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Tag: Enugu

  • Enugu flags off rural projects

    Enugu flags off rural projects

    No fewer than 35 projects have been launched across the 17 local government areas of Enugu State.

    At one of the events at Ndeaboh in Aninri Local Government Area, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s representative, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure Mazi Patrick Ikpenwa said the projects included roads, boreholes, electricity and school buildings.

    According to him, the bottom-top approach was adopted as the beneficiaries were fully involved in the nomination of the projects as they affected them while due process was followed in choosing contractors to execute them.

    The projects flagged off include:

    • Design and construction of Ihuogiri-Nenwe/Oduma Road (Phase 1) by China Zhonghao Nig. Ltd.
    • Design and construction of Amaegwu Amumkpa-Ogbombara- Etitiama Onuihialla Road (phase1) by Filez.
    • Design and construction of Dam Ukey (phase 1) by Phinotech & Co. Ltd.
    • Design and construction of Amachalla Onovo-Nzerem Road (Phase 1) by Phinotech & Co. Ltd.
    • Construction of five(5) classrooms building at Community Primary School, Amachalla Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area by Gluffy Engineering Construction Ltd.
    • Construction of five (5) classroom building at Community Primary School, Obeagu Oduma, Aninri L.G.A. by Winonez Investment Ltd.
    • Construction of five (5) classroom building at Agboechara High School, Agboechara by Stilt Technies Ltd.
    • Construction of Five (5) classroom building at Community Primary School,        Amaeze Okpanku by Sly-Mich Engineering Constructor Ltd.
    • Construction of Five (5) classroom building at St. Theresa Primary School, Uhueze, Nenwe.

    Ikpenwa explained that the projects regarded as a pilot were all captured in 2016 budget while the next phase would be taken care of in next year’s expenditure estimates.

    The commissioner said that the 8.71km Uhuogiri Road would open up five communities, thereby enhancing economic and social activities in the area. He told the people that it was the first time stakeholders were involved in the process of project selection based on their needs and urged them to own the projects, protect them, and monitor their execution to ensure that the desired goals were met.

    Ikpenwa stated that his Ministry had deployed resident engineers to monitor and supervise the projects in line with global best practices and standard specification in the construction industry.

    He called for maximum cooperation between the contractors, supervisors, members of the communities where the projects were sited and other stakeholders to make the projects a reality.

    The Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, who witnessed the flag-off expressed joy that the present administration in the State had remembered the people of Aninri Local Government Area who were neglected in the past eight years.

    He stated that this was an indication that Enugu State now had a governor who was committed to working for the people and maintained that as the people continue to feel the impact of the state government.

    The Chief Whip, Enugu State House of Assembly and member representing Aninri State Constituency, Chief Matthias Ekweremadu warned contractors handling the projects to live up to expectation or face the wrath of the people and the government.

    The chairman Aninri Local Government Caretaker Committee, Chief Chidi Ekwe commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for all the projects located in the area despite economic recession.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Hon. Uche Ogbonna thanked God for the Uhuogiri road which connects Nenwe and Oduma village. He commended Ugwuanyi for thinking about this aspect as it would boost agriculture in Aninri and make life better for them.

    Mr. Tony Ikem Chukwuemeka of Phinotech and Company Limited, a representative of the contractors pledged to execute the project according to specification and called for support and encouragement of the government and the people.

  • Enugu APC to indicted justices: leave Amaechi, Onu alone

    The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged embattled Justices John Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court to withdraw their allegations against Transportation Minister Chibuike Amaechi and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu.

    The two Supreme Court justices, in their separate letters to the Chief of Justice of Nigeria (CJN), accused Onu and Amechi, of attempting to bribe them to pervert justice.

    In a statement, APC Publicity Secretary Mrs Kate Ofor said: “I am outraged that instead of defending themselves, the Honourable Justices Okoro and Ngwuta are looking for people to drag along with them; hence, the resort to an afterthought. They should forthwith leave Dr. Onu and Amechi alone.”

