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Tag: Obiano

  • Obiano: additional state feasible under Buhari

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has said an additional Igbo state was in the offing under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Obiano spoke when the Lagos branch of Ohanaeze Ndigbo visited him at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia.

    The governor hoped the Federal Government would set aside November 16 as a National Day for Ziks Memorial.

    Obiano, who described Ohanaeze as one united group, called on members to remain a socio-cultural, non-partisan body with the goal of pushing the Igbo agenda.

    He said he was in good terms with its President-General, but regretted the group’s decision to fix a meeting on a day the President was in the state to open the Mausoleum of the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

    Leader of the delegation and president of the group, Sir Nnamdi Nwigwe, said they were in the state to show solidarity to the Obiano-led government. He praised Obiano’s negotiating power, his Think Home philosophy, among other notable initiatives.

    He said: “We are happy with your position on appreciating the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s good gestures to the Southeast. The completed Zik’s Mausoleum, which is a national monument, the ongoing second Niger Bridge, road projects and other infrastructures give credence to the fact that the Buhari administration has not forgotten the region.”

  • ‘Obiano remains APGA national leader’

    The Anambra State government has debunked reports that Governor Willie Obiano has left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, said Obiano remains the party’s National Leader and Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT).

    The statement reads: “Various political forces have devised all kinds of methods to obtain Governor Willie Obiano’s support to enhance their chances in the general election. Some have gone as far as claiming that Obiano has defected to their parties.

    “Investigations have revealed that those spreading this rumour are agents of two of the three leading political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). But the government hereby states that the reports are false; Governor Obiano remains both APGA’s National Leader and Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT).

    Read also: Peter Obi, Willie Obiano in verbal war

    “He has been campaigning for APGA’s candidates, including Gen. John Gbor, the party’s presidential candidate. He has been consistent in telling supporters to vote for only APGA candidates. He has never asked Anambra people to vote APGA candidates in some elections and candidates of other parties in another election.

    “Obiano’s policy of constructive engagement, as opposed to confrontation, in his relationship with people, groups and institutions, means that as much as there are differences in political perspectives, we must maintain a friendly disposition to all. He is satisfied with the trust which Ndi Anambra and APGA members repose in him, which has enabled him to render useful service to the people. He has no intention to leave APGA and join another party. He will continue to use APGA as a vehicle for tremendous mobilisation and service to God and humanity.”

  • ‘Obiano remains APGA national leader’

    The Anambra State government has debunked reports that Governor Willie Obiano has left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, said Obiano remains the party’s National Leader and Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT).

    The statement reads: “Various political forces have devised all kinds of methods to obtain Governor Willie Obiano’s support to enhance their chances in the general election. Some have gone as far as claiming that Obiano has defected to their parties.

    “Investigations have revealed that those spreading this rumour are agents of two of the three leading political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). But the government hereby states that the reports are false; Governor Obiano remains both APGA’s National Leader and Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT).

    “He has been campaigning for APGA’s candidates, including Gen. John Gbor, the party’s presidential candidate. He has been consistent in telling supporters to vote for only APGA candidates. He has never asked Anambra people to vote APGA candidates in some elections and candidates of other parties in another election.

    “Obiano’s policy of constructive engagement, as opposed to confrontation, in his relationship with people, groups and institutions, means that as much as there are differences in political perspectives, we must maintain a friendly disposition to all. He is satisfied with the trust which Ndi Anambra and APGA members repose in him, which has enabled him to render useful service to the people. He has no intention to leave APGA and join another party. He will continue to use APGA as a vehicle for tremendous mobilisation and service to God and humanity.”

  • My case against Ohanaeze Ndigbo, by Obiano

    ANAMBRA State Governor Willie Obiano yesterday explained his grouse about the apex Igbo socio-political organisation – the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

    He said his disagreement with the group was not over the controversial endorsement of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubarka and his deputy Peter Obi.

    The governor said it was because of the ingratitude the body showed to Nigeria’s first President the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, in whose honour a Mausoleum was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari last Wednesday.

