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Tag: Ike Ekweremadu

  • Why Land Use Act should go, by Ekweremadu

    Why Land Use Act should go, by Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has advocated for removal of the Land Use Act from the 1999 Constitution to make changes in the land administration system easier.

    Ekweremadu, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu in Abuja, spoke in Enugu at the weekend during the presentation of the book “ABC of Contemporary Land Law in Nigeria.”

    Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, is author of the book.

    He insisted that effective land administration is central to national development.

    Even though the Act was due for review, he lamented that it had been difficult to do so since it would require going through complex processes and hurdles of constitutional amendment.

    The Senator, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, regretted that efforts by the Committee to remove the Act from the 1999 Constitution and subject it to ordinary processes of amending Acts of parliament could not scale through the Third Reading.

    Ekweremadu said:

    “I believe that the Act is overdue for review but you cannot do that the way it is now because you will have to go through all the processes of a constitutional amendment.

    “So, what we need to do at this moment is to take it out of the constitution so that it can be re-examined in tune with the times.”

     

    He described Hon. Justice Emezulike as a complete lawyer and commended him for coming out with a unique book that would expand the frontiers of Land Law and legal education in the Nigeria.

  • ‘Ekweremadu won’t read defecting senators’ letter’

    ‘Ekweremadu won’t read defecting senators’ letter’

    The anticipated showdown at the Senate over the plan by 11 former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not happen yesterday.

    Before the Senate resumed plenary yesterday, tension was high because the defecting senators were determined to ensure that their letter, which they submitted to Senate President David Mark, must be read.

    That was not to be.

    The leadership of the Senate, sensing danger, summoned an emergency closed-door session that lasted over an hour.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu presided over the secret meeting. Mark was said to have excused himself to attend the Council of State meeting.

    After the meeting, the door to the Senate gallery was open to reporters and other observers.

    Ekweremadu, who did not make reference to the closed-door meeting, read a couple of personal letters.

    To the disappointment of most of those in the gallery, the letter on the defection of 11 PDP senators to APC was not among those read.

    After reading personal letters, Ekweremadu signalled to Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba to read the Order Paper.

    There was no objection or Point of Order by the defection senators.

    It was, however, learnt that at the closed-door session, the defecting lawmakers were asked to attend a rescheduled meeting with Mark.

     

  • Senate may have stormy session today

    Senate may have stormy session today

    A MEETING slated by Senate President David Mark with 11 the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) failed to hold yesterday.

    The failure of the meeting heightened tension in the Upper Chamber as senators return to plenary today.

    The Senate leadership failed to read the letter by the defecting senators informing the Senate of their decision to change parties on the floor as expected last Thursday.

    Senator Bukola Saraki raised the issue under qualified privilege but Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, said he did not have the letters with him and that he had been informed of a meeting slated for yesterday.

    It could not be immediately established why the meeting failed to hold as at press time yesterday.

    A source, however, said the meeting had been rescheduled for today because Saraki, the leader of the defecting senators, returned late yesterday from Ilorin, Kwara State.

    One of the defecting senators told our correspondent yesterday that the only way to prevent a turbulent session today is “if the Senate President decides to read our change of party letter submitted to him last week”.

    The senator, who spoke in confidence in Abuja, explained that though Mark had initiated “a meeting with us, no matter the outcome of the meeting, our letter must be read”.

    Insisting that “there is not going back meeting or no meeting”, the senator added that “some of us have seen the so-called meeting as a ploy by the leadership of the Senate to buy time”.

    He said: “What is anybody going to tell us at the meeting? They have been talking about the matter being in court. There is a fact that there is no court order stopping the Senate President from reading our letter.

    “They have also said that no reference should be made to the matter in the Senate because the matter is in court. We know that all this is gimmick to frustrate our efforts to move to our desired party.”

    The senator also faulted the argument that the letter could not be read because it was signed by a group.

     

  • Ekweremadu trains 700 youths on ICT

    Ekweremadu trains 700 youths on ICT

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has commenced the training of 700 youths in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills through the Ikeoha Foundation.

