The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anambra

  • NAN founding GM Nzekwu dies at 89

    The founding General Manager of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Onuora Nzekwu, has died at the age of 89, the family confirmed on Saturday.

    Nzekwu, the author of a popular novella, Eze Goes To School died by 4.30p.m. On Friday in his home at Onitsha, Anambra, where he had been living in retirement, a family member, Mr Louis Chuke, said.

    Nzekwu joined the Federal Civil Service as an editorial assistant at the Nigeria Magazine Division of the Federal Ministry of Information.

    He worked as an editorial assistant from 1956 to 1958 when took over the position of editor-in-chief of the magazine.

    In 1966 when the Nigerian civil war broke out, he transferred his services to the Eastern Nigeria Public Service and returned to the federal service at the end of the crisis in 1970.

    He served as General Manager of NAN from 1979 to 1985.

    Nzekwu wrote Troubled Dust, a novel that recounts the experiences of the civil war.

     

  • Bayelsa NUJ Loses another member

    The Bayelsa State Correspondent of the New Telegraph Newspaper, Mr Chris Ejim, is dead.

    Ejim’s demise was announced in a statement issued by Messrs Kola Oredipe and Chris Eze, Chairman and Secretary of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa Council.

    The chapel noted that the sad news was came few days after the gruesome murder of Famous Giobaro of Radio Bayelsa on Easter Sunday.

    According to the statement, Ejim a graduate of Mass Communication from The Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra, was a strong and committed member of the chapel.

    He died on Thursday evening in his house in Yenagoa after a brief illness.

    The statement described the death of Ejim as shocking and devastating.

    The chapel described the deceased as a fine writer and thorough bred professional whose writing skill and style were simple and enterprising.

    “Late Ejim who previously worked with Thisday Newspaper in Lagos and Nigerian Compass, was a fearless, frank and bold journalist who would resist any form of intimidation from any quarter.

    “The entire leadership and members of the chapel extend our heartfelt condolences to the Ejim’s family in Anambra and pray God to grant them the fortitude to bear this painful loss.

    “He was aged 49 years and a native of Ezira community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra,’’ the statement added.

     

  • Army arrests impersonator in Onitsha

    Army arrests impersonator in Onitsha

    The Nigerian Army, 82 Division, Enugu, says a naval patrol team has arrested one Mr Abdullahi Yakubu at Kara, Atani road, Onitsha, Anambra for alleged impersonation.

    Col. Sagir Musa, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, made the disclosure on Friday in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha.

    Musa said the incident occurred at about 12 noon on April 10, noting that Yakubu was at the time of his arrest, dressed in the Nigerian Army camouflage uniform and combat boots.

    “On interview, he could not provide correct answers to the questions asked, thereby exposing him as an obvious impersonator.

    “Further questioning revealed that the culprit had been in the habit of harassing and extorting members of the public under the guise of being a soldier, and presents fake identification card as evidence.

    “The patrol team, on April 10, at about 2:50 p.m., handed the culprit to troops of 302 Artillery Regiment deployed for duty at the Onitsha Head Bridge,” Musa said.

    The deputy director said the suspect had since been questioned at the Regiment’s Military Police Orderly Room, with the view to handing him over to the police for further action.

    He urged members of the public to take note of the occasional tendency of hoodlums who disguised as military personnel to defraud them.

    “The public are also requested to report such bad elements when seen to the nearest police station or any security office close to them,” Musa said.

     

  • Anambra 2017 and APGA’s political gimmick

    Anambra 2017 and APGA’s political gimmick

    As Anambra governorship election approaches, any visitor to the state now who is very observant will see that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led government in the state has commenced its political gimmick, thinking that Anambra people are gullible. At strategic locations across the state are giant and money-spinning billboards with bold inscription – APGA bu nke anyi meaning “APGA is our own” and the picture of the late ex-Biafra warlord, Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu who died many years ago.

    The questions that easily come to one’s mind are: “What is the picture of late Ojukwu or his family members got do to with the forthcoming governorship election? Is late Ojukwu or his wife, an aspirant in the election? Why can’t Ojukwu, who is dead since be allowed to rest in perfect peace?