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo had no representation at the inauguration in Onitsha. Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, who was at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, where the controversial endorsement of the Atiku/Obi ticket took place, said the group boycotted the event because there was no invitation from the government.

    Speaking with reporters in Awka yesterday, Obiano said Zik made Nnia Nwodo, who gave birth to the current Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s President-General, despite his lack of education in those days.

    Besides, the governor said that the late Azikiwe was the only patron of Ohaneze till date and should have been respected by the group on a day he was being honoured by President Buhari in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Obiano, who was represented by his Commissioner for Information & Strategy, C-Don Adinuba, said there was a motive behind what some of those Ohanaeze chieftains did.

    Furthermore, he said the meeting where such hasty decision of endorsing some candidates took place in Enugu was a Kangaroo, brigandage and ‘419’.

    This, according to him, was because, by the time the Anambra State contingent and that of other states had not arrived at the venue, the people who carried out the endorsement had dispersed.

    Obiano said: “What Nwodo and his group did was an act of ingratitude to Zik of Africa, who made his father a minister from Nsukka those days.

  • ‘Obiano should apologise to Ohanaeze’

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo has berated Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano for his “derogatory and imprudent” against its leader, Nnia Nwodo. It said the governor should apologise to the group.

    A statement yesterday by spokesman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Southwest, Prince Erondu Uche, said: “I condemn the derogatory and imprudent statement credited to Willie Obiano, against the venerated Ohanaeze Ndigbo and our highly respected and fearless leader, Nnia Nwodo. Such statements, coming from a serving governor who has benefitted so much from Ohanaeze, can best be described as a sign of ingratitude.

    “It is quite untoward and disappointing to note that a man, who is shining today because of the solid foundation laid by Peter Obi, had the effrontery to insult Ndigbo because of the same man. Based on the reactions emanating from the endorsement of Atiku’s candidature by Ohanaeze, I want Nigerians and the world to note that – the decision by Imeobi to endorse Atiku/Obi was unanimously done; the endorsement is for the best interest of Ndigbo which is above any personal interest; Ohanaeze, under the Nnia Nwodo, is not divided but one indivisible entity.

    “I also wish to remind Obiano that as a leader, the people’s interest comes first, irrespective of party affiliations. I therefore demand – a public withdrawal of the said statement; a written apology addressed to Ohanaeze and Nnia Nwodo, which must be published in the national dailies.

    “I also encourage our able leader, Nnia Nwodo, to disregard the statement and continue to remain focused.”

  • Endorsement: Obiano, Nwodo trade insults in telephone chats

    •Anambra gov. lashes out at Ohanaeze, leader, says they are saboteurs •History will judge who amongst us is idiotic -Nwodo

    An angry Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State allegedly lashed out on phone at the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Nnia Nwodo on Thursday in reaction to the group’s endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for next month’s election.

    Obiano, who was disappointed that the endorsement came on a day President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Mausoleum of Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in Onitsha, reportedly described the action of Ohanaeze and its president as idiotic.

    Nwodo was said to have been shocked by the tone of the governor’s language and wondered why the matter could not be trashed out in a brotherly discussion.

    He later sent a text message to the governor saying: “Your Excellency, Gov. Obiano, I was surprised to receive a call from you a few minutes ago in which you said the following words ‘Nnia, I didn’t know that you were so idiotic’

    “I am shocked that you can be so insolent.

    “I am sure that I was not so idiotic when I addressed your State Assembly asking Ndi Anambra to disregard the IPOB boycott of your election nor was I idiotic when I pleaded with the Commander in Chief to restore your security details.”

    “History will judge who amongst us is idiotic. If standing with the popular wish of Ndigbo makes me idiotic, I am happy to be called an idiot.”

    The Anambra State Government on Friday formally dissociated itself and the people of the state from the Ohanaeze endorsement of Atiku.

    It followed it up with a press conference at Agulu yesterday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, where it branded the action of Ohanaeze as an act of sabotage.

