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Tag: Imo

  • Home for 131 widows in Imo

    Home for 131 widows in Imo

    The lives of 131 indigent widows in Imo State will never be the same again. Gone are their pains, frustration and reproach. The joy of the women, who hitherto were homeless, knew no bounds when they suddenly woke up to become proud owners of well-furnished two-bedroom apartments, under the pet project of the wife of the Imo State Governor, Mrs. Nneoma Nkechinyere Okorocha.

    According to Mrs. Okorocha, the project christened She Needs a Roof Project (SNARP), which is in line with the Rescue Mission Agenda of the state government, was designed to ensure that at least one indigent widow in each of the 27 local government areas gets a one or two-bedroom apartment, depending on the size of her family.

    According to the governor’s wife, the project seeks to provide shelter for the poor families who live in shanties across the state. This aims at giving them a sense of belonging.

    At the end of the first phase of the project, some indigent widows were provided with decent houses.  One of the lucky beneficiaries is a 56-year-old widow, Mrs. Rose Nwachukwu from Ogwuokwu community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area.

    Left to cater for her family of six, Mrs. Nwachukwu lived in a decrepit structure that was barely habitable until the SNARP team discovered her during their tour of the local government area. Now, she is a proud owner of a fully furnished three-bedroom bungalow.

    Speaking during the hand-over of the building, the frail-looking widow who broke down in tears, said: “I still can’t believe that this is happening to me. I never thought I could one day live in a decent house, let alone owning a modern bungalow.

    “I cannot recount all that I went through living in that mud house since my husband died. The pains and reproach were unimaginable. Some people labeled me a witch, while many others avoided me and my children because of our level of poverty. But today, everything has changed and I am grateful to God and wife of our governor for rescuing me.”

    Another beneficiary, a 49-year-old widow, Mrs. Agnes Keke, from Umudurueke in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area, who almost took her life after her mud house caved in, now lives in a three-bedroom bungalow with all modern appliances that make life comfortable.

    For a 65-year-old widow, Mrs. Regina Opara, from Umuchioke in Ikeduru Local Government Area who lost her husband and three children at the same time, owning a building of her own still seemed illusory.

    “I lack words to describe how I feel owning a house. I became contented with the challenges of living in this decrepit mud house for years, having resigned to fate. But, today, I am free and I don’t have to be afraid each time it is about to rain.

    “I am happy to witness this day. I will die a fulfilled person. I just can’t thank our governor’s wife enough. I pray God to bless and reward her and her family,” she said.

    Another of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Stella Nworisha, a 31-year-old widow from Umugba community in Isu Local Government Area, has a pathetic story to tell. She said, she and her seven children, was squatting with a neighbour after the mud house she inherited from her husband was washed away by erosion. She now lives in her own two bedroom bungalow built by Mrs. Okorocha.

    Inaugurating some of the buildings at Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area, Governor Rochas Okorocha described the initiative as a right step towards eradication of poverty, which, he said, the government is committed to.

    He said the initiative was another way of appreciating the people, especially the less-privileged for their support for his administration in the last governorship election.

    Briefing reporters at the end of the first phase of the project, Mrs. Okorocha restated her determination to assist indigent widows through the project.

    She noted that a total of 131 poverty-ridden widows had so far received well furnished two-bedroom bungalows. She said her office had spent N391 million on the buildings.

    The governor’s wife further explained that as part of strategies to ensure that the project was not hijacked by politicians, an independent investigating team had been put in place to tour the 27 local government areas to find out those in need of shelter.

    She said: “There is no discrimination or favouritism in the implementation of SNARP because no government fun-ctionary is involved in it. It is clearly on merit.”

    She said funds for the execution of the project were personal funds, with volunt-ary donations from interested individuals as complements, adding that the project would be sustained after her tenure.

