The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ebonyi

  • Ebonyi Assembly suspends female member for misconduct

    Ebonyi Assembly suspends female member for misconduct

    Ebonyi state House of Assembly on Tuesday suspended the member representing Afikpo North East constituency in the Assembly, Mrs Maria Ude Nwachi for alleged gross misconduct.

    Mrs. Nwachi was accused of allegedly posing as public photographer.

    The motion for he suspension was moved by the Leader of the House, Hon. Joseph Nwobasi representing Ezza North East constituency and seconded by Hon. Franca Okpo representing Abakaliki North constituency.

    The House said Nwachi have refused to heed earlier warnings by the Assembly to desist from being a photographer in the state.

    Nwachi, a former Minority Leader, according to the house by her actions has brought disrespect and dishonesty to herself and the Assembly by by posing as public photographer.

    She was therefore suspended for 14 days pending the outcome of investigations on the allegations leveled against her by a special committee constituted by the House to investigate the allegations.

    Nwachi who was elected on the platform of the Progressives People’s Alliance(PPA) but defected to PDP last year was present at the Assembly plenary where she was suspended.

    This will be the second time she will be suspended by the House. In 2016 she was suspended for sponsoring a protest by Afikpo youths against the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, for epileptic a services to the town.

    The peaceful protest later turned violent as some of the youths set ablaze some vehicles of the Disco and this prompted the house to suspended her for over two months.

    She was later recalled following the intervention of the State Governor, David Imagine a who interceded on her behalf and pleaded with the Legislators to forgive her.

    Her suspension may not be unconnected with her event announcement that she was going to run for a National Assembly position in 2019, which has made a lot of political heavy weights in the state uncomfortable. ENDS

  • Sell at N145 or lose your petrol, DPR warns Anambra marketers

    Sell at N145 or lose your petrol, DPR warns Anambra marketers

    The Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR ) has warned petrol marketers within its Enugu Zone to comply with N145 pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or have their products dispensed to customers free.

    Mr Unyime Akpan of Health, Safety and Environment Department, DPR Enugu Office, gave the warning in Awka when he led an enforcement team to Anambra on Tuesday.

    Akpan said the team sealed one filing station for allegedly refusing to revert and enforced the pump price sale of petrol in nine other stations on Atani road in Ogbaru and some parts of Idemili North Local Government Areas.

    He expressed regret that some marketers had remained defiant, in spite of DPR’s efforts to ensure compliance, noting that the DPR might apply more stringent punishment by dispensing products of defaulting marketers to customers for free.

    READ ALSO: More pains as fuel scarcity returns

    “Petrol price is controlled; stations are not supposed to sell above N145 per liter and if the cost of getting products suggests they cannot sell at that price, then they should leave out.

    “Marketers are the people encouraging the hike; if they are not gaining from it, then they leave out until the system returns to normal.

    “We may have to begin to dispense their products free because DPR also has the powers; if this price compliance sales proves ineffective, we may be left with no option than to give out their petrol, so that they can understand how serious we are,” he said.

    In a reaction, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria ( IPMAN ) absolved its members of any complicity in the hike of petrol price and blamed it on scarcity.

    Chief Ikechukwu Nwankwo, Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot, in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states, urged DPR to stop the clampdown the members as sealing outlets and auctioning the products would not solve the problem.

    Nwankwo decried the petrol supply situation in the country and called for a more sustainable measure to normalise it.

    He said DPR’s action on IPMAN members, especially those under his zone, amounted to being punished for a problem they did not cause and could not solve.

    Nwankwo said that solution to the problem was massive and sufficient supply of petrol into the system by the NNPC.

    The IPMAN chairman said marketers were making efforts to make petrol available to customers as complete scarcity would amount to shutting the economy and holding the masses hostage.

    “I have spoken with my members here in Anambra, the situation of fuel supply is bad and it is our wish that we begin to get products like the way it used to be before.

    “IPMAN is not happy with the way the DPR is harassing us, closing our stations and auctioning our products. It is like they want to push us out of business because we cannot continue to suffer this loss.

    “NNPC is not allocating products to us, DPR should go and monitor the marketers that get allocation from NNPC; how can we buy product at N190 or N195 and DPR sells them off at N145.

    “We make extra effort to get product at tank depot so that economic activities can go on and we should not be punished for that; we may have to close our stations if they continue to pursue us,” he said.

