Tag: Enugu

Residents of Enugu State on Friday called for consequential guidelines to ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court, which affirmed the administrative and financial autonomy of local councils in Nigeria.

 The residents, who spoke to our correspondents in separate chats, described the judgment as the best thing to have happened to democratic governance.

 One of them and a candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, commended the Federal Government on the judgement, saying it aligns with the yearnings of Nigerians for grassroots development and also it accords with the demands of the existing constitutional order.

Lamenting the violation of the Nigerian Constitution by state governors, Edeoga, who accused state governors of making cash cows out of local government funds from the federation account, said the abuse of council funds has given rise to situations where the councils were forced to beg the governors for funds.

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 “The violation of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by governors of Nigerian states has been going on with flagrant impunity for many years and under different administrations since 1999. Local Government Areas, recognized in the Nigerian Constitution as the third tier of government and the one closest to the people, have been deprived of the funds needed for grassroots development, thus existing at the mercy of state governors,” he stated.

Another resident, Dr. Henry Ugwu, said the judgement had made him a proud Nigerian for the first time in almost 10 years.

“I want to say that for the first time, I’m going to say that I feel proud to identify as a Nigerian because of this judgment not minding the current economic hardship biting on Nigerians. I see this as a blessing from the Supreme Court. They had let Nigerians down in the past but with this people-oriented judgment, I believe we will begin to have faith once again in our judiciary.

 “I want to say that this is in the national interest, it is progress, and development,” he said.

Two commercial sex workers have escaped ritual murder at a popular hotel along Ebeano Tunnel, Ogui Road, in Enugu, the Enugu State capital after hookup with some men.

The ladies were reported to have gone into the hotel(names withheld) on Thursday night, July 4, 2024 with two men suspected to be organ harvesters.

This was contained in a viral video sighted by our correspondent, who learnt the ladies had their mouths and hands tied,l as well as legs bound by the men, who allegedly kept them inside the hotel room toilet.

It was gathered the suspects were discussing and bargaining with their supposed clients over the phone on which parts of the body would be needed and for how much.

It was further learnt the suspects left for final physical negotiation after misunderstanding with their buyer/client over the phone.

The ladies were however said to have been rescued around 3pm on Friday by the hotel staff, who also found bowels, two sharp knives, a cutlass and a cooler with which to package the parts they wanted in the hotel room.

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But reacting to the incident on Monday, the Enugu Police Command described the narrative as misleading.

According to the spokesman of the command, Daniel Ndukwe, “preliminary investigation revealed a case of demanding money with menaces and fraud, and not murder or human organs or parts harvesting as being peddled.

“Further revealed is that the ladies, operating as commercial sex workers, made out with the young men on July 3, 2024, in a hotel (names withheld) along Agbani Road, Enugu. They had another appointment the following day and met the suspects in the hotel where the incident occurred.

“At the hotel, the suspects beat and tied up the girls in the hotel’s room toilet after menacingly demanding and obtaining their phones and account details, including their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). They surreptitiously found their way out of the hotel before the victims were rescued, as seen in the video. They further fraudulently withdrew a cumulative sum of one hundred and twenty thousand (₦120,000.00) from the victims’ accounts”.

The police also disclosed that a bag containing two kitchen knives and sportswear the suspects left behind was recovered while an intelligence-guided investigation to fish out and bring the fleeing suspects to book is ongoing.

The  Command advised owners and managers of hotels to exercise the highest standards of security alertness and ensure that lodgers are properly screened, and their verifiable details obtained before being accommodated. 

It also cautioned young ladies against going out with unknown persons, particularly males, under any guise to avoid falling prey to similar criminals and their activities.

Enugu State is to provide Internet connectivity in 265 smart schools in 260 wards and 160 primary health centres.

Also linked are Enugu State Secretariat and Lion Building.

This move is based on a partnership with Galaxy Backbone.

Firm’s executives, led by Executive Director of Customer Centricity and Marketing, Olusegun Olulade, visited the government.

The delegation was received by Governor Peter Mbah at his office in Lion Building.

Galaxy Backbone aims to foster connectivity and digital transformation in all state’s sectors.

The firm will offer data centre and cloud services, with other ICT-related services.

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Mbah hailed the partnership, saying: “I look forward to collaborating with Galaxy Backbone on areas to achieve our  goals.”

Olulade commended Mbah for his hospitality and the discussions that promise to drive advancements in the state’s ICT.

“This partnership will play a role in the digital transformation of Enugu State, ensuring enhanced connectivity and improved services,” he said.

Present too were Secretary to State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia; Special Adviser on Governor’s Delivery Unit, Ozurumba Afigbo; and Special Adviser on ICT, Nnaemeka Ani.

From Galaxy Backbone were Acting Regional Coordinator for Southeast and Southsouth, Henry Akubue; Head of Solution Design, Udochi Ododo; and Admin for Southeast and Southsouth, Obinna Ifenze.

•Honoured with VP Shettima’s National MSME Award

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has identified well-run Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as a key for his administration to unlock the growth of the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in the next four to eight years.

