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Tag: Imo

  • N305m largesse in Imo

    On Democracy Day, the Imo State government handed out N305 million to youths to help them start their businesses. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    It was perhaps the perfect gift for 305 youths from each of the state’s wards. They got N1 million each, totaling N305 million. It was part of activities marking this year’s edition of the Democracy Day celebrations in Imo State.

    The empowerment programme was in line with the state government’s promise to empower youths in the state.

    As they filed out to receive the bold dummy check, the gait of the benefiting youths, betrayed the kind of confidence that can only be induced by a sense of financial security.

    For majority of them, the thought of owning a tax-free N1 million which has automatically lifted them to the status of ‘millionaires’, was unimaginable and this explains the thunderous jubilation that greeted the cheque presentation at the Heroes Square in Owerri.

    The massive venue was filled to capacity for the Democracy Day celebration. The parade by various security agencies was dutifully observed while the charged crowd was treated to a variety of music and cultural performances.

    At the announcement of the largesse, the huge crowd rose up in ecstasy, breaking out in different directions. The question on every lip in the heat of the excitement was the identity of the beneficiaries and how they were selected.

    The ‘young millionaires’ were selected through balloting at their various wards. This was in line with the state government’s promise to create millionaires among the youths.

    Presenting the cheques to the youths Governor Okorocha said his intention was to totally wipe out poverty in the state, assuring that he would personally mentor the beneficiaries to ensure that they become “comfortable millionaires at the end of the day”.

    He advised them against using the money for pleasure.

    The Governor enjoined them “to take off with the grant and become great in business,” stating that “most millionaires today didn’t start business with up to one million naira”.

    He expressed joy at the growing level of economic activities in the state.

    The Governor had previously   empowered three thousand and fifty women with ten each from the 305 wards with N100,000.

    He said he would produce as many millionaires as possible before the expiration of his second tenure in 2019.

    He said, “The various empowerment initiatives of the Rescue Mission is to ensure that wealth is returned to the people and to buoy the economy of the state. We are also using the empowerment of the youths to fight militancy, kidnapping and all manner of youth restiveness and it is already yielding results because today, Imo State is one of the safest states in the Federation.

    “We will also continue to create an enabling environment to do business in the state through the provision of infrastructure and security.

    On the Democracy Day Celebration, the Governor stated that “I am here because you have made it possible. I’m here standing as the Governor of Imo State because you all have voted me as governor. We are here gathered to celebrate democracy which is government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is the day of liberation. This is the day when the masses had a voice over the governed. This is your day because those ballot papers you have in your hand is the power with which you decided who must govern you at every level of government”.

    According to him “may I, at this point congratulate the founding fathers of this great nation who have brought democracy to be. Though we have not gotten it absolutely right in democracy practices, but there is light at the dark end of the tunnel. I believe that one day Nigeria’s democracy will surpass that of the perfect American democracy”.

    He added further that, “Let me again at this point congratulate and appreciate the founding fathers of Imo State of which if they had not been governors at particular times, maybe I wouldn’t have been a governor. I remember vividly the Sam Mbakwes, the Udenwas, the Ohakims, the Enwerems and all the military administrators that have governed this State before I emerged as a governor. I’m a governor elected under the platform of APC and APGA in the first instance and may I say to all of you that I’m very happy to be part of this democracy day which you have made possible.

    “You may all recall that I became the Governor of Imo State under unusual circumstances in 2011 when no one believed that a man could rise from nowhere and become a governor without the support of the political juggernauts and the big wigs in politics. I became a governor by the help of the masses and ordinary people. Therefore, I tag my government the government of the ordinary people by ordinary people and for ordinary people.

    “At this point, it is important that we look at what has been done down the line. I recall that light came in 2011 and since then darkness has not been able to comprehend it. I came on a single mission to rescue my people from ignorance, poverty and deceit. That is the anchor of my government and I call it Imo Rescue Mission. May I sound boisterous that from 2011, Imo is indeed better. We may not have been where we want to be, but there is a dramatic transformatory and geometrical change in Imo State.

