The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enyimba City

  • Groans in Enyimba City

    Groans in Enyimba City

    A midnight fire has razed a clothing market in Aba, Abia State, leaving traders in tears and deepening the country’s textile woes.

    The shop owners could only weep as a four-hour inferno reduced their shops to rubble in Aba, Abia State’s commercial hub. But it was not just the traders that were rattled by the midnight fire; it also deepened the woes of a country whose textile industry is comatose.

    For decades now since the collapse of the local textile industry, Nigerians have largely relied on imports to clothe themselves. Local textile dealers, many selling fabrics made in Aba, ensured that Nigerians were not completely at the mercy of foreigners. With the fire at the famous Kent Textile cluster market in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State, this is a gloomy time for the country.

    The traders have been counting their losses after their goods worth millions of naira went up in smoke.

    The fire raged for over four hours, it was gathered, though its cause was not immediately known. Sources, however, said they suspected the fire started from a tailor’s pressing room.

    Investigation revealed that three brothers, Emenike, Ndubuisi and Emenike Okorie who also deal in textile materials were mostly affected by the fire. Not even a single pin could be salvaged from their shops.

    A source who gave his name as Precious said personnel of the Abia State Fire Service tried all they could to stop fire from spreading to other shops and adjoining buildings, but such was the intensity of the inferno that the officials could not achieve much. Some shop owners could not   salvage anything from their shops.

    One of the three brothers, Emenike while speaking with newsmen, said that he and two of his brothers lost goods worth millions of naira. He said that they were devastated when they arrived at the scene to see that their goods and shops were completely razed by the fire.

    He said, “The loss incurred is unquantifiable; mine runs into millions of naira. So you can imagine how much my other brothers may have lost to the fire.”

    While appealing to the state government and public-spirited individuals to come to their aid, Emenike stated, “It is a huge loss too much to bear for us. Who among three of us is going to support the other? I just pray that God will touch the heart of the governor or well-meaning individuals to come to our aides. The country is hard at this time and there is nothing as heartbreaking as one being hit with this kind of economic loss when the economic recession is biting hard on Nigerians.”

    An official of the Abia State Fire Service, who pleaded not to be mentioned after efforts to speak with the leader of the service in Aba failed, said that the damage was too much.

    The source said that investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the inferno, but warned residents to always turn off their electrical appliances when not in use and to unplug them when leaving their homes, offices and shops as power surge could also cause a fire.

    He also used the opportunity to warn people against keeping or storing inflammable materials like fuel in their shops as they could also enhance the intensity of fire during outbreaks.

  • Doctors sensitise pupils to drug abuse

    Doctors sensitise pupils to drug abuse

    Everyone knows Aba for its bustling commerce and industry, but Enyimba City also once had an ugly side known for hard drugs. At York Street, addicts and peddlers reigned supreme. Until the last four years, York was where women were raped, phones snatched, and handbags stolen even in broad daylight by drug addicts almost on a daily basis.

    Commendation must be given to the immediate past commander of The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the state, Mrs. Florence Ezionye who, with the support of then governor, Theodore Orji, ensured that the area was rid of the drug addicts.

    On a recent check by our reporter, it was found that the addicts were gradually coming back to the neighbourhoods especially around Milverton where various transportation companies are located.

    The activities of these addicts, The Nation learnt, are posing a great threat to business owners in the area. Shop owners lament the increasing rate of crime and other anti-social activities of the addicts.

    Apparently worried by the increasing rate at which Nigerian youths indulge in drugs, including trafficking, which has ruined so many lives and careers, landed so many in jail, and in some cases the grave, members of the Nigerian medical Association (NMA) Committee on Narcotics and Substance Abuse brought students of various secondary schools in Aba under a roof to educate them on the harmful effects of drug addiction.

    The essence of the seminar, according to the organisers, was to make the students agents of change and ambassadors of NMA and NDLEA.

    After the orientation from the NMA, the pupils are expected to take the message to their peers, families, churches, schools and any part of the society they find themselves.

    The message delivered by the state Commander of NDLEA, Akingbade Bamidele was clear: th agency will collaborate with anyone who will help to rid Aba and Abia Statre of illicit drugs and also rehabilitate people that are willing to give up their addiction.

    Bamidele said the agency will not relent in its war on illicit drugs in the state, adding that the dangers of illicit drugs cannot be overemphasised.