    Newsmen reportes that pump price of petrol has dropped from between N240 and N250 to N200 per liter.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi commences sanitisation of ministries

    Ebonyi commences sanitisation of ministries

    The Ebonyi Government says it has commenced the sanitisation of its ministries to correct detected administrative flaws in the system.

    Dr Kelechi Igwe, the Deputy Governor, said this on Friday in Abakaliki while reacting to the dilapidated state of the multi-billion Naira international market built by the past administration in the state.

    Igwe led a delegation of government officials, opinion leaders and market associations, among others, to inspect the facility constructed in a swamp.

    “We have commenced the correction of ills in the ministries as it is saddening to have Ministries of Works, Housing and Survey involved in such a ruse.

    “These ministries have qualified engineers and surveyors to advise the past government as the project’s erection in such area is one of the worst things to happen to the state.

    “It is pertinent to note that if the officials failed to advise government, it was laxity on their part.

    “But if they did, it means the government was not responsible to listen to advice,” he said.

    He said that the tour of the edifice was to assuage the people’s anxiety over the delay in completing the project by the present administration.

    “The governor as a professional engineer will not embark on a project that will not add economic values to the state.

    “We have tried severally to relocate traders to the market but they have consistently told us that it was not habitable and conducive for business activities.

    “During the rainy season, flood will submerge goods and other property belonging to traders and even drown children around the area.

    “We want to assure the people that the era of government embarking on phantom projects was over; Government will never embark on projects without economic significance,” he said.

    Rev.Fr. Abraham Nwali, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) in the state, advised the state government not to abandon the project in the spirit of continuity.

    “The contractors handling the project should be re-instated if they are willing to complete it but should be made to refund the monies collected, if they are unwilling to continue.

    Mr Ugochukwu Akpa, Chairman, Association of Town Unions in the state, said the unions would besiege the homes of the contractors, to let them refund the money they collected from government.

    “We will stay by their doors and cry loudly for them to refund the money because it belongs to the entire state and should be utilised judiciously,” he said.

    Mr Eze Ogbonna, Chairman, Abakaliki Main Market Amalgamated Traders Association, said that traders would never relocate to the market until it became habitable and conducive for business.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi closes schools to check spread of lassa fever

    Ebonyi closes schools to check spread of lassa fever

    The Ebonyi Government on Thursday ordered closure of all public and private schools in the state to check the spread of lassa fever that broke out in the state recently.

    Prof. John Eke, the Commissioner for Education, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in an interview in Abakaliki, that the closure was part of proactive steps taken to contain the spread of the disease in the state.

    According to him, government embarked on the measure to effectively control and contain the spread of the dreaded lassa virus which had claimed some lives including two medical doctors.

    The commissioner, however, said that the lassa out break in the state was not alarming, but noted that the closure of schools was done to check the disease spreading into schools.

    “First of all, I want to inform you that the issue of the outbreak of the lassa disease is not in alarming rate, and what we have done is to ensure that we effectively put the spread under control.

    “Again, a women yesterday (Wednesday, Jan 17), was diagnosed positive of the virus and this patient has her children in schools.

    “We believe that one of the best ways to handle the situation is to shut down our schools until we are sure that our pupils and students are safe.

    “The schools will remain shut for seven school days to enable us monitor the situation and we appeal to parents, guardians and school authorities to comply with the directive, ” Eke said

  • Lassa outbreak: Fistula Centre evacuates patients from hospital

    Lassa outbreak: Fistula Centre evacuates patients from hospital

    Following the recent outbreak of Lassa Fever in Ebonyi state, the National Obstetric Fistula Centre (NOFIC), Abakaliki has evacuated its patients from the hospital following outbreak of Lassa fever at the nearby Virology Centre of the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA).

    This is even as the state House of Assembly on has summoned contractors that built N350million ultra-modern virology centre to appear before it over allegations that they did not fully equipped the hospital after they were paid by the state government.

    Both NOFIC and the Virology centre were built by the state government and taken over by the federal government.

    The two institutions are located inside the premises of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, close to each other with a wall separating them from each other.

    The Nation had reported how two doctors at FETHA and a nurse had died in a fresh Lassa fever outbreak in the hospital.

    Another doctor is said to be in critical condition at Irrua Lassa fever Specialist Hospital, Edo state though The Nation could not independently verify this report.

    Worried by the outbreak of the disease in FETHA, management of the National Obstetric Fistula centre evacuated all the patients in the hospital to an undisclosed hospital.