    Chukwulobelu, who stood in for the governor at the press conference, claimed yesterday that Nwodo, whose father served as Minister under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, stabbed him in the back.

    He said the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, by Ohaneze Ndigbo was a slap on Zik’s face in Igboland.

    His words: “We’re not part of that decision. Our position as far as the presidential election is concerned is to keep neutrality in order not to hurt anybody and the fortunes of the Igbo in national polity.

    “From history, the Ohanaeze had failed on four occasions where they endorsed certain presidential candidates. Shall we continue that way all the time?

    “That purported endorsement by the Ohanaeze was a stab in the back to the Igbo and what we are saying is that we are not part of it”

    Obiano added that Anambra was mostly angered that all these happened on a day President Muhammadu Buhari was in the state to honour the late pioneer president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe,  by commissioning the Zik’s Mausoleum in Onitsha

    Obiano said, “We had expected Ohanaeze leaders to participate actively in the commissioning ceremony of the Zik Mausoleum, Onitsha, Anambra State, but they didn’t consider it an honour to be part of that historic occasion.

    “We have read bits of the communiqué purportedly issued by the Ohanaeze leadership. We regret that they do not reflect the position of the people and Government of Anambra State.”

    “The position of the Anambra State Government is that Ohaneze should remain a united organisation umbrella for all Ndigbo, and should not take sides with any party.”

    “There are major leaders in all political parties, including the three major ones in Nigeria, namely, APGA, APC and PDP.

    “It is deeply regrettable that the Ohanaeze leadership has chosen to go down a divisive trajectory capable of setting back Igbo unity for several years.”

     

  • Obiano, Obi of Onitsha call for emergency on youth empowerment

    The Anambra Governor, Chief Willie Obiano and the traditional ruler of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, have called for declaration of emergency on youth empowerment in the land.

    This, according to the duo, will end joblessness, restiveness and crimes among the youths in the society. Obiano and Igwe Achebe spoke in Onitsha during the International Breweries Hero’s Foundation where the youths were trained and empowered by the foundation The event which used to be a yearly affair for only South-East states for youths between the ages of 18 and 35 has been extended to other states like Delta, Edo, Benue and Rivers. Already, the foundation had fished out budding talents numbering 44 in the said states and had equally spent N84.5m  to set up their businesses.

    The monarch and the governor called for synergy between the government and corporate organizations in the country. Some of the youth are engaged in fishery, poultry, tailoring, bead-making. According to Otunba Michael Daramola, the Group Legal and Corporate Affairs Director, “The ultimate aim of the programme is to instill a culture of entrepreneurship among young people thereby reducing youth unemployment in Nigeria ” The programme, according to a member of the Board of Trustees, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, was first launched in South Africa in 1995 as poverty alleviation initiative, and has also been implemented in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Tanzania.

    For Obi Achebe, who is the chairman of the foundation, he expressed joy that the foundation was able to run another successful Hero’s Foundation Kick-start Programme. He urged the awardees to use their business grants and all they had learned during the business training to create value for themselves and the society. “Running business is not for the faint-hearted, especially in Nigeria. Do not relent and make the best use of this amazing opportunity you have been gifted to create value for yourself and the society” Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, represented by his Deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, thanked International Breweries Plc, for continuing to train, empower and encourage young entrepreneurs in the country.

    She said: “The Hero’s Foundation has taken upon itself the mission to instill the culture of entrepreneurship in our youth by empowering them with much needed training and funds to start up new businesses or expand already existing ones ” “This brilliant purpose has pleased the governor, as well as fellow members of his administration because bridging the gap between the youth and productivity is a project we embark on with sincere passion.”