    Bamidele narrated how a boy whose name was withheld for security reasons reportedly sold his father’s two cars, a Lexus and a 4Runner worth N7.5 million for a paltry N350,000 in Umuahia, the state capital, due to his involvement in illicit drugs.

    Bamidele, who spoke on the topic: Illicit Drug and the Law, explained to the students that drug abuse can make someone to do things that he or she wouldn’t normally want to do.

    He said, “There’s a boy at Umuahia, that his father brought to us for counseling. He sold two vehicles: a Lexus and a Forerunner worth 7.5m for N350,000.

    “Do you know why? The reason is because he was involved in their illicit drug trafficking.”

    He further said that NDLEA will follow up the schools that participated in the programme using their special department in charge called Drug Demand Reduction Unit to make sure that the drug-free clubs are established, and also help in its sustenance.

    Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Mrs. Carol Iwuoha, National Chairman of the Committee of the Narcotics and Substance Abuse of the Nigerian Medical Association, said the choice of starting with Abia was not accidental but strategic to the campaign.

    Iwuoha said, “Basically first is that I practise here in Abia State. I’ve practised here for 20 years, so I’ve been here a while. Secondly, Abia is first on the list of the 36 states alphabetically and thirdly, there’s a lot of drug abuse in this state.

    “The main idea behind the choice of secondary schools is that these students at their age now can believe anything. They can be easily carried away by peers. If we win them now they can help us propagate the message and that’s why we are saying that they are going to establish drug free clubs in their schools where they are going to share their lessons and be drivers to saying no to drug abuse.

    “The desire to hold this programme came out from the passion for the burden of the NDLEA. They need a lot of collaborators and support from everybody. That’s why we brought the legislature here today so that they could give legislative backing to some of the fights we have to face in this process.

    “The reason we had this programme firstly is to support NDLEA. As a matter of fact, it’s part of the National Strategic Plan of the NMA to take up social responsibilities of reaching people with health problems and social problems around us.”

    Also speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe represented by his Special Assistant, Mr. Emmanuel Uchechukwu, advised the students to put the lectures into practice.

    “I want to add a voice to what we have learnt here today,” he said. “I want to say to us, as good students of Abia and Nigeria, to put all we have heard here into practice. It was a nice lecture. We must not end the message within ourselves. Carry on the message and save lives.”

    Dr. Nwachukwu Ugwunna, one of the guest lecturers, while speaking on the topic: Social Problems of Drug Abuse, said, “All drugs are dangerous, but some drugs are more dangerous than the others. Illicit drugs is said to kill an estimated 17,000 Americans annually. What does that tell you? Nobody is immunized against the dangers of drug abuse. Hard drugs make one socially backward and apathetic. Even those from more develop countries you may aim to copy due to communication exposure to their lifestyle, die of it. So why copy a path that leads to destruction? As adolescents, you’re in a crisis period and the only way to survive it is to avoid drugs in its entirety.

    Lekwauwa Ebenezer David, a student of Dority International Secondary School, Aba, commended the idea behind the project and acknowledged what he has learnt. “This lecture is good for us. I’m sure most of us don’t use drugs yet and this lecture will go a long way in ensuing that most of us don’t get into drugs as we heard, watched and seen the consequences of drug abuse and most importantly, how people are lured into the act of drug abuse. Personally to me, I’ve learnt what to teach my friends out there. I wish the lecture will come up every month with different persons participating not just us here.”

    Another student, Odimkpa Joshua, of Sacred Heart College Eziukwu, Aba expressed his feelings. “We are here to be enlightened about drug abuse. I can proudly say I’m fulfilled today because my head is updated with already existing, but new information to me. I picked interest in all the lectures, because they were educative. I can hardly pick a favourite. They said they will teach us more and I can’t wait to learn more and teach those around me.”

  • Hope in Enyimba City

    Hope in Enyimba City

    A Federal Government’s electrification plan could put business people who generate most of Abia State’s revenue out of years of anguish, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    The Federal Government has a plan to provide 24-hour power supply for Ariaria International Market, where most of Abia State’s internal revenue is generated. The plan will clean up the market, speed up the traders’ business and generate more cash for the state.

