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Tag: Okezie Ikpeazu

  • Gov. Ikpeazu appoints acting Chief Judge for Abia

    Gov. Ikpeazu appoints acting Chief Judge for Abia

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has appointed Justice Obisike Oji as the Acting Chief Judge of the state barely three hours after the State House of Assembly suspended the incumbent, Justice Theresa Uzokwe.

    He was sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office on Friday.

    Ikpeazu said the appointment became expedient following receipt of a resolution of the House suspending Uzokwe.

    He said Oji, who is next to Uzokwe, was sworn in in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

    The governor, who expressed worry over the recent developments in the state judiciary, urged Oji to take immediate steps to restore the confidence of the people in the judiciary.

    Responding, Orji said he appreciated the enormous responsibility of his office and promised not to betray the confidence and trust reposed in him.

    He also promised to put the necessary machinery in place to restore the confidence of the people in the state’s judicial system.

    The House of Assembly suspended Uzokwe over allegations of acts of tyranny, infamy, gross misconduct and incompetence.

    Abia judiciary had been rocked by crisis following the dissolution and reconstitution of the State Judicial Service Commission by the governor in November 2017.

    It was, however, alleged that Uzokwe did not recognise the new body.

    She was also alleged to have refused to recognise and work with the new Chief Registrar, Mr Benson Anya, who was appointed by the new commission to replace, Mrs Elizabeth Akwiwu-Chukwu, who was sacked following the dissolution of the commission.

    The crisis in the judiciary reached a climax on Thursday when Uzokwe allegedly closed all the courts in the state and invited all the judiciary workers to a meeting in Umuahia.

    NAN

  • Attend court Feb. 5 or be returned to prison, judge tells Metuh

    Attend court Feb. 5 or be returned to prison, judge tells Metuh

    Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered a former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) Olisa Metuh, to attend court on February 5 or be arrested and returned to prison.

    Justice Abang gave the order yesterday whiling on two applications. One by Metuh’s lawyer, Okezie Ikpeazu (SAN), for adjournment on health ground and the other by prosecution lawyern Sylvanus Tahir, seeking the revocation of Metuh’s bail for allegedly being absent in court for not cogent reasons.

    The judge said Metuh had been absent from his trial since Monday without any lawful excuse. This, the judge said, was a sufficient reason to revoke the defendant’s bail.

    Metuh and his company, Dextra Investment Limited are being tried on money laundering charges before the court.

    Last Monday, Metuh was absent in court and his lawyer said he was on admission at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State. He drew the court’s attention to a letter to thate effecr from the hospital.

    On Tuesday, Ikpeazu applied for an adjournment of the case to a period outside this week based on the health situation of his client, an application Tahir objected to.

    Tahir described the letter from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, relied on by Ikpeazu as worthless. 

    He urged the court to revoke  Metuh’s bail and return him to prison, from where he should be made to attend his trial.

    Justice Abang, in his ruling, noted that  the medical report  relied on by Metuh to stay away from court was fraudulently smuggled into the court’s file and aimed at forcing the court to stay proceedings in the trial indefinitely.

    The judge said EFCC’s application for the revocation of Metuh’s bail deserved to be granted, but that the court decided to suspend taking such step in order to afford the defendant another opportunity “to turn over a new leaf”.

    He agreed with Tahir to the effect the hospital’s letter dated January 21, 2018 indicating that Metuh had been on admission since the previous day, for treatment for an ailment, was sent to the court to frustrate the trial.

    He queried why the medical report had to be issued barely 24 hours to the resumption of the trial on January 22.

    The judge also queried how the letter issued in Nnewi, Anambra State, could find its way to the court’s file in Abuja within 24 hours. 

    He said the letter was fraudulently smuggled into the court’s file and defence lawyers chose to rely on it to ask for an adjournment yet refused to disclose the identity of the person who sent the document to the court.

    He noted that the “lengthy letter” by the hospital laced with many medical terms, was meant to confuse the court.

    “How will the court, not being an expert in the medical field, be able to understand it, if not to confuse the court and give the impression that the ailment is serious?” the judge asked.

    He ruled that the letter having not been filed before the court through established procedure and without any indication on it linking it to the trial, the EFCC’s lawyer was right to describe it as “a trash meant for the dustbin”.

