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Tag: Onu

  • Indigenous engineers can fix power problem, says Onu

    Indigenous engineers can fix power problem, says Onu

    Nigerian engineers have the capacity to solve the power problem, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu,  has said.

    Onu, an engineer, spoke at the  Academy Technology Dinner held in his honour by the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE) during its yearly lecture, life achievement awards and induction of new fellows in Lagos.

    He urged members of the academy and other engineers to  contribute to the development of the power sector, adding that there is no way the power problem can be solved without engineers.

    He said emphasis on technology would, among other things, fast-track the development process that would create jobs. Technology would facilitate the rebuilding of the economy and also enhance efficiency in public institutions.

    Onu said the power sector is very important to the development of any nation, adding that economic and industrial development of the country cannot be achieved without fixing the power sector.

    On the event’s theme The Nigeria power sector reform: progress, status, issues and outlook, Onu said the  administration was committed to building the sector.

    “As a body made up of highly skilled professionals, you would avail the administration the benefit of your expertise in order to strengthen standards and ensure that as we embark on massive infrastructural renewal programmes, your contributions and commitments will become invaluable assets that will leave behind enduring legacies that would stand the test of time,” he said.

    He noted that the country cannot develop at the pace it should if Nigerians do not emphasise  technology, adding that engineering professionals have an important role to ensure this is achieved.

  • Onu seeks support for govt

    Onu seeks support for govt

    Former Abia State governor and All Progressives Party’s (APC’s) chieftain Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has said the challenges facing the nation are worse than it was envisaged.

    He asked the citizenry to be patient with the Buhari government in his quest to find solution to the country’s problems.

    Addressing a delegation of APC Igbo leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when they visited him, Onu said in spite of the numerous problems in the country, the Buhari government is trying to make sure that his government takes off smoothly and avoid the mistakes of the past.

    To do this, he said, required effective planning, noting that Buhari will deliver on his electoral promises and will help to make Nigeria great again by solving the problems that are bedevilling the country for a long time.

    He added that unknown to the citizens, Buhari discovered that the problems confronting the country were more than what they had anticipated while eliciting the support of the citizens during the campaigns for the general elections.

    “We all know that when you want to build a house, you have to build a house that can withstand all seasons, such building must have a strong foundation so that it can withstand a strong wind from blowing it off.”

    Assuring that President Buhari would live up to expectations, he thanked the entourage over the role they played in wooing supporters to the APC in the 19 states of the North and the FCT.

    The leader of the delegation, Mrs. Evelyn Chukwu, praised the APC chieftain for his commitment and dedication to the course of democracy in the country.

    They noted that the history of the APC will not complete without mention if the contribution of Dr. Onu.

  • I will not disappoint you, Onu assures Ndigbo

    I will not disappoint you, Onu assures Ndigbo

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Governor of Abia State Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has assured the people that he will not disappoint Nigerians in whatever position he may occupy in the incoming administration.

    Onu gave the assurance at a reception held in his honour at the Jesus Saves Arena, Owerri.

    “Any position I find myself tomorrow, I will discharge my duties in a way that will bring pride to the Southeast and Nigeria as a whole. I cannot afford to disappoint my people or my country,” he said.

    Onu said he was convinced that Nigeria has the potential to be one of the most respected nations of the world.

    According to him, “the government that is coming is a government you can call your own regardless of where you are located.

    “It will work in your interest and will restore our respect in the comity of nations. Nigerians would again be proud to be from this part of the continent.

    “The change we promised have come and I can assure you, it would give birth to legacies and landmarks that would endure the test of time”.

     

  • SGF cap fits Onu

    SIR: the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is like a very busy road junction which you have to traverse before you get to a big city (the big city being the presidency). Traffic to and from the Presidency, the ministries and other arms of government pass through it.

    Such an all-important office must be manned by someone who is resilient, knowledgeable, discreet, reliable and tested.

    For that position, I wish to urge the President-elect to look no further, but rather, beam the full glare of his searchlight on the person of the first executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who has all the above-mentioned qualities and more.

