The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Awka

  • ASUU calls for reopening of negotiation with FG

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri zone, has called on the Federal Government to urgently open renegotiation on the 2009 agreement with the union to avoid industrial disharmony.

    Coordinator of the zone, Dr Uzo Onyebinama, read out the position of the union to journalists after meeting of the executives held at the Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka on Wednesday.

    Onyebinama stated that after the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, there was a provision for the renegotiation of the agreement every three years, but regretted that it was in March 2017 that the first renegotiation was held.

    He added that the meeting broke down since May 2018, because of what he tagged “deliberate tactics adopted by the leader of government team to scuttle the renegotiation.’’

    Read Also: ASUU rejects Fed Govt’s N20b

    The unionist said that government team was rooting for funding of education via diverse sources with the proposal for the establishment of `Education Bank and students’ loan scheme.’

    “Students’ loan scheme is a deliberate effort to commercialise public universities and an incentive for private universities to thrive and untimely deny the children of poor Nigerians access to university education,’’ he said.

    Onyebinama maintained that the union’s call for the reopening of meeting between it and the Federal Government was a clear demonstration in ASUU’s belief in dialogue and due process.

    He however, said that if government failed to do the needful, the members of the union might be forced to embark on industrial action.

    Onyebinama gave breakdown of issues in dispute as follows; non-implementation of components of the 2017 memorandum of action, non-release of over N1 trillion arrears or revitalisation fund owed public universities from 2014 to 2018.

    Others are: non release of the forensic audit report on earned academic allowances and non-payment of arrears for 2009 to 2017, failure to mainstream the payment of earned academic allowances into the annual budget.

    He said that the union was equally worried over failure to pay arrears of shortfall in salaries in universities that have been verified under the presidential initiative, on continuous auditing among others.

    Responding to questions, Onyebinama said that the union was not worried over possible political coloration of their action, adding, “that was the same false accusation we faced in 2015 and should it come again this time, it makes no meaning.’’

  • Man, 36 lynched over burglary in Anambra

    A 36-year old man was on Tuesday reportedly lynched by an angry mob in Amansea, Awka North local government area of Anambra State.

    The victim, whose identity was yet to be ascertained, was said to have severally burgled into people’s apartments at Amawarri area of the community.

    The Nation gathered that he was already dead before the arrival of the police who stormed the area following a tip-off.

    Confirming the incident, the Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, said the Police Patrol team attached to ‘B’ Division, Awka, met the victim in an unconscious state on arrival to the scene.

    “He was rushed to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital where he was certified dead by the doctor on duty,” he said.

    Read Also: Man arraiged for ‘stealing’ at eatery

    Mohammed added that the corpse had been deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy while efforts were being intensified to tracing and apprehending the perpetrators.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, enjoins members of the public to refrain from taking laws into their hands as the Command will not fold its arms and allow miscreants to disrupt public peace in the state,” he stated.

  • IPOB’s sit-at-home order fails in Enugu, Owerri, Awka

    The sit at home ordered by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was a total failure in Enugu and Imo states as well as Awka, the Anambra Sate capital, yesterday.

    It was also largely ignored in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, although there was partial compliance in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State and Onitsha and Nnewi both in Anambra State.

    Business and social activities were in full swing in Enugu, Owerri the Imo State capital and Awka all day.

    Offices and banks opened as usual for business.

    Police personnel were seen at various strategic points ready to contain any ugly incident that might arise.

    IPOB had ordered the sit-at-home to mark the one year anniversary of the ‘invasion’ of the Afara,Umuahia residence of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    A generator repairer at the New Layout, Enugu who simply gave his name as Okwudili, ýsaid he had no reason to sit at home when ”I have my children to feed and IPOB will not place any food on my table.”

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)-led Ralph Uwazuruike  had dissociated itself from the sit-at-home order and called on the people of South East and South South to go about their businesses.

    The MASSOB-BIM said such sit-at-home call was misplaced and not what Biafrans needed at the moment.

    “All this sit-at-home and the rest of them are of no use. Today, we are rejoicing because we already have success in our Biafra struggle; we are only waiting for the official announcement,” it said.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Mohammed Danmallam, applauded the residents for defying the IPOB order.