    On the allegation that one of the justices informed the CJN of their lobby, Ofor said: “The Honourable Justices, going by the powers conferred on them by the 1999 Constitution, are aware that they have the power to call on the police or even their orderly to arrest anybody who attempts to pervert the course of justice. It is not enough to whisper to the CJN, who luckily, has not owned up to such frivolous allegation.

    “It is painful that corruption has penetrated deeply into the temple of justice, where justice is for sale, to the extent that humongous amounts in different currencies were allegedly found in the homes of the justices, like bureau de change dealers. This is why President Muhammadu Buhari lamented that if Nigerians do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigerians.”

    On the disagreement between the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) over the suspension of the justices, Ofor, who cited constitutional provisions, said: “I am happy that the NBA has woken up; the NJC and indeed the CJN should be more patriotic to joining this strident war against corruption. If Nigerians do not join the fight and show enough commitment, then we are in soup. The constitution never envisaged this level of unbridled corruption penetrating the temple of justice. In the past, there were instances where the NJC used kid gloves, administratively, in dealing with malcontent judges. The result is what we have in hand today.

    “It was Magna Carter, an enactment in England in the 12th century, which admonished justices or anybody in authority not to sell justice. Its dictum subsists till date.”

    Referring to a statement by Justice Samson O. Uwaifo (retd.), the APC spokesperson said: “A corrupt judge is more harmful to the society than a man who runs amok with a dagger in his hand in a crowded street. He can be restrained physically, of course, but a corrupt judge deliberately destroys the moral foundation of the society.”

    She added: “In the past, we had forthright judges, like the late Justice Anthony Aniagolu, who voluntarily declined to become CJN after a military coup because he was the third in the hierarchy. He also declined a tribunal case because his son, Tony Mogboh (SAN), was the lawyer to the defendant.”

    The APC spokesperson also said: “Let the ,trial commence as all we need is enough evidence by the justice, not name-calling. Therefore, leave Onu and Amechi alone.”

  • Enugu gov. hosts Rangers Dec. 19-21

    Enugu gov. hosts Rangers Dec. 19-21

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will host the victorious players and officials of Rangers between December 19 and 21, officials have disclosed.

    According to the Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Charles Ndukwe, these dates are to allow stakeholders and well wishers from home and abroad be part of the celebrations.

    The government is expected to reward the team for this achievement.

    Rangers were crowned Nigeria league champions on October 2 after they last won a major trophy in 1984.

  • Enugu govt to host Rangers on Friday

    Enugu govt to host Rangers on Friday

    Enugu State government will host Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Enugu Rangers on Friday at the Government House in Enugu in appreciation of the team’s league triumph in the just concluded season.

    The Flying Antelopes outclassed El Kanemi Warriors 4-0 to win the competition for the first time in 32 years.

    “The Enugu State government has told us that the grand reception will hold on Friday,” media officer Foster Chime said.

    “It ought to have taken place on Tuesday but Friday is now the new date billed for it. We are anxiously waiting for the day. The Saturday victory parade went well and even though we had few hitches we still thank God for how it ended.”

  • Jubilation in Enugu as GOtv holds customer fair

    Jubilation in Enugu as GOtv holds customer fair

    There was jubilation at the weekend in Enugu when GOtv held a Customer Fair to celebrate its subscribers as part of activities marking its fifth anniversary in Nigeria.

    There were varieties of music, jokes and dances across the city.

    Top entertainers, including Mr Ibu, Daddy Showkey, Oritsefemi, Aki and Pawpaw, Helen Paul and D. J. Kentalky thrilled subscribers and fans.

    Also in attendance were fun lovers, GOtv dealers and sales agents.

    Headline acts of the day were musicians Oritsefemi and Daddy Showkey.

    Daddy Showkey registered his presence at the venue with his new song One Day and evergreen Diana and Showkey hits, leaving the audience spellbound.

    The fair started with comedy from Helen Paul, who left the audience in laughter.

    Top mix from D. J. Kentalky held the crowd captivated as he set the tone for what was to come.