    When The Nation visited NOFIC, no patient was seen at the wards.

    A staff of the hospital who spoke confidence said all the patients in the hospital were evacuated to another hospital.

    “You know this hospital is located beside this virology centre and some of the patients including the deceased were taken to the virology centre before being evacuated to Irua Specialist hospital where some of them died early this week.

    “So, our management feel it is very imperative to evacuate all our patients out of our hospital even though the virology centre has been fumigated”, he said.

    He disclosed that some of the patients that were evacuated from the hospital just passed through surgery.

  • INEC seeks NURTW’s collaboration in Ebonyi

    INEC seeks NURTW’s collaboration in Ebonyi

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) in Ebonyi, on Wednesday sought  collaboration of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), for easy movement of personnel and electoral materials.

    Prof. Godswill Obioma, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ebonyi, who spoke at a meeting in Abakaliki with NURTW members, said the collaboration was necessary in order to ensure successful elections.

    Obioma, who described NURTW as critical stakeholder, said effective collaboration with the union was needed to ensure successful movement of men and materials.

    According to him, the meeting is convened to map out strategies and actions necessary for effective engagement of members of the union.

    “The INEC in Abuja has directed states to carry out preparatory inventory of what the commission needs for smooth and successful conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: …. Ngige threatens to sue INEC

    “This meeting with the union aimed at boosting our partnership and collaboration is part of the preparatory inventory.

    “The meeting will foster greater cooperation and commitment which will ensure that only those people who are trustworthy and credible will be engaged in the transportation services during the elections.

    “There are 1782 poling units in Ebonyi, and the implication is that not fewer than 1782 sound vehicles will be needed to convey our men and materials to these voting areas.

    “You can see why the union is very important and indeed a critical stakeholder in the electoral process.

    “The commission must count on you to enhance timely and effective distribution of the electoral materials to the various poling units,” Obioma said.

    He said that the commission would engage the officials of the 29 branches of the union operating in Ebonyi in similar interactive meeting.

    The NURTW’s State Chairman, Mr Ewa Oko, who led other officials of the union to the meeting, commended the REC for the timely initiative.

    He said that the meeting would assist both organisations to work out areas of common collaboration and cooperation as well as strengthen grey areas.

    Oko said that the union has been supportive of the commission in previous elections and had always mobilised its members during elections.

    “We are going to cooperate and collaborate with the commission to ensure that 2019 general elections become a huge success in Ebonyi in terms of transportation of materials and men to various polling units.

    “If NURTW says yes; then you know that our yes is our yes. We have assured our support and cooperation to the commission for the success of the elections in Ebonyi and we hold on to it,” Ewa said.

    He said that the union had launched operation ‘show your voter card’ explaining that members who were yet to register and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were not allowed to attend the union’s meetings.

    “We in NURTW are taking the 2019 elections very seriously. We launched operation show your PVC which makes it compulsory for members to show their voter cards before they are allowed to sit in our meetings.

    “If you don’ t have your voter card we send you out of our meeting ,because you are not a good citizen,” he added.

    The meeting inaugurated a seven – man INEC / NURTW transport joint sub-committee to work out modalities for effective engagement of the transporters.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi Lassa fever outbreak: Doctors protest colleagues’ death

    Ebonyi Lassa fever outbreak: Doctors protest colleagues’ death

    Doctors in  Ebonyi State yesterday blamed the Federal Government for the death of their colleagues when they staged a peaceful protest at the Government House gate Abakaliki to protest the death  their members who died from Lassa fever infection.

    The Nation had reported the death of two doctors and a nurse working at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, FETHA to suspected Lassa Fever infection.

    The doctors gave the names of the dead health workers as Felix Ali, an indigene of Ebonyi State, Dr.  Abel Udo from Akwa Ibom State and a nurse, Mr. Innocent Iwe, from Imo State.

    The doctors, who carried placards with inscriptions such as,  “We mourn the death of our colleagues”, “Federal Government should make the virology centre in Ebonyi functional”, “We can’t be safe without a functional virology center” among others said apart from those confirmed dead,  another house officer was in a critical situation at the Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State.

    The leader of the  doctors, Onwe Mbam, said since 2005 till date,  there has not been any year Lassa fever  killed a health worker.

    He said Governor   David Umahi, after the construction of a virology centre, handed it over to the Federal Government, which promised to equip it.