    “Six years ago, security in the State was a serious problem, kidnapping and armed robbery became the order of the day including child trafficking. Darkness was the order of the day. With the coming of the Rescue Mission administration, there is a better security arrangement than it has ever been since the creation of this State.

     

  • Succour for the weak in Imo

    Succour for the weak in Imo

    To be unable to walk is bad enough; to be without any form of aid at all multiplies the torture. But for 80 physically challeneged persons in Imo State, help has come, thanks to Babcock University working in conjunction with a United States-based organisation.

    Succour came for the 80 when the university handed over wheelchairs to them.

    The programme was carried out the university’s free wheelchair mission done in collaboration with a faith-based organisation in the United States of America, the Grace Project, which is involved in medical missions across the world and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

    Hundreds of disabled people under the aegis of the People Living With Disabilities (PLWD), an umbrella body of physically challenged persons, converged at the venue of the event, earlier than the scheduled time.

    Some were brought by their children or relatives who pushed them on their rickety wheelchairs to the premises of the Adventist Church were they gathered in small groups to discuss their fate and the magnanimity of the group.

    Others sat in solitary, apparently thinking of what life could be beyond crawling along in wheelchairs and standing on one’s feet.

    That was the mood before the coordinator and Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost College of Medicine of the Babcock University, Prof. Iheanyichukwu Okoro, announced the commencement of the programme. Within a twinkle of an eye, hundreds of people living with different disabilities had besieged the place, including the blind, the deaf and dumb, cripples, among others.

    Explaining the initiative, the Professor of Medicine, disclosed that Babcock University an affiliate of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, has been involved in annual medical mission since the last seven years.

    According to him, “the University in collaboration with our partners abroad, sourced for and imported 1000 pieces of wheelchairs to Nigeria to give to the physically challenged people to alleviate their plight. We have covered all the states in the West and we are set to cover the entire country.

    “We made provisions for the disabled people who need the wheelchairs but the turnout of people with other disabilities, means that we will have to make provisions other than the wheelchairs for other categories of the physically challenged persons, like the blind ones and the deaf and dumb people”.

    He revealed further that, “the University with the assistance of our foreign partners has spent about 50 million dollars in medical missions across the country in the last seven years”.

    Responding on behalf of the disabled people’s group, the Southeast coordinator of the PLWD, Ikechukwu Ukeje, commended the University for assisting people living with disabilities in the country, adding that such gesture goes a long way to alleviate the sufferings of the disabled people and give them a sense of belonging.

    According to him, “we are happy and grateful with this group as a result of its genuineness because some groups have defrauded us and made millions of naira by posting our videos to their partners abroad. But today we have seen an entirely different setup and we are happy and we pray that God will continue to bless the University and the Church”.

    He appealed to other public organizations to continue to assist disabled people by providing them with mobility aids and other items needed to make live easy for them.

    The resident Pastor of the Church, Pastor Ephraim Okpulor, described the gesture as an act of God, “we are happy that the University has remembered Imo State. It is biblical to help the less privileged and I encourage those in privileged positions to always remember this category of people and come to their aid as often as they can. This is important because they did not choose to be the way they are”.

    Some of the beneficiaries commended the University for their Magnanimity, while praying to God to reward for that act of love and kindness.

    For Victor Agujiegbe, a crippled teenager, “I have never seen this kind of programme before, it is very orderly and we have been treated with so much respect. I am so relieved receiving this new wheelchair because the one I have been using is very old and it has become so difficult for me to move around but now going about we no longer be a problem. I am very grateful”.

  • Okorocha receives new Brigade Commander, charges him on patriotism

    Okorocha receives new Brigade Commander, charges him on patriotism

    Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo  said on Wednesday  government would partner the military for effective security in the state.