    Mr. Ibu, Aki and Pawpaw took over, providing jokes which provoked high-wattage laughter. There was a dancing competition and the giving out free GOtv decoders and other freebies to lucky winners.

    Oritsefemi rocked fans with his hit songs which threw the fans off their seats to the dancing floor to catch estatic fun.

    Subscribers who had difficulty with their hardware or service were attended to by the GOtv Clinic set up at the venue for that purpose.

    The next installments of the Customer Fair will take place in Ibadan on October 22, Abuja on October 29 and Lagos on November 5.

  • Enugu to repair Fed Govt roads

    Ahead of the forthcoming Yuletide, Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has embarked on an inspection tour of dilapidated federal government roads along New Market Road, Ugwu Onyeama, 9th Mile Corner, Opi-Nsukka and Obollo Afor roads.

    Ugwuanyi who was accompanied to the sites by the commissioner for works and infrastructure, Engr. Patrick Ikpenwa and the technical team of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) promised residents of the areas visited that despite the current economic crunch in the country, his administration will rehabilitate the roads to standard.

    The governor said that he was concerned about the forthcoming Yuletide, adding that”even though most of these roads are federal roads, we cannot continue to wait for the federal government to rehabilitate them, hence the need to fix the roads for road users to enjoy a smooth movement during the Christmas season.”

    He also stated that the initiative was borne out of the need to avoid the ugly experience at the Oji-River – Ugwuoba-Anambra State border, which virtually collapsed as a result vehicular stress on the road, adding that his administration had to commence rehabilitation work on it, to alleviate the suffering of road users.

    This came as the Enugu State Government explained that the final sealing of affected potholes in Enugu metropolis has been delayed by the rains.

    The Chairman of Nigerian Construction and Foundation Company (NCFC), the agency handling the maintenance of roads in the state, Amb. Goddy Agbo, said that it has identified and marked all potholes in Enugu metropolis.

    Agbo added that “the cutting, shaping and regulation of levels of the identified potholes are in progress”, stressing that “due to continuous rainfall and the need for the patched sections to last, the final sealing of the affected areas will be done when the weather is dry.”

    He affirmed the commitment of the state government to serving the people better for them to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    While appealing to the public, especially road users in Enugu metropolis to bear with the government, the agency’s chairman noted that it “would not embark on a project that would not meet the required standards.”

  • Enugu to demolish houses built on waterways, drainages

    The Enugu State government will pull down houses and structures built on waterways in the state capital, The Nation has learnt. Residential and commercial buildings as well as churches would be affected in the demolition exercise.

    Already, 141 buildings have been marked for demolition after being found built on waterways which led to blocking of drainages and streams from flowing. The situation had led to severe flooding in many cases.

    Typical examples of such buildings abound in the Fidelity Estate originally owned by former governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani. But Nnamani strenuously and successfully denied ownership of the estate while under investigation by the EFCC. The state government through the EFCC had to acquire the state since nobody else came forward to claim it.

    But before the takeover by the state government, some individuals cashed in on the ownership palaver to erect illegal structures within and around the waterways in the estate, thus causing severe flooding whenever there is heavy downpour.

    And whenever such flooding occurs it affected human and vehicular movement for several hours.

    Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) Chief Chidi Aroh recently took some reporters round the affected sites to witness “what is happening in Enugu metropolis so that should government do something drastic, they will not be accused of witch-hunting or victimising anybody.

    “I want you to see things for yourself and advice the government on what to do so that when government take some measures, they will not be seen as witch-hunting or victimising anybody.

    “We had marked some of these sites to stop work but you have seen that most of them have continued to build and when it is pulled down, people will cry out that government has demolished a building that was nearing completion.“

    He also pointed out that some of the owners of the buildings have never come to their office for certification and approval yet they have kept on building.

    Aroh said that it was the desire of Enugu State government to ensure that Enugu becomes the cleanest city in Nigeria and will not like anybody however highly placed or organisation mar the environmental aesthetics of the state.

    However, the commissioner did not give indication on when the demolition would start.