    The judge noted that the letter failed to state the period that the defendant must be on bed restam He said it could be implied that the court had to adjourn the case indefinitely. 

    He said the application was like an application for stay of proceedings, which had been prohibited in criminal trials by the Supreme Court.

    He said: “That means the court will be forced to adjourned sine die (indefinitely). It is my humble view that this sounds like an application for stay of proceedings. It is not just a medical report but an application for stay of proceedings.”

    He recalled that the Supreme Court had in its judgment delivered on June 9, 2017, on an appeal by Metuh prohibited stay of proceedings in a criminal trial.

    The judge also recalled that the Supreme Court, delivering judgment in an appeal by Metuh’s firm and co-defendant, Destra Investments Limited, on January 12, 2018, had ordered the Federal Court to give the case an accelerated hearing.

    He said:  “Any purported medical report that will act as a stay of proceedings ought to be rejected by the court. The medical report was fraudulently smuggled into the court’s file.

    “I agree with the learned counsel for the prosecution that it a trash meant for the dustbin. It is a useless paper only dumped on the court.”

    He however said out of human sympathy he would consider the plea by defence lawyers  by adjourning the case till February 5.

    The judge said, “‎In view of the passionate plea by the learned senior counsel for the first and second defendants, I hereby suspend my decision to revoke the bail granted to the first defendant. I hereby give him another chance to turn over a new leaf.

    “Where the situation remains the same at the next adjourned date, this court shall exercise its power of revoking the bail. This matter is adjourned till February 5 and 6 for continuation of trial.”

    The judge further said that Metuh’s application for adjournment as argued on Tuesday and Wednesday had been overtaken by events since by his (Metuh’s) conduct, the court had been unable to record progress in the case since Monday.

    The judge granted the application by Metuh,  to call additional 10 witnesses.

    He noted that Metuh had engaged in different ploys to frustrate the trial and attempts, “to hijack the proceedings.

    “The first defendant has overstretched the patience of the court beyond limit in these proceedings,” Justice Abang said..

    He said the court would no longer accept any medical report from Metuh.

    The judge also ruled that the court would no longer entertain any application for adjournment to enable the defendant to call any witness.

    He therefore directed that all the remaining witnesses Metuh had to call must always be in court for all proceedings.

    Ikpeazu and lawyer to Destra, Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN), thanked the judge for showing sympathy to Metuh.

    They promised not to stall the trial, and noted that the judge has always given the case accelerated hearing before the January 12, 2018 judgment of the Supreme Court, which directed that the case be promptly decided.

  • IPOB warn against Benue recurrence in Abia

    IPOB warn against Benue recurrence in Abia

    Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) has called Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State to take decisive action against the rampaging Fulani herdsmen before they wreak any havoc in the state.

    They also called on Ikpeazu to ensure that what happened in Benue State last week in which 73 people were massacred by the Fulani herdsmen do not occur in Abia.

    The group was reacting to reports of palpable fear and tension at Isiadu Ibeku community in Umuahia North local government following threats by armed Fulani herdsmen to invade the community over alleged refusal of people of the area to allow them to graze their cattle on their farmland.

    Recall that Gov Ikpeazu said last week that his administration would not cede any portion of land in the state to the Fulani herdsmen for cattle colony as Abia was shortage of land and had not enough for its teeming farmers.

    In a telephone conversation, the younger brother of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Prince Emmanuel Kanu said it was not enough for Ikpeazu to say his administration would not cede any portion of land of the state to the herders, but should move a step further to curtail their activities in the state.

    “On Tuesday, the Fulani herdsmen threatened to attack Isiadu Ibeku community in Umuahia North because the villagers refused the herders to graze their cattle on their farm crops and the people have fled their community and are now living in fear. This is why I think it is not enough for Ikpeazu to say he will not cede any portion of land as cattle colony to the Fulani herdsmen, he should do something in concrete terms to ensure that the rampaging herdsmen do not repeat what happened in Benue, in Abia State.”

    Kanu said any attempt to attack any community in Abia State by the Fulani herdsmen should be resisted, stressing that it was to checkmate the activities of the herdsmen that made IPOB form the vigilante group which the South East governors and their northern collaborators saw with a different lens and had to proscribe IPOB.

