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Tag: Ikpeazu

  • Ikpeazu is what Abia truly needs

    Ikpeazu is what Abia truly needs

    Since the Justices of the Appeal Court in Owerri arrived at a judgment that has been widely criticised and rightly referred to as being “fundamentally wrong” by Mike Ezekhome (SAN), I have read commentaries siding with Alex Otti of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), and one thing they all brazenly promote is the disregard for the rule of law, which application was recently applied in the conduct of Bayelsa State’s 2015 Governorship Election.

    A cursory but serious look at the rationale for the initial cancellation of the substantive election of December 5 by INEC, will betray Otti’s apologists as a people with little regard for the rule of law.

    The relief that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has always sought from the court is that the law be upheld. Where close to 300,000 voters are being disenfranchised and victory declared on the basis of a 50,000 margin lead, what the law proposes is a rerun election. Anything short of this is a flagrant disobedience to the law, and anyone who supports such is inviting chaos.

    Failing to justify the Appeal Court judgment on the basis of what the law dictates, Otti’s apologists have resorted to emotional arguments and citing a debatable “private sector management experience” as the reason why he remains the best thing to happens to Abians and how if he’s crowned governor, he won’t go hand-in-cap to Abuja begging for hand-outs.

    Any commentator who’s been following development in Abia from the campaign period and since May 29 when Ikpeazu was sworn in as the duly elected governor of the state will know that he’s been one of the staunchest proponents of an Abia that is independent of a diminishing federal allocation through an improved IGR. Beyond rhetorics, substantial progress continues to be made in improving the state’s IGR.

    When his fellow governors sought the easier route to handle the dwindling economy by proposing a reduction in the N18,000 minimum wage, Ikpeazu reacted by assuring Abia workers of steady salary and improved IGR, which according to him, was the best way to keep Abia afloat. Abia’s current IGR hovers around one billion naira, and for those who cannot see beyond their prejudice and refuse to hear from both sides before penning their articles, there are efforts to ensure it keeps increasing.

    Otti’s publicists should know that being exposed and having the ability to read a balance sheet or coming from the private sector, does not place Otti shoulders above Ikpeazu. These relative attributes are no absolute prerequisite for turning around an economy. Examples abound where some Nigerian governors, who with all the credentials, when entrusted with governing their states, failed in changing its fortunes.

    One notion Otti apologists continue to promote is the fallacy that Aba remains retrogressive. It smacks of ignorance for anyone to allege that changes have not been made in Aba since Ikpeazu came into office. Those who live in Aba (who should be the authority on Aba’s development or otherwise) have witnessed drastic changes since the coming of Governor Ikpeazu. The ongoing development in parts of Aba was what necessitated the graveyard silence that greeted the Appeal Court judgment.

    It is important that we set the record straight. The silence was not because majority of those resident in Aba are made up of people with ethnic ties with the governor; no, rather, Aba comprises of largely non-indigenes, and so there should have been no reason (whether political or ethnic) for the massive support that the administration of Ikpeazu has been receiving from the residents of the city, except that they are pleased with his performance, which is a shift from what used to obtain in recent past.

    It is also wickedness for anyone to attempt to heap the many years of the abandonment of Aba on Ikpeazu, who has only been governor for a little over seven months, yet has performed remarkably well, not minding the distractions being created by the opposition APGA.

    In all their vituperations, it is comforting to find out that when it comes to the development of Aba, Otti apologists and the government of Ikpeazu, can meet on the same page, and while Otti betrays his pledge of putting Abia first in pursuit of selfish ambition, the urgency of developing Aba is a vision that has not been lost on Governor Ikpeazu.

    As I write this, the governor is in Aba commissioning the Owerri road, built using the cement pavement technology, following which he will inspect the construction of the new Umule and Tonimas roads all in Aba. Aba may not have reached the Promised Land, but is definitely not “decrepit, an eyesore and insecure”, and Governor Ikpeazu, the man that Abia truly needs, is well disposed to ensure that this once abandoned city fully regains its lost glory.

    –Maduekwe is Special Assistant on Media to Governor Ikpeazu

  • ENYIMBA STADIUM: IKPEAZU assures contractor of funds

    ENYIMBA STADIUM: IKPEAZU assures contractor of funds

    Abia State Governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu has assured the contractor handling the pitch of the Enyimba International Stadium, Ebi Ezekiel Egbe that all logistics needed would be provided to ensure that the stadium is ready before the CAF Champions League preliminary round second leg tie next month.