    It will be historic if the plan works out. Aba, where the market is situated, has had its fair share of electricity agony. Power supply through the public grid is woeful. It is irregular; when it is available, it does not last, and when the bills come they are so inflated that the frustrated consumers call them crazy. This has had untold effect on the products which Ariaria traders and fabricators push out: they are overpriced because they are produced with privately generated power. Some otherwise talented workers have taken to violent crime because they were unable to cope with the power challenges. Other residents take to demonstrations. A House of Representatives member who represents Aba North and South Ossy Prestige favours dialogue rather than protests. That was why he set up a town hall meeting with the traders and others stakeholders to talk things over, suggest what to do and leave the rest to him and other others.

    “Many persons are not here today because they said this was not the initial plan,” Prestige said at the town hall. “They preferred demonstration which they believed that after it, they would be called and addressed, but I said no. If there is an opportunity for us to discuss, it is better than any demonstration. There is nothing better than dialogue in conflict resolution. All groups and representatives are free to tell these people our problems here today so that we can reach a conclusion that will be binding. If this dialogue fails, then we will do the obvious of which you know I’m ready to lead.”

    While Hon Prestige is working out things from his own perspective, the federal government has a plan of its own: to light up the nest where the golden egg is laid.

    The Managing Director Rural Electrification Agency and Special Assistance to the Office of the Vice President on Power, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi in an interactive session with leaders of various unions in Ariaria International Market held at the secretariat of Aba Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), said that the power project will be executed by Total Support Energy; an Independent Power Project agency commissioned by the federal government to provide 24 hours power supply to traders of Ariaria International Market.

    Ogunbiyi described Ariaria International market traders as key to the economic growth of the country especially now that the federal government is committed to promoting the local manufacturing sector. She expressed the hope that the project, on completion, would reduce the cost of power supply to the traders.

    She said that the essence of the meeting was to interact with leaders of various market unions and to get accurate data; number of traders, shops and an estimate of power regularly consumed on a daily basis to enable them estimate what amount of power to be provided.

    Ogunbiyi said the power plant project would specifically be for Ariaria traders, artisans and fabricators, adding that Geometrics would be providing power to homes and offices in the commercial city and its environs. She also used the opportunity to urge the market leaders to sensitise their members on the need to provide accurate information to the team to avoid underestimation.

    In an interview, the Managing Director of Total Support Energy, Mr. Ubani Nkagineme stated that if his team would get the needed cooperation from the market leaders and their members, the power project would be ready for use by December.

    “If Ariaria market cooperates with us, we will use two to three weeks to gather data that we need. We will be able to advise government on how much power that is required to give steady power supply to the traders in Ariaria International Market. We can also be able to project the amount of power that they would require in years to come so that the infrastructure would be planned properly.

    “Government is not promising to solve all their problems at once, but it is good to start somewhere. The reason Ariaria was picked is because it is a key market to the economic growth of the state and the country at large. If Ariaria is working and everybody knows that Ariaria is working, it becomes easier to get others. Once we finish the study, like I said, if Ariaria market cooperates with us well, before Christmas, you will have 24 hours power supply in Ariaria.”

    Elder Emeka Igara, chairman Ariaria International Market in his speech disclosed that the market has over 200,000 shops with average of 10,000 customers patronising the market on a daily basis and expressed hope that the number would increase as soon as the project comes to fruition.

    The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Youth Empowerment, Mr. Chinenye Nwogu said the state was to ensure that the project worked, stressing that the importance of Ariaria International Market to the incumbent administration in the state cannot be overemphasised.

    Nwogu also expressed hope that the power project would boost trade and investment, create employment and job opportunities to teeming unemployed Abia youths as well as reduce crime rate in the state.

     

  • Flood: Aba’s old nemesis returns

    Flood: Aba’s old nemesis returns

    Its commerce has won many over, but there is one thing Enyimba City has not conquered: flooding. SUNNY NWANKWO reports on the deluge that swamped Aba

    In a room in one apartment you could only see a few inches of the backrest of a plastic chair sticking out of the water. Everything else was underwater except for some half-submerged weighty household items placed on the chair in the hope that they would be safe from the flood. They were not.

    Aba may be Abia State’s commercial nerve, crawling with irrepressible business people and ingenious fabricators, but it is also notorious for its floods. Such is the flood disaster that the late Chief Sam Mbakwe in his days as governor of old Imo State, of which Abia was once a part, wept as he stood before then President Shehu Shagari. He needed federal government’s intervention. Decades after, Aba is still troubled by its old watery enemy.

