The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Onitsha

  • Onitsha’s dry taps set to run again 13 yrs after

    After 13 years of dry taps in Onitsha, the town is set to experience free flow of water, courtesy of Governor Peter Obi’s administration which paid N1.8 billion to a South African Water company, PC Africa.

    The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the Governor’s Lodge, Onitsha, after inspection tour of the major facility of Onitsha Water Scheme at Nkisi.

    Gov. Obi said that the choice of a foreign company was for a thorough job, as according to him, the company had done a job of such magnitude in different parts of the world.

    Obi, who said he decided to make full payment in order not to entertain excuses for non-performance or delays, however, apologised to the people of the town for the late intervention, saying it was because things did not work out early as planned.

    Speaking earlier, the State Commissioner for Water Resources and Public Utilities, Dr. Emeka Nwankwu, lamented that Onitsha, with a population of four million was having potable water problem.

    He said that by 2006, when the Federal Government rehabilitated some water schemes in the country, Onitsha did not benefit because the government at that time was fighting the Federal Government. He said that when Obi became governor, he tried and was able to get the Federal Government to include it, but that the company handling it, Funtai, in spite of receiving bridging lone from the state government to the tune of hundreds of millions of naira was not serious or technically deficient.

    He recalled all other efforts to resuscitate the scheme through partnership, which failed and that as a last resort, the government decided to do it directly with the full payment of N1.8 billion that would take care of the first phase, involving the restoration of the collapsed facilities. He said that about N10 billion would be required in the long run for expansion of the facilities to serve the entire Onitsha and its environs.

    Speaking on behalf of PC Africa, its managing director, Glenn Burton-Durham, said with the payment and cooperation of the people, the company would deliver within time.

  • Onitsha traders give NAFDAC expired drugs

    •Drugs worth N25m

    Traders at the Bridge Head Drug Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday voluntarily handed over expired drugs worth over N25 million to the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    The Chairman of Onitsha Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers Union (OPPMDU), Kenneth Nwosu, while handing over the drugs to Dr Christiana Esenwah, assistant director of NAFDAC in-charge of Onitsha Special Zonal Office, said most of the expired drugs were submitted to the union executives voluntarily.

    Nwosu noted that some were seized by the Task Force against Expired, Fake and Sub-standard Drugs.

    His words: “They are products of many pharmaceutical companies within and outside the country. We also handed over a handful of fake drugs discovered by the Task Force,” he said.

    Nwosu said the union had re-enforced its Task Force to enable members to work round the clock.

    He said: “The Task Force will track down any suspicious product or their dealers.

    “We have also opened more channels of information flow between the traders and the Task Force. People can now drop information in a box without mentioning their names,” he said.

    Mrs. Esenwah praised the traders for their bold initiative.

    Esenwah said: “This bold initiative is a giant stride to rid the market and Onitsha of expired drugs.

    “This goes a long way to show that NAFDAC partnership with traders in its fight against fake, sub-standard and adulterated drugs is yielding anticipated results.

    “We are grateful for this step of ridding this market of unwholesome, expired, fake and sub-standard drugs for the benefit of all.”

    She, however, said the agency was still looking up to the market executives to do more.

     

  • Hoodlums loot Onitsha hotelier’s plaza

    •Traders allege police connivance

     •Property worth millions destroyed

     

    A 100-shop plaza, Mokwe Park and Plaza, in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, belonging to Bonaventure Mokwe was yesterday looted by hoodlums.

    Mokwe is the owner of Upper Class Hotel, Onitsha, where two human heads, two AK47 rifles, three loaded cartridges and a military cap were discovered. The hotel was demolished on the orders of Governor Peter Obi.

    Buses and vehicles in the park were vandalised and looted.

    Traders were chased away by the angry mob. When our reporter visited the scene yesterday, all the doors of the shops have been removed.

    Some of the traders- Mrs. Nzube Onyima, Chinedu Ezeh and Chibuzor Nnamani- said the traders did nothing wrong as the plaza had nothing to do with the hotel, except that they are both owned by the same person.

    They said the mob allegedly acted in connivance with the police, because “the police were just standing there doing nothing”.

    Mrs. Onyima said: “There are 100 shops here and all of us were chased away. They destroyed the doors and looted our property.

    “You can see everybody is crying but these people over there (from another park, Ose Park) are happy and I suspect they masterminded our predicament because there has been an issue between us.

    “My shop was worth over N15 million but they took away everything. Onitsha people came in here to loot our property just because our landlord had problems with them.

    “When we made efforts to salvage some goods, the police arrested some of the traders. We watched hoodlums loot our hard-earned goods and cash while the police aided them.”

    Nnamani said he lost N10 million to the hoodlums, who chased him and his colleagues away.

    “I suspect this people are from the other park. They chased us away from our shops and collected my phones and cash worth N50,000 and even removed the door.

