The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi

  • 2000 PDP members will welcome Buhari to Ebony – Umahi

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would be welcomed to the state by at least 2000 members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    Umahi has also allowed the All Progressives Congress (APC) to use the Pa Ngele Oruta stadium, Abakaliki for the party’s presidential rally on Jan.30.

    He disclosed this on Friday at Ugbodo, headquarters of Ebonyi Local Government Area, during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship rally.

    He said the President would be accorded all necessary courtesy.

    “We would take our rallies on that day to our three senatorial zones while we allow them (APC) to use the stadium,” the governor said.

    He sought the permission of the PDP supporters to allow some members to be at the stadium to receive President Buhari.

    “At least, 2, 000 PDP members would receive the President at the stadium while you go about your rallies in your various zones.

    “I have identified those who will receive the President; so, when you see our people at the stadium, don’t be angry, because it is my arrangement.

    “We would even help them (opposition) with buses to get people from Enugu and Abia,” he said.

    He thanked the people for the support for his administration and pledged to deliver more dividends of democracy such as infrastructure and health care services, if re-elected.

    “I urge our party supporters not to destroy posters of the opposition party because we have the crowd and are on ground,” Umahi said.

    Sen. Sam Egwu (PDP—Ebonyi North) said the large turnout of people at the event was an indication that people have accepted the governor.

    Egwu, who is the first civilian governor of the state, noted that Ebonyi had been a peaceful state and should remain so before, during and after the elections,” he said.

    Chief Goddy Ogbaga, Former Minister of State for Power, who hails from the area, commended the governor for his numerous infrastructure provisions to the people.

    “We also thank you for appointing our people into strategic government positions and have resolved to reciprocate these gestures by voting massively for you and all PDP candidates at the elections,” he said. (NAN)

  • Abakaliki Township Stadium renamed after Ebonyi’s oldest man

    Abakaliki Township Stadium renamed after Ebonyi’s oldest man

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has renamed the Abakaliki Township Stadium after the late Ngele Oruta, the oldest man in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 112-year-old Oruta was buried on Friday at Amagu-Izzi, in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state.

    The deceased was a father to Sylvester Ngele, a former representative of Ebonyi North Zone in the Senate.

    Umahi was quoted in a statement by Emmanuel Uzor, his Chief Press Secretary, as eulogising Oruta’s immense contribution to the state’s development.

    The governor also played glowing tribute to the father of Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Benard Odoh, who was buried on Saturday at Onunweke, Isiofia in Ezza North.

    He also pledged to construct new classrooms at the community primary school at Onunweke and name them after late Odoh, for his immeasurable contribution to the development of his area and the state.

    “I commend the people of Izzi and Ezza clans of the state which are the major political blocs of the Abakaliki zone for their consistency and support for this administration.

    “We are resolute in re-constructing the state’s ring road which connects eight of the 13 LGAs of the state of which the areas would be major beneficiaries,” Umahi was quoted as saying.

    He also promised to construct the Okaleru road and bridge which connects Odoh’s community to Ebiaji, the headquarters of the council, among other roads.

    Similarly, a former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi, who attended the burial, eulogised Odoh and described him as a man who touched the lives of his people in several ways.

    “He weathered the storms of life to give his children quality education which culminated in Bernard, the Ebonyi SSG, being one of the youngest professors in the country.

    NAN reports that Umahi attended both burials in company of top government officials and politicians in the state

  • Umahi replaces deceased aide with son

    Umahi replaces deceased aide with son

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has replaced his late aide, Mr Emmanuel Anaga, who died in a fatal motor accident last Friday, with his son, Emmanuel (Jnr).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Anaga, who was the governor’s Technical Adviser on Agriculture, hailed from Ezzamgbo, Ohaukwu Local government Area of the state.

    The deceased’s Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) collided with a commercial bus at about 8.30 p.m., leaving him and three other persons dead.