    Why should he be dragged into this again? Well, that is the extent of desperation and hypocrisy political power can drive people to, even when it is obvious that such people have no capacity to deliver in office. But that is dirty politics and desperate politicians for you. To these politicians, anything and everything is okay and possible, so far it can guarantee them political power.

    It will be recall that this was the same gimmick, the immediate past governor of Anambra State and Governor Willie Obiano’s predecessor under APGA platform, Mr Peter Obi used to deceive the people of the state during his first and second term elections. Obiano and his supporters appear to be toeing the footsteps of his estranged political godfather, Obi, forgetting that such cannot work for him this time around, due to many glaring political factors. It is very important at this point to remind and teach Obiano, who was railroaded into Government House, Awka by his predecessor, the APGA history and it’s many frauds.

    After the 1998 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in Jos, Plateau State, where an illustrious Igbo son and foundation member of the PDP, Chief Alex Ekwueme was short-changed at the eleventh hour and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu also schemed out in the All Peoples Party (APP) presidential primary in Kaduna, it became clear to the Igbos that there was need for a political platform of their own to negotiate for political power at the centre. The dilemma of the Igbos then was who would bell the cat. This was because majority of Igbo politicians were in the PDP-led government and others in the opposition, APP including Ojukwu, who was a member of Board of Trustees of the party.

    That was how Chief Chekwas Okorie alongside Chief Maxi Okwu took up the challenge and registered APGA on June 22, 2002 with financial support from the likes of late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Chief Arthur Eze and others. Because of his age-long relationship with Ojukwu and the respect the Igbos have for him, Okorie gave Ojukwu, the party presidential ticket in 2003. Prof. ABC Nwosu introduced Mr. Peter Obi to Ojukwu after Obi was schemed out of the PDP.

    That was how Obi brought in his kinsman, Chief Victor Umeh, who was then personal assistant to Chief Joseph Okonkwo (Ofiadulu), a popular politician and Treasurer of the PDP into APGA. Obi was later given APGA governorship ticket in 2003, courtesy of Ojukwu’s influence on Okorie. After the election, Dr. Chris Ngige of the PDP was announced the winner and Obi went to tribunal.

    With high-level political conspiracy and intrigues in the presidency, Obi reclaimed the governorship seat from Ngige at the Court of Appeal in 2006. Before then, precisely in 2004, Umeh who was made APGA Treasurer had announced the expulsion of Okorie from the party. Umeh made himself acting chairman with the tactical support of Obi. For almost 10 years, Okorie was in court fighting for the soul of APGA, but was frustrated by the undertakers in APGA from Agulu community namely-Obi and Umeh. That was how APGA lost its original soul and became “Agulu” Progressives Grand Alliance with Umeh as its chairman and Governor Obi as major financier.

    It is of note that for eight years of Obi’s administration, APGA never won any National Assembly seat in Anambra State, despite the claim that it was an Igbo and Ojukwu’s party. Rather what Obi and Umeh did was to arrange a secret and selfish alliance with the PDP-led government at centre, where by PDP concede governorship seat to APGA in Anambra and take National Assembly seats.

    They consistently used Ojukwu, his name and picture to do governorship campaign in Anambra. During Obi’s second term election in 2010, APGA apologists told Anambra people that Obi’s second term was Ojukwu’s last wish. All sort of political subterfuges were perpetrated by the APGA undertakers in the state, using Ojukwu’s name just to serve their selfish political interests. Even at that, all the acclaimed apostles of Ojukwu in Anambra and beyond never identified with APGA before and after Ojukwu’s death. Why? Why was it that APGA did not grow beyond Anambra State or Agulu, throughout the eight years of Obi’s administration? Why didn’t the Igbos embrace the party totally? Was it because it lost its Igbo soul and became a platform for Agulu people to make money and achieve their political interest? Why immediately Obi left office, did he abandon APGA and jump into PDP? Was it that he realised that he has been a local champion for eight years and needed to be in the mainstream politics for political rehabilitation and to fight for the state’s fair share of the national cake? Unfortunately for Obi, PDP lost the presidency in 2015 and has not found its bearing since then.