    ”I am glad to say that the good people of Enugu State came out in their usual large numbers to conduct their daily businesses,” he said after going round the state to assess the security situation.

    He added: “I have gone round everywhere, even to Isiuzo Local Government Council Area, and the report from my Area Commanders in Nsukka, Oji River is that normal human and vehicular activities were ongoing.

    “We are not leaving anything to chance, and we will ensure that no Nigerian is intimidated or molested by faceless hoodlums,’’ he said.

    Thousands of youths in Imo State chose to hold a solidarity rally on the day for President Muhammadu Buhari and the immediate past Chief of Staff to the Imo state Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu.

    Nwosu is seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

    The youths adorning customised T-shirts embossed with President Buhari and Nwosu’s pictures marched through major streets in the state capital, chanting pro-Buhari slogans.

     

    Sit-at-home flops in Awka

    The sit-at-home order was a non-event in Awka, as residents defied the directive.

    However, all banks, markets and schools were closed down in the state for fear of being attacked by IPOB members, especially in Nnewi and Onitsha.

    Security operatives including the Army, Police, Navy, Department of State Service (DSS), went round the major cities in the state to check any untoward occurrence.

    Some traders at the popular Eke Awka market did not operate while the main markets in Onitsha and Nnewi were all shut.

     

    Civil servants were at work at the state secretariat.

    Some commercial drivers went about their businesses, while some others kept their vehicles off the roads in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Ihiala among other towns in the state.

    A parent who gave his name as Emmanuel said he took his kids to school as early as 7.16 am only to be turned back by the few teachers who said they were only there to register their presence.

    “I was very disappointed when I was turned back, because if they had informed us that there won’t be school today, I wouldn’t have wasted my time coming here,” he said.

    A student of Saint John of God Secondary School, Awka, Emelia, said she did not go to school because they were told to stay at home.

     

    Banks, markets defy sit-at-home order in Umuahia

    Commercial banks, markets and business outlets in Umuahia, the Abia State capital also opened for business yesterday, defying the sit-at-home order by IPOB.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the city was initially enveloped by an air of uncertainty in the early hours of the day as residents and commuters kept off the streets.

    Business, however, began to pick up at about 7.30 a.m. when commercial vehicle operators, banks, markets and business premises began to open for the day’s activities.

    Government offices, public institutions and Automated Teller Machines as well as private outfits were open while kiosks and roadside businesses went on unhindered.

    Mr Johnson Onyekwere, a dealer in kitchen utensils, said that although he had sympathy for IPOB, he came to market because he could not afford to idle away his time at home.

    “I opened my shop but I did not display all the goods as usual. I don’t like to stay at home. Nobody has come to harass us since we opened this morning,” he said.

    Also, Mr Onyekachi Nwankwo, a textile dealer, said he had no reason to stay at home.

    According to Nwankwo, only die-hard supporters of Biafra will observe the order.

    “I came to the market as early as 7.30 a.m. and as you can see, I am displaying my goods.

    “Will those who asked me to sit at home put food on my table?” Nwankwo asked.

    Aba residents shun business

    It was a different situation in the commercial cities of Aba, Abia State and Onitsha, Anambra State with many traders staying away from their shops apparently for fear that hoodlums might target their wares.

    Although the gates of major markets in Aba, including Ariaria International market, Cemetery, Shopping Plaza, Ahia Ohuru, Bakassi among others were opened, traders stayed away from their shops.

    Some commercial banks ran skeletal services early in the day because, as the workers said, there was no directive from their headquarters asking them not to open for the day. Police personnel were spotted in many parts of the city.

    The roads of Onitsha and the main markets were also largely deserted.

    Vehicular traffic at both ends of the Niger Bridge which links Asaba, the Delta State capital, and Onitsha was also unusually light in the early hours of yesterday.

  • Student who invented bitter-leaf processor gets scholarship

    Anambra state government has promised to sponsor Dikanna Onuigbo, a secondary school student in the state who invented a machine that processes bitter leaves (onugbu) to study Mechanical Engineering in the university.