    “Now that these governors in order to please their Northern lords have through the ‘Operation Python Dance’ killed Nnamdi Kanu and proscribed IPOB, they should in the same manner rise to the occasion of the security challenge posed by the Fulani herdsmen.”

    Kanu berated the South East governors for not seeing the reality on ground when they proscribed IPOB which was a non violent organization, adding that they should as well advise the Federal Government to proscribe the Miyetti Allah which he said has cause mayhem across the country.

  • Ikpeazu gives condition for re-election in 2019

    Ikpeazu gives condition for re-election in 2019

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, says he would only seek re-election in 2019, after successful completion of projects initiated by his administration across the state.

    Ikpeazu disclosed this while speaking in a political programme “Osinachi”, at the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia monitored in Aba on Friday.

    “There are a few things which I am saying if we are able to finish by the grace of God, in the future I would think that we can answer the call to seek for re-election in 2019,’’ he said.

    He named some of the ongoing projects as the construction of Ifeobara basin, the reconstruction of Arochukwu road, the Osisioma interchange as well as the revival of the School of Nursing in Aba.

    Read also: Abia makes N1.3b from Made-in-Aba campaign, says Ikpeazu

    Ikpeazu said that since leadership is linked to achievements in office, he can be sure of matching any other candidate after completing the projects.

    He said that government had so far invested about N325 million towards upgrading facilities at the Enyimba Stadium with a view to making it “world class’’.

    Ikpeazu said two billion naira had been released to Setraco Construction Company for the reconstruction of the Aba-Port Harcourt road, adding that his administration had also done well in promoting made-in-Abia goods by patronising the products.

    He said that his administration had also recorded successes in its agricultural projects especially in Aba which was aimed at improving the life of the people.

    NAN

  • ‘How to cash in on Aba’

    ‘How to cash in on Aba’

    Churning out good products, as Aba entrepreneurs do, is fine but there are clear-cut ways to make good money from those products, especially if you are an exporter

    ‘Various speakers at the event said Abia State, owners of SMEs and freight operators would make more money, create job opportunities and improve the economies of Southeast states and the country’s economy if there would be favourable government policies that would protect local industry’

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s rhetoric and local content policy may have changed the story of Aba, Abia State’s city of commerce and enterprise. The city’s enterprise is well known, but the entrepreneurs have not always profited from that fame. Their products are not well packaged, and are sometimes dismissed as substandard. That is partly because the producers have little cash to boost their businesses, and also because Nigerians are fixated on everything foreign.

    Taking office in 2015, and with a drained, import-dependent  economy to manage, President Buhari stressed that the only way to recovery is Nigerians producing what they use. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has visited Aba to sink the message in and to stimulate local content growth. The state governor Okezie Ikpeazu has also worked hard to create the Aba brand, taking it with him everywhere he goes, tapping up investors. Their efforts are yielding fruit. Investors have started coming, and gradually the brand is shaping up. But there is more work to be done, said the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in the Southeast. You have to make the product make more money.

    The NSC, which now has an office in Aba in anticipation of the increased volume of trade, organised a seminar for Small, and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) and stakeholders in shipping and freighting to educate them on how to profit from made-in-Aba products.

    Various speakers at the event were of the view that the state government, owners of SMEs and freight operators would make more money, create job opportunities and improve the economy of southeast states and the country’s economy at large if there would be favourable government policies that would protect the interest of the local industry.

    The participants at the event commended the NSC for such a laudable step towards equipping them with the right knowledge on the do’s and don’ts of exportation in order to prevent their products from being rejected for not meeting international standard.

    The participants, especially importers of raw materials and other products, also raised concerns over the deplorable state of roads in the Southeast, activities of the Nigerian Customs, poor supply of electricity in the region and Aba in particular. They also called for the construction of railway lines linking Aba to other parts of the country and for the federal government to provide technical assistance and market connections to entrepreneurs through the shippers and exports promotion councils.

    They also urged the NSC to mount pressure on major stakeholders to ensure that the Ntigha Isiala Ngwa Dry Port takes off for ease of doing business and reducing cost of moving goods within the southeast region and beyond.