    He is a principled charismatic man of integrity, who shuns flamboyance, materialism and lucre. At a time when virtually everbody was jumping  into the Federal Government pie wagon for juicy contracts and positions, Dr. Onu was never tempted. Rather, he kept to himself and the dream of providing a social welfare people-oriented government that is anchored on service to Nigerians. It is that vision that has today coalesced  (with the effort of other patriots) into the present phenomenal change-agent called APC.

    As the first governor of Abia State, he initiated many laudable grassroot projects and programmes which later formed the bedrock on which his successors in office built on.

    Ogbonnaya Onu is a de-tribalised bridge-builder who is accepted and respected by all and sundry from all, I mean all, the six geo-political zones of the country. His charm and simplicity is a winner any day.

    I and a great many other Nigerians see him as that perfect round peg for that big round hole. His appointment as the SGF will gladden the heart of many Nigerians in general, and in particular, the South-easterners who would then have a much needed soothing sense of belonging.

    May our President-elect kindly accede because Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has the savoir-faire.

     

    • Sir (Chief) Azaniah Ngozi Nwoke, KSC,

    Port-Harcourt

     

  • What victory means, by Tambuwal, Amaechi, Onu

    What victory means, by Tambuwal, Amaechi, Onu

    Key leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday spoke on what the victory of Muhammadu Buhari means for the nation.

    Director General of the APC Campaign Organisation and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi said the party will be magnanimous in victory and show Nigerians that there is basic difference between them and the ruling party.

    He told reporters at the party secretariat in Abuja that the challenges facing the nation are enormous, saying the victory is  not about celebration but the seriousness of governance.

    He said: “We will be magnanimous in victory. The challenges are so much. We must show the seriousness between us and the present government.

    “If we say there was incompetence, we must show competence, if we say there was corruption, we must show that we will not be corrupt, if we say that people were denied their basic rights, we must protect people’s right. If we say there is impunity, we must show there is rule of law. Once we show that, you will see the basic difference between us and the current government.

    “As director General of the campaign, I will be proud to tell my children that for the first time in the history of Nigeria, the opposition party was able to root out the government in power by presenting a different picture of what life looks like and giving the people the courage to confront the current government and confront what was going on. Confront corruption and the reality of the fact that Nigerians are hungry. They don’t go to same market that Nigerians go to.

    “They have the kind of funds they want to have and eat the kind of food they want to eat. Let Nigerians know that Boko Haram was not all about religion alone and that there was element of poverty and ignorance as well as the issue of unemployment in the north and in the south and also the fact that we are one nation and that religion is not an issue in Nigeria.

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said:  “The mood is of thanksgiving to God and of course we are all happy with what is happening in the country”.

    Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipriye Silva said “the victory signifies positive change. It has been a hard- won victory as you know. They tried everything to subvert the victory, but God Almighty has granted us victory and we are happy.

    “You can see very clearly that democracy is maturing and coming of age in Nigeria.

    “In spite of what they tried to do to subvert democracy, in spite of what they did to muscle people in the Southsouth and the Southeast, democracy triumphed which is the most important thing today.

    “We built a national party around the General and of course it was that party that delivered him. This is not a sectional party but a party that cut across the country. It is a national government that is going to be formed because it was a national victory”.

    Party leader Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said: “We all know that Nigerians want change and we are happy that the. Change will come. For the party, we feel happy that Nigerians have accepted us and are giving us the opportunity to govern and we are going to show Nigerians that many of the problems that have remained intractable will be solved.”

  • 2015: Why we cleared Buhari for election – Onu

    2015: Why we cleared Buhari for election – Onu

    A former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said on Wednesday that the All Progressive Congress Presidential Screening Committee cleared the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in compliance with the constitution.

    He told a select group of journalists at his Abuja residence that the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act stipulates that anybody contesting the presidential election must be a Nigerian by birth, must be 40 years of age, must be a member of a political party that must sponsor him for the election and have at least, a secondary school certificate or its equivalent.

    Onu, who headed the APC screening committee that cleared Buhari to contest the party primaries where he defeated former vice president Atiku Abubakar and three others, said people have consistently ignored the operational word in the constitution.