    Okorocha made the assertion when he received the new Commander, 34 Field Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Brig. Gen. Hamza Bature.

    The governor  admonished him to equally work with passion to succeed.

    He said that he perceived a connection between him and the army chief which was a passion to strive to succeed and added that people of the state were very paramount to him.

    “The contact I have with anyone that comes to serve here is the people of Imo state and that is the spirit with which I speak.

    “I always maintain that my people come first before anything else; the people remain the pivot upon which the rescue mission agenda rotates.

    “My principle word as a governor is what can I do to effect positive change in the lives of my people,” he said.

    Okorocha said he had hunger for success and that in spite of the huge development his administration had effected, he was still not yet satisfied.

    “Because I have not got the Imo state of my dream; I am not working with the mindset of  this being a government job.

    ”I take it as a personal business held in trust for the people which must succeed,” he said.

    Responding, Bature said the visit was to officially present himself to the governor as the new commander and also to solicit government`s support in ensuring security in the state.

    “Our operation is guarded by the constitution and the trust of our operation has been captured in the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, encapsulated to have a professionally positive army discharging its constitutional roles,” he said.

    Bature pledged his  support to the government and people of Imo towards securing a peaceful and crime-free state.

  • Relief for indigent patients in Imo

    Relief for indigent patients in Imo

    ‘I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home’.

    ‘I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home’

    For months they were not allowed to go home after they were treated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri. Why? They could not pay their medical bills. The stranded patients, Derek Peter and parents, Francis Victoria, Chinonyerem Rejoice and newborn Eliezer Chibiko, and their parents had to contend with the unfriendly antics of the nurses, who treated them like inmates in a prison facility.

    While their parents ran from pillar to post to raise the money and free their loved ones, the children played away their time in the hospital ward, trying to get used to their new environment. Some visiting clerics encouraged them to be hopeful. A miracle could happen.

    And it has, just when they least expected it. Not only were their bills paid, they were given enough money for their upkeep.

    The haste with which they packed their belongings and hurried out of the hospital ward spoke volumes about their relief after a nine-month ordeal.

    The journey to freedom for the indigent patients started on a note of coincidence. That fateful evening, the Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, was informed by one of his aides that his little child was hospitalised after suffering burns when she accidentally threw boiling water on herself. Moved by the story, the Deputy Governor left for the hospital almost immediately to see for himself. On getting to the ward where the little girl was admitted, the sight of the disenchanted patients who were huddled at a corner of the room with their parents caught his attention. He beckoned on one of the women and asked why they were looking dejected.

    On learning that they had been held in the hospital for up to nine months for not offsetting their bills, Madumere who was accompanied by his wife, asked that all their bills running into hundreds of thousands of naira be calculated and he wrote out a cheque and that settled it.

    Recounting her ordeal, one of the patients, Mrs, Eunice Chibiko, who was in the hospital with her newborn baby after she had a Caesarean section, stated that she had committed her case to God after her husband and relatives abandoned her.

    “I can’t thank God enough for what he has used the Deputy Governor to do for me and my baby,” she said. “We were like slaves here. They had discharged us and didn’t have beds anymore. We just slept on any available space on the floor. At a time I was afraid that my baby may be infected. Life was hell for me in the last five months. But today I am happy that my suffering has come to an end and I am going home”.

    She continued that, ”not only that I am going home, but I have enough money that will help me take care of my baby until I am strong enough to resume my petty trading”.

    Also speaking, one of the nurses, who didn’t want her name mentioned, described the act as commendable.

    She said, ”We actually felt for the patients but there is little or nothing we could do to help them.  It was a management decision that patients who can’t pay their bills after they have been discharged should not be allowed to go until the bills are paid. We used to allow them to go before but they don’t come back to pay. So what the Deputy Governor has done today has relieved not just the patients but the hospital staff as well”.

    Madumere who took time to chat with the patients, advised them not to give up to despair but should remain positive about life.