Mbah stated this while speaking to journalists at the State House, Abuja, after being conferred with a National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Award by the Office of the Vice President on the World MSME Day for his outstanding contributions to the MSME sub-sector in his state.

Mbah emphasized that the state’s economic growth strategy is closely tied to the viability and growth of MSMEs, stressing that their success is pivotal to creating jobs and reducing unemployment.

This bold economic development plan aligns with the Governor’s commitment to fostering a favorable business climate, upskilling youth, and supporting small businesses through initiatives like the Enugu SME Centre and Office of Digital Economy.

Mbah described the award as an elixir to do more, describing MSMEs as the lifeblood of any economic development.

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He described the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shetimma, as a champion of MSMEs, commending his tireless commitment to the Light-Up Nigeria Project, which he said would help to ramp up power supply to industrial clusters in the South East.

“Let me, on behalf of the government and people of Enugu State, express our profound gratitude to the Office of the Vice President for recognising our modest effort in supporting the growth of MSMEs in our state.

“MSMEs are the lifeblood of economic development. But as desirous as they may be, their success is no chance occurrence. They thrive only through painstaking policies that enhance the ease-of-doing-business climate.

“We believe that governments thrive when MSMEs are in good shape. So, starting a business does not have to seem like a leap of faith. Neither is it a zero-sum game, because small businesses create jobs, thus reducing the social burden typically created by huge unemployment rate. “From the outset, we recognised that our goal to substantially grow Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in the next four to eight years is closely-tied to the viability of MSMEs.”

…honoured with VP Shettima’s National MSME Award

Enugu state governor, Peter Mbah, has identified well-run Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as a key for his administration to unlock the growth of the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in the next four to eight years.

Governor Mbah stated this while speaking to journalists at the State House, Abuja, after being conferred with a National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Award by the Office of the Vice President on the World MSME Day for his outstanding contributions to the MSME sub-sector in his state.

Governor Mbah emphasized that the state’s economic growth strategy is closely tied to the viability and growth of MSMEs, stressing that their success is pivotal to creating jobs and reducing unemployment.

This bold economic development plan aligns with the Governor’s commitment to fostering a favourable business climate, upskilling youth, and supporting small businesses through initiatives like the Enugu SME Centre and Office of Digital Economy.

Mbah described the award as an elixir to do more, describing MSMEs as the lifeblood of any economic development.

He described the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shetimma, as a champion of MSMEs, commending his tireless commitment to the Light-Up Nigeria Project, which he said would help to ramp up power supply to industrial clusters in the South East.

“Let me, on behalf of the government and people of Enugu State, express our profound gratitude to the Office of the Vice President for recognising our modest effort in supporting the growth of MSMEs in our state.

“MSMEs are the lifeblood of economic development. But as desirous as they may be, their success is no chance occurrence. They thrive only through painstaking policies that enhance the ease-of-doing-business climate.

“We believe that governments thrive when MSMEs are in good shape. So, starting a business does not have to seem like a leap of faith. Neither is it a zero-sum game, because small businesses create jobs, thus reducing the social burden typically created by huge unemployment rate.

“From the outset, we recognised that our goal to substantially grow Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in the next four to eight years is closely-tied to the viability of MSMEs.

“These, roughly summarise the context behind the various incentives and projects we have implemented to aid the growth of small businesses through the Enugu SME Centre and Office of Digital Economy, fuelled by the commitment to upskill 40,000 youth annually in digital and vocational skills,” Governor Mbah said.

He said his administration had equally provided N1 Billion in Venture Capital Funds under the auspices of the soon-to-be-launched Enugu State & SMEDAN Joint Matching Funds for Nano, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises to boost MSMEs growth in the state.

“Our other efforts to boost MSME in the state include the creation of the Enugu State Fashion and Garment Hub and training of 5,000 youth on fashion skills in 3 years, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President and private sector partners.

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“The Enugu Skill Acquisition Masterclass, an intensive training module that provides essential resources and insights to digital entrepreneurs and startups.

“Training of MSMEs and Startups in tech skills from software engineering, product design. Web 3 amongst others to imbue them with skills consistent with demands of the 21st century,”

“Creation of a world-class innovation and entrepreneurship hub focused on supporting entrepreneurs who tackle societal challenges.

“The Enugu NG-CARES Programme, which has supported over 4,000 MSMEs with operational and IT Equipment grants worth over N1Billion.

“Transforming Nigeria Youth Programme, an initiative that has supported over 7,000 women-led microenterprises with enhanced entrepreneurial skills and cash grants for business expansion.

“We are also in the process of transforming Enugu into a premier outsourcing destination, leveraging untapped infrastructure and skilled talent to emulate India’s Business Process Outsourcing and IT-Enabled Outsourcing success,” he added.

Presenting the award on behalf of the Vice President during this year’s National MSME Awards held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, said governor Mbah had impressed with his leadership capacity.

“The recipient is someone my principal described as changing the leadership strategy, not only in Enugu State, but in the whole of the South East.