    For Obiano’s government and its apologists, what is of paramount importance now is verifiable account of Obiano’s achievements with the billions of Anambra money, he has collected, not Ojukwu’s billboard, wrapper, rice, money or the known lie that APGA bu nke anyi or Igbo party. May be APGA and Obiano apologists will now tell Anambra people that Obiano’s second term is Ojukwu’s message from the grave. We hear.  Once bitten, twice shy.  Anambra State cannot continue with a party that is an orphan and a local champion with poor performance.

    With All Progressives Congress (APC) led- federal government at the centre performing well and parading credible personalities like Bath Nwibe, and others in the governorship election in the state, it is a question of time, before the state joins the mainstream politics.

     

    • Ezeani, a historian and researcher wrote from Obosi, Anambra State

  • Anambra provides 150 tractors for farmers

    nambra State government said yesterday it had provided 150 tractors to aid farmers.

    Agric Commissioner Chief Afam Mbanefo said the provision was part of efforts to promote mechanised farming.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka the tractors would be hired to farmers at subsidised rates.

    “We have over 150 tractors that have been fixed and ready for hiring by farmers, for mechanised farming.

    “They are being hired at affordable amount. Since the rain started early, there is hope for a bountiful harvest,” Mbanefo said.

    He said to ensure the tractors remained operational, the government engaged engineers to maintain them.

    “Now that we have these tractors, we have engaged engineers to repair them.

    “We want to ensure the tractors are working.”

  • Ngige donates ambulance, drugs to mission hospital

    Ngige donates ambulance, drugs to mission hospital

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has donated an ambulance, wheelchairs and drugs worth millions of Naira to St. Mary’s Catholic Church Hospital, Alor in Anambra.

    Presenting the items on Wednesday at Alor, Ngige said the gesture was in fulfillment of his promise to the hospital in December 2016.

    The minister, who lauded the Church for their spiritual and material contributions to the people, pledged to continue the support whenever called upon.

    Receiving the items, Rev. Fr. Martin Onukuba, the Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state, commended the minister for the gesture.

    “The situation before now was that we were using our private cars to bring patients to hospital; sometimes, we use plastic chairs to take patients into the hospital.

    “The ambulance will solve all these problems and we can now even move anytime of the night without fear on emergencies,” said Onukuba.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister was accompanied by the state executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as some governorship aspirants in the state.

     

  • Young inventors urge FG to commercialise students’ inventions

    Mr Ihere-serg Mascot, an old student of Apostles College, Ebonyi state, has called on the Federal Government to look inward and commercialise inventions made by students to promote the country’s technological advancement. Mascot, who built solar powered vehicle, made this appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on
    Wednesday. He said the inventions were viable and could generate employment for the masses only if government and private investors would key into the efforts of the young inventors.

    “This solar powered vehicle can serve four people at a time just like Keke Napep. The good thing about it is that it does not use petrol. Just park the car under the sun and it is activated to serve you. “Government’s assistance will make the car look better, and then you will find that even more students will be encouraged to be more creative and productive. “Nigerian youths can be manufacturers of cars if our government have faith in us and invest in the things we build; our teachers are some of the best in the world. They only need facilities to be on ground.’’

    He appealed to the Federal Government to encourage youths by funding the commercialisation of more of their inventions.

    Emeka Ugwueze, another young inventor, invented a dual purpose waste management biodegradable machine. Its waste recycling fuel can also mould interlocking blocks. Nelson, an old student of the Community Secondary School, Umuokpu Awka, Anambra, said the science projects they were involved in school had helped him. “The name I gave my invention is Change. The project took me about six months to put together, and it is a project that is environment-friendly.

    “With the machine, plastic waste products in the environment can be converted to a better use; it is a machine that turns waste to wealth. “It can be used to convert pure water sachets that litter the environment into
    bio-fuel that can be used to run our generators. “Also, it can be used to manufacture environment-friendly interlocking blocks that do not only beautify the environment, but also absolves plastic waste in our surroundings.’’ Ugwueze said he was able to produce the machine by collecting things in the environment that everyone thought were waste products and converted them to useful products.  He called on the government to invest in the invention in order to promote
    creativity and self-reliance among youths to bring about wealth creation. “If we can produce such a machine with the encouragement and input of our teachers and parents, we can do greater things if government would put money and the resources available to it. “I appeal to the government to help me add value to this machine by making resources available, so that it can be more refined and available to people’’, Ugwueze said.

    Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, said recently that the Federal Government was determined to encourage the application of technology as a veritable tool for national development.

    “We need to strengthen the acquisition and application of technology as an important instrument for national development.

    “Indeed, we need to place greater emphasis on science, engineering, technology and innovation,
    to enable us achieve self-reliance, national pride and global recognition’’, Onu said.

    The youths, therefore, called on the government to put words into action so that their potentials
    would be harnessed toward the achievement of a socio-economic development of the country.

  • Police arrest three over mob attack on FRSC

    Police arrest three over mob attack on FRSC

    Three persons have been arrested in connection with a recent mob attack on a patrol team of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra, the agency said.

    In a statement issued in Abuja, Spokesman’s of the FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said the suspects were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Anambra State Police Command.

    According to him, the three are suspected to be part of the mob that attacked the FRSC personnel after an offending commercial motorcyclist fell while trying to evade arrest by the team.

    Earlier, there was speculation on the Internet that the FRSC patrol team was mobbed for allegedly demanding bribe at Ichida also in Anambra.

    But Kazeem issued a statement, dismissing the rumour as not correct.

    “The true position is that an offending Okada man who sighted our personnel on normal patrol, suddenly turned to escape arrest and fell in the process.

    “His fall attracted sympathy from miscreants and other Okada men who then seized the opportunity to mob the personnel,” he said.

    Kazeem said efforts were being made to apprehend “the other miscreants and ‘Okada’ riders for prosecution”.

    Reacting to the arrests, Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, commended the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Command in Anambra for their prompt action.

    Oyeyemi enjoined them to fish out others at large for prosecution so as to serve as deterrent to potential offenders.

    “The Corps Marshal said the FRSC would continue to cooperate with other sister agencies in the discharge of its statutory
    duties.

    “He added that the Corps would no longer tolerate the harassment, assault and victimisation of its personnel on flimsy excuses and trivial issues,” Kazeem said.

     

  • Anambra: Drama over Speaker’s seat lingers

    Anambra: Drama over Speaker’s seat lingers

    Major actors in the impeachment drama in Anambra State House of Assembly have retired to the rural communities to perfect their final plans in the battle to either save or impeach the embattled Speaker, report Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    For about a month before the Thursday, April 6, 2017 report of the impeachment drama in Anambra State House of Assembly, there were clear indications that all was no longer well in the House which used to pride itself as one of the most united and peaceful in the country.

    According to an insider source, by middle of March this year, it has become obvious that even some influential All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) committee chairmen and members, who were known as the Speaker’s close associates, were beginning to express openly, their dissatisfaction with the way things were going on in the House. Our source confided that both the leadership of the House and the governor seemed not to realise how deep the expressed sentiments had degenerated. So, the lawmakers’ sentiments remained mere complaints until that fateful Tuesday, when the Speaker, Hon. Rita Maduagwu, got wind of his colleagues’ determination to impeach her that day.

    To frustrate the move, she bolted with the Mace before the commencement of the day’s plenary, leaving behind about 28 lawmakers, who waited endlessly for her entrance into the hallowed chamber. What followed was anger and swearing to pursue to its logical conclusion, their resolve to change leadership.

    To appease the anger of the lawmakers, who felt insulted by the Speaker’s action, Governor Willie Obiano had to drive to the House that morning to address the lawmakers. At the end of the drama and the parley, Majority Leader, Victor Jideoffor Okoye, moved a motion for the House to reconvene on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Hon. Onyebuchi Offor seconded the motion.  That was just the first scene of the Anambra State Assembly impeachment drama.

    A week after the curtain opened, The Nation learnt that the drama that ensued has become more complicated with the business of the Assembly put on hold while lawmakers and people of the state are left to wonder over the whereabouts of both the Speaker and the Mace.