    “We had expected the Federal Government which had before now promised to equip the place to do so. Dr.  Felix stayed there a day and his counterpart, Dr. Udo while the nurse stayed four days there before he was also taken to Irrua where he also died”.

    Mbam said: “Immediately Dr. Felix died, they wrapped him in a body bag, put him in an ambulance and moved him down from Irrua to Federal Teaching Hospital gate where we followed him to his village. Before then we had already communicated them to dig a grave before our arrival. On getting to the village, we put on our hazmat suit, brought out the corpse, put it in the casket we bought and dumped him in the grave.

     

  • Update: Lassa Fever kills two Doctors, Nurse in Ebonyi

    Update: Lassa Fever kills two Doctors, Nurse in Ebonyi

    Ebonyi State government on Monday confirmed the death of three Medical Personnel in the state from suspected Lassa Fever infection.
    Commissioner for Health in Ebonyi State, Daniel Umezuruike confirmed this at a briefing in Abakaliki, the state capital.
    According to him, two of the dead patients were Medical Doctors while the third person is a Nurse.
    He revealed that the index patient who was treated by one of the Doctors and Nurse survived and has been discharged.

    “Early last week there was suspected cases of Lassa and yesterday my attention was drawn to it that a doctor died of suspected Lassa Fever. We sent twelve samples and four came out positive”.

     

    Read here: Lassa Fever kills three in Ebonyi

    Mr Umwzuruike said the cause of the death of one of the Doctors has not been confirmed to be Lassa Fever as he had Mobidity of Diabetes.

    The Commissioner further said the victims presented late because they were self medicating when the symptoms started showing.
    “One was self medicating, he went to Mater Hospital in Afikpo. Two doctors he saw later advised him to go back to FETHA he refused until it was advanced before he came to the hospital’.
    For the second Doctor, Mr Umezuruike said because he has Mobidity of Diabetes his death has not yet been confirmed to be caused by Lassa Fever.
    Mr Umezuruike debunked reports that the victims were taken to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo state for treatment instead of the Virology Centre built by the state government in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
    “He was treated at FETHA. We built and donated the Virology Centre to FETHA. The second case treated a woman who was bleeding after undergoing local ovuloctomy and he was treated by the doctor to arrest the bleeding on 29th December. They didn’t present to the hospital on time”, he added
    He said the Ministry has commenced contact tracing in other to monitor anyone who came in contact with the patients to ensure that no further deaths are recorded.
    He said this will help in tracing the source of the disease.
  • Lassa Fever kills three in Ebonyi

    Lassa Fever kills three in Ebonyi

    Ebonyi state government on Monday confirmed the death of three persons of Lassa Fever.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Daniel Umwzuruike confirmed this at a briefing moments ago.
    He said two of the victims are Medical Doctors serving at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakiliki, FETHA, Ebonyi State.

    Read Also:  Kogi medical doctors begin strike

    The deceased include Abel Sunday Udo, who was a Resident Doctor in the Department of Otorhinolayngology, FETHA, and Dr Ali Felix, a Resident Doctor in the Department of Community Medicine,‎ of the same hospital.

    The death was confirmed in a terse statement by the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD.

    The statement was signed by NARD secretary, Dr. O.V Nnadi.

  • Breaking: Ebonyi to boycott handshake across the Niger conference

    Breaking: Ebonyi to boycott handshake across the Niger conference

    Ebonyi state will not be sending delegates to tomorrow’s ‘Handshake across the Niger’ conference scheduled to take place in Enugu because the organizers did not carry Ebonyi along in the conception and planning of the meeting.

    The state Governor David Umahi stated this in Abakaliki on Wednesday when he received the local organising committee, LOC, of the meeting led by Capital oil CEO, Dr Ifanyi Ubah.

    The meeting being organised by Nzukor Umunna, a socio cultural organisation affiliated to Ohaneze Ndigbo is aimed at x-raying the past, present and future of Igbo/Yoruba relationship and seek for ways to boost them.

    But receiving the group at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House Abakaliki, Governor Umahi frowned at the neglect of the state in the organisation of the event.

    He noted that no notable Ebonyi person is in the committee organising the event.

    Mr Umahi also noted that the committee neglected to inform him of the event on time adding that he decided to receive them because of the high regard he has for Mr Ubah.

    He, however, promised to attend future engagements of the organisation if the abnormally is addressed

    Umahi also advised Igbo business men and industrialists to mind their business and stop meddling into politics like their counterparts from the North and Western part of the country.

    Details later……………..