    The Deputy Governor encouraged Nigerians to extend a hand of charity to those who do not have. He described the act of giving as the duty God has commissioned man to do, adding, “giving brings about fulfillment since riches mean nothing when the needy are not given hope”.

  • Imo CP commiserates with FRCN over death of staff

    Imo CP commiserates with FRCN over death of staff

    The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Mr. Chris Ezike, has commiserated with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) over the death of its staff, Mr. Eddy Anyanwu.

    Ezike confirmed the news of the death of Anyanwu to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri on Wednesday.

    He said that Anyanwu’s death was a big blow to both FRCN, his family and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the late Anyanwu slumped at the Imo Trade and Investment Centre on Monday.

    He was covering a meeting between Valentine Ntomchukwu, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of South-East zone, and eminent personalities in the state.

    Anyanwu was rushed to Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, with the assistance of the police but was confirmed dead in the early hours of Wednesday.

    The late Anynawu, who hailed from Ezinihite in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo, was until his death, a presenter at the FRCN office.

    The Commissioner of Police described him as a committed and hardworking journalist who took his duties very seriously.

    “The news of Anyanwu’s death came to me as a big shock.

    “I want to condole with FRCN and his entire family and pray that God will give them the fortitude to bear the great loss,” he said.

  • Women get loans in Imo

    Women get loans in Imo

    No fewer than 110 women in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State have been presented with N100,000 cheques each as soft loans to help them start their businesses. The women were selected across the 11 political wards in the council. The loan has an interest of seven per cent.

    Speaking while presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries at the Njaba Council Secretariat in Nnenasa, the state governor Rochas Okorocha said the sum of N1 billion has been set aside for the empowerment of women in the state. He said that the initiative was to stimulate economic activities within the state.

    The governor, who was represented by the Chairman of the Imo State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) and state Development Council coordinator for Njaba council, Mrs. Henrietta Jacobs, said “the loan is being disbursed to at least 10,000 women who are involved in small and medium enterprises across state”.

    Okorocha prided that the State in the last six years has risen from 23rd position to third position in the national development index.

    He attributed the feat to the free education programme of his administration, which has made education in the state owned free from primary to university level.

    “Today, Imo women are no longer selling their wrappers, their goats and domestic animals in order to pay their children’s school fees, and today also, despite the dwindling inflow of revenue to the state, the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led administration still considers it expedient to give out N100, 000 loan to each of these Imo women,” he said.

    Okorocha further disclosed that more women would be accommodated in the second and third phases of the programme to bring the number of beneficiaries to 10,000.

    The governor hinted that his intention was to eliminate poverty and boost the local economy by making the women in the state self-reliant.

    He advised the beneficiaries to endeavour to put the loan facility into useful ventures so as to be able to pay back and get a bigger amount in return.

    Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Akowuchi Juliet from Okwudor and Mrs. Adaku Mbagwu, from Ibele Umuaka expressed their gratitude to Governor Okorcha for the initiative.

    They said the programme would assist them in their various businesses and reduce poverty in the state, “particularly amongst women that constitute the larger percentage of the population in the state”.

    They promised to pay back the loan within the stipulated time.

  • Imo re-born

    Imo re-born

    At their Freedom Square, Imo State residents marked their Freedom Day but they also freely aired their grievances against their government, reports OKODILI NDIDI.

    ‘Some of you are angry with me or my political appointees, some are not happy with the way their traditional ruler or stakeholders in their communities have dealt with them. Some of you are not happy with the way the police arrested you and have not had the opportunity to express your feelings; this is the reason for this Freedom Square. I want to provide for all Imolites a forum to express themselves so that we can build a society full of trust and hope. This Freedom Square has been dedicated as a free zone to all Imolites to come and speak their minds without having the fear of being molested or arrested’

    Imo State has its own version of October 1, and it is May 6. Governor Rochas Okorocha said it marked the state’s redemption from the clutches of godfathers, among other liberties. To boot, the state also has a freedom square, where in the tradition of such squares, residents are free to rail against the government or anybody whatsoever without fearing any backlash. At this year’s edition, much of such railing took place, but they were amicably resolved. Perhaps, that is the greatest thing about the rebirth of Imo. Before this dispensation, there was no such thing.