    Enyimba city in the last one month has witnessed persistent rains, sometimes so heavy that most parts of the city would be flooded, making human and vehicular traffic extremely difficult.

    Sunday, July 23, was one of the days when many residents of the economic and business-oriented city wished never came. It was the day many residents of the three most crucial local governments: Osisioma, Aba North and South at the heart of the commercial city, experienced for the first time this year what they described as one disaster too many. It was a day flood sacked over 100 families from their homes and damaged property worth several millions of naira.

    While the residents hope for some relief in the “August break”, some have called on the authorities to fix the flooding menace in their areas in order to save their homes and properties. One of the people affected by the flood was the wife of a former military administrator of Cross River State Mrs Rosemary Archibong. She appealed to Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, NEMA and other relevant bodies in charge of addressing flooding issues in Abia to intervene to save their properties.

    Mrs Archibong in a telephone interview with our correspondent said her residence was still flooded days after the Sunday downpour. She said that the persistent flooding of her street and apartment has forced her tenants and many residents on the street to vacate, adding that the problem could cause more harm if not urgently checked.

    He husband died last year.

    She said, “This house is what I am left with and I can’t afford it because of flood, which has been a regular occurrence whenever it rains. I know that the issue of flooding will be solved and that is why I am appealing that the state government and those responsible should come to our aid to fix this problem once and for all.”

    Other residents of Aba also affected by the flood are counting losses which they suffered in the torrential rain that has left them homeless.

    The Nation gathered that residents of Amucha by Ohanku and Ibadan Street off Ngwa Road, Ama Ogbonna, Dike Street by Garden Avenue, Off Okigwe Road, Ekeakpara and other parts of North and South Local Government Areas of the state were the worst hit.

    Unconfirmed reports from Ngwa Road have it that about three children were reportedly swept away by the water and were not seen at the time of filing this report.

    Some of the displaced persons who spoke to our reporter appealed to the state governor, Abia State Emergency Management Agency (ASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to their aid as they were yet to recover from the shock of the flood.

    A resident of Agalaba Street in Osisioma Local Government Area, Comrade Charles Alili narrating the incident to our reporter where he was taking refuge with his family, said, “By 7am in the morning (Sunday), while we still waking up from sleep, we heard a loud sound. We thought it was thunder, but in less than five minutes, the whole compound was filled with water.

    “We later found out that the fence demarcating our house from the other side failed and the water from Ekeakpara zone of Osisioma that couldn’t find its exit route because the gutter was blocked, emptied into our compound.

    “The whole flats in our compound were submerged and what we quickly did was to evacuate about 16 children that were in the compound when the incident happened. An aged woman of about 80years was equally taken away with the help of neighbours who came to our rescue.  Our properties including cars were not left out. No life was lost, but property worth millions of naira was damaged. No one can make use of any property in his or house again because the water was above window level. No cloth to wear to market and school and as it stands; we are yet to think of what to do. We are appealing to NEMA and ASEMA to come to our aid. We are just like refugees in our own state.”

    A resident of Amucha by Ohanku, off Ngwa Road that simply gave his name as Nkemakolam disclosed that the damage the rain dealt on Aba South residents were running into millions. This is even as he stated that many residents of Amucha and Umuogele as at 10am “this morning was still trapped in their residents”.

    Nkemakolam said, “The embankment which has been built by house owners over the years as a palliative to stop rain from entering their houses collapsed during the heavy rain on Sunday, causing many houses to submerge. We even learnt that some people are looking for their children as we speak. The damage by the rain is severe and we want government to come to our aid because the damage is too much for us to bear.

  • Coalition against crime in Enyimba City

    Coalition against crime in Enyimba City

    As violent criminals return to Aba and other Abia State communities, some security organisations have devised strategies to ward them off, including daily joint patrols. SUNNY NWANKWO reports

    The resurgence of violent crime in Abia State hurts but there is good news, too. There is a well-thought-out counterforce against the criminals. Every day, a security team comprising the police, Civil Defence, the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Prisons, Abia State Vigilante Services (AVS), among others, patrols Aba, the state’s commercial nerve, and other communities to deter the outlaws. It was said that the joint patrol, code-named “Operation Show of Force”, will continue until the battle is won against the criminals who terrorise residents and scare off visitors.

    Security sources said the essence of the daily patrol is to ensure that security around the commercial city is tight enough to keep criminal elements at bay.

    They said the exercise will be demanding but the safety of Aba residents and their properties cannot be compromised.