    “I saw one man with a big stomach ordering people to go into our shops and they just rushed in.

    “This is unbearable and you can see the plaza has become a shadow of itself. Imagine, we are idle and thieves are enjoying our sweat because we are doing business in Mokwe Park.

    “I am married with children. I am calling on Governor Peter Obi and Commissioner of Police Bala Nasarawa to intervene before something tragic happens to us.”

    Ezeh said he lost over N4.5 million to the looters. He said: “What they have against Mokwe should not affect us because we are his tenants in this plaza and this plaza and the hotel are not the same.

    “We are not happy that Governor Obi and CP Nassarawa watched us suffer this way unprovoked and I wonder what they tend to benefit from ruining the families of over 1,000 people doing business in this plaza daily.

    “They should allow us go back to our shops and pay us for our goods and cash. The goods we bought on loan were all stolen and imagine the horrible situation- policemen arresting people trying to save their goods and cash. “The police even arrested traders coming into the plaza. That action was a plan against Mokwe because his park was chosen by traders and passengers than the other park.”

  • Obi inaugurates judges’ quarters

    Obi inaugurates judges’ quarters

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has inaugurated an ultra-modern residential quarters built for judicial officers at Onitsha.

    It is made up of six five-bedroom duplex buildings with boys’ quarters and gate houses reportedly valued at N242, 913,994.

    The Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, said the house was the first of its kind since the state was created 22 years ago.

    He said the joy of all Anambra people is that beyond the judiciary, the Governor was working in all sectors.

    For better and quicker dispensation of justice, he said a new Judicial Division was bring created.

    Obi said it was in line with his administration’s strategy of working in all sectors simultaneously for ultimate benefit of the people of the State.

    He said more quarters for the judiciary would be built at Awka, assuring that he would deliver that before leaving office.

    The governor said a functional judiciary was necessary for the peace and order in the society.

    Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Legal Matters, Mr Alex Ejesieme, praised the governor for the gesture.

     

  • Obi inaugurates judges’ quarters

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has inaugurated an ultra-modern residential quarters built for judicial officers at Onitsha.

    It is made up of six five-bedroom duplex buildings with boys’ quarters and gate houses reportedly valued at N242, 913,994.

    The Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, said the house was the first of its kind since the state was created 22 years ago.

    He said the joy of all Anambra people is that beyond the judiciary, the Governor was working in all sectors.

    For better and quicker dispensation of justice, he said a new Judicial Division was bring created.

    Obi said it was in line with his administration’s strategy of working in all sectors simultaneously for ultimate benefit of the people of the State.

    He said more quarters for the judiciary would be built at Awka, assuring that he would deliver that before leaving office.

    The governor said a functional judiciary was necessary for the peace and order in the society.

    Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Legal Matters, Mr Alex Ejesieme, praised the governor for the gesture.

     

  • Onitsha clash victims relive ordeal

    Victims of the Central and Aba parks violence in Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday relived their ordeal.

    Two persons were killed last week in a clash between youths from Obosi and Ogbaru groups.

    The Manager of Central Park, Evans Nwaiwu, said the youths stormed the park and started shooting sporadically.

    Nwaiwu said: “Youths, who call themselves Obosi and Ogbaru youths stormed the park, armed with weapons.

    ‘Obosi youths wore T-shirt and cap with inscription, “Obosi Parks and Market’ backed by a team of Obosi vigilance group.

    “The Ogbaru youths blocked Aba park and started molesting everybody, ordering people to pay land fee of N500.”

    The Association of Anambra State Park Agents has raised the alarm over possible reprisal.

    Addressing reporters yesterday, the Chairman and Secretary, Albert Ibekwe and Emeka Nwajiobi, said the attacks were masterminded by politicians whom they accused of arming youths ahead of the governorship election.

    The duo said Obosi and Ogbaru youths allegedly invaded the parks, armed with weapons, including AK 47.

    “They ordered all workers and passengers to leave the parks, shooting sporadically in the air.

    “Aba and Central parks are managed by our members who make advance monthly payment to the government.

    “Early this week, some Ogbaru youths stormed Aba Park with weapons and tried to dislodge some other boys who were genuinely contracted by our members to carry out activities at the said parks.

    “We are begging Governor Peter Obi to please come to our aid.

    “If two people are killed in one day and the perpetrators are not brought to book, we may be heading for a Hobessian state.

  • Seven killed as storm hits Onitsha

    Seven people have died in a rainstorm in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Goods worth over N3billion were destroyed at the Onitsha Electronics International Market and Enamelware Market.

    The areas affected by the storm on Sunday were Woliwo, Nwangene, Silas Works, Housing Estate, Bida Road , Creek Road and adjoining streets and environs.

    Also affected were power supply cables and pillars, telephone cables and telecommunications mast, one of which collapsed.