“Dr. Peter Mbah is also one of the most IT-savvy individuals I have ever met and he is putting a lot of that experience and knowledge into governance in Enugu State. And he also recognises the impact that MSMEs have, not just on the labour market, but on productivity and increase in economic activities in his state.

“On behalf of the Vice president, I have the honour to present you with the MSME Award for 2024,” he said.

A 19-year-old suspected transformer vandal, identified as Nwode Sunday “m”, of Ngwo Camp 2, Coal Camp, Enugu, has been electrocuted in Enugu.

The deceased reportedly died while vandalizing electrical cables in an Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) transformer at Coal Camp area of Enugu, in the early morning hours of Friday, June 28. 

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Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the state police command, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed that the lifeless body of the suspect was taken to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

Ndukwe also said that the corpse had been deposited in the mortuary for preservation and further investigative actions.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has warned criminals involved in such criminal acts to turn over a new leaf to avoid facing the full weight of the law, or suffering similar unfortunate fate as the suspect at issue.

Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has promised to set up a mobile telecommunication base station in Ugbene Ajima community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government.

This is aimed at saving the rural dwellers from dearth of mobile network and address the challenge of insecurity in the area.

Mbah made this known during an interactive chat with the people of the state on the popular social media channel X, formerly Twitter, to mark his one year in office as governor.

During the chat, a native of Ugbene Ajima community, Ebuka Michael, expressed concern over the security of lives and property in rural communities.

He noted that the present efforts of the state government to improve agriculture and security would be futile if rural communities were left in the lurch, with no access to mobile network.

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According to him, since the creation of Adam, Ug bene Ajima community located few communities from Nimbo has never had mobile network.

He expressed concern that with the recent attack in Nimbo community by suspected herdsmen, border communities like Ugbene were at risk, a situation worsened by lack of mobile network to coordinate local security efforts.

Ebuka however noted that the lack of mobile network made it difficult to communicate with security agencies to respond to emerging security threats in the area.

He reported cases of farmers killed in their farmlands met with no response from security agencies because there was no access to mobile network to alert them of the unfortunate incidents. 

He said the community had written series of letters to telecoms providers but they turned deaf ears to the people’s plight.

lent of age.

Tension has enveloped residents of Umu-Ezuboke Umualor community in Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State over an invasion by hoodlums suspected to have emanated from nearby Ebonyi State.

It was gathered that the incident, which on Saturday night, left no fewer than four persons hospitalised with multiple gunshots wounds.

Narrating their ordeals on Sunday morning, one of the victims, Mr. Methodist Ejiagbo said: “Three months ago, some Abakaliki boys came to my house and told me that they will invade us with war, we are living in the farm lands. They said they will kill me and take over my house and land. One of them, Friday Ukeh said he will take over my house that it is the most beautiful house around.

“So, yesterday while coming back to my house I saw two Hilux vans with a Sienna vehicle. The occupants wore clothes like police uniforms. They collected phones and machetes from our people returning from farm but let the young go as one of them said the boy was not from Umu-Ezuboke.

“Then at night, at about 11pm they came in and started shooting everybody; they shot me and I held them and they started shooting everybody, using cutlass on some people, even clubs they used to break some peoples hands. 

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“We were surprised. Three days ago they came with a talisman with a bag that looked like garri sack, we didn’t know it was a bullet sack. They stationed the medicine man at Nwankwo and I informed our people but they did not go.

“They came with two Hilux and one Sienna. We didn’t go to their place, we are Umualor and they are Amankanu people. One of them, Samuel is an Abakaliki man who lived in Umualor, they now said that our land is Amankanu. It’s a combination of Amankanu and Abakaliki people. 

“One of them, Samuel Idenyi, is from Amankanu. Samuel Ede who is from Abakaliki was the one that collected phones from our people, that was in the evening, at night they now came in full force attacked and started shooting at us.

“The man who shot me was known as Tubor, an Abakaliki man. I know all of them; the other ones are Friday Ukeh, Mark Anyigor, the other one is called Stubborn. There was Roma Ekpete son, the other one is Oshimo’s son, they are the ones I saw, they were over 20 in number.”

The Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe was yet to react to inquiry as of the time of filing this report. 

At least two people have been confirmed dead and 10 others severely injured in a multi-vehicle collision at the Ugwu Onyeama hill near 9th Mile Corner on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

The crash occurred between 6 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday on the newly constructed lane, according to Sokunbi Adeyemi, the Enugu State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

It was gathered that no fewer than six vehicles were involved in the chain reaction crash, that also involved tankers, a truck, a bus, and two saloon cars.

The FRSC boss said while the injured persons were quickly rushed to hospitals for medical treatment, the identity of the deceased was not immediately known.

Sokunbi disclosed that while crash investigation results were still being awaited, preliminary investigation showed that the accident was caused by brake failure by one of the articulated vehicles which rammed into the others.

He lamented that accidents happening on the hilly road were caused by mechanically deficient vehicles.

Sokunbi used the opportunity to call on motorists to put their vehicles in order before using them on the highways for the sake of their lives and that of others.