  • Enugu gets acting CJ

    Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has sworn-in Justice Priscilla Ngozi Emehelu as acting Chief Judge of the state, following the retirement of the former Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike.

    The new acting Chief Judge, Justice Emehelu, was sworn-in yesterday after an oath of office was administered by the state’s Solicitor-General, Victor Emeribe (Esq).

    It will be recalled that Justice Umezulike was indicted in a recent report released by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    Speaking at the event, the governor said Emehelu’s swearing-in is consistent with Section 271 (4) of the 1999 constitution as amended.

    “If the office of the Chief Judge of a state is vacant, or if the person holding the office is, for any reason, unable to perform the functions of the office, the governor of the state shall appoint the most senior judge of the high court to perform those functions.”

    Ugwuanyi further stated that he had received two letters recommending the former chief judge’s suspension and compulsory retirement from office.

    “Accordingly, Hon. Justice Ngozi Priscilla Emehelu, the most senior judge of the High Court of Enugu State, has been appointed and sworn-in as the acting Chief Judge of Enugu State,” Governor Ugwuanyi noted at the event, held at the state’s Executive Council Hall.

    The acting Chief Judge, in her response, attributed her appointment to providence and pledged to carry out the responsibilities of her new office to the best of her abilities and with the fear of God.

    She was appointed High Court judge in 1998 and had previously been Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State.

  • NDLEA seizes cocaine, cannabis-noodles to China

    …suspects blame exchange rate, recession

     

     

    Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) Enugu have foiled a plot by a suspected drug trafficker to use innocent passengers to smuggle cannabis concealed in noodles to China.

     

     

    A clearing and forwarding agent who ingested seventy-four (74) wraps of cocaine was also arrested while attempting to board an Ethiopian airline flight to China.

     

    Both suspects have attributed their involvement in drug trafficking to high exchange rate and economic recession.

     

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah called on members of the public particularly passengers not to collect consignments from people.

     

     

    “This is a plot by suspected drug traffickers to use innocent passengers in smuggling drugs. Some persons may have fallen into this wicked plot if not for the timely intervention of the Agency.

     

     

    “It is instructive that people be aware of this trick because what they consider as an assistance may just send them to prison or early graves. This is because drug trafficking is punishable by death in China” Abdallah stated.

     

    Abdallah added that passengers must exercise caution in accepting bags from people.

     

     

    “To an average passenger, the suspected bag contained noodles but during search operations, the packs of noodles turned out to be cannabis. In the past, we have recovered drugs hidden inside books, parcels and even letters. It is important therefore that members of the public must act with utmost caution and avoid acts that could turn them into drug traffickers”.

     

    NDLEA commander at the Enugu airport, Adeofe Adeyemi gave the names of the suspects as Adibe Wisdom Baloba, 47, and Esonwunne Onyechi Benson, 31.

    “Adibe was caught during outward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian airline flight to China. He was found to have ingested 74 wraps of substance that tested positive for cocaine with a weight of 1.417kgs.

     

     

    The second suspect Esonwunne was caught attempting to send a luggage containing cannabis to China through an unsuspecting passenger. The cannabis was carefully prepared inside packs of noodles to avoid detection. Investigating officers are working very hard on the cases and the suspects will soon be charged to court” Adeofe stated.

     

    Meanwhile, preliminary investigation revealed that Esonwunne was twice deported from China in 2008 and May 2016 on immigration related offences.

     

    Esonwunne Onyechi Benson during interrogation blamed his involvement on economic recession. “I am a trader but due to the economic downturn I decided to smuggle cannabis to China. I concealed the drug neatly in packs of noodles because cannabis is expensive there. I was waiting for a passenger that will assist me in sending the bag of cannabis to China when NDLEA officers arrested me” he stated.

     

    Adibe who is a father of five children said that he accepted five thousand dollars to smuggle cocaine to China. “I am a clearing and forwarding agent but financial hardship and bad economy forced me into drug trafficking. The exchange rate is very high and I hardly get money to take care of my family. My sponsor promised to pay me the sum of five thousand dollars to take the drug to China. In the process of boarding the aircraft, I was arrested by NDLEA officers” he stated.