    The stakeholders who lauded NSC over their roles in enhancing shipping business and protecting the SMEs, also called for a common facility centre (CFC) in Aba zone to support whatever they have been doing in order to promote the exportation of made-in-Aba goods.

    In her address, the Southeast Zonal Coordinator of NSC, Mrs. Ify Okolue said that the importance of the seminar cannot be overemphasized especially at a time when the federal government and most state governments were championing alternative sources of income.

    Okolue said that the kickoff of the Ntigha Dry Port remains a priority for government agency and stated that the multiplier effect of the dry port would touch on the facets of the state economy and that of the entire Southeast.

    She reassured the stakeholders of the agency’s commitment to ensuring that they do their business seamlessly.

    She said that the essence of the seminar which, according to her, would be regular, was part of the agency’s commitment towards ensuring that potential exporters have the necessary information about importation and exportation of finished and unfinished goods from Nigeria to other parts of the world. She added that a well-informed producer or manufacturer won’t have his or her goods turned back in terms of meeting the standard of exporting goods at the global scene.

    The Executive Secretary/CEO Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello said that the seminar was historic as it was expected to bring to limelight the industrial ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Aba man and woman as the federal government continues in its initiatives in the promotion of non-oil export potentials of the nation’s economy.

    He said, “Gone are the days when people derogatorily spoke about locally made goods of which the Aba business community has pioneered and driven over the years even without any encouragement. I want to place on record that if you were able to achieve some level of success in the sector when there was little or no support from the government, you have every reason to record much more success now that the government of the day is on your side.”

     

  • Governors urge FG to increase allocation to states

    Governors urge FG to increase allocation to states

    The South-East and South-South Governors’ Forum on Monday called on the Federal Government to increase allocation to the states from the Federation Account.

    The governors made the call in a communiqué at the end of the forum’s meeting in Uyo.

    In the communiqué signed by its Chairman, Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, the forum expressed concern that in spite of increase in oil price and production level, revenue accruing to states had not reflected such realities.

    “The forum therefore urges the Federal Government to ensure improved revenue allocation to the states to reflect the current realities to enable the states meet the yearnings and expectations of their people.

    “The forum also proposed that the Federal Government should relinquish all federal roads to states, where such roads are located, facilitate legislation that would ease concession of the roads,” the communiqué said.

    The governors appealed to the Federal Government to intervene urgently to improve the current state of some critical infrastructure located in the South-South and South-East.

    According to the communiqué, the forum mentioned some of the infrastructural facilities to include airports in Calabar, Enugu, Imo and Port Harcourt as well as roads located in the zones.

    The forum expressed concern over alleged shoddy approach to infrastructural development by some intervention agencies of the Federal Government operating in the regions.

    It, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to direct the agencies to liaise with state governments in the identification and execution of projects.

    It expressed belief that the approach would ensure that projects carried out by intervention agencies were in synergy with the developmental agenda of the states.

    The meeting was attended by Udom Emmanuel, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.

    Others were Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ivara Esu and Dr Nkem Okeke, both Deputy Governors of Cross River and Anambra.

    NAN

  • Abia completes 41 road projects in two years – Perm. Sec.

    Abia completes 41 road projects in two years – Perm. Sec.

    Mr Richard Nwala, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Abia, said on Sunday that the present administration in the state had completed and inaugurated  41 roads  since its inception.

    Nwala made this known in Umuahia that the Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration had made long strides in road construction in the state.

    He said that rehabilitation and reconstruction of 74 other roads, including some bridges, were ongoing in different parts of the state.

    “Not only do the roads have drains built with cement pavement technology on both sides, they also have street light component for aesthetic and security at night.”

    The permanent secretary said that the roads were evenly distributed across the three senatorial districts of the state and not in accordance with political patronage.

    He said that the state government placed high premium on road transformation so as to enhance transportation and alleviate the plight of motorists in the state.

    According to the permanent secretary, the worst roads in the state were those owned by the Federal Government, citing the Aba-Owerri, Aba-Port Harcourt and Aba-Ikot Ekpene roads, as instances.