    The Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, who made the promise in Awka, on Friday, also assured him of government assistance in patenting his invention.

    He praised the 16-year old SS3 student for his resourcefulness, saying the feat was an indication that the State was blessed with rich talented people.

    Earlier, Onuigbo, a student of Community Secondary School, Okpuno, Awka South Council area of the state, said his dream was to patent the invention and secure funding for its commercialisation.

    Read Also: Footballer docked for stealing valuables from church

    He also said the machine would relieve people from the use of hand processing method they were traditionally used to over the years.

    Accompanied by his father, Peter Onuigbo, the Anambra-born student demonstrated his invention before the presence of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Afam Mbanefo and his Lands counterpart, Nnamdi Onukwuba, among others.

  • Suspected assassins shoot Anambra pastor

    A middle aged pastor of a popular ministry in Awka, Anambra State was on Thursday shot by unidentified gunmen close to his church in the State capital.

    The Nation gathered that the gunmen, suspected to be hired assassins, had trailed the pastor with their vehicle all the way from Enugu to Awka where he was attacked.

    A source who pleaded anonymity said the suspects had demanded the sum of N5million from the victim, but he offered them N1million which they declined to collect.

    “As soon as they got to his church area. they opened fire on him severally, carted away some undisclosed amount of money, leaving him unconscious with his vehicle glasses shattered,” the source said.

    When our correspondent visited the church premises, the service which holds every Thursday was going on with people clustering within the area discussing the incident.

    A resident, who gave his name as Johnson, said he was passing through that road when he saw some persons pulling out a man from the shattered vehicle.

    “When I enquired, I was told that he was the pastor of the church. Who knows what he must have done to attract this kind of treatment?” he wondered.

    When contacted, the Police said “Today Thursday 6/9/2018 between 09-1000hrs, Prophet David Elijah was allegedly attacked by unknown gunmen along Enugu -Udi road in Enugu State and his Vehicle was ridled with bullets but the pastor escaped unhurt.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the DPO B’ Division Awka CSP Odion Ekeinde has visited the pastor at his Church Grace and Power Prophetic Ministry,State Secretariat road, Aroma,Awka and even snapped with him.”

  • ANAN, UNIZIK sign MOU on accounting management

    The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka on the management of the Tony Nzom Accountancy Research Center.

    The Centre built at the institution by the association and commissioned on March 17, 2017, was targeted at encouraging accountancy education and research in the country.

    Speaking during the signing ceremony in Awka on Tuesday, the President of the Association, Alhaji Shehu Ladan, said the center was one of the contributions of the Associations in ensuring that the best practices in accounting profession is promoted.

    “The Center is among the seven similar ones built by the association in seven universities in Nigeria including the Centre for Financial Accounting Research, Nigerian College of Accountancy in Plateau State,” he said.

    Read Also: UNIZIK expels 14

    He said the MOU provides the guidelines for the management of the center, including the obligations of the association and the University as well as the modes of evaluating the periodic performance of the centre.

    Ladan further revealed that the body has continued to donate accounting laboratory materials, books and equipment to universities and polytechnics.

    Responding, the Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, restated the institution’s dedication to providing the best opportunity for students and staff to practice and excel in their various careers.

    Ahaneku, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Charles Esimone, pledged the institution’s continuous partnership with the group to become the best in the training of accountants.

  • Erosion: hotel, judiciary buildings in danger

    The Grand Riviera, a popular three-star hotel in Awka, is facing imminent collapse due to gully erosion occasioned by rainfalls, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The hotel, the Anambra High Court, which is beside it, and the Federal High Court which is a few metres away are all being threatened by erosion.

    NAN reports that the Federal High Courts has already lost part of its premises to the erosion and two other buildings are seriously threatened by the environmental challenge.

    Manager of the hotel Mr Tagbo Igboka, said gully erosion started washing away the foundation of the 12-year old hotel, only about two years ago.

    Igboka said the hotel’s management had spent not less than N20 million on erosion control and repair works since the ‘unwanted visitor’ started encroaching.