    She said: “My office does not receive allocation from the state government. I channel the little I have to solving the problems of the poor and the downtrodden. My husband has been involved in philanthropic activities as a result of his covenant with God. When he won the Imo State gubernatorial election in 2011, I got a better platform to continue with the humanitarian services my family has been known for.”

  • ‘Come home and see new Imo’

    ‘Come home and see new Imo’

    Imo State citizens in the Diaspora have been urged to come home for the festive periods, not only to visit their loved ones, but also to see the changes that have taken place and the fast rate of infrastructural development in the state courtesy of the ‘Rescue Mission’ of Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    Imo State Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere, who gave this advice during a facility tour of ongoing projects and inspection of the reconstruction of Oramiriukwa Bridge in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area, expressed satisfaction that the projects, when completed, will enhance the living condition of the people.

    “Christmas celebration in state last year witnessed what no Imolite had ever seen before. The difference was clear. The traffic jams in Owerri were things of the past. Today, we have created roundabouts and opened up the roads in a bid to decongest traffic.

    “Imo State is now the place to be. The hospitality here is second to none and we have put in place centres of tourists’ attraction.

    “Since 1979, every abandoned project has been completed. Examples are Concorde Avenue beside the Commissioners’ Quarters. The House of Assembly Complex used to be a den for robbers and hideout for kidnappers.

    “Today, those areas are new communities. The Rescue Mission came in and took up the projects that were abandoned since Sam Mbakwe’s time in 1979 because we believe they will be of interest to the well-being of the people.

    At present, we have the Heroes Square, Hero Villa and Avutu Poultry that had been abandoned for more than 30 years. Standard Shoes produce shoes that students in the state are using now.

    “The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC) buildings have been re-roofed and put to use. Civil Defence Corps occupies one and the other is being used by the officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    “Work on the fly over bridge initiated by former governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim is still in progress. We need to complete it and put it to use. The governor has said it over and over that we will complete every project we began.” Madumere said.

    Continuing, he said: “Funds for these projects are made available through planning and sacrifice.

    “We are sacrificing a lot and the leadership is focused. The leadership is visionary and knows where it is driving at.”

    The Deputy Governor spoke about other facilities.

    “Today, we have a new Treasury House, White House, Bongo Square, Freedom Square and the International Convention Centre. We have become the flagship of the East. All other eastern states clamour to hold events in the state. Conferences hold in the state and the mother of all carnivals is coming before the end of the year,” he said.

    Meanwhile, women under the aegis of Achi Progressive Union, Women Wing gathered in their numbers, adorning red blouses and red headgears on green George wrapper to visit the Deputy Governor. It was during the closing ceremony of this year’s August meeting. They presented him with a plaque in recognition of his contributions to the development of the state.

    The women, through their President-General, Mrs. Chioma Akalazu thanked him for living up to expectation in the quest to develop the state.

     

  • ‘Rescue Mission restoring hope, confidence of Imo people’

    ‘Rescue Mission restoring hope, confidence of Imo people’

    Imo State Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere has said the Rescue Mission is restoring hope and confidence of the indigenes.

    He said: “The story of what happened at the bank of Oramiriukwa is better experienced than imagined. It is a pathetic tale of one-time river of life that almost turned to river of death. River Oramiriukwa serves as the natural boundary between Ngor Okpala Local Government in Imo State and its sister councils of Owerri West and Owerri North. The river has been of great economic importance to the people of Owerri North and Ngor Okpala, particularly the people of Obibi-Ezena and Imeriegwe, but remotely with other states, such as Rivers and Abia.

    “It is a source of drinking water and other pecuniary purposes for the people. Farmers depend on the river for washing and processing of their farm produce, while the communities around the area also bank on the river for fishing.

    “Oramiriukwa River did not begin and end in Ngor Okpala and its neighbouring Owerri North, but links River State and other areas, thereby making its economic importance even more manifest. Oramiriukwa had a bridge across it, which was said to have been built in the colonial era. The bridge, which later collapsed, created an evergreen and robust socio-economic and political interaction among the communities in Imo State and its neighbouring states like Rivers and Abia states. This worthy relationship occasioned by socio- economic activities was bonded by the regional market called Orie Obibi at Obibi-Ezena.”