    “Really, that issue should not create the type of problem we are seeing in the polity. This matter came before us in the Presidential Screening Committee and we had to rely on the constitution of the country. To qualify to be president of the country, you have to be a Nigerian by birth, you have to be 40 years of age, you have to be a member of a political party and that party should sponsor you and finally, you should obtain education of at least secondary school certificate level or its equivalent.

    ” We have a man who had attended military schools in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, in India and in the United States of America and in America, he attended the U.S Army War college. So, there isn’t any reason to create this type of problem we now have in the polity.

    “As part of the screening, we demanded for a copy of the certificate, but there was an affidavit and once you swear to an affidavit, it gives you whatever protection you need and not just on this issue.

    “We were not doing this for this opposition, we were doing it for Nigeria. This is a man who will be President of Nigeria and there is a supreme law which is the constitution that guides us.
    “The issue of qualification is at least, school certificate. So, If there is evidence that somebody has attended military schools that are tertiary institutions in lauding the war college of the United States of America, why should you be going into the issue of school certificate and so on?

    “The Army has shown that he applied in form six. Many of you don’t know that we use to have form six. I attended higher schools. That is what it was called and you spend two years and you can’t go to form six unless you have completed your form five and obtain the relevant credits in the relevant subjects.

    “All these are in his file, and so, I really don’t see why we should be thinking in this direction because the problems before the nation are enormous. We should be looking at how do we solve the problem of insecurity in a country that is the largest and most populous black nation in the world, the largest economy in Africa and you have flags that are unknown to the constitution flying in our territory. That is a very serious challenge for the nation.

    “We have unemployment, we have an economy that has not been managed properly. I am a chemical engineer and it pained me that for 16 years, we abandoned our refineries and import petroleum products. We are the sixth largest exporters of crude oil in the world. Then we import refined petroleum products. You have all these chemical engineers and so, what else do you need? We have four refineries and we can’t even keep them running for 16 years. This is very disturbing.”

     

  • Abuja quakes as Buhari, Oyegun, Amaechi protest

    Abuja quakes as Buhari, Oyegun, Amaechi protest

    Oni, Onu, Oyinlola, El-Rufai, others lead Salvation Rally

    All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders yesterday took to the streets their case against the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    Some of the party’s leading lights, including Chiarman John Odigie-Oyegun, led a “Salvation Rally” in Abuja, accusing President Jonathan of using the Boko Haram insurgency as a joker to win election.

    The party said there was  no limit to the length the President  had not gone in his “obsession” for re-election.

    It accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of working in concert with the Presidential Villa to corrupt the system and disenfranchise voters in APC-controlled states.

    APC queried why the Permanent Voters Cards collection and the continuous registration in 12 states were a fiasco.

    It  challenged the government and INEC to explain why the PVC collection was muddled up in Lagos, Kano Rivers, Niger, Ogun, Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara and  all APC strongholds

    The APC said it was becoming obvious that President Goodluck Jonathan might be unable to organise a free and fair election next February.

    The party said the President was also planning to use the extension of the emergency rule not to conduct the 2015 poll in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    It protested against the inadequate funding of the Federation Account to, in the party’s view, starve APC-controlled states of funds.

    Besides the rally, the APC chieftains defied old age and apparatchik of office to march around Abuja metropolis to draw the attention of the government and Nigerians to the insurgency in the Northeast.

    Odigie-Oyegun, in an address to open the Salvation Rally at the Eagle Square in Abuja, said the party had tabled four demands which the President must address immediately.

    He said the rally was a demonstration of its lack of confidence in Jonathan’s administration.

    Odigie-Oyegun said: “We are here today as a practical demonstration of our lack of confidence in the ability or willingness of President Goodluck Jonathan to organise a free and fair election come February 2015.

    “President Goodluck Jonathan is so desperate to win re-election that it will now appear that there is a secret understanding that our security forces should turn a blind eye to the Boko Haram Insurgency so that the insurgents can occupy as much territory as possible and make elections impossible in these areas, knowing full well these are APC strongholds.

    “Otherwise, how does one explain that local hunters carrying dane guns and amulets are capable of dislodging the dreaded Boko Haram while our once proud army, which has distinguished itself in and out of the country, has failed?