    “This is a very popular hotel in Awka. Two former presidents have lodged here including former governors and ministers, but as you can see erosion is threatening to destroy it.

    “These monument has served for 12 years, but we have battled this menace for five years and spent no less than N20 million to prevent the worst from happening.

    “We have received high-powered delegations on inspection here; people from the Federal Ministry of Environment, the ecological fund and even our own state ministry of environment have visited.

    “However, there has not been any intervention to mitigate the threat from them. The entire buffer you see here, even this one that recently gave way, was done by us.

    “Yet as a corporate organisation, we have been paying our dues to government,” the manager told NAN.

    Igboka noted that the problem was caused by a particular erosion channel, which had made the entire area a ‘disaster area’.

    He said that if the channel was linked to the Imoka River, the problem of erosion would be solved.

    The manager expressed the fear that the hotel, which is valued at hundreds of millions, would become rubbles at the onset of another rainy season if nothing was done about the challenge.

  • NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rains, cloudy weather for Monday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted morning thunderstorms over cities in the Central States of the country such as Ilorin, Minna, Abuja, Jos, Lafia and Bauchi on Monday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Sunday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 25 to 33 and 18 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    It added that there were chances of thunderstorms over Gombe, Lafia, Jos, Kaduna, Abuja, Makurdi and Lokoja axis later in the day.

    The agency predicted that southern states would experience prospect of cloudy morning with chances of rains over places like Awka, Ikom, Abakaliki, Obudu, Ogoja, Port Harcourt, Eket, Warri, Calabar, Ijebu-Ode and Lagos.

    It also predicted chances of thunderstorms and rains over most parts of the region with day and night temperatures of 27 to 31 and 21 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, Northern States will experience cloudy condition over the Inland of the south west with possibility of light rains over the remaining parts of the region in the morning.

    It also predicted thunderstorms and rains over the entire region with day and night temperatures in the range of 27 to 32 and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “Cloudy conditions with prospects of thunderstorms and rain in varying intensities are anticipated over the country within the next 24 hours” NiMet predicts.

  • Chinese scholarship for 47 students

    Forty-seven students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka in Anambra State, have been offered scholarship by the government of China through its October 1st Chinese Ambassador Scholarship Award Ceremony.

    The beneficiaries were presented with N100,000 cash each by the officials of Chinese embassy, led by Charge d’ Affaires to Nigeria, Lin Jing, at the school auditorium.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Ahaneku, described the gesture as “remarkable in the annals of the university”, explaining that the beneficiaries were indigent students who put up best performance in their courses of study. According to the VC, the beneficiaries were students studying courses, including vocational education, technical education and entrepreneurial studies.

    Prof Ahaneku disclosed that it was the first time Chinese government would give scholarship to students of the university studying locally. He pointed out that over 200 students of the university are pursuing higher degrees in different universities in China through similar grant by the Chinese embassy. The VC thanked the Chinese government for its special interest in the university, expressing optimism that the partnership would grow in strengths.

    Jing, who represented the Chinese ambassador at the event, said UNIZIK had special attraction to China because of the establishment of Confucius Institute in 2008, which, he said, had opened a window of mutual opportunities for Nigeria and China.

    The scholarship, Jing said, was initiated to mark the Chinese National Day, which fell on October 1. He added that the embassy chose 47 beneficiaries to represent 47 years of diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and China.

    He urged the beneficiaries to be ambassadors of the two countries, while expressing gratitude to the university for promoting Chinese values through higher education.

  • OZUBULU killings: Nnewi court relocates to Awka over threats to life 

    …witness tells court how perpetrators demanded $1M to forestall attacks

     

    Following threats from unknown persons over the celebrated Ozubulu Church killings in Anambra state, the court sitting has been relocated to Awka.

    During the sitting Friday in Awka, a star witness to the case, Nkwado Onyeka, told the court that the perpetrators of the massacre demanded one million dollars from them to stop the attack.

    The Ozubulu massacre took place on the August 6, 2017 at Saint Phillips Catholic Church, Amakwa, where 13 persons were killed, while 29 others were seriously injured.

    The star witness was the former President General of Ozubulu Development Union (ODU), South Africa branch.