    Enyimba, the reigning league champions, are campaigning in the lucrative club competition and must put their home ground in order, if they are to host Champions League matches there particularly the one against Vipers of Uganda on February 28.

    The Governor who visited the stadium on Monday thumbed up the contractor Mr Egbe who has been using his personal money to put the stadium in shape before the release of the fund from the state government and he has told him that without long he would get the cash needed to speed up the job.

    Governor Ikpeazu reiterated the determination of the government to turn the state to the hub of football in Nigeria and that ensuring that Enyimba play their home games before their supportive fans is a must to serve as morale booster to the team.

    Reacting to the Governor’s gesture, Egbe who is the Managing Director of Monimichelle Sports Facility Development Company, assured that the stadium would be ready at record time.

    He said that once he is able to get fund to back up his relentless quest to get the pitch in top shape and ready for Enyimba and Africa, Abia State should expect a top notch Geo infill coconut fibre pitch that will no doubt lead the club to the pinnacle of football in Africa again.

    Egbe who is fondly called Moni by admirers told SportingLife that he hopes to finish the job at least two weeks before the epic clash against Vipers of Uganda in Aba so that Enyimba players will be able to train on the pitch well enough to give them an edge over their foes on the continent and in Nigeria.

    He thanked the Governor Ikpeazu, the good people of Aba and the supporters of Enyimba for their support to ensure that all hands are on deck to give Enyimba a standard pitch that turn them to a fortress in Nigeria and in the CAF Champions League.

    Important dignitaries that followed the Abia Governor to the stadium included the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Honourable Chinwe Nwaganga among other cabinet members and other sports enthusiasts.

    Enyimba are twice former African Champions after they lifted the title in 2003 and 2004 at the expense of Ismaila SC of Egypt and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia respectively.

  • Ikpeazu urges Supreme Court to void Appeal Court’s judgment

    Ikpeazu urges Supreme Court to void Appeal Court’s judgment

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have filed a notice of appeal challenging the Appeal Court’s decision sacking him from office.

    The court’s panel, led by Justice Oyebisi had declared Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) the winner of the election of  April 11, last year.

    It held that Otti scored the highest valid votes of 164,332 against 114,444, scored by Ikpeazu.

    The court held that there were cases of over-voting and allocation of votes in favour of the PDP candidate in three Local Government Areas: Isi-Alangwa, Osisioma and Obingwa and voided elections in the three councils.

    In a notice of appeal filed yesterday at the Supreme Court, Ikpeazu and PDP are praying the court to, among others, set aside the Appeal Court’s judgment on the grounds that neither Otti nor his party had credible and cogent evidence to support their petition challenging Ikpeazu’s victory.

    They also wrote the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, asking him to respect the constitution.

    In the letter written on their behalf by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), they contended that Ikpeazu remained the governor until he had exhausted his right of appeal to the Supreme Court.

    The governor and his party said they were dissatisfied with the judgment and instructed their lawyer to appeal against it at the Supreme Court.

    PDP said Ikpeazu had a constitutional right to appeal against the judgment at the Supreme Court, under and by virtue of Section 233(2) (e) (iv) of the constitution (as amended).

    Ikpeazu and his party added that would file a notice of appeal, because they were yet to access a certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment.

    They raised three grounds, including:  the Appeal Court was wrong to have declared “the 1st respondent (Otti) winner of the April 11 and 25, 2015 Abia State governorship election on the grounds that he scored the majority lawful votes cast at the election”.

    They contended in the second ground that “the Court of Appeal erred in law when the Justices on the panel neglected to apply the provisions of sections 49, 52(2), 138(2) and 155 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) but relied solely on Card Reader accreditation as the basis for holding that there was over-voting and therefore cancelled the election in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa LGAs in the April 11 and 25, 2015 Abia State Governorship election”.

    The appellants noted that ”in instant case, where the 1st and 2nd respondents (Otti and APGA) sought nullification of votes from Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa North LGAs of Abia State in relation to matters or events that took place at the polling units, they must produce evidence of eye witnesses who saw it on the days of elections as well as tender primary unit results of documentary evidence in relation to the questioned Local Government Areas.

    “The Court of Appeal found as a  fact (as did the tribunla) that the State Returning Officer had no powers to cancel results in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa North LGAs.

    “By the findings (in Paragraph iii) above, the allegations of malpractice and non-compliance as basis of results by the Returning Officer needed to be proved. No proof was offered and the Court of Appeal did not refer to any.”