  • Amalu, Enugu and his ‘Taxi Driver’ logic

    SIR: Reading Gabriel Amalu’s piece with the title, Beware Governor Ugwuanyi, published in The Nation, September 13, I couldn’t help recalling that intense glare on the face of my Logic 101 lecturer each time a student committed the fallacy of drawing a conclusion on the basis of an absurdly false premise. That grave look was often a prelude to his sharp reprimand which typically left the guilty student utterly mortified.

    I wonder just how Amalu would have fared under my logic lecturer’s scrutiny particularly when it does in fact, seem that he drew his conclusions long before his rather spurious premises.

    For instance, he alleged the existence of a sectional agenda conceived “to tactfully send away those from other zones occupying sensitive positions… and have them replaced with persons from Nsukka zone,” without citing any ministry, department or government agency where the nepotism spoken of had occurred. Of course, he couldn’t have cited any because there is none.

    One of the earliest actions Governor Ugwuanyi took after his inauguration was to conduct a human development survey of each local government area in Enugu State. The survey revealed that Nkanu East was the least developed local government area. The subsequent projects sited in that council area such as the four mini bridges along the Amechi-Idodo-Amagunze Road and a few others were a consequence of that survey. If the governor had any sectional agenda as claimed, he could conceivably have influenced the result in a way to suggest the most expedient situation existed in Udenu, his local government area. In fact, Nkanu East council is not even in his Enugu North senatorial zone.

    It’s ironic that Amalu whose Agbaja kinsman had held sway for eight years as governor, and under whose administration the most brazen nepotism was perpetrated, could accuse a governor whose broad-mindedness is unparalleled of having a provincial outlook. Surely, Amalu does not require the prodding of any “taxi driver” to realize that Udi Local Government Area alone had 11 permanent secretaries whereas the entire Enugu North (the governor’s zone) with six largely-populated councils had nine permanent secretaries as at the time the governor assumed duties in May last year. The situation has remained largely the same baring the 10 permanent secretaries appointed by Governor Ugwuanyi since his inauguration. Despite such disproportionate spread, Enugu West zone where Amalu comes from still got three.

    The writer’s claim of bias in appointment of heads of departments/agencies is just as unfounded. Enugu State has five tertiary institutions comprising Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo; Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT); ESUT Teaching Hospital; Institute of Management Technology (IMT) and College of Education, Technical. Among these, only the rector of IMT is from the governor’s senatorial zone.

    Additional statistics reveal the falsehood in the writer’s claim of nepotism against the governor. For instance, the helmsman of the State Civil Service Commission is Martin Ugada, another Amalu’s kinsman. Also, the Secretary to the State Government (appointed by the governor) is from Enugu East zone, just as Chukwuemeka Isaac Nwatu, chair of the State Local Government Service Commission, just to mention a few.

    With regard to criticism of Ugwuanyi’s handling of attacks by herdsmen, Amalu might just be educated by these facts: Governors neither have powers over the police nor any arms-bearing law enforcement agency. The result is governors’ seemingly lack of capacity to deploy the police in a manner that serves the purpose of deterrence and prosecution of criminals. It is one of several ills arising from Nigeria’s flawed federalism. Given such scenario, how effective can the Ekiti State anti-grazing law (eulogized by the writer of the piece to which this reply is addressed) be with a police force whose allegiance is to the Inspector-General of Police – and not the governors?

    Many observers have been drawing parallels between the step taken in Ekiti and some South-east states, urging governors in the latter to take a similar hard-line stance. But beyond the media buzz, such extreme step creates and the sentimental yearning it feeds, there is hardly any tangible benefit thereof. We should be scandalized by the inability of the police – and the federal government to whom it is answerable – to protect citizens and not be outraged that a governor has refused to succumb to an emotional crowd baying for reprisal.

     

    • Uchenna Nwuzo

    Agbani, Enugu State