    He revealed to the Nnewi High court 3, now sitting due to the threat of life against the witnesses that two persons, Gozila and Afam serving jail terms in South Africa and who claimed responsibility for the attack, gave them the condition for stopping further killings.

    The complaint of threat to witnesses was made by the prosecuting counsel, Jay Jay Ezeuko (SAN).

    Onyeka equally claimed that the same gang he alleged to be under the control of one of the suspects, Chinedu Akpunonu killed his wife, Mrs. Onyeka as well as other six prominent people from Ozubulu in South Africa.

    He further claimed the gang alleged that they would continue the killings until the Ozubulu people release them from prison in South Africa.

    The witness was led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Ezeuko (SAN).

    According to Onyeka the witness, “Within a short time, one man Obinna Obijeme who gave witness against Akpunonu at Igwe’s palace was shot dead in South Africa”

    “When we heard this we called meeting and invited Chinedu Akpunonu, Aloysius Ikegwuonu and 20 others”

    “In the meeting, I was pleading with Chinedu Akpunonu because his gang members in prison, Dozila and Afam have claimed that they killed Obinna”

    “We concluded that Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu, Emeka Obi, Chinedu Akpunonu, Fidelis Nwanya and our patron will go to prison to see Afam and Dozila to know how to stop the killing”

    “The next day, Fidelis Nwanya called me and said that Afam and Dozila said they do not want to see Chinedu Akpunonu and Aloysius Ikegwuonu, that it was only Fidelis Nwanya and I that they would want to see”

    “Fidelis Nwanya made me to understand that Afam and Dozila said they do would have visiting in November but only in December and already I had booked to travel to America to see our president who was present at my inauguration and later had an accident on December 1, 2015″

    “So in December I travelled to New York, my wife and son dropped me at the airport. On landing at America, at the airport I switched on my phone and the first call that I got was that my wife has been short dead in our office I which share with her. I joined the same flight back to South Africa”

    “All Ozubulu people were calling me to sympathize with me but Chinedu Akpunonu did not. Our people were worried and were asking what to do next and I said they should go ahead with our earlier plan to visit Afam and Dozila in prison but that I will not go with them”

    They went to the prison to see them and reported that Dozila and Afam swore that they would continue to kill Ozubulu people except they were given $1 million. That it was Ozubulu people that put them in prison.

    “The reason they are saying that Ozubulu people imprisoned them was because the then leader of Ozubulu, Oruche called Chinedu Akpunonu and asked him to stop using the killer gang”

    “Secondly, they said Ozubulu people should come and get them released from the prison and thirdly, that Ozubulu people should kill the head of killer gang, Chinedu Akpunonu uses, Tijani Usman”

    “After the burial of my wife another Ozubulu prominent son, Nnoso Ikedinobi was murdered, another person Udoamaka was murdered and by May 2016 Ozubulu people lost six persons in South Africa and Afam and Dozila claimed responsibility”

    All of them were respectively brought home and buried and funeral held for them but Chinedu Akpunonu did not attend any of the funerals though I saw him in Ozubulu in different functions”

    “After he killed my wife he called two persons, Onyedinanma and Emeka Obi and told them that he had dealt with.”

    “On 6th Agust, 2017 I received a telephone call from Aloysius Ikegwuonu that gunmen went to the church he built in Ozubulu and killed worshippers”

    “While we were trying to figure out what happened, chairman, Onyedinanma called me on phone and said that Dozila and Afam said they sent those that did the attack”

    “After the incident, Ozubulu people invited us, everybody for three times and I came the three times but Chinedu Akpunonu came only once the third one.”

    While being cross examined by counsel to Akpunonu, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN),the witness said he was not aware if any court both in Nigeria and South Africa had convicted Akpunonu for murder.

    He also said he had never written any petition to security agencies on the alleged murder cases he accused Akpunonu of.

    However, the presiding judge, Justice F. I Aniukwu, after listening to the counsels, adjourned the matter to May 4, 11 and 25th for continuation.

    Read Also: Ozubulu killings: How the plan was hatched, witness opens up in court