  • Our relationship with Buhari has paid off – Obiano

    GOVERNOR Willie Obiano of Anambra State has expressed joy over the cordial relationship between him and President Mohammadu Buhari. The governor said  this in a statement read  by his Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C-Don Adinuba. Obiano said he has no regret relating well with the President, attributing  the peace and harmony existing in the state to the robust synergy between the Federal Government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Anambra State government of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    He noted that the relationship was not only with state governments, but with all political parties and their members. He said, “The good relationship between the Federal Government of APC and Anambra State government of APGA has contributed in no small measure to the unrivalled social harmony in the state which has made Anambra one of the most competitive states in the country. “Not only do we have excellent relations with all state governments in Nigeria, we also enjoy warm relations with all political parties and their members, including candidates in the 2019 general elections.

    “We don’t discriminate in the state, as can be testified by the presence in our administration of members of the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress and a number of non-Anambra indigenes. “We are proud that Anambra is today the most peaceful, the most cohesive and the most inclusive state throughout the country”.  Obiano further linked the level of cooperation among federal and state agencies in the state to his strategy to make Anambra “the first choice investment destination in Nigeria.”

    “I have consistently stated that investments go first and foremost to peaceful and stable places. “Frankly, I think other parts of the country should come to Anambra State and see how not only how key federal agencies work together but also how national and sub na tional organizations cooperate fully with one another for the benefit of the people. “The unprecedented investment flow of over four billion dollars in just four years in Anambra State is not fortuitous or a mere happenstance but a part of a well planned, deliberate strategy which took into consideration environmental factors affecting investment decisions everywhere in the world.” He commended intelligence and security agencies in the state  for providing impressive security in the state, especially during the Christmas and New Year fiesta.

  • Obiano to monarchs: be custodians of peace, love

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has urged traditional rulers to use their positions to entrench peace and love.

    The governor spoke during the 119th Ofala of the Idigo dynasty of Aguleri Kingdom, as well as 24th Ofala of the reign of Igwe Christopher Idigo.

    Obiano stressed that initiating measures which would enthrone peace would promote meaningful development. He lauded Igwe Idigo for embracing peace as his watchword, saying Aguleri had maintained peaceful coexistence since the he assumed office.

    Igwe Idigo called on politicians to emphasise on issue-based campaigns and refrain from campaigns of calumny and character-assassination.

    Read also: Buhari, Fashola, Ngige storm Anambra as Obiano hosts festival

    The monarch also urged the youths to abstain from thuggery and vote according to their conscience.

    He condemned the marginalisation of Igbo, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to retrace his steps and involve Igbo in the decision-making process of his government.

    The monarch also called for the completion of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the second Niger Bridge, praying that infrastructures in the region be improved on.

  • Posthumous birthday: Ex-Tanzania president, Saraki, Obiano, Obi eulogize Zik

    THE 114th posthumous birthday of the late first President of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, elicited eulogies from prominent personalities in Nigeria and Africa yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Former president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano and former governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, said the legacies of Zik should be emulated The guests at the event themed: Taming The Monster of Corruption In Africa, regretted that corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of politicians, and advised that the menace’ must be tackled headlong in the country. The event held at the institution’s auditorium on Friday, had the Senate president as the chairman, while the former Tanzania president, Mkapa was the guest lecturer.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Boss Mustapha, was represented by, Engineer C Obidike, while the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, was represented by Prof Paulinus Ngwoke. Others who were in attendance included the chief host, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Zik’s widow, Prof Uche Azikiwe, Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, former Health Minister, Prof Alphonsus Nwosu among others.

    Speaking, Mkapa said corruption has endangered good governance in Africa, adding that it undermines individual confidence, which according to him, was caused by greed. He said corruption is not Ebola and could be wiped out from the system, stressing that the fight against corruption must start from the federal governments. Also speaking, former governor Peter Obi said corruption is not as bad as what is obtainable in China, Russia among others but said it could kill entrepreneurship, and hard work and must be aggressively fought.

    He said everybody celebrates corruption in Africa and countries had failed to fight it the proper way, adding that Nigeria could not bequeath anarchy to the coming generation. Boss Mustapha who was represented by Obidike, said the present Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, is sincere in fighting the monster, saying it is the reason it had made remarkable progress in the corruption fight.