    The deputy governor at the weekend visited the area to ensure the rebuilding of the bridge began with the adjoining road network to re-link the neighbouring villages and towns

    The traditional ruler of Imerienwe autonomous community, Eze Andrew Njoku, hailed Governor Rochas Okorocha and his deputy, Prince Madumere, for their vision and determination to develop the state.

  • Imo elders to Jonathan: call PDP chieftains to order

    Imo elders to Jonathan: call PDP chieftains to order

    Elders in Imo State have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the breach of security in the state by personnel of the Presidency and chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    According to the Imo State Council of Elders (IMSCE), personnel in the Presidency and PDP chieftains displayed disregard for constituted authority by their unrestrained use of siren and motorbike outriders.

    The elders urged President Jonathan to intervene, “as the general elections are approaching.”

    They enjoined him to prevail on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the 2011 results of five wards in Oguta Local Government.

    The group’s accusations were contained in a statement by its chairman and a former deputy director-general, State Security Service (SSS), Prince Okey Njemanze.

    Njemanze, who said although security agencies maintained peace, added that danger was looming, following alleged security breaches by PDP politicians.

    Besides the use of siren and outriders, the elders cited alleged attack on Governor Rochas Okorocha during the funeral of Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.

    They also cited another incident, alleging that suspected thugs loyal to the PDP candidate in the Oguta election attacked the governor’s convoy, pulled down the outrider and disarmed a policeman.

    “If this lawlessness persists, as electioneering nears, there may be bloodbath among the aides loyal to political gladiators in the state,” Njemanze said.

    The elders attributed INEC’s refusal to declare the result of the 2011 House of Assembly election in five of the 198 wards in Oguta, won by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to the Presidency.

    According to the group’s chairman, INEC’s refusal to declare the results has left the area unrepresented in the Assembly for three years.

    The body faulted the Presidency for being silent on the status of a delegate to the National Conference, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, who despite being dethroned as the Chairman of the Imo Council of Traditional Rulers, paraded himself as a delegate to the National Conference.

  • My Marshal Plan for Imo, by aspirant

    My Marshal Plan for Imo, by aspirant

    Okey Ezeh is the CEO of Savvycorp Limited and Chairman of Okechukwu Theodore Ezeh Foundation (OTEF), a non-governmental organisation. In this interview with OLUKOREDE YISHAU, he says he has developed a Marshal Plan to improve the fortune of Imo State, which he hopes to govern on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Excerpts

    What is your assessment of the current state of affairs in Imo State?

    Imo State today is in economic dire-straits with no new meaningful private sector investments in the last three years; heavy debt overhang estimated to be in the region of N100 billion region, dwindling federal allocations owing to strangulating first-line charges on various loan repayment schedules; over 800,000 unemployed youths (by a recent National Employment Survey estimate);  rampant poverty; rising wave of crime and creeping insecurity; scandalous decline in educational quality with 11 faculties in the state university and the Polytechnic in Umuagwo unaccredited and the worst ever student performance in NECO and WAEC recorded in its history a few months ago.

    Worse still, there appears to be no coherent plan or programme designed towards ameliorating this state of anomie as the government of the day is busy executing white elephant projects such as street gates, roundabouts, squares, new government offices; quarters and inaugurating vigilance squads to the detriment of the productive sectors of the local economy which has been completely neglected.

    What are you going to do differently?

    I will immediately re-order priorities to squarely face the existential threat of poverty in the land. We will funnel resources away from non-regenerative, cosmetic schemes to agro-based industrialisation drive using the industrial cluster model that will be spread across the three zones of the state. We will run a transparent and accountable, value-for-money administration with zero-tolerance for corruption, ineptitude and cronism.