    Last Tuesday, Maduagwu, believed to be worried over the said plot by her colleagues to impeach her, remained underground and failed to reconvene the House. This is in spite of the fact that the House had last week adjourned sitting to the same Tuesday. Sources close to her also declined to disclose her whereabouts when asked by The Nation.

    This is amidst growing allegations that she eloped from the Assembly during the last sitting with the Mace. Just as her current location is unknown, the whereabouts of the Mace, the Assembly’s instrument of authority, is also shrouded in controversial secrecy.

    When contacted by reporters during the week, the embattled Speaker, who refused to say anything on the ongoing drama or her whereabouts, merely allayed any fear over her safety as she continuously affirmed that she is very safe where she is. “I am safe. I am ok,” she kept saying.

    But no concrete word of explanation has emerged from her camp over the failure of the Assembly to sit last Tuesday, except one of her aides, who said off record that the lawmakers could not sit because of the Easter festivities.

    However, speculations continue to thrive as observers of the politics of the state predict more confusion for the legislative arm in the days ahead.

    A member of the Assembly, speaking to The Nation on condition of anonymity, said the inability of the House to sit on Tuesday is because the crisis within the Assembly is yet to be resolved. The lawmaker from Anambra Central said the disagreement between the camps of pro and anti Maduagwu lawmakers in the House is assuming a more serious dimension on a daily basis.

    “As a member of the Assembly, I am worried. As a citizen of Anambra, I am bothered. This is because what is happening is not healthy for us, especially at a time like this. We have tried to get our members to sit down and discuss in the interest of the people, but politics is being allowed to destroy the business of legislation,” he lamented.

    It would be recalled that last Thursday, the Speaker allegedly disappeared with the Mace, the  symbol of authority of the House, to her Ukpor country home in Nnewi South Local Government  Area when she sensed that her colleagues had concluded plans to impeach her over alleged highhandedness and other sundry offences.

    More drama amidst confusion

    The Nation learnt that in her bid to forestall her possible impeachment by her colleagues at Tuesday’s planned sitting, the Speaker had caused a bulk SMS message to be sent to all legislators, as well as staff of the House of Assembly, to the effect that there will be no plenary on the said day.

    The messages, according to sources, were sent on Monday, a day before the adjourned day. And when surprised lawmakers made efforts to reach the hiding Speaker for clarification, they met a brick-wall as all effort to get her comment on the development reportedly yielded no fruit.

    “We didn’t sit on Tuesday. I don’t know why we didn’t sit really but I got a text message on Monday that there will be no sitting. I asked around and discovered that all other members got same message. I didn’t hear from the Speaker but those who tried to ask her said they didn’t get to hear much from her.

    You will recall that at the last sitting, we adjourned, through a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Victor Jideoffor Okoye, and seconded by Onyebuchi Offor, to reconvene Tuesday this week. But the text message changed all that and the sitting did not hold,” he said.

    But Honourable Chigbo Enwezor, the member representing Onitsha North 1 State Constituency, explained that he got a text that the House would not sit on Tuesday because they were on Easter break. According to him, though it is true that the House agreed to reconvene that day, the text message actually gave the Easter holiday as a reason for the cancellation.

    The House, he said, is likely to reconvene after the Easter break. But findings by The Nation revealed that unless the leadership crisis rocking the Assembly is resolved before then, the hope of the House sitting soon after the holiday may remain a mere wish.

    It was gathered that several efforts by prominent individuals, including Governor Willy Obiano, to nip the crisis in the bud, have failed as lawmakers opposed to the continued reign of Mrs. Speaker are insisting on her impeachment. “The only option they gave her is for her to resign,” a source said.

    This, The Nation learnt, is just as Maduagwu on her part, vowed not to resign her position. According to sources close to her, her refusal to accept the resignation option is due to her insistence that all the allegations against her are politically motivated.

    Search for the Mace

    And as the whereabouts of the Mace remained unknown, speculations are rife about the possible places the Assembly’s symbol of authority could be hidden by the embattled Speaker in her determination to ensure that she is not impeached by her colleagues.

    Recently, following insinuations that the Mace may have been hidden away in some unexpected public places, including caves and shrines, the Chief Priest of Ogbunike Cave, in Oyi Local Government Council Area of the state, had to clear the air that the Assembly’s Mace is not in the revered cave.