    Ikeoha Foundation is the non-profit and non-governmental development platform founded by him.

    Ekweremadu spoke during the flag-off of the project at the Ikeoha Foundation ICT Training Centre in Enugu over the weekend.

    He noted that the training is part of his vision to harness the potentials of the young people to make them self-reliant and drivers of the economy.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu in Abuja, Ekweremadu noted that no nation ever developed without building adequate human capital and supporting the youths to be catalysts for transformation.

    He said: “The best way for us to build a better society is to create a pool of young men and women who are self-reliant; and since the government cannot provide jobs for everybody, what we are doing is to compliment the efforts of government to ensure that there is meaningful life for everyone in the society, from the young men to the elderly.

    “The philosophy behind the training is that since God has given us the opportunity and privilege to support and help others, we will neither be doing any good to ourselves nor fulfilling the ends of that opportunity if we don’t avail our teeming youths the opportunity to excel and be better than what we are today.”

    Ekweremadu assured that the five National Youth Development Centres, which he attracted to the five local governments of the Enugu West Senatorial District, would soon take off.

    The Deputy Senate President also assured that the Foundation would continue to provide free eye test and glasses for all the students of the centres to improve their vision.

    The Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, described Ekweremadu as “a true representative of his people who never talks, but rather works.”

  • Ekweremadu congratulates Super Eagles

    The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Sunday in Abuja congratulated the Super Eagles over their 3-1 victory over hosts South Africa in Cape Town.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win helped the Nigerian side to book a quarter-final ticket at the ongoing 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa.

    A statement signed by Ekweremadu’s Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, said the Deputy Senate President hailed the team as showcasing the “typical Nigerian spirit’’. The statement also quoted Ekweremadu as saying the team showed “great improvement’’ and deserved the victory.

    “I am indeed proud of the Super Eagles which we saw today (Sunday), for showing resurgence, character, a high sense of patriotism and indeed that entertaining football that stands the nation’s football out,” it quoted him as saying.

    The statement said the Deputy Senate President then urged for prayers and support for the team, and also enjoined the Eagles to “build on their current form and go all out to clinch the trophy’’.

  • Ekweremadu: Between reality and desire

    Ekweremadu: Between reality and desire

    For Ike Ekweremadu, the senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, these are not the best of times. From his self-inflicted miseries to bereavement, he is now an object of scorn in his home state. By his own doing too, he has set tongues wagging in the constituency he represents by figures he recently released about projects he claimed to have attracted.

    However, the Deputy President of the Senate needs our condolences over the death of his police outrider this festive period. What is surprising till date, were the efforts put into covering the news of the death of this outrider from the public. Perhaps, it has to do with the fact that his position does not guarantee him the use of a police outrider.

    But close watchers of events in Enugu State are not so amazed about Ekweremadu’s obsession with such absurdity because he wants to live an imaginary life of a governor, a title he has an undying crave to bear.

    For him, reality has taken a forced flight and he is, regrettably, caught between reality and desire.

    Nigerian laws made specific provisions about the type and number of legislative aides that a Deputy President of Senate should have. Most of them are, indeed, to be provided by the government.

    But it is not so with Senator Ekweremadu. Just like a governor, he has all manners of special advisers alien to his position, ranging from security to projects among others. He continues to strive to replicate what obtains in the state within his own “state”. He perceives himself as the chief security officer and must have a special adviser on security and a multitude of other aides. And how can he have these aides without adding an outrider to it? It was only unfortunate that the young man crashed and died during the Christmas holidays.

    But what do you say of the figures which the Deputy President of the Senate recently released on the projects he claimed to have attracted to Enugu West which he represents? Today, his claims have become subject of controversies, criticisms and denials from within and outside the country.