    This alone will free up huge resources that will be applied to harnessing our virtually limitless agricultural potential. I will invest in high-yield fertilisers and introduce organic, high-yield seedling varieties to not only shore up food security in the state but also to create the capacity required for the agro-industrial transformation of the state.

    I will bring back the Farm Settlements of the Michael Okpara era. I will revamp our near-comatose educational system with improved funding, better learning tools and training and re-training of teachers. I will attract grants for our tertiary institutions and enrol them in offshore support programmes, exchanges and linkages that will promote skills and knowledge transfer with institutions of international repute.

    Why should Imo people trust you?

    When your vision and ideas resonate with the direst needs and fondest desires of your people, when your track records illuminate your path like a brightly-lit stairway, when you have the creativity, character and conscience to pull consistently on the side of your people, you engender trust every step of the way-from Mbaitoli to Nwangele to Ihitte-Uboma to Ezinihitte and to the remotest clan in Imo. People hold out their hands to you and lock you in warm embrace.

    Why do you believe you have what it takes to govern a state like Imo with so many “big men”?

    Big men are not averse to progress. If anything, part of the process of belonging to that rarefied circle is the possession of a certain level of fastidiousness. That is, you don’t go near them with a plain vanilla offering or mediocrity. You must come with a premium package to gain their acceptance.

    Okey Ezeh is a thorough-bred professional and technocrat conversant with global best practices both in governance and private sector practice. He has the unique blend of skills, energy and drive to take Imo to the Promised Land.

    He is the only aspirant in the horizon that has fashioned out a critically-acclaimed developmental blueprint that will transform Imo from a backwater, allocation-dependent state to an agro-industrial powerhouse and third largest state economy (both by GDP and per capita income indices) within the next five years. That document is christened the I-Map (Imo Marshal Plan).

    What do you think are your chances of securing the APGA governorship ticket?

    You know our party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), arguably, has the best track record in internal democracy among all the parties in the country and that is the first guarantee we have that the most acceptable aspirant with the best prospects of leading the party to victory will emerge.

    In my own case, my aspiration is quickly crystallising into a mass movement not only within the rank and file of the party but also among the general Imo populace where we have a near-cult following among the youth and women groups, the key demographic strata that decide all elections.

    The simple reason is my age, personality, professional pedigree and  track-record which most Imolites agree all add up to the profile of the leader they look up to re-invent Imo in 2015.

    The Court of Appeal recently restored Victor Umeh as the National Chairman of APGA. What is the implication of that judgment? 

    It was salutary even if long-awaited. That judgment has provided the respite the party requires to forge ahead with planning for the forthcoming general elections. Members of APGA can now come together with confidence to fine-tune strategies not only for victory at the polls in several states where we are in the ascendancy but also for safeguarding such victories.

    Do you think APGA has a chance in Imo, with the APC as the ruling party and almost all the “big men” in PDP?

    All students of modern political history in Nigeria know that APGA always wins in Imo because the cockerel is the symbol that is intrinsically enshrined in the hearts of every Imolite. Forget all the propaganda; APC is like the proverbial seed that falls on parched ground and is scorched almost immediately it germinates.

    The Imo ‘big men’ you talk about in PDP, more often than not have APGA sympathies and pedigree. They are like Little Bo Peep in the popular English nursery rhyme that lost her sheep and did not know where to find them but would eventually come home wagging their tales behind them.

    What is your assessment of the Jonathan administration?

    In all fairness, the Jonathan administration has done reasonably well, given the difficult circumstances under which it has had to navigate the ship of state. If not for anything else, the administration is frontally tackling the hydra-headed energy monster with a focused implementation of the power sector reforms which I believe will define his legacy.

    One is also elated at his administration’s 35 per cent Affirmative Action Plan for women in politics as well as the 30 per cent Youth Empowerment Charter all of which I think will help re-define Nigeria as a country where anyone can live up to his or her full potential without the glass ceilings of gender or age.

    Do you think he has a chance in 2015?