    Before the Freedom Day, people are informed through state media to go to their council headquarters or the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat to collect complaint forms and write down their petitions or complaints and submit them at the venue of the event or even before. On May 6 more than 1000 complaints were received and read out by the state chairman of the NUJ, Sir Innocent Igwe to the hearing of the entire crowd. The accused were called to put up their defence, while others were called to personally make their complaints right before those who offended them.

    One of the most outstanding cases that was heard and treated at the event was that of land grabbing brought against the governor by a medical practitioner, Dr. Chukwujindu Felix, who accused him of taking his land for the Eastern Palm University without his consent or any form of compensation.

    The governor was invited to defend himself and after extensive cross-examination of complainant and defendant, it was discovered that the governor actually followed due process in acquiring the land for the private university. Nonetheless, the chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri was mandated to carry out further investigation to ascertain the authenticity of the man’s claim in order to ensure that he is adequately compensated.

    Other matters handled that day also included the non-payment for some of the contracts done for the state government, Marker Union crisis, kingship and communal land disputes, among others, were also amicably resolved to the satisfaction of all parties and the day ended happily for everyone.

    This year’s edition is the sixth. The people came together to take stock and reappraise their fate under the new destiny, to know if they are genuinely free from the ills of the past that triggered the historic revolution that changed the political course of the state on May 6, 2011.

    The people on that day rose up with insurmountable strength and spoke with one voice against a formidable force propelled by the then government of Ikedi Ohakim, which the people resisted and sacked because of alleged anti-people policies.

    It was the day of the supplementary election between Governor Rochas Okorocha, the then unpopular candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the then incumbent Governor Ohakim. The people showed uncommon boldness and stood their ground that they wanted a change.

    That was about the first time that an incumbent governor in Nigeria was to be roundly defeated in an election by a candidate that was largely adjudged as an underdog. The common people filed out and with their bare hands challenged and defeated the armed agents that wanted to subvert their will.

    The beneficiary of that resolve of spirit is Governor Okorocha who in the memory of the sacrifice of the people instituted the Imo Freedom Day as a time to reflect of the new political journey that started on the 6th of May 2011.

    That day, indigent women, students, artisans, civil servants all came out to celebrate the aspects of their public and private lives that have been affected by the achievements of the government, ranging from the free education programme, infrastructural development, and improved healthcare delivery system, among others.

    Speaking in an emotion-laden voice at the event,  the governor recounted how he overcame ‘tremendous’ odds to win the 2011 governorship election against an incumbent governor.

    He recalled that his governorship ambition was greeted with widespread rejection. “I was totally rejected by every group that could make one win an election but I remained determined and focused,” he said.

    He said, “When I started the journey, there was no politician of note that was with me. The elites rejected and abandoned me and it took the resolve of the common people, the market women, the artisans, the keke riders and the disabled people for me to win that election even when all the apparatus of government, including the Police, Army, DSS, INEC were against me.

    “The idea of May 6 as the Imo Freedom day is that it was on that day in 2011 that the complimentary election that brought me to office was held. The powers that be actually wanted to use the complimentary election to steal my mandate but the common people resisted them and insisted that their votes must count. Some of them lost their lives, while others were wounded. So that is why we have set today aside as the day Imo people became free from political, social and spiritual slavery brought upon them by the selfish politicians who held the state hostage for a long time”.

    Speaking further, Okorocha said, “Before I was elected governor, Imo State was under spiritual and financial bondage. The State was dedicated to and ruled by deities and the people were in captivity but my victory rescued the State and her people from all forms of oppression”.

    He asserted that his election was a turning point in the political history of the state, adding that he defied the rejection of godfathers to beat an incumbent governor.