    In the recent weeks, Ekweremadu has been locked in a dirty war of words with S.K.C. Ogbonnia, an Enugu citizen based in the United States. The latter’s sin was that he pointed out that a library in Ekweremadu’s long list of dubious claims was not anywhere in his Ugbo community in Awgu Local Government Area. Rather than address this and other similar denials from different quarters in a decent way, Ekweremadu has continued to call the man names. Besides, even the list itself has exposed the Deputy President of the Senate to ridicule for its parochialism, lop-sidedness and lack of equity and justice in its spread. I was also dumb-founded when I got a copy.

    Now, take a look at the list as released by Ekweremadu. Aninri 33 projects; Awgu 34; Oji River 32; Ezeagu 20 and Udi 20.

    For purposes of clarity, it is important to put the above figures in clear perspectives. Ekweremadu’s home Local Government Area which is Aninri is the smallest in Enugu state in terms of population. It has 10 wards but it got 33 projects in that discredited

    document but Ezeagu and Udi with 20 wards each got 20 projects each! This is our Ikeoha’s idea of justice and equity.

    Amid all the criticisms and the denials of the existence of such phantom projects by various persons and groups, it is incumbent on Ekweremadu to prove his accusers wrong by clearly telling his constituents when the projects commenced, the contractors, the date of completion. Afterall, what is the job of his special adviser on

    projects, even though he is not entitled to have one? Unless we find out soon that either he or his office also executed jobs or recommended contractors, we all know that his primary job is to supervise and carry out other oversight functions.

    Politics, as we all know, is a game of intrigues. Therefore, it does not matter that the senator continues to hold meetings here in Enugu and at Abuja with the sole purpose to mount smear campaigns against Governor Sullivan Chime. It is up to the governor and his aides to know how to handle such conspiracies but he will do well to do what we have known him for: ignore the attacks and their known sponsors.

    If anything, Ekweremadu needs urgent redemption from his self-imposed isolation in Enugu State. Or how else do we view the fact he is now a lone ranger even when it has to do with his party, the Peoples Democratic Party? I was present during the inauguration of the 17 local government chairmen at Okpara Square on January 4.

    On this day, he was the only National Assembly member from the state who shunned the inauguration of the chairmen, an event that was attended by important dignitaries including Chief Ken Nnamani, the former President of the Senate.

    Governor Chime, speaking during the event, instructively implored the federal lawmakers and other citizens to shun divisive politics even as he pledged the loyalty of his government and the people of the state to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Said Chime: “On behalf of the government and people of Enugu state, I pledge our unalloyed loyalty to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR). We have continued to tell him that so long as he is in this business of politics, we will continue to be with him.

    “I also want to say to him that if and when he declares to run again (for the presidency), he should count out Enugu State as one of the places he needs to come to campaign. This state is firmly for him and firmly behind him.

    “Also, I want to say to our other brothers and sisters, especially those in Abuja or outside our state that this is the time you have to start coming home to identify with our people. We (PDP) are one big, happy family. You must be a family member for us to chart the way forward for each of us. There’s nothing that we individually want that cannot be resolved when we come together and talk things over.”

    My advice to Ekweremadu is that he should embrace this reassuring message from Chime and not continue to behave like an orphan. If he is scared stiff that the governor may battle for the PDP ticket of Enugu West Senatorial District with him, the solution does not lie with sponsoring smear campaigns in the media. He has to start coming home to identify with his people who are the ultimate deciders of who wins both the primary and the general elections. If he decides otherwise, Ikeoha should be man enough to shun anonymity and give identity to such pedestrian rabbles by his hatchet men.

    • Ugwu sent this piece from Enugu.

     

  • Ekweremadu seeks prayers, patriotism

    Ekweremadu seeks prayers, patriotism

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday urged Nigerians to pray for the nation and demonstrate a deep sense of patriotism in the New Year.

    In a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, the Deputy Senate President said the nation’s future was bright, despite the present challenges.

    Ekweremadu noted that prayers and patriotism were essential ingredients in the nation’s efforts to strengthen democracy and entrench peace and development.

    He said: “2014 is going to be an important year as the nation prepares for the 2015 general elections, which is one significant event in the nation’s life, especially the efforts to consolidate our democracy.