    According to a report in one of the national dailies, the Chief Priest said: “You should look for the Mace at Nnewi; the Speaker is not from Ogbunike. Maybe she kept it in Nnewi. They have their own god that looks after them and their properties.”

    In the same report, former President- General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, urged those looking for the Mace to look in the direction of places like the Akpo Ogwugwu Ukpor, because since the embattled Speaker is from Ukpor, she is most likely to hide the Mace closer home.

    “The Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Agwu, is not an indigene of Nnewi as speculated in some quarters. She is from Ukpor, which is in Ekwusigo Local Government Area. They should look for the Mace at Akpo Ogwugwu Ukpor and not Ogbunike Cave because she must have taken a cue from the former Senate President, the late Chuba Okadigbo,” he said.

    But another member of the Assembly told The Nation that all the allegations that the Speaker hid the Mace in any of the places being mentioned are mere snide remarks. The lawmaker from the Awka zone of the state accused those opposed to Maduagwu of spreading false rumour about her.

    “It is unimaginable to say the Speaker is hiding in a cave or shrine with the Mace. She has said severally that she is not on the run. The House is on holiday and it will be reconvened at the appropriate time. Those who want Maduagwu out at all cost are the ones spreading all these lies,” he said.

    But a lawyer and Human Rights activist, Onyebuchi Uzoma, told The Nation on Thursday that the crisis in Anambra State House of Assembly has become complicated following what he called “immaturity of the members.” Before now, he said, “it has become obvious to every informed observer that most of the members of Anambra State House of Assembly had become either completely dissatisfied with the way things were going, or were ill informed on the fundamental proceedings of the legislative House. That is why many of them are constantly absent at both plenary and committee meetings. They only appear to collect allowances. They exhibited their inexperience by the way they went about the ill-fated impeachment. To worsen the matter, when the Speaker foiled the bid, the overzealous lawmakers, especially the Majority Leader adjourned the alleged sitting and fixed a date to reconvene. This action was faulty ab initio. This is because you cannot adjourn a plenary that never held.”

    According to him, it was not enough for the Majority Leader to announce an adjournment. What they needed was to ensure there was a properly elected presiding officer, perhaps, the Deputy Speaker, to authenticate their meeting that day before announcing an adjournment.

    “Also, I agree with the observers who said the action of the 28 lawmakers, who allegedly brought in an old wooden Mace, in place of the missing Mace, in order to carry out the alleged sitting was not just unacceptable but criminal. Except you are merely acting in a drama, you can’t smuggle in a contrivance, and call it the Mace, the authority of an authentic legislative House of a state. That was the height of the display of immaturity that has complicated the Anambra impeachment saga,” he said.

    Before the present face-off, the current Anambra State House of Assembly, which has majority APGA members, was considered to be very peaceful and united. Ozo Ray, an analyst, commenting on the unity of the legislative House last October had said, “To all intents and purposes , the 6th Anambra State House of Assembly could be rated amongst the most peaceful , vibrant and proactive state  legislatures in the country, devoid of confusion and rancour. Issues of balcanisation, impeachment moves, secret plots as well as other anti-democratic tendencies are none existent in the current state assembly. This is largely due to the way and manner in which the incumbent Speaker, Rt.Hon. Rita Maduagwu, pilots the affairs of the House.” All that has since changed as most of the members have vowed to take on the Maduagwu-led leadership of the Assembly.

    Our investigation during the week however shows that the seed of discord, now threatening the unity of the House did not just start overnight.

    Even Ray had in his assessment of the Assembly last year pointed out that “the present crop of lawmakers could be categorised into active and passive lawmakers.”

    According to him, “while some of the lawmakers spend the greater part of the legislative year making oversea trips, a handful of others blatantly absent themselves frequently from plenary despite promises of quality representation to constituents during electioneering periods. Some lawmakers have become strangers to their constituents. For some of those who endeavour to attend legislative sessions ended up keeping mute during discussions and debates, only to approach the accounts department thereafter to collect sitting allowance.”