    He said, “I never benefitted from the politics of godfathers. When I came to run election for the governorship in the state in 2011 I was literally rejected by who is who in the political equation of the State. No single politician of note was standing with me. This was perhaps the only election in the history of Nigeria that was won through the support of the ordinary people and not by the support of political elite, security agencies and moneybags”.

    He continued: “My victory came from God and the people. And that is why I have been saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that I fulfill that which I promised my God to make life better for the ordinary man and release them from captivity. That is my journey and that is my story. And those of you who had followed me could recall that in the political history of Nigeria there had been nothing like Supplementary election till my own election”.

    He added further that, “my understanding of Supplementary election is do all things possible to prevent Rochas from becoming the governor of Imo State. This is the meaning of Supplementary election which today is holding Nigeria in political bondage. It took the intervention of the masses to force INEC to do the needful in declaring me governor. That was my story and this was the struggle. Exactly on the 6thof May 2011 the mandate given to me by the people spoke against all forces in the state.

    “Today I remain grateful to all Imolites especially those seen as nobody in the state because they are the reason I became the governor. I promise that I will continue to do all within my powers to make Imo State great and lift it higher as a sign of appreciation for all the support I have received from the masses. I remain eternally grateful to the people of Imo State.

    “One of my greatest challenges when I was sworn in 2011 was realising that my people were in bondage both spiritual and physical. People never believed that anything good or better can come from politicians. When you call somebody a politician, the first thing that will come to your mind is a person who promises and will never do; a criminal or a thief, probably a man who hires thugs and molests his political enemies. This was the people’s definition of Imo Politicians at that time. I swore to make a change in the system and that was how what we are celebrating today became possible.

    “I try to use this Freedom Square to dramatise what I saw in Imo State when I came in. The statue demonstrates a man who has endured untold hardship, ignorance, lack, systematic poverty, living in a society that is morally bankrupt; that was the situation of Imo State when I came. People were about to give up on politicians and leadership because of the sufferings and deceits but a hand of help came. This is what we are celebrating today as rescue mission.

    “Today opportunity has come for you to express yourselves on those things that have bothered you and kept us in chain all this while. This is the true meaning of Imo Freedom Day. Some of you are angry with me or my political appointees, some are not happy with the way their traditional ruler or stakeholders in their communities have dealt with them. Some of you are not happy with the way the police arrested you or for one thing or the other and have not had the opportunity to express your feelings; this is the reason of this Freedom Square. I want to provide for all Imolites a forum to express themselves so that we can build a society full of trust and hope. This Freedom Square has been dedicated as a free zone to all Imolites to come and speak their minds without having the fear of being molested or arrested.”

    Also speaking at the well-attended ceremony, the Deputy Governor of the State, Eze Madumere, who was remanded in Owerri prison for over two months during the build-up to the 2011 election by the then administration of Ohakim, expressed joy that the Rescue Mission Government has justified the sacrifice of the people of the state. He assured that the state government will continue to strive to meet the expectations of the people, adding that “the Rescue Mission Government will ever be grateful and indebted to the Imo people”.

  • Imo, Osun, Oyo top JAMB UTME exam applicants

    Imo, Osun, Oyo top JAMB UTME exam applicants

    Imo State has, for the second year running, topped the number of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) applications with 101,868 this year, the board’s registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, said yesterday.

    The registrar spoke at a briefing with reporters yesterday in Abuja ahead of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) billed to start on Saturday in 642 computer-based test (CBT) centres across the country.

    According to Oloyede, other states that topped the list of applicants are Osun, and Oyo, following the applications of statistics by state of origin.

    Oloyede said Osun recorded the second highest with 88,653 applications. Oyo had 87,811 applications.

    The JAMB registrar said Benue (68, 916), Kogi (70,150) and Kano (70,276) recorded the lowest applications.