    We daily hear idle talks that the President needs to declare total war on Boko Haram.

    “ Pray, what has the Jonathan government been doing since the moment the state of emergency was declared the very first time? Or is the President saying that he declared and renewed the state of emergency only to cage the civil populace so that the insurgents can have a free rein?”

    Odigie-Oyegun said the party suspected that Boko Haram insurgency was being used to promote Jonathan’s re-election bid.

    To APC, the extension of the emergency rule may be the President’s ploy not to conduct the 2015 poll in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    He added: “Without doubt, the war against Boko Haram has become a tool for self enrichment and a tool to disenfranchise Nigerians who are perceived not likely to vote for President Jonathan’s re-election.

    “Everything points to the fact that President Jonathan’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency is aimed at one thing and one thing only: disenfranchisement of persons who are perceived not to be in support of his re-election, especially in the North-Eastern part of the country.

    “Is it not curious that Mubi was captured without one shot being fired by the insurgents or one single casualty on the part of Federal troops?”

    “As a matter of fact, we have it on good authority that as soon as President Goodluck Jonathan obtains the green light from the National Assembly, there will be no elections in the North-Eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. By this singular act, some five million Nigerians will be disenfranchised, making Jonathan’s re-election a foregone conclusion.”

    Odigie-Oyegun accused Jonathan of being obsessed with re-election by using every issue, including abduction of 219 Chibok girls, as pawns.

    He said: “There is no limit to the length Jonathan has not gone in his obsession for re-election, using the kidnapped Chibok girls as pawns on his political chessboard. On the 17th of October, he cruelly played on the emotions and sensibilities of all Nigerians, especially the families, relations and associates of the kidnapped girls, when he asked his Chief of Defence staff to falsely announce that Boko Haram has agreed to a ceasefire and that the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls was just a matter of days.

    “ Of course, President Jonathan and his cohorts knew this to be false but he needed to deceive Nigerians so as to prepare their minds for his eventual declaration for re-election.”

    He tabled the party’s four demands which Jonathan must address.

    They are:

    •an end to the raging insurgency that is daily killing and maiming our compatriots,

    •an end to the impunity that permeates the Jonathan Administration;

    •an end to the massive corruption that has left our compatriots impoverished in the midst of plenty; and

    •an unambiguous effort to ensure that that 2015 elections will be free and fair.

    The APC National Chairman wrote off the recent distribution of Permanent Voters Cards by INEC and declared the exercise as a deliberate plot to  corrupt the system to disenfranchise voters in APC-controlled states.

    He said: “As you must all be aware, the recent exercise by INEC of collection of Permanent Voters Cards and continuous registration in 12 states of the Federation was a fiasco. The official explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission is to blame it all on computer error.But we know this is a lie.

    “The truth of the matter is that the ICT unit of INEC, which is working hands in gloves with the Presidential villa, deliberately corrupted the system in order to disenfranchise voters in APC controlled states.

    “How else do you explain the fact this same exercise, which had gone fairly well in 24 other states – mostly PDP states – is now a fiasco in Lagos, Kano Rivers, Niger, Ogun, Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara all APC strongholds and with the highest number of registered voters?

    “In the aforementioned states, millions of voters have been disenfranchised because the system was deliberately corrupted to wipe out their names from the voters register. Even those who were able to vote in 2011 could no longer find their names on the register.

    “Zero units are now to be found more in APC-controlled states or strongholds. The PDP, realising the overwhelming support and followership which APC enjoys in the above mentioned states, has deliberately decided to use the ICT department of INEC to rig the 2015 general elections at source by disenfranchising millions of the opposition party’s supporters.”

    Odigie-Oyegun said APC was joining issues with Jonathan on the poor funding of the Federation Account, which was meant to starve APC states of funds.

    He said: “President Goodluck Jonathan, embarrassed by the runaway success of APC controlled states, has in the last two years embarked on a wicked scheme to create disaffection among the electorate in APC-controlled states by not funding the Federation Account adequately.

    “While this may appear a general problem affecting all states, he has secretly and unconstitutionally being funding PDP controlled states. Not too long ago he dashed all PDP controlled states N2 billion each. Not only does this affect the letter and spirit of our constitution, it also portrays him as the President of the PDP and not that of Nigeria.