    A source in the Aba police command further disclosed that beyond the daily joint operation,  plainclothes personnel gather intelligence which would be processed and worked upon in order to disarm hoodlums planning any sort of atack in the state.

    The source also urged Aba residents to be courageous enough to give police and other sister agencies information over the activities of hoodlums in their streets, communities and business areas.

    The source assured that the security team was fully equipped and determined to make Aba peaceful and friendly for business operations to thrive.

    Some Aba residents have hailed the steps taken by the state police command and other  agencies to tackle the resurgence of crime in Enyimba City and some other towns in the state.

    They recalled that insecurity of lives and property became worse in Aba especially after the conduct of 2015 general elections, even as they accused politicians of being the brain behind the high level of arm circulation in the city.

    “Many of the politicians, we learnt, brought back some  of the bad boys that had left the city during the 2011-2012 heat on them because they want to win election. They bought guns and other dangerous weapons for them. But with the elections over and having spent all the monies that they were given and without any source of income, the boys are now using the guns and those dangerous weapons which the desperate politicians gave them to terrorise and steal from us.

    “If police and other security agencies failed to recover such weapons from these hoodlums and improve on their response time to distress calls, I bet you, crime will continue to be on the increase in not only in Aba, but other parts of the state,” a respondent who gave his name as Chinedu, said.

     

  • Makeover in Enyimba City

    Makeover in Enyimba City

    After years of neglect, Aba, the commercial heart of Abia State, is changing for the better, reports UGOCHUKWU UGOJI-EKE

    The efforts of Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to change the face of Aba, the state’s commercial hub, are yielding fruit. The forgotten city is enjoying some infrastructural makeover.

    The renewal of the city started immediately the governor took office, as he commissioned the building of 25 roads with the promise that they will be completed within the first quarter of his administration, despite the fact that the work started during the rainy season.

    The reconstruction of roads is not only in Aba. Many parts of the state also have their own share of road construction including Ohafia, Abam and Umuahia. The Item Ring Road in Bende Local Government Area of the state will soon be commissioned.

    Much of the work on Aba’s poor roads in the past has been palliative. Ikpeazu’s efforts are more enduring. His administration introduced the cement technology, which involves using cement as base with iron rods before laying tar.

    The beauty of the roads being done by the present administration is that they come with stone bases and standard drainage system, bearing in mind the unique topography of the city of Aba which is virtually flat and also accompanied with streetlights to illuminate the streets and help to reduce the activities of night marauders.

    The governor, whose country home is just about five minutes’ drive from the heart of the city, has not spared anyone whose house stands in the way. He has demolished the fence of his maternal uncle which was obstructing the expansion of Old Umuahia/Aba Road.

    Speaking while flagging off the road construction, Ikpeazu said that his administration was in a hurry to return the city to what the colonial masters and its founding fathers planned, so that the lost glory of the city would be redeemed.

    Ikpeazu said if the old Imo State under the government of the late Sam Mbakwe could rebuild Aba and get all the taxes it needed to run the state, there is nothing stopping the present government from doing same especially now that the state is smaller and the people willing to cooperate.

    The governor noted that once you get Aba right, it is a small job to run the affairs of the state, as the people of the city are willing to pay their taxes so long as government is willing to provide them with the necessary amenities that are required for a place to be called a township.

    One of the houses that was demolished was a church building along Ngwa Road by Emelogu which was standing in the way and when the governor got there he said that he was not seeing a building but an obstruction which must give way for a standard road to be constructed and free flow of waste water from both Emelogu and Ngwa roads into the Aba River.

    Since the governor started his road construction in Aba, Kamalu, Ommne, ENUC, Umuola, Ukaegbu, Umule roads have been built and completed while Ube, East, Georges, Weeks, Park, Pound, Ochefu among others have been resurfaced completely, while it is expected that in no distant time more roads will be completed.

    One of the roads that was newly constructed with cement technology, Umuola Road at Ogbor Hill part of the city was commissioned by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his first visit to the state under the present government. The former president described the road as not only standard but a thing of beauty which should be copied by other state governors if they want their roads to last.

    Obasanjo, during the commissioning of the road, stressed the need for the government to pay attention to infrastructure, health, agriculture, transportation and power as major elements that will drive development and reduce poverty among the people.