    Their letter reads in part: ”Bearing in mind the fact that INEC itself is a party to the processing as, and would also be a party to the appeal which would definitely be filed on behalf of our client immediately on receipt of the judgment of the court of appeal, may we urge INEC to resist any invitation by anybody or from any quarter to do anything that would work contrary to the provisions of both the constitution and Electoral Act in respect of the res (subject) of the appeal, particularly the position of the governor of Abia State, which our client occupies.

    “Also, under Section 143(2) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), our client has the statutory right to remain in office pending the expiration of the period within which an appeal shall be filed, assuming without conceding that he does not even want to lodge an appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal. Upon filing his notice of appeal, our client is also constitutionally entitled to remain in office until the Supreme Court decides and pronounces on his appeal.

    “That what is causing the delay against the filing of the notice and grounds of appeal against judgment is the failure of the court to avail both our client and our humble selves of a copy of its judgment, even as at the time of writing this letter, and despite demands.’’

  • Ikpeazu, PDP urge Supreme Court to void Appeal Court’s judgment

    Ikpeazu, PDP urge Supreme Court to void Appeal Court’s judgment

    Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed a notice of appeal against last Thursday’s decision of the Appeal Court in Owerri, Imo State sacking him from office.

    The court’s panel, led by Justice Oyebisi had, in its judgment, declared Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the election held on April 11 last year. It held that Otti scored the highest valid votes of 164,332 as against 114,444 scored by Ikpeazu.

    The court held that there were established cases of over-voting and allocation of votes in favour of the PDP candidate in three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Isi-Alangwa, Osisioma and Obingwa and proceeded to void elections in the three LGAs.

    In a notice of appeal filed Monday at the Supreme Court, Ikpeazu and PDP are praying ‎ the apex court to among others, set aside the Appeal Court’sjudgment on the ground that neither Otti nor his party called credible and cogent evidence in support of their petition challenging Ikpeazu’s victory. ‎

    They have also written the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu asking him to respect the constitution and not to do anything that will tamper with his office as the governor of Abia State.

    They are contending in the letter written on their behalf by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), That Ikpeazu remains the state governor until he had exhausted his right of appeal to the Supreme Court.

    The governor and his party said they were dissatisfied with the judgment of the Court of Appeal and had instructed their lawyer to file an appeal against same to the Supreme Court.

    They reminded the commission that Ikpeazu has an unimpaired and unfettered constitutional right to appeal against the judgment of the court of appeal to the Supreme Court, under and by virtue of section 233(2)(e)(iv) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    Ikpeazu and his party added that they have decided to file a notice of appeal, because they were yet to access a certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment by the Court of Appeal.

    They raised three grounds in their appeal, to include that  the Appeal Court was wrong to have declared “the 1st respondent (Otti)‎ winner of the 11th and 25th April, 2015 Abia State Governorship election on the grounds that he scored the majority lawful votes cast at the election”.

    They contended in the second ground that “the Court of Appeal erred in. Law when they (the Justices on the panel) neglected to apply the clear provisions of sections 49, 52(2), 138(2) and 155 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) but relied solely on Card Reader accreditation as the basis for holding that there was over-voting and therefore cancelled the election in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa LGAs in the 11th and 25th April, 2015 Abia State Governorship election.”

    The appellants noted that ‎”in instant case, where the 1st and 2nd respondents (Otti and APGA) sought for nullification of votes from Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa North LGAs of Abia State in relation to matters or events that took place at the Polling Units, they must produce evidence of eye witnesses who saw it all on the days of elections well as tender primary Unit results of documentary evidence in relation to the questioned Local Government Areas.

    “The Court of Appeal found as a fact (as did the tribunla) that the State Returning Officer had no powers to cancel results in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa North LGAs.

    “By the findings (in Paragraph iii) above, all the allegations of malpractice and non-compliance asbasis of results by the Returning Officer needed to be proved. No proof was offered and the Court of Appeal did not refer to any.”

    Their letter reads in part:”‎Bearing in mind the fact that INEC itself is a party to the processing as, and would also be a party to the appeal which would definitely be filed on behalf of our client immediately on receipt of the judgment of the court of appeal, may we urge on INEC to resist any invitation by anybody or from any quarter to do anything that would work contrary to the clear and express provisions of both the constitution and electoral act in respect of the res (subject) of the appeal particularly, the position of the governor of Abia State, which our client occupies.