    These are part of the suppressed sentiments that set the stage for the current impeachment plot as critics of Maduagwu accuse her of not carrying them along. But her supporters insist she is a wonderful leader, whose current travail has more political roots than issue of leadership ability.

    As the Speaker’s supporters retire to the rural communities in the state to meet with grassroots leaders and work behind the scene during this Easter holiday in order to resolve the matter peaceably before the lawmakers’ resumption, it has become obvious that the last has not been heard of the impeachment drama in Awka. Can Maduagwu appease her colleagues and retain the plum seat? That is the question that remains to be answered.

  • Academics, others inspire youngsters in Anambra

    Academics, others inspire youngsters in Anambra

    Eminent academics and writers converged on Anambra State to help undergraduates and secondary school pupils write creatively.

    The two-day event held at the late Prof Ezenwa-Ohaeto Resource Centre, Akwa, the state capital, featuring renowned poet Odia Ofeimun and such scholars as Prof. Stella Okunna, Prof Ikechukwu Asika and Prof Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo, among others.

    They were drawn from Federal University of Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, and Prof Obodimma Oha of University of Ibadan.

    The creative writing workshop was for undergraduates, senior secondary school students and other aspiring writers, which featured etiquettes of academia, educationists and scholars.

    The scholars discussed a lecture entitled “Nwokeness: a journey into a disturbed Igbo philosophy of masculinity”, which was delivered on the second day.

    Delivering a lecture entitled “Nwokeness: a journey into a disturbed Igbo philosophy of masculinity,” Prof Obodimma Oha of University of Ibadan enjoined African men and women to take up their responsibilities in the society.

    He said, “In the past, the idea of nwoke bu nwoke (A man is a man) triggers men to take action in their immediate environment while that of nwaanyi bu nwaanyi (A woman is a woman) inspired the female to work as well.

    “It’s not about sex, ethnicity or race. It does not promote hatred, immorality, wife or husband battery, indolence, discrimination, etc. But it is a strong philosophy that helps people to live in peace and harmony, and redefine their society through industriousness, creativity, and innovation. It is a genuine philosophy that guide development at all spheres of life; economics, business, education, etc.”

    Discussing the paper, Oguejiofor, Okunna, Utoh-Ezeajugh, Asika, Adimora-Ezeigbo, Ofeimum, agreed that there was no need for any of the genders to trample upon their rights and responsibilities while co-existing in an ever growing society.

    Dr. Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto said, “The two days programme fell into the vision of creating a forum for discussing current issues and for exposing aspiring writers to the world of creativity in order to live a better life.

    They also used the forum to immortalise her late husband, Prof Ezenwa-Ohaeto, who was a novelist and poet.

    According Dr. Ohaeto, “Our society does not regard the women. Some aspects of Igbo culture like proverbs and breaking of kola nuts insult the women. That is why I don’t buy or eat kola nut.

    “Our people need to understand that we are not fighting women to take over what belongs to them. All we want is a better society where we can function effectively and efficiently.

    “We can’t continue living in the euphoria of the proverbs, language, culture and religion of our forefathers who we know that the kind of education and society they lived in differs from ours.

    “Our men need to understand that once we are given our own right, they will also be comfortable because once a woman is given an opportunity to serve or exercise her rights, the society would be cleaned up.”

    Prof Akachi Adimora Ezigbo, who spoke on “How do I become a good writer”, and poet Odia Ofeimum, while exploring their respective writing experiences, contended that good writers were good thinkers, good observers, good students and good listeners, which they also believed to be motivating factors and sources of inspiration for creative ideas.

    “You can use narration, reflection, action, or dialogue to drive home your creative ideas. What you study online on social and new media can even inspire you to write.

    “Science and technology should not be a barrier to your creative thinking and writing ideas,” Adimora-Ezigbo stressed.

    “Study and understand your immediate environment. The knowledge would help you to get better ideas, language, experiences and medium of passing the message across to them,” Ofemum said.

    While another scholar, Ikechukwu Asika, entreated the children to study to discover where their talent lies and invest into it rather than attempting to become a good writer because according to him, you can’t force yourself to become a good writer, but you can draw inspiration from a mentor who is a writer to become a good writer if you are talented in writing.