    He added that the agency registered 1.7 million candidates – an increase of 464,287 candidates from last year’s 1.2 million registered candidates.

    Oloyede said: “As we set for the 2017 exercise, we have expanded on almost all the frontiers of the 2017 examinations. You may recall that last year, the examination was conducted in 524 centres. The 2017 UTME will hold simultaneously in 642 examination centres in Nigeria.

    “A total number of 1,736, 571 candidates have registered for the 2017 UTME.

    ”In the last UTME conducted in 2016, a total of 1,272,284 candidates registered for the 2015 UTME.

    “The figure for the 2017 UTME shows an increase of 464,287 applicants when compared with last year’s figure of 1,272,284.”

    He said JAMB was more prepared to conduct a successful UTME after learning lessons from the recent past.

    The JAMB registrar added that the board has made provisions for 321 visually impaired candidates to write the examination.

    “A total of 321 visually impaired candidates registered for this year’s examination and adequate arrangements have been provided to ensure that they partake in the examination.

    “It is the board’s desire to ensure that no candidate is deprived of taking its examination. The examination will be conducted using JAMB’s equal opportunity group, a group of experts in education, who have graciously assisted in the assessment exercise.

    “We have created 691,000 registration points instead of the previous less than 1000. This means that we have developed a system that would allow 69,1000 candidates to register in 10 minutes with our free access code granted to 100 points of registration at each centre, even if our plan was to register 50,000 candidates per day.

    ”We have started to install CCTV cameras at our test centres so that from the situation room, we can monitor what is going on across the country,” he said.

    Oloyede added that the organisation had successfully prosecuted two Nigerians who forged the board’s results and came for confirmation.

     

     

  • Police rescue three hostages from Imo forest

    The police command in Imo has rescued three kidnap victims, tied up in a forest in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo.

    The three unidentified people were abducted on May 6.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rescue followed a daring operation by the police early on Tuesday to rescue the abductees in a place called Avu Forest, near Owerri.

    Seven of the suspected kidnappers were captured in the operation, coordinated by the Imo Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Ezike.

    The Spokesman of the command, Mr Andrew Enwerem, told NAN that the bandits were over-powered by operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the command inside the forest.

    He said that the operatives came to face-to-face with the abductors in the forest, where they were holding their three victims, tied up on trees.

    Enwerem said that after a hand-to-hand encounter with the kidnappers, the hostages were untied and released unhurt.

    According to him, the police commissioner has directed a mop-up operation in the forest and other hot spots in Owerri.

    He assured residents of Imo that the police were committed to securing lives and property of people in the state.

     

  • Rev. Sister docked for defrauding students of N8.25m exam fees

    A Rev. Sister and Principal of School of Nursing, Umulogho in Imo, Eberechukwu Nwachukwu, was on Tuesday arraigned in Owerri for allegedly defrauding 25 students of N8.25 million.

    Nwachukwu is facing a nine-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and threat to life at an Obowo Magistrates’ Court.

    The students had reported a case of fraud against the school principal at the Police Area Command in Okigwe sometime in March.

    The students, in their petition, claimed that each of them paid N330,000 to the school management for Nursing and Midwifery Council Examinations, but their names were not forwarded to the appropriate quarters for the examination.

    Police Prosecutor Emmanuel Wonah said  the offences contravened provisions of the Criminal Code, Laws of Imo.

    Giving evidence at the trial, one of the complainants, Miss Amarachi Wokenna, told the court that she paid a total of N 330,000 to the school management as registration fee for the Nursing and Midwifery Council Examination.

    She said the principal acknowledged the payment by issuing a receipt to her.

    Wokenna said surprisingly the principal refused to forward her name to the council for the exam which held in April.

    Nwachukwu, however, denied the charges.

    In her ruling, the Magistrate, Mr M.O. Onyeweotu, granted her N500, 000 bail with two sureties and adjourned the case until June 29 for continuation of trial.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused will remain behind bars pending when her bail condition will be perfected.