    “Also, under section 143(2) of the electoral act, 2010 (as amended), our client has the statutory right to remain in office pending the expiration of the period within which an appeal shall be filed, assuming without conceding that he does not even want to lodge an appeal against the decision of the court of appeal. Upon filing his notice of appeal, our client is also constitutionally entitled to remain in office until the Supreme Court decides and pronounces on his appeal.

    “That what is causing the delay against the filing of the notice and grounds of appeal against judgment is the failure of the court to avail both our client and our humble selves of a copy of its judgment, even as at the time of writing this letter, and despite demands.‎”‎

     

  • Appeal Court sacks Abia governor Ikpeazu

    Appeal Court sacks Abia governor Ikpeazu

    Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, yesterday nullified the election of Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    It declared Dr. Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the election, which was conducted last year.

    The court held that Otti scored the highest valid votes of 164,332 as against 114,444 scored by Ikpeazu.

    Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge,  Justice Oyebisi Omoleye,  ruled that there were established cases of over-voting and allocation of votes in favour of the PDP candidate in three local government areas of Isi-Alangwa, Osisioma and Obingwa.

    She ruled that the court decided to council the election in the three council areas as a result of the anomalies.

    The judge said: “After subtracting the votes from the Isi-Alangwa, Osisioma, Obingwa,  the PDP candidate is left with a total votes of 114,444, while the APGA candidate has 164,332 votes and should be returned as the rightful winner of the election.  Subsequently, the judgment of the tribunal, which upheld the election of the PDP candidate, is hereby set aside.”

  • Ikpeazu ‘ll not be distracted by opposition, says aide

    Ikpeazu ‘ll not be distracted by opposition, says aide

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s media aide Ben Onyechere spoke with reporters in Umuaiha, the state capital, on efforts by the administration to reposition the Southeast state.

    What should the people of Abia State expect from the  lkpeazu’s administration..

    Governor lkpeazu’s government holds the promises of a liberalised polity such that exudes confidence in the individual capacity to realize set goals and maximize potentials. He has infused the hope of restoration of past glory  while demystifying power. The fundamental philosophy of his government is in the sense of urgency to reverse the decadent infrastructural collapse  particularly on roads and filth. The reason behind the haste is to provide enabling environment for economic growth particularly in the enhancement of employment generation capacity of existing businesses.

    What is the security situation in Abia?

    The major reason for insecurity is the absence of sense of direction or hopelessness. The government has expressed willingness to develop every segment of the society along with its programs whereby there is adequate dissemination   of information on government activities. Recently the government had released vehicles and other security gadgets to police as well as other security agencies in addition to subventions that are provided on regular basis. Security is not all about chasing people from pillar to post, which is the reason the government is concentrating on building non existing structures  to encourage self actualization and determination.

    The opposition is accusing governor of selective development. How true is this?

    The few opposition figures who are still hanging around have lost their track and are holding to any thing to survive. The governor’s developmental strategy is massive as it is rapid such that it is impossible to discriminate or delineate infrastructural development. The development of Abia is holistic as it is genuine and transparent, which is the reason opposition has given way in abia. The reconstruction of Uzu Abam-Arochukwu Road, which had been abandoned in a long time among others is one veritable example. The reclassification of education and health facilities exemplifies the government’s intention to re engineer amenities and the societal values.

    The opposition has appealed against the governor’s victory. Is the governor not disturbed?

    The governor is neither disturbed nor distracted because a clear conscience fears no accusation. It is surprising that the opposition can go on appeal after disparaging and casting several aspersions  on the integrity of the judiciary. The governor’s victory is no secret because Apga had been dismantled before election as a result of the imposition of Otti against the collective will of the former members for which reason they voted overwhelmingly for PDP in Abia.

     

  • Ikpeazu: Combining physical and stomach infrastructure

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State may have drawn from recent history to drive the two concepts of physical infrastructure and stomach infrastructure simultaneously. He is running on the two lanes; building the badly dilapidated roads of Abia and particularly renewing the city of Aba and at the same time building human capacity by attending to the people’s immediate needs.  Two of his pet projects – the Friends of Abia Schools Adoption Initiative (FASAI) and Feeding of School Pupils obviously fall in the line of stomach infrastructure.