    The former president described Aba as the focal point of economic development in the South East was of the view that if the people are empowered and provided with skills in Aba it will augur well for the entire South East and South-South zones and their people.

    He commended Governor Ikpeazu for his dream to transform Aba and thus enhance the socio political and economic in the state and described him as an achiever, and used the forum to appeal to Aba people to desist from blocking the drains with refuse if they want the roads being built by their governor to last long.

    Since the governor started his road construction and rehabilitation across the state, Abians are happy with the development and have scored him high on his zeal and passion to provide motor able and durable road network for the people especially those in Aba.

    The fear of many people in Aba and other parts of the state was that most of the roads flagged off by the governor were done during the rains and people were wondering if such roads done then could stand the test of time and it has been proved that road construction could be done during the rainy seasons and done well.

    During the commissioning of Owerri Road by Okigwe Road and Udeagbala Road in Aba built by his administration, Governor Ikpeazu said that all the 25 roads being constructed in Aba will be completed this year.

    Ikpeazu said that a total of 47 roads are being handled simultaneously by his government in various parts of the state and assured that more roads will be done, stressing that for the roads to be delivered on time that they will be handled by different contractors for government to beat the rains.

    Speaking on the new road technology the man who brought it to the state and the contractor handling one the projects, Engr Enyinnaya Mba thanked the governor for the opportunity given his company to display the cement technology which is now widely used in road construction in Aba and assured that roads done using the technology will stand the test of time.

    One of the beneficiaries of the road construction in Aba, a hotelier and traditional ruler, Eze Nzenwata Mbakwe said, “Governor Ikpeazu  has started very well and he knows the importance of roads in the commercial city.”

     

  • APC rallies members in Enyimba City

    APC rallies members in Enyimba City

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southeast held an impressive unity rally in Aba, the economic hub of Abia State, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    Unlike the cloudy and rainy weather which   characterised other days of the week, the Enyimba City was very dry and pleasant on the rally day. There was free vehicular and human traffic on the major roads. Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) trooped into the city from the 17 local government areas of the state and other neighbouring states. Traders locked up their shops and headed for the rally ground eager to hear the message of change that the party was bringing to them.

    There was a delay in the programme as a police patrol team restricted early callers from the venue. This was later resolved by the party officials at about 2:00pm and the gate of the Aba Recreation Club was flung open. Over 10,000 APC supporters from the state and beyond were at the venue.

    Among the early chieftains of the party to the venue were Sam Nkire, Chief Okey Nwagbara (APC Vice Chairman, Abia Central), Rt. Hon. Stanley Ugochukwu Ohajuruka (Ikwuano/Umuahia House of Reps aspirant), Hon. Obioma Iheanacho (Abia Central Senatorial District aspirant), Chief Nyerere Anyim and Nath Ikeocha (Abia governorship aspirants) and other state and national officials of the party.

    They were later joined by Chief Osita Izunaso, APC National Organising Secretary, Chief George Moghalu, Emma Enukwu, Hon. John Egbuta, Enyi. C. Enyi, Hon. Onyemaobi, Senator Chris Ngige and Imo State Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha whose entrance triggered wild jubilation among party members and supporters who were happy to have the chairman of APC Governors’ Forum in their midst.

    The organisers of the rally who spoke exclusively to The Nation said that the event was to assure the members across the 17 local government areas of the state that peace has returned to the party after many months of internal bickering, adding that the turnout was a tip of the iceberg compared to what will happen when the party hosts a state rally soon.

    The chairman of the state APC Hon. Donatus Nwankpa expressing his happiness over the large turnout of people said “We didn’t expect to witness this kind of crowd. Some people chartered buses on their own and from the turnout, you will agree with me that the of people the state are tired of the PDP led administration in Abia State and that they are desirous of a change in the way things were done in the state.

    “I can assure you that whatever the PDP administration has failed to provide for Abians will be provided by an APC-led government in 2015.

    “This rally marks the starting point for our movements and actions towards the 2015 election. That is why we called it unity rally, because the rally is designed to bring all groups together to embrace the spirit of peace, love, unity and for the purpose of working as a united front ahead of the 2015 election in the state and the country at large.

    “There was a period of disagreement and within that period of disagreement a lot things happened. The aggrieved members have agreed to sheathe their swords and come together to work for the party’s common goal.

    “The major aim of the party is to give Abians and indeed Nigerians a purposeful leadership, and how do you show leadership? It is when we show some discipline and that discipline is what has come to reign in the party now.