    Confirming the governor’s pronouncement to NAN in Abakaliki on Tuesday, Chief Clement Nweke, the Governor’s Principal Secretary, said it was a way of appreciating his efforts in the development of the state.

    “The governor earlier announced that he will be made the Vice Chairman of the Local Government but we opted for a position that will be more continuous, to create the desired impact in the family,” he said.

    Mr Mark Onu, Chairman, Forum of Technical Advisers to the governor, also confirmed the pronouncement, noting that the forum appreciated the governor for the action.

    “Anaga, popularly called Chico, was energetic and resourceful while alive and above all, lived a life worthy of emulation.

    “He was humble to a fault and this endeared him to political stakeholders in the council, state and even the governor.”

    Onu remarked that the governor’s action showed that he was responsive to peoples’ needs, especially those at the grassroots.

    “The forum of technical advisers will appreciate this gesture by re-dedicating ourselves to the service of the state and support the governor in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.”

    He remarked that the forum would continue to support Anaga’s family and ensure that his son was duly integrated into the fold in the execution of its activities.

    “I urge my colleagues to exemplary lives worthy of emulation as Anaga’s life on earth made political stakeholders in the state extol his virtue and identify with his family in this moment of grief,” he said.

    Chief Clement Odaa, Caretaker Chairman of Ohaukwu local government, commended the governor for the action and described Anaga as `a political icon’.

    “His legacies will remain indelible in the minds of people. We will participate actively in his burial programmes and support his family tremendously to assuage their pains,” he said.

  • Police retrieve Ebonyi ex- senator’s corpse

    Police retrieve Ebonyi ex- senator’s corpse

    The Ebonyi Police Command has confirmed the retrieval of the corpse of a Second Republic Senator, Dr Offia Nwali, from a pond behind his house.

    ASP George Okafor, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), made the confirmation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Tuesday.

     

    He said Nwali’s corpse was found in a pond at the back of his building in his hometown of Ameka, Ezza South Local Government Area, at the weekend.

    “We cannot establish whether he drowned inside the pond or whether he was killed but investigations have commenced to unravel the mystery behind his death.

    “We have not made any arrest so far but we assure the citizens of the state that we would ensure that the matter is investigated to its logical conclusion,” he said.

     

    Meanwhile, Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has described the death of 74-year-old Nwali as a ‘monumental loss’ to the state and nation.

    Umahi, who commiserated with Nwali’s family during a condolence visit on Tuesday, described him as a great scientist and patriotic Nigerian.

    “His death is shocking to all citizens of the state as his life which was full of mysteries, embodied truth and commitment to the state’s cause,” he said.

    The governor who was accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bernard Odoh, and top government officials, urged Nwali’s children to immortalise him.

    “You should live just and principled lives which your late father epitomised during his sojourn on earth .

    “The state government would assist the family during his burial and afterwards while upholding the legacies he left behind,” he said.

     

    Nwali’s first son, Oguzor, said that his corpse had been deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki mortuary.

    Oguzor described his father as a legend, noting that his love for the unity of the state, Igbo race and Nigeria, knew no bounds.

    NAN reports that Nwali was one of the first Africans to obtain a doctorate degree in Computer and Analytical Studies from Harvard University, U.S.

    His return to Nigeria in 1972 was facilitated by a former Inspector General of Police, Muhammadu Yusuf, as he was appointed Chairman of the School Board by the then East Central State Government.

    He represented Abakaliki Senatorial District at the National Assembly from 1979 to 1983 and was the first individual to submit a written request for the creation of Ebonyi on Oct. 10, 1979.

     

    Nwali lost his entire family in a Forker 28-plane crash at the Enugu Airport in 1983 but later remarried.

    NAN also recalls that the Police Command in Ebonyi on Monday confirmed the retrieval of the corpses of two students of Federal Government College, Okposi in Ohaoazara Local Government Area , from a stream in the area.