    Indeed, until Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State popularized the concept of stomach infrastructure and drove on that plank to oust an incumbent governor out of power, Nigerians never knew the dangers of ignoring the concept and the inherent power and goodwill derivable from the practice for a leader. It is today a proven theory that upholding the practice of stomach infrastructure must be an essential character of a political leader and political leadership in Nigeria of today.  It has since entered into our political books that the victory of Fayose over the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi in the June 21, 2014, was the vindication of the wisdom in stomach infrastructure.

    The lesson that emerged thereafter from the Ekiti scenario was that, for effective and impactful political leadership, both physical and stomach infrastructure must be given due consideration by any leader who wants to remain a legend in the hearts of the citizenry. The two are meaningful goals of democracy and therefore none must be emphasized above the other. The two must run concurrently. Okezie Ikpeazu got this message, loud and clear.

    What then is physical infrastructure as against stomach infrastructure? Physical infrastructure relates to the building of physical projects – roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, monumental buildings, etc. Today, Ikpeazu is constructing 45 roads and two bridges in Abia and these  cut across the three geopolitical zones of the state. It is no more news, also, that he is constructing four roads in Aba with cement technology or what experts call, rigid pavement technology thereby blazing a trail as far as this technology is concerned in Nigeria. This is because apart from the airport tarmacs and factory platforms where big engines and machines are installed, cement technology is not yet a common experience in Nigeria, especially in road construction. He is daring the nationwide economic crunch to execute this high cost intensive project at this straightened time.

    On the contrary,  stomach infrastructure  looks down to the people’s immediate needs: empowerment programme for unemployed youths and widows; maintenance assistance to the aged; health foundation to assist the poor; agric facilities for the rural poor farmers; skill acquizition centres for poor unskilled men and women; loan grants to enable them take off in little measure; direct food relief to the poorest of the poor; borehole in rural communities to  solve water scarcity problems;  establishment of small-scale cottage industries in the villages where the rural community can work and also acquire experience on how to produce minor things and many more.

    Indeed, it is from this perspective that the governor has launched his pet project of Feeding School Pupils in 170 primary schools in the state, three times a week. Under the Universal Basic Education provisions, the governor is driving a pilot arrangement of feeding primary school pupils three in 10 schools in the 17 local councils of the state. The pupils are to be fed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This action will have to be executed in schools in the rural areas with high indigent population. The target public is the poorest of the poor, pupils from indigent homes who study under very unhealthy situations. The governor wants to create an enabling environment for them and share his little milk of human kindness.

    Also, as part of his 51st birthday celebration, the governor also launched the school adoption initiative and invited the friends of Abia to come and rediscover their roots and give back to the communities that made them by adopting indigent pupils and volunteering to renovate the dilapidated structures of the schools. This project is a novel idea which is a bit different from government tradition of renovating and equipping primary schools in rural, urban and semi-urban areas.  The approach is to identify the worst primary schools in each of the local councils and give them a facelift with the hope that when the worst of these schools are upgraded, the effect on the entire primary school system will be enormous.

    The governor regretted that the primary schools which form the base of the entire school system have long been  neglectted  for long due to a number of factors, which   include lack of Old Boys Association, Parents Teachers Association etc. He noted that pupils in these schools are exposed to extreme weather conditions including sitting on bare floors. Thus, the aim is to use the project to turn around the poorest primary schools across the state. The project is designed to give hope to pupils from poor schools by getting well-to-do individuals within and outside the state to adopt such schools and in the process enhance their fortunes and by extension the intellectual horizon of the benefiting pupils. Most of the influential members of the public are products of these schools which in their heydays were glorious institutions. Ikpeazu’s motive in this project is to provide an opportunity for these notable citizens to give back to the society, in this case, the schools that produced them.

    In the same vein, the governor also announced a N20,000 monthly stipend for the first 125 intakes of the newly commissioned Skill Acquizition Centre built by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) at Otueke in Ugwunagbo Local Council of the state.  His wife is also running another pet project, Vicar Hope Foundation, through which she is attending to the immediate needs of widows, the handicapped and the less privileged in the society.

    Stomach infrastructure, indeed is a moral suasion which is about giving governance a human face.  It is about understanding the bottom-top, gradual approaches in developmental strides. It is about carrying everybody along, everyone in his own pace. By identifying the need for a convergence between physical and stomach infrastructure in Abia State, Governor Ikpeazu is interspersing power with remorse. Remember Shakespeare? “The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.”

    Adindu is Chief Press Secretary to Abia governor.

