frontline party chieftains, including Senator Ben Obi, Prince Arthur Eze, Senator Joy Emordi and Sir Emeka Offor, supported the group.

    Others he claimed to be the group’s supporters are Dr Ekwueme, Aviation Minister Stella Oduah and Chief Mike Nwakalor.

    The politician said they were behind the peace moves.

    Obiora said following threats to the lives of its members, the group petitioned the SSS.

    He added that the group’s counsel was working on a letter to the police command.

    Obiora said: “We are being intimidated, harassed and our lives are being threatened by those who do not want peace in the PDP. If anything should happen to us, they should be held responsible. They know the people.

    “The only reason we are doing this is for the PDP to reclaim Anambra State in 2014. For now, there is no executive in the state. They disrupted the rally through a court injunction to tarnish our image.

    “Those who went to court to stop the rally have no interest of the party at heart. The only thing they know is to cause confusion and chaos. We cannot leave the party in the hands of one man; it is not possible.”

    The politician urged PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur and President Goodluck to intervene in the party’s crisis in Anambra.

    Obiora said anybody found guilty of causing disunity in the party should be suspended or sacked.

    He said the party spent about N37million to organise the rally, adding that the action would not deter the group from achieving peace.

     

  • U.S consultants to build hospital in Anambra

    U.S consultants to build hospital in Anambra

    A team of consultants from the United States on Tuesday proposed to build a world class hospital in Anambra.

    A member of the team, Dr. Maria Todd announced the proposal in Awka when they visited the state Governor, Mr. Peter Obi.

    Todd said the hospital, when completed would employ more than 40 doctors and no fewer than 1,200 nurses and other supporting staff.

    She said the hospital would equally create opportunities for capacity development and institutional strengthening for skilled and unskilled labour, including technicians and engineers.

    The team leader explained that the hospital with advanced health facilities could extend its services to the entire West African sub-region, noting that the state had the potential to drive the process.

    The Traditional Ruler of Ifite-Dunu, who was part of the team, Chief Emeka Ilouno, said the team wanted to identify with the success story of Obi’s administration, especially in the health sector.

    “We are responding to the governor’s call for stakeholders to come home and attract investments to the state to make it a model in the country in line with Obi’s passion to uplift the state,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Ilouno as saying at the forum.

    Responding, the governor said that Africa held the hope for the survival of the global economy as it had huge unexplored human and material resources.

    Obi pointed out that with the right leadership, Nigeria could effectively harness its abundant potentials to become a major player in the world economy.

    He underscored the importance of establishing the hospital in the state as it would assist the state government in its drive to achieve the MDGs.

     

  • Anambra women berate Jonathan over Boko Haram

    WOMEN of Adazi-Nnukwu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra State, yesterday criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly abandoning the community, after 12 of their kins were recently killed by the Islamist sect, Boko Haram in the North.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday on the premises of Saint Andrews Catholic Church, Adazi-Nnukwu, during its centenary celebration, the women leader, Virgy Ezimorah said the silence of the president on the killings of their people was unacceptable.

    She said those people who were killed in the North were the pillars of development for the community.

    Ezimorah said if those people were still alive that the church building would have been completed, adding that the president had not even written a single letter to commiserate with them.

    According to her, “Is it because we did not incite our children for reprisal when our 12 sons and daughters were killed in the North by the Boko-Haram sect?

    “His silence (President Jonathan) in this matter does not make us happy, no person or group had monopoly of violence, if we had allowed our children to carry out what they had in mind, the story would have been different,” Ezimorah said.

    However, delivering his address during the centenary, the parish priest, Rev. Dr. Peter Onyeso, said that the greatest challenge of the church was insufficient fund.

    He said the building, which was constructed in 1912, was going through a serious renovation and expansion to accommodate more people and also to be in tune with modern architecture.

    He lauded Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi, and Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, for their support to the church.