    Nwala further said that the dilapidated Umuahia-Ohafia-Arochukwu, road another federal road on which reconstruction had stalled for over a decade, posed a serious danger to the users.

    He said that the state government intervened in rehabilitating portions of the roads in order to ameliorate the sufferings of those plying them.

    “Though these are federal roads, the state resolved to fix them because they are used by Abians, most of who could hardly differentiate between state and federal roads,” he said.

    The permanent secretary said the five kilometre tunnel now under construction in Aba, the commercial hub of the state, would permanently check flooding in the popular Ariaria International Market.

    He said that the tunnel, measuring four meters wide and five meters deep, would also help to check flooding in other parts of the commercial city.

    According to him, the tunnel will carry excess water from the Ifeobara pond which causes flooding in the area, into the Aba River.

    He said, “The problem is that the whole water in Ariaria finds its way into the Ifeobara pond, resulting in an overflow into Ukwu-Mango area.

    “The governor now wants to find a permanent solution to the problem.”

    Nwala said that government also expanded the pond in order to enhance its capacity to take more water.

    The permanent secretary further said that the state government intervened in the rehabilitation of roads at the World Bank Housing Estate, Umuahia.

    He said that the intervention was necessary because the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded contract for the rehabilitation of only five kilometer length of roads in the estate.

    He said also that the ministry had a plan to relocate the dumpsite at the Ubakala-Umuahia end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.

    The dumpsite has over the years spilled into the road, covering one side of the dual carriageway and compelling motorists to use only one side.

    Nwala said that a new dumpsite had been acquired and that plans were underway to evacuate the refuse.

    He said that the ministry would also remove the flower pots which were constructed and placed along the three major roads in Umuahia, the state capital, by the last administration.

    The permanent secretary said that the ministry would remove the pots before the yuletide.

    Some residents of Umuahia have converted the cement-cast pots into refuse bins.

    NAN

  • Ikpeazu calls for increased allocation to federal universities of agriculture

    Ikpeazu calls for increased allocation to federal universities of agriculture

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has appealled to the Federal Government to increase its allocation to federal universities of agriculture in the country.

    Ikpeazu made the call on Saturday at the eighth convocation and silver jubilee celebration of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), near Umuahia.

    He commended President Muhammadu Buhari “for refocusing on agriculture as a way of finding ourselves out of the economic duldrome in Nigeria.”

    He described the decision to revive the nation’s agricultural sector as lofty but noted that it ought to have come earlier.

    He further spoke on the Federal Government’s directive to critical federal tertiary institutions, including MOUAU, to revert to their core mandate.

    “As Abia citizens, our desire would have been for this university to continue to train our children in different areas of academics, irrespective of their inclinations.

    “This is because we do not have any other federal institution that can fill the gap except this great institution,” the governor said.

    He further said that the global challenges of survival faced by graduates of such institutions would require the dynamics of training in all fields of human endeavour in a comprehensive curriculum, to enable them to perform better.

    He said that Nigeria should emulate other world renowned universities, established for specific disciplines but also taught courses that were ancillary to their core mandate and helped to produce all-round graduates.

    According to him, “You cannot be a proper graduate if you do not know a bit of everything.”

    Okezie commended Federal Government’s “extra attention to agriculture.”

    He, however, said that the efforts would amount to lip service, if they were not marched with proper funding of the universities of agriculture.

    He expressed the hope that agriculture would be made a serious business, capable of producing millionaires, to be able to attract Nigerian youths.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, restated Federal Government’s commitment to transform agriculture and make it the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

    Ogbe, represented by the Abia Director in the ministry, Mr Eziri Ebere, said that the present administration had introduced a number of programmes to resuscitate agriculture.

    Some of them, he said, included the creation of 10,000 jobs in the agricultural sector for youths in each state of the federation and Anchor Borrower for rice production.

    Also, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Francis Otunta, listed some achievements as the accreditation of 20 out of the 21 programmes in 2016, plus eight out of nine additional programmes in May/June.

    Otunta also spoke on developmental projects in the university, saying that the institution received over N2.1 billion, representing 40 per cent of the 2013/2014 NEEDS Assessment Fund, to resume work on abandoned projects.

    He said that his administration revived 25 uncompleted projects out of the 45 under the fund.