  • Ikpeazu urges Corps members to learn skills

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has warmly welcomed the latest batch of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to be posted to the state, urging them to avail themselves of the opportunities to acquire entrepreneurial skills.

    He was speaking during the inauguration of the Batch B, Stream 2 Corps members in the state.

    The event took place at the NYSC Camp, Umunna in Bende Local Government Area of the state, where Ikpeazu said the era when government employed every graduate has gone. He advised them to aim at being employers of labour instead of job seekers.

    The governor said, “I urge you to explore the numerous opportunities that abound in the state and actualise your dreams by focusing on all the positive things that are in the camp which will come handy during your service year.

    “I advise you to do away with all negative ideas about Abia State and Igbo in general and make good use of this great opportunity your deployment to the state will offer, as our people are kind-hearted.”

    He praised the managers of the NYSC scheme for enriching and diversifying it to meet the challenges of nation building through several innovative ventures like the skill acquisition and entrepreneurial development programme.

    Ikpeazu said, “I am aware that the new scheme is geared towards making young graduates job creators and employers of labour instead of job seekers through which they could take the unemployed youths off our streets.”

    The Director General (DG) of NYSC, General Johnson Olawumi warned against indiscipline, which he said will not be tolerated.

    He told the Corps members, “You are advised to read the orientation guide given to you for better understanding.”

  • Ikpeazu’s wife advocates regular diabetes check

    Ikpeazu’s wife advocates regular diabetes check

    Wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu has urged residents to maintain healthy eating habits in addition to regular medical checkups to reduce the prevalence of diabetes in the state.

    Speaking in Umuahia, the state capital, during the celebration of 2015 World Diabetes Day, Mrs. Ikpeazu said that diabetes has become a global challenge caused by poor nutrition and lifestyle among the people.

    Mrs Ikpeazu said that many of those suffering from diabetes do not know they are carriers and often attribute their illness to supernatural causes and end up with quack medicine men.

    The governor’s wife noted that her office is giving more impetus to the awareness through radio jingles and sensitization materials to Abians, adding that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is determined to kick out every pandemic that will affect the population of the state.

    In his own speech the chairman of the occasion, and permanent secretary, Ministry of health, Mr. Nkwachukwu Agomoh expressed happiness at the efforts of the wife of the Governor towards ensuring qualitative health for women and all the people of Abia State.

    Agomoh said that the state government has given a lot of support to the Health Ministry to bring back health institutions to standard and to provide adequate health care for Abians.

    National President of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria Professor Sunday Chinenye who delivered a lecture on the theme ‘Healthy Living Keeps Diabetes Away’ said the Diabetes Association of Nigeria chose to mark the annual event in Abia State.

    Prof Chinenye said that Abia is one of the most healthcare-friendly states in the country and gave kudos to the government for pursuing and implementing several healthcare programs that would guarantee improved health for the people.

    The event featured diabetes screening for several hundred Abians from all walks of life including police men and their other security colleagues among others.

  • Enyimba dedicate title to Ikpeazu

    Enyimba dedicate title to Ikpeazu

    Enyimba have said that without their sports -loving Governor of Abia

    State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and their ever supportive fans all over the nation and abroad it won’t have been possible winning their seventh league title and have decided to dedicate their latest crown to them for their sterling contributions to the team aspirations.

    The People’s Elephant emerged as the league winners with a game to spare after they played a barren draw against Warri Wolves on Sunday in Aba.

    In an interview with SportingLife the Chairman of the Aba giants, Felix Anyansi Agwu said the contribution of the governor of the state in the Enyimba’s seventh league title has been unprecedented and that dedicating the league crown to him is just a token of their appreciation for his sterling contributions.

    Anyansi Agwu also hailed the significant role their fans played in ensuring that the team remained consistent to their objective throughout the season.

    “He was picked up as shepherd of sheep and was raised to be one of the greatest kings of Israel. I share the same grace… Today’s league title will be dedicated to our Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. He believed in our ability to deliver and this motivated us to set a new record of being the first club to win the league on seven occasions.

    “Our ever supportive fans who believe in our ability and stood by us throughout the season.

    “I thank God for His grace on our coaches, players and other officials of the team. We have set a lot of precedent for others to follow. We were the first to win the league for straight seasons and we were also the first to break the CAF Champions League jinx when we won it in 2003 and also became the first to successfully defend it in Africa. We did that in 2004.

    “This season’s league makes it 27 titles that we have won over the years. It is unprecedented,” Anyansi Agwu told SportingLife.