    Oh yes. I think those who are right now mounting a spirited challenge to his continuing in office do not portend a better future for Nigeria and Nigerians. Most are mouthing inanities about zoning and flexing muscles about how far away power has wandered away from them rather than sell a superior governance vision to Nigerians. That is the surest guarantee that Jonathan will ride to victory in 2015.

  • Imo monarchs caution ‘deposed’ ruler

    The Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers warned yesterday the alleged deposed monarch and ex-Chairman of the council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya.

      The council accused him of flouting a directive of the government.

      The Chairman of the council, Eze Samuel Ohiri, said in a statement: “We observe with dismay that although Ilomuanya has been removed as the Eze, he still parades himself as the monarch of Obinugwu.

     “We heard that he has gone to court to challenge his dethronement. He is expected to wait for the outcome of his action.”

    The statement reads: “Cletus Ilomuanya has been removed as the chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers by the government. In doing that, the government followed due process. But he has refused to  respect that lawful action.

    “Ilomuanya has continued to parade as the Eze of Obinugu, moving round with the full regalia of a traditional ruler when he is not, with more than 100 armed mobile policemen he claims were assigned to him by the Presidency. This is impersonation and a threat to peace.”

  • Group praises Imo government

    Group praises Imo government

    A group under the aegis of  non-indigenes resident in Imo State has pledged its support for Imo State Governor Rochas  Okorocha and his deputy, Prince Eze Madumere over the their exemplary leadership qualities.

    The group, which paid a visit to the office of Deputy Governor, spoke through its  leader, Chief Nnadozie Udensi, commended the effort of the government in transforming the state. They noted that policies and programmes initiated by the two leaders in recent times have enhanced the economy of the state as business opportunities are springing up.

    Chief Udensi also praised the government’s ‘Rescue Mission’ in the areas of making education affordable for indigenes and reducing the tuition of non-indigenes by  50 per cent. The group, however, appealed to the governor to make education free for non-indigenes, saying they are part of Imo State by virtue of their business establishments and for having lived in the state for over 30 years with their families, which he said qualifies them as Imo citizenes.

    Chief Udensi, who extolled the virtues of Prince Madumere, described him as a man of humble disposition and transparent qualities.

    The group, which draws its members from every geo-political zone of the country, also praised Governor Okorocha for his unrivaled effort on security, which resulted in the safety of the people and economic progressive that is being experienced in the state. It promised its readiness to perform its obligations as required by law and other civic responsibilities in appreciation pledged its support for the administration.

    In response, Prince Madumere thanked the group for its visit and assured them of government’s continued partnership and dividends of democracy to all Imolites irrespective of ethnic or tribal background.

    He, therefore, called on the group to remain good citizens and join hands with the government in fighting crime with the “know your neighbour campaign” recently launched by Governor Okorocha.

  • Lawmaker donates scientific equipment to Imo schools

    Lawmaker donates scientific equipment to Imo schools

    Things are looking up for students of Science in secondary schools in Imo State. The Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha in collaboration with the Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Enugu distributed Scientific Equipment to secondary schools in Imo State.

    The students, who were, before now grappling with studying science subjects without equipment for practical studies can now heave a sigh of relief with the arrival of the modern science equipment.

    Beneficiaries of the project were not just government-owned schools as has always been the practice. Privately-owned and missionary schools equally benefitted from the gesture. In all, 141 schools were given equipment to boost the study of science in their various schools.

    Speaking during the official distribution of the equipment at the Holy Ghost College Owerri, Imo State capital, Ihedioha, disclosed that the programme was designed to support the educational needs of the students in Imo State and to complement the efforts of government and the private sector to reposition education.

    According to him, the quality of education in the state has become a primary concern to stakeholders, stressing that no society can make meaningful progress without an educated population.

    “We are talking of not just education for its sake but education that will lead to self-reliance. We are talking about education that will lead to industrial and technological progress of our state,” he said.