    Yesterday, residents were seen packing out their soaked property and clearing their homes.

    The bodies were seen floating. They included those of two men in a Toyota Camry at Okpoko junction, near Upper Iweka.

    The men were said to be driving towards Asaba, Delta State.

    Another victim was a tricycle operator and his passengers, who were said to have been swept away by the flood. Their identities could not be established.

    The tricycle was seen but the bodies of the driver and passengers are yet to be recovered.

    There were other bodies scattered in and around the vicinity, including one near Kate bus stop.

    One of the victims, Obiora Oguonu, who is also the Chairman of Silas Works Road Residents Forum, said more than 500 houses and 3,000 homes were affected.

    He said some homes were heavily flooded; some houses lost their roofs and some cars parked outside were destroyed.

    Oguonu blamed the flooding on the blockage of the Nwangene Canal by the contractor handling the rehabilitation.

    He said because the flood water could not flow into the canal and run off to the nearby River Niger, the water retreated into nearby homes.

    Oguonu called on the Anambra State Government to get the contractor to find outlets for the flood water.

    “We are appealing to the government not to allow the blessing (Nwangene dredging) to turn into a curse because of the insensitivity of the contractor,” Oguonu said.

    The Executive Director of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Nwabufo Ijezie, said no life was lost.

    Ijezie also said the agency was still compiling a report on the flood.

  • Gunmen kill journalist in Onitsha

    The Editor of Anambra News, a monthly local newspaper in Onitsha, Anambra State, Mr Ik Udendu, has been killed by suspected assassins.

    The late Udendu was returning from Onitsha to his home in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government, on Saturday night, when he was reportedly killed.

    Police Commissioner Ballah Nasarawa confirmed the killing in Awka, the state capital.

    He said he would investigate the matter to know those behind the killing.

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Henry Nwasike, and Secretary, Comrade Ifeoma Anumba, could not be reached for reactions yesterday.

    A family source said the late Udendu visited a commercial printer in Onitsha to know if his paper had been printed for distribution.

    He did not return home, the source said.

    The late editor’s elder brother, Chukwulozie, also a journalist and publisher of the paper, said the body of his slain brother had been deposited at the Iyi-Enu Hospital Mortuary, Ogidi, for autopsy.

    Chukwulozie said his late brother had no misunderstanding or disagreement with anybody that could have warranted his murder.

    He, however, said he received an anonymous phone call on Saturday night that he should pick his brother’s body in front of a restaurant at Afor Nkpor.

    The publisher said the family contacted the vigilance group, which contacted Ogidi Police Station.

    According to him, the police took the body to nearby Iyi-Enu Hospital Mortuary.

     

     

     

     

  • Obi shuts Onitsha bridge-head ‘markets’

    Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday shut down illegal markets on the stretch of roads from the bridge head Onitsha to Zik round as well as the dual carriage way from Awka to Onitsha.

    The governor made this announcement during the inspection of the on- going reconstruction work on the road.”

    A visibly- angry Obi lamented that he had for years appealed to traders on the axis to leave without success.

    According to him: “I knew what it took me to persuade contractors working in Anambra State to cut their holidays short and resume work at their various sites.

    “It is annoying that having resumed work, they are prevented on many sites from working because some people are trading on the sites, parking vehicles and even defecating.

    “We shall no longer tolerate that. I hereby order the immediate shutting down of illegal markets along the road.

    He added: “Before the end of the month, we shall relocate to Onitsha to monitor things ourselves until the town and all our other towns return to their old glory.

    “We must forcefully demonstrate that Onitsha and any part of Anambra State is not meant for pigs, but for humans.”

     

  • Three-month-old baby abandoned in tricycle at Onitsha

    Three-month-old baby abandoned in tricycle at Onitsha

    A commercial tricycle (Keke NAPEP) operator at Upper Iweka in Onitsha, Anambra State, Samuel Nwigwe, has said he found a three-month-old baby abandoned in his tricycle at the weekend.

    Nwigwe said he had closed for the day and was relaxing at a bar near Chukwudi Motor Park when he found the baby.

    He said the baby girl was placed at the back of the tricycle with a bag.

    The Keke operator said he called the attention of those around to the abandoned baby.

    An eyewitness and a reporter with a local newspaper, Emma Ihemeje, said he was drawn to the scene.

    The reporter said he alerted the State Deputy Chairman of Nigerian Red Cross Society, Anambra State, Dr. Peter Emeka Katchy.

    According to him, Katchy ordered that the baby be brought to the Red Cross Motherless Home in Ontisha.

    The baby has been taken to the home. The Red Cross was reportedly looking for her mother.

    Upper Iweka Onitsha was known as the centre of criminality in Onitsha.

    But the Peter Obi administration has restored sanity to the area.