    “Although oil has been selling at well over USD108 against the benchmark of USD78, President Jonathan had been funding the Federation Account only between 60-70%. What is his official explanation for this? He claims it is as a result of massive crude oil theft that he has been unable to fund the Federation Account adequately!

    “The truth of the matter is that since the countrywide protest on the subsidy oil scam of 2012 and the embarrassing revelations by the House of Representatives panel, this government has now resorted to stealing from source.

    “How can we be losing steadily on daily basis over months the same quantity, 700,000 barrels of crude? It is this stealing of crude at source that has made it impossible for the govern to adequately fund the Federation Account, and which has led to poverty and unemployment.

    “Is it not baffling that up till today no serious individual or significant organisation has been apprehended for stealing 700,000 barrels of crude everyday! It is nothing but authority stealing-apologies to Fela Anikulpo-Kuti.

    “Only a few days ago, President Jonathan’s administration declared austerity measures. Given the difference between the selling price of our crude in the international market of an average of 108 dollars and the bench mark price of 78 dollars in the last three years, the government should today have close to fifty billion dollars (US$50 billion) in Excess Crude Account.

    “But as a result of corruption and arbitrary manipulation of the account, today the government has declared that there is just three billion dollars (US$3 billion) in this account.”

    The APC National Chairman said political developments in Osun, Edo, Ekiti had pointed to the fact that Jonathan might not allow a free and fair poll in 2015.

    He asked the international community to have keen interest in the process leading to the next General elections.

    He said: “Another pointer that President Jonathan will not allow a free and fair election in 2015 is the reckless use of the police and the military in past elections in Ekiti and Osun states. The extensive use of firearms by PDP thugs in Edo State in collusion with the police to vandalise the Edo State House of Assembly residential quarters, and the police humiliating treatment of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi are few examples of acts of impunity of this government.

    In Edo State, the police continue to disobey the orders of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. In Ekiti State the police looked the other way when judges were being beaten and only two days ago in the same Ekiti under the protection of the police, democratically-elected principal officers of the state House of Assembly were sacked by six out of the 26 elected members.

    “The Nigeria Police Force has today become the armed wing of the PDP and they cannot be trusted under President Jonathan to be unbiased umpire in the February 2015 elections.

    “To the international community, we say it is not just enough to rush to declare any election free and fair on election day. We say election is a process, hence they must show interest in all the pre-election events leading up to the election day.

    “In the end, everyone must work together to ensure that the will of the people prevails, that no one who is eligible to vote is disenfranchised, and that every vote must not just be counted, it must count!”

    Odigie-Oyegun said the salvation rally was the beginning of the occupation of Abuja by the party unless the situation in the country improves.

    He said: “What you are seeing here today, which is the first stage of the occupation of Abuja, is just a warning shot.

    “If we do not see any discernible change of attitude on the part of the government, then we will move to the next stage on the list of actions that our party intends to take to stop the rot being perpetuated by the PDP-led Federal Government

    “We are, therefore, using this opportunity to alert Nigerians and the international community to what is undoubtedly a set of carefully-set booby traps on the path to free and fair elections next year.

    “To Nigerians who are desirous of a positive change, we say eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, and we call on them to join us to say NO to impunity, NO to corruption, NO to scorched-earth politics and NO to do or die politics.”

    The APC National Chairman later led some leaders and members of the party in a protest march around Abuja to press home their concerns and demands.

    Some of those at the Salvation Rally are: Former Head of State and presidential aspirant  Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; Governor Rotimi Amaechi; ex-governors Ogbonnaya Onu, Segun Oni(Deputy National Chairman for South),  Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; ex-FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai; Deputy National Chairman(North) Sen. Lawal Shuaibu; National Secretary Mai Mala Buni; the National Organising Secretary Osita Izunaso;  presidential aspirant Sam Nda-Isaiah, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Umaru Dembo,  National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed and Suleiman Hunkuyi, among others.