    “It, therefore, behoves the nation to pray for smooth preparations and also show patriotism in every step of the journey.

    “While democracy does not necessarily translate to homogeneity of ideology, opinion and interest, the political players, in particular, need to disagree and play politics responsibly with decorum.

    “Nigerian leaders should place the common good and national interest above every personal, ethno-religious and sectional interest to avoid overheating the polity.”

  • Ekweremadu seeks forgiveness

    Ekweremadu seeks forgiveness

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday urged Christians to emulate the humility of Jesus Christ.

    In a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Uche Anichukwu, the Deputy Senate President advised Nigerians to eschew bitterness so that the nation could progress.

    He regretted that the nation’s progress had been compromised by a lack of forgiveness.

    Ekweremadu noted that the present heat in the polity was partly ego-driven.

    The senator noted that mankind would have been eternally doomed had Jesus Christ put self first or considered himself too important to restore peace and reconcile mankind with God.

     

    He said: “At Christmas, we have to emulate the virtues of selflessness, commitment to common good and total love, which the birth of Christ among men symbolises.

    “Whatever the grievances are, we must shove them aside and live in the full consciousness that this is the season of unconditional love demonstrated by God. Whatever our sense of self-importance, we must always remember that no one could be more important than the only begotten Son of God who nevertheless condescended to bring salvation and peace to man.”

    Ekweremadu wished Nigerians a merry and hitch-free Christmas celebration.

  • Malian election, a boost for democracy, says Ekweremadu

    Malian election, a boost for democracy, says Ekweremadu

    The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Senator Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday commended ECOWAS and the people of Mali for the success recorded so far in the Malian presidential election.

    Ekweremadu described the election as “free, fair, and credible.”

    He noted that the peaceful conduct of the poll was a boost for democracy and peace in Mali and the entire West Africa.

    The Speaker said: “The peaceful election in Mali justifies the huge human and material sacrifices made by ECOWAS and friends of the sub-region to ensure that peace and democracy are secured in the country.

    “It is a clear testimony to the capacity of ECOWAS to resolve internal crises, defend and consolidate democracy in West Africa.

    “ECOWAS Parliament is particularly proud of the government and people of Mali for the record turnout of voters and their peaceful and orderly conduct during the poll.”

    He however warned against complacency as Mali prepares for the August 11 run-off between the two leading candidates, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and SoumailaCisse.

    “Though the job is already half done, it is not over yet as all stakeholders must work together relentlessly to ensure a peaceful, free, fair, and credible conclusion of the presidential election,” he stressed.

    It could be recalled that a clear winner could not emerge in the July 28 presidential election, the first since the 2012 military coup.

    Keita, a former Prime Minister and Speaker of the West African nation, garnered about 39.2 per cent of the 3.1 million votes to lead the other 27 candidates but fell short of the majority vote required to emerge as President.

    He faces former Finance Minister, Cisse, who polled 19.4 of the votes, in a run-off.

  • Governorship ambition tears Chime, Ekweremadu apart

    Governorship ambition tears Chime, Ekweremadu apart

    In politics, they say, there are no permanent friends or enemies but permanent interests. This age-long saying appears to be holding true for Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his political ally of many years. According to the gist making the rounds in the Coal City, things have fallen apart between the two former political allies.

    In the past few days, the media has been awash with verbal crossfire by their aides. Those in the know say the crux of the matter is the 2015 governorship election in Enugu State. Senator Ekweremadu is speculated to be nursing an ambition to take the baton of the state’s leadership from Chime in a contest that may also pit Chime against his other loyalists who are also eyeing the seat.

    Chime was reported to have been in league with Ekweremadu several months back, assuring the latter of his full support. But events took a new turn when Chime decided to zone the governorship seat out of the reach of Ekweremadu. The Deputy Senate President, who is not a neophyte in the game, was said to have felt betrayed by Chime’s action and decided to take the battle to the incumbent governor who only weeks ago got separated from his wife.