    He further stated: “For educational progress to be made, we need to appraise where we are coming from, where we are and where we are going to. Sometime ago, a group of experts were commissioned to study and determine the level of preparedness by secondary schools in Imo State, in terms of equipment, re-agents, materials and qualified teachers, in teaching both basic and advanced sciences. The findings showed that funding for science education in Imo is low.”

    Hon. Ihedioha lamented that the implication of the low funding of science education in the state was that students in the secondary school system could complete their education without exposure to the basic experiments required of them in sciences.

    The Deputy Speaker also attributed the massive failure of Imo State students in science subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Technical Drawing, Basic Technology and Mathematics in public examinations to lack of basic scientific equipment to aid learning, regretting that “data from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), The National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) demonstrates that in 2013, WAEC Examination, Imo State scored an average 46 per cent, whereas our neighbouring states of Anambra and Abia scored 67 per cent and 65 per cent respectively. This is unacceptable and must be reversed for the sake of the future of our children.”

    He equally blamed the massive failure on dearth of qualified science teachers in the state’s secondary school system, noting that, “the ratio of science teachers to students in Imo State is one of the poorest in the country today. There was a time in this state when science teachers were paid incentives that made them earn higher than other teachers. This motivated them to give their best. This is no more the case today. It was in the realisation of this deficit in our schools that I decided to make my own contributions towards solving the problem.”

    Earlier in his address, the Director-General of SEDI, Prof. Christian Okechukwu Nwajagu, represented by the Deputy Director, Mrs Ifeyinwa Okeke, noted that the country’s economic survival and ability to compete maximally in the global market is subject to sustainable scientific breakthroughs and technological development; hence the need for effective and result-oriented science learning at the fundamental levels.

    He further stated that science education is jeopardised as a result of lack or inadequate science materials and equipment for learning and teaching, adding that “several students shy away from science subjects, claiming that they are abstract and difficult. This has largely been attributed to lack of scientific equipment in our schools.”

    He said: “Science and its application called technology are the duo movers of any country’s economy and hence any investment in the field is a worthy and commendable one. More so, in a time like this when the country’s slogan is vision 20-20-20. In order to achieve this slogan of joining the formidable league of industrialised countries of the world in 2020, this event is a welcome development.”

    He also explained that, “the JSS kit contains several scientific materials, charts and accessories which were carefully developed in line with Basic Science curriculum approved by the Federal Ministry of Education. It is aimed at actualising in practical terms the objectives of Basic Science education.

    The kit emphasises hands-on-minds-on practical activity and can be used to perform over 50 experiments in line with Basic Science curriculum. The use of the kit in learning science has the capacity to elicit interest and increase achievement in the subject.

    Also speaking, the Chairman of the Committee for the Distribution of the Scientific Equipment, Prof. Obioma Iheduru, the Deputy Speaker, through the initiative, has inspired confidence in the electorate in the state that leaders are alive to their responsibilities of providing for the needs of the people.

    Decrying the declining standard of education in the state, Iheduru, stated: “I enjoin you to ask the question, how qualitative is our educational system in Imo State today?

    Whither the once famed epithet; education is our industry. We ask why is Imo at the bottom of the ladder in performance at public examinations by WAEC, NECO and JAMB. When was the last time that an Imo State student obtained first position in any of these examinations?

    Praising the initiative, a retired school teacher, Mr. Paul Uzoukwu said the gesture will go a long way to revive in the students the desire to learn, adding that no science teacher can produce Grade A students without an equipped and functional laboratory.

    He opined that with the proper application of the equipment, the state will soon regain its top position in science education.

    “I am optimistic that with time and right use of these modern equipment, the students will excel in the science subjects, which has been a source of worry to parents, teachers and other major stakeholders. The Initiative is apt and should be emulated by other public office holders.”

    Some of the students, who were joyful over the gesture, assured that with the provision of the equipment, they would work hard to justify the huge investment.