    “The national has come here and conducted election to conclude the inconclusive congress that took place in the state sometime ago which resulted in a lot of grievances and from what is happening now the people at the other side of the divide (factional group) are part of the people that formed the harmonised state structure of which I am the chairman.

    “Chief Okey Nwagbara, the zonal Chairman of the party in Abia Central, my deputy, the Publicity Secretary of the party among other state officers at present were formerly at the other divides, but now we have all come together as a block for the interest of Abians and the party because the party is supreme.

    “So, the interest of the party which represents the interest of the collective wish of the people is what has taken place and the overriding factor today is on our desire to change the bad and maladministration that has bedridden Abia for many, many years now,” APC state chairman stated.

    A chieftain of the party in the state and former Abia State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka said he was happy that the stormy weather in the party has been calmed and thanked Abians for their support and the faith they have on the party.

    Ohajuruka said that the APC was coming to bring the needed change in the state which he said would in turn place the state on the same pace with other APC governed states where the state governors have exceptionally transformed their states.

    Chief Okey Nwagbara, APC Vice Chairman Abia Central, thanked the national leaders of the party for mediating in the crisis that bedeviled the party in the state in the past and expressed optimism that today’s (Friday) rally would set the springboard through which the party would capture the seat of power in the state in 2015.

    Nwagbara however called on Abians and APC supporters to turn out in their numbers in today’s event to embrace the change the APC was bringing to the state.

    Earlier in his speech, the governor of Imo State and one of the presidential hopefuls of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Owelle Rochas Okorocha lamented the ugly and deplorable state PDP led government has left the state and the country and assured Abians that the party would correct such anomalies come 2015 when they produced the next governor of the state.

    According Owelle, “APC is not only going to be the solution to the problems of Abia State alone in 2015, but to the country at large”, stressing that the worst candidate in APC is better than the best PDP candidate.

    On his presidential aspirations, the presidential hopeful said that he was in the race to represent the interest of the ibos who according to him have been relegated behind in the scheme of things in the country by the President Jonathan’s led administration.

    To prove his point, Okorocha listed the absence of an Igbo representative(s) in some of the key and sensitive positions in the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration said it was an intentional act by the PDP leadership to sideline the ibos and make them irrelevant.

    On the insinuations that the party is anti-igbo, the governor of Imo State said “You should ignore the insinuations that APC is a non-Igbo party. If that is the case why do personalities like me, Ogbonaya Onu, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, Senator Osita Izunaso among others in the party? I was the person that gave the party its name. APC is a party for a new Nigeria. It is for the good of the Igbos. PDP has made enough mockery of the Igbo man. All of us are witnesses of how PDP messed up with our brothers; Vincent Ogbulafor, Chuba Okadigbo, Evan Enwerem among others. There is no Igbo man as heads of Customs, Civil Defence, Immigrations, Army and among others in the present PDP government.

    “They will tell us that the President is our brother and I want to tell you that that is not true. Look at the state of Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Look at the state of Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Expressway. What about the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway. A government that claims to have the interest of the Igbos at heart has tactically shut down the economy of the southeast. Cameroonians and other neighbouring African countries are no longer coming to Aba to patronise traders because they can no longer have access to our markets. Is there anything more anti-Igbo than this?

    “There is no hope for the Igbo man in PDP and that is why we must vote them out come 2015. Any Igbo man in PDP is there for his personal aggrandizement and not for the interest of our people. PDP government has nothing to show for in the last 8 years. I am, going there as a presidential aspirant to represent the interest of the Igbo community,” he assured.

    Senator Chris Ngige who could not hide his dissatisfactions over the deplorable nature of infrastructure in the Enyimba city opined that only an APC government in the state would right the wrongs of the PDP government.

    “On my way from Port Harcourt to Aba, it is only in Aba that I saw heap of refuse. It is only in Aba that I encountered bad road. The state of infrastructure in the city that generates money for a state like Abia is so bad and that is what a PDP government can give to Abians. We are going to sweep them (PDP) out of office come 2015 and how are we going to do that, it is by paying them back in their own coins and punishing them through our votes in 2015.

    “We are going to replicate such infrastructural development witnessed in other APC controlled states of Lagos, Edo, Imo and among others in Abia State when an APC government come on board. It is in your (Abians) hands to bring this change and you must do it by voting into power an APC government with your votes. Your votes should reflect your unhappiness about the state of development in your state,” Ngige advised.