    He said that over N684 million was utilised to pay old debt to 31 contractors, to enable them to return to site.

    He said, “Work is now in progress on some projects, while some are still suffering setback due to an upward variance in costs resulting from the fall in the value of the naira.”

    On Tertiary Education Trust Fund for the university, Otunta said that three of the six projects for the 2012/2013 fund were completed but only four out of the 20 for the 2013/2014 intervention had so far been completed.

    He regretted that projects, which were hitherto funded with internally generated revenue, had suffered setback due to “too many irregularities”.

    Otunta further said that the university could not pay full salaries to its workers since the past one year due to the drastic decline in the Federal Government’s subsection.

    “The university receives subvention of N325 million instead of the much-needed N451 million

    “For this reason, therefore, it has been impossible to meet our commitment of paying full salaries.

    4,958 students graduated, including 98 First Class, 1,437 Second Class Upper, 2,111 Second Class Lower as well as 1,276 Third Class and 36 Pass.

    Highpoint of the ceremony was the conferment of a posthumous honorary Doctor of Science on the late Premier of the defunct Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara, and honorary Doctor of Science on the former President of Ohaneze, Prof. Joe Irukwu.

    The ceremony, which was scheduled to start by midday, started at about 1.45 pm, due to the monthly sanitation in the state.

    NAN

  • PDP to work with any chairman elected at Dec. 9 convention

    PDP to work with any chairman elected at Dec. 9 convention

    The eight contenders for the National Chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP )have agreed to work with any of them elected at the party’s National Convention on Dec. 9.

    Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, made the disclosure at a news briefing in the early hours of Monday after a five and half hour closed door meeting in Enugu.

    Fayose said that the governors met to deliberate on the forthcoming national convention and discussed with the chairmanship aspirants.

    According to him, the forthcoming PDP convention will serve as template for future conventions in the country.“We put PDP first and PDP is first.

    We are leaving Enugu believing that we will take power at the centre in 2019.

    Fayose flanked by other PDP governors expressed the belief that the party would win the Nov. 18 governorship poll in Anambra.

    “We believe we will take over Anambra if the election is free, fair and credible.“Nigeria is of age to conduct election that is acceptable internationally,” he said.

    Governors at the meeting were, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu; Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia; Darius Ishaku, Taraba; Ibrahim Dankwambo, Gombe.

    Others were Emmanuel Udom, Akwa-Ibom; Ben Ayade,Cross River; ifeanyi Okowa, Delta; Seriake Dickson, Bayelsa; Nyesom Wike, River, while Ebonyi was represented by the deputy governor.

    Eight chairmanship aspirants, South-west had six, while South-South had two.They are: Bode George, Jimi Agbaje, Taoheed Adedoja, Tunde Adeniran, Rasheed Ladoja, Gbenga Daniel, Raymond Dokpesi and Uche Secondus.

    Former governors at the meeting were Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom.

    The meeting was also attended by former External Affairs Minister, Tom Ikimi, Kema Chikwe, former Senate President Adolpus Wabara, and incumbent Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

    NAN

     

  • Abia seeks industrial development partnership with U.S.

    Abia seeks industrial development partnership with U.S.

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Monday said that the government was willing to collaborate with the U.S. Government to facilitate the development of the state’s economic sector.

    Ikpeazu said this when the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, paid him a visit at Government House, Umuahia.

    “Small-scale manufacturing is one of our strong points and we have secured the development of a facility where industrial activities will be carried out.

    “We are looking for not less than 500 companies to take advantage of the investment opportunities which the state has to offer.”

    He said that the industrial clusters created by the government were backed by law, to ensure that the project outlived the present administration as a measure to secure investments.

    Ikpeazu expressed the hope that the establishment of commercial ties between Abia and the U.S. government would go a long way to boost industrial development in the state.

    Earlier, the American Ambassador said that the U.S government had interest in the success of Nigeria and its citizens.

    Symington further noted that ties between Nigeria and the U.S. was strong, citing relationships between citizens of both countries.

    “I still have a lot to learn about your state and understand your vision and most importantly how to push that vision forward, especially how to create opportunities for people to live a better life and care for their families,” he added.

    NAN