     

  • Anambra moves to reduce maternal, child mortality

    Anambra moves to reduce maternal, child mortality

    The Anambra Government on Sunday said that it had started five-day vaccination to reduce the rate of maternal, neo-natal and child mortality in the state.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Azubuike Nnalue, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka.

    Nnalue said that the objective of the exercise was to give vitamin A vaccine to children within the age of six to 59 months as supplement, among other activities.

    According to him, pregnant mothers will be administered with iron foliate while children will be de-wormed and screened to find out their level of nutrition and vaccinated.

    He said that all the vaccines, including BCG, HBV and tetanus toxoid would be administered free, adding that they were safe.

    The permanent secretary assured the people that they would be available in all the government primary healthcare centres and other designated posts.

    Nnalue said that adequate funds had been made available for the exercise to achieve optimal result.

    He appealed to parents, guardians and caregivers to make the children available for the exercise.

     

  • Police declare ‘kidnap kingpin’ wanted in Anambra

    The Anambra State Police Command has declared wanted a suspected kidnap kingpin, Okechukwu Nwaforagu (aka Ochiagha Nkpor, meaning War Lord).

    The police said Nwaforagu hails from Umusiome Village in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area.

    There have been incessant kidnap cases in Anambra State, despite efforts by the police and the Peter Obi administration to stop the menace.

    The police said Nwaforagu is six feet, two inches tall, adding that he has allegedly been implicated in over six high-profile kidnap cases.

    A statement yesterday in Awka, the state capital, by police spokesman Raphael Uzoigwe, said the suspect has also been involved in murder.

    The statement said Nwaforagu has been linked with unlawful possession of firearms, which he allegedly gave his gang members for armed robbery.

    The police said anybody who passes useful information to the police on the suspect would be rewarded.

    “Any person(s) that has useful information leading to his arrest should contact the nearest police station in the country or call 08037061958 or 08030954493,” the statement said.

    Some senior police officers told The Nation yesterday in Awka that Nwaforagu is a ring leader like Ifedike (aka Ofeakwu), whose buildings were recently demolished by the Obi administration.

    A police officer, who spoke in confidence, said: “This man has given this command serious headache and we are living no stone unturned in making sure that he is apprehended. Let him continue running. We are ready to send people abroad. If he relocates, we will go there to arrest him. That man is a terror and we cannot allow him to continue in this country.”

     

  • Team Anambra sure of more medals, says Ebunam

    Team Anambra sure of more medals, says Ebunam

    ARTHUR EBUNAM, Special Adviser to Gov. Peter Obi on Sports, on Monday expressed the hope that Team Anambra would exceed its previous performances at the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos.

    The festival, tagged “Eko 2012,” will begin on Nov. 27 and end on Dec. 9. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Team Anambra won two gold, four silver and five bronze medals at the 17th edition of the Games in Port Harcourt in 2011.

    Ebunam told NAN in Onitsha, Anambra, that it would be difficult to mention the number of medals, “but we are certainly going to win more, compared to other festivals’’.

    He said the sports ministry had come out with different ways of preparation, as well as seeing that the individual athlete’s morale was boosted, ahead of the fiesta.

    The adviser said the handlers of the different sports had been directed to maintain a high level of discipline so as to be able to achieve good results at the Games.

    “Currently, with the input of stakeholders, the Anambra Sports Ministry has changed three things in the way Team Anambra is preparing for the festival.

    “We have changed the care-free attitude to discipline, making it a cardinal point in our camping and we are ready to substitute any athlete not bending to camp and instructors’ rules.

    “We have also changed the camp locations, to make sure athletes in various sports are camped in venues that have state-of-the-art facilities, for their use.

    “Lastly, we have made the incentive package known and we have introduced instant bonuses after every success at each competition, even as athletes progress from one level of competition to another,’’ he said.

    The special adviser said the government had also made funds available, adding that “for now, financially, everybody is given his or her due and it will continue till the end of Eko 2012.

    “Our athletes camped at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium are in high spirits and are concentrating on their training, due to the assurances, as well as the incentives already given to them’’.