  • Yuletide in Enyimba City

    Yuletide in Enyimba City

     What was the colour of the Yuletide in Aba, Abia State’s commercial nerve? SUNNY NWANKWO, in this report, captures the sights and sounds of Enyimba City during the festivities

    As expected in every city predominantly inhabited by businessmen, it was business as usual except for the usual public holidays of December 25 and 26 when various markets in the state remained closed.

    A visit round some major markets: Ariaria, Eziukwu and Ahia Ohuru by our correspondent revealed that some traders displayed their goods for sale.

    The most patronised were people selling toys, frozen foods, while traders who sell live chickens had their own share of the Christmas patronage. Errand boys were also on hand to kill and dress the chickens as well make money.

    For Richard Joy, a 23-year-old beautician and a student of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, the festive period provided her an opportunity to make some money preparatory to resumption of academic activities.

    Joy, who confirmed a sharp increase in the fee they charge for pedicure, manicure and other forms of make-up, attributed the increase in price to cost of materials.

    She said: “With the money I made from the business this period, I buy my textbooks and pay for other expenses in school. So, there was no need for me to travel home when I have some financial challenges ahead.”

    Unlike Umuahia, the state capital that witnessed movement of people from the urban to the rural areas, many residents of Aba sat back to do their businesses. Many that had reason to travel to their villages came back on December 26 and 27 to re-open their shops for business.

    While the business class gave what seemingly was genuine reason for not travelling for the Christmas celebration, it was a different story for some government and public servants.

    Our correspondent sampled the opinions of some residents on why they were in the city for the Christmas celebration.

    Mr. Victor Samuel Ojima, a resident of Ogbor Hill area, said the Christmas was not boring for him because people who live within his area didn’t travel in droves. So, he felt like he was still enjoying the companionship he enjoys from his neighbours before Christmas.

    Ojima, who is a public servant, said he didn’t travel to his home state Kogi because of the nature of his job. He prayed that the economy would not be harsh on Nigerians this year.

    Another resident, Ndubuisi Ozuzu, from Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State disclosed that people couldn’t travel as such because there was less money in circulation.

    Ozuzu said: “Usually, it is expected that prices of goods and services would be on the increase during festive periods. I must commend the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for making petrol available throughout the Yuletide. Though there was a sharp increase in transport fares, it was not as bad as other years. That people in Aba didn’t travel en masse during the period didn’t mean that they didn’t want to travel. The situation is always common in commercial cities.”

    Eme Osiri Ukala, a tailor said he could not travel because December is always the peak of their job and that no serious tailor would want to sacrifice his business for a two-day enjoyment.

    “Christmas is a time when people sew dresses for different occasions. Usually, people who are travelling to the rural areas would want to look nice before others. Even if they didn’t sew for themselves, they would want to sew to give out to their loved ones in the village.

    “Ceremonies like marriages, thanksgiving, age grade activities and so many other events usually go on in various places and so would people want to look good. It is our business to make people look good. So, for every serious tailor, December is a time to prepare ahead of the next year. There are school fees to be paid and house rents to be paid, among other bills. So, we need not to toy with December period,” he said.

    Army personnel told our correspondent n confidence that he could not travel to his hometown, Arochukwu because he got his salary alert late and couldn’t make any withdrawal on December 24 when he went to the bank because of the huge crowd at his bank’s banking hall and ATM points.

    A commercial bus driver who identified himself as Okafor Chidozie said though it is a ritual that Aba residents do not like travelling for the Christmas period, they enjoyed much patronage this festive period which he attributed to the availability and affordability of transport fare.

    Chidozie said anybody who didn’t want to travel home could not attribute it to high cost in transport fare, but because the person didn’t want to travel. He hinted that it has become a routine for residents of Aba to travel on December 31 or early morning of January 1 to come back around January 7 or 10 after they must have rested in their villages.

    Hon. Obiora Okeke, a one-time chairman of Eziukwu Market Aba said it has become a tradition in Aba businessmen do not travel for Christmas celebration. According to him, Aba produces what other states use and that puts pressure on Aba businessmen to satisfy the demands of their customers.

    He hinted that prices of “goods are likely to be on the increase this month because many companies will be resuming late and demand on goods will be high. This, he said, is because parents would want to prepare to take their children back to school after the holidays.”