    Miss Njoku Rose, a student from one of the benefitting schools said: “I am so grateful to the Deputy Speaker for his kindness. Before now, we only read about this equipment, but now we can see and use them for our practical”

  • Disquiet over Okorocha’s Imo 2015 comment

    Disquiet over Okorocha’s Imo 2015 comment

    •Aide defends governor 

    The political atmosphere in Owerri, the Imo State capital, was heated up at the weekend following Governor Rochas Okorocha’s comments on the state’s ideal governorship candidate in 2015.

    Okorocha, speaking at the yearly Oru-Owerri Festival, said people with questionable character, including “419 persons” and women who beat their husbands would not be voted for.

    The governor said the would-be governor must be godly, honest and decent.

    His statement angered many aspirants who stormed out of the venue.

    A senator allegedly wept before moving out of the venue with aides and other supporters.

    Other aspirants, who earlier adorned the venue with their campaign posters, left furiously as a large part of the crowd continued to urge Okorocha on, despite spirited efforts by some hired thugs to shout him down.

    But a statement by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, warned politicians, especially governorship aspirants, to jettison intolerant attitudes that could heat up the polity.

    The statement reads: “It is unfortunate that following the exciting ovation the governor had received from the crowd and from all the corners of the venue of the event, some of the governorship aspirants in question had resorted to inciting few of their supporters around, out of envy, to begin to misbehave, while the governor was still making his emotional speech.

    “Governorship aspirants should, for goodness sake, appreciate the fact that there is a sitting governor in the state, and courtesy, even protocol demands that he should be accorded the full respect due for the Office of the Executive Governor of a state and indeed, the occupant of the office.

    “Anybody aspiring to be governor of the state, who cannot be civil or gentle enough to respect the person currently on the seat, cannot be seen as qualified and serious enough to be governor.”

    The statement noted that “the spontaneous ovation that greeted the arrival of the governor at the event and the thunderous ovation that also greeted his speech at the occasion were all the creations of the innocent large crowd. That has been the case. That was also the reason the same people didn’t want the governor to talk at the burial church service of the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.”

    Onwuemeodo said it should be the sitting governor who should be concerned about what the governorship aspirants were “saying or doing, or about the level of their popularity.”

    He expressed regret that in the case of Imo State, “the aspirants get cowed and even terrified whenever they meet Governor Okorocha at public functions.”

    He urged all the governorship aspirants to “cultivate the spirit or culture of tolerance and bear with Governor Okorocha whenever Imo people celebrate him. When you appreciate good tidings, obviously it will get to you.”

    Earlier, the paramount ruler of Owerri, Dr. Emmanuel Njemanze, said Owerri people appreciated the infrastructural facilities the administration has put in place.

    “Your Excellency, we thank you for the bridges across River Nworie, which have brought to limelight the true concept of the twin-city master plan of Owerri town, with New Owerri across the bridges. Traffic congestion even at its peak periods has been minimised. There is a comparatively free flow of traffic in and out of the state capital”.

  • Imo disburses N270m to boost food production

    Imo State government has begun the disbursement of N270 million grants to the departments of agriculture across the 27 local governments, to boost food production.

    The Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Mathew Nworgu, a lawyer, who spoke with reporters in Owerri, said the  Integrated Agric Farm Programme was conceived to revive agric departments and attain food security, especially in the rural communities.

    He said under the programme, each of the 27 councils would receive N10 million, which would be managed by the heads of the agric departments for livestock and crop production, adding that the project recorded over 90 per cent success after the first evaluation.

    Nworgu said: “We’ve just concluded a monitoring tour of the local governments to evaluate the success of the programme. It has recorded over 98.9 per cent success. The agric departments are alive with activities. The poultry and piggery departments are thriving. We are satisfied with their output.

    “When the governor announced the plan to disburse the money, we  moved in to ensure it was not diverted or wasted. We made sure that it was managed by the heads of the agric departments. Today it is a success, it will boost food production.”