  • Nwanosike Onu, Awka

    The people of Anambra North Senatorial Zone, under the aegis of Omabala union, comprising six local government areas, have vowed to sanction any person from the area who accepts the post of deputy governor or campaign manager to any other person not from the zone.
    The group which has been clamouring for the governorship seat of the state, has also told the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to conduct credible primaries for aspirants, to show its sincerity.
    This was made known yesterday at the Parktonia Hotels in Awka in a communiqué signed by 15 leaders of the council areas under the chairmanship of former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Obidigwe (retd).
    According to the group, it is already in contact with other zones in the state and pleaded with some aspirants from other zones to step down for equity, justice and fairness.
    According to the Communiqué, “the union vehemently condemns any attempt by a citizen of Anambra North to lobby for or, accept, even on a platter of gold, candidacy as a deputy governor.
    “With equal severity, we condemn the acceptance of the role of coordinator or campaign manager for a gubernatorial candidate other than one from Anambra North Senatorial Zone and his deputy from another zone.
    “Omabala Union earnestly, prayerfully ask God whose will moves and rules the world, to bless all men and women everywhere who come effectively to the aid of Anambra North in pursuit of this governorship goal,” the communiqué read.

  • UNESCO, Aliyu, Onu, others pay tributes to Achebe

    UNESCO, Aliyu, Onu, others pay tributes to Achebe

    THE late Prof. Chinua Achebe was the toast yesterday as speakers eulogised the master storyteller at a symposium in Abuja.

    He was hailed for his contributions to the development of African literature and nation building.

    It was at a symposium in his honour organised by the Chinua Achebe Transistional Committee at the International Conference Centre, Abuja with the theme: The Life, Time and Works of Chinua Achebe: Lessons for Nigeria.

    Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) President Prof. Remi Raji said the Federal Government should retrieve the original manuscript of Things Fall Apart.

    He said: “Since 2008, the original script of Things Fall Apart was said to be whisked away to Cameroon by a core scholar who found his way into Achebe’s place and was given this manuscript. Perhaps he died in transit or didn’t return the script deliberately it is not known yet. Nigerian government should make efforts to retrieve and properly situate it in Nigeria’s archival context to immortalise the great man.”

    While describing the late Achebe as a “sturdy voice in a problematic state”, Raji urged Igbo scholars to translate Things Fall Apart into Igbo language.

    United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Representative in Nigeria Mrs. Hazzana Aliduo said as part of its contribution to immortalise the literary legend, the body would work with ANA to translate the books of the sage into several other languages, including Igbo.

    Mrs. Aliduo said: “We believe in UNESCO that works of our giants like that of Prof. Chinua Achebe should be documented and translated into languages which can be easily accessible by others from other cultures.”

    Niger State Governor Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, represented by his Commissioner for Information, Prof. Mohammed Yahaya Kuta, praised the late Achebe’s unwavering commitment to nation-building and the common man, especially his kinsmen – the Igbo people. While describing Achebe’s death as a monumental loss, he urged leaders to borrow a leaf from the exemplary life of the author.

    Kuta said: “While alive, Chinua Achebe fought, albeit subtly, for the enthronement of normative values and ethical conduct in the national polity. Achebe was to spend the rest of his time fighting the forces, which are too often given to enlightened self-interest and sentiments than the common good and ethical conduct. Nothing is more characteristic of Chinua Achebe’s life than the measured and self-righteous way he approached Nigeria’s national issues.”

    Kuta urged writers to follow in the late Achebe’s footsteps by standing for truth and justice.

    “Note that it is not yet Uhuru. Writers should pick up some of our development challenges,” he said.

    Former Abia State Governor Ogbonnaya Onu said the late Achebe was a politician-activist who reeled in pain over the state of the nation, adding that the author believed Nigeria’s potential was under-explored.

    Award-winning poet Tanure Ojaide said Achebe did not need a foreign body, such as the Swedish Academy of Nobel Prize for Literature, to affirm his excellence in Africa.

    He said: “Things Fall Apart was written to chastise the imperialists, so they may not have been happy with him.”

     

  • Merger talks will solve Nigeria’s political problems – Onu

    Merger talks will solve Nigeria’s political problems – Onu

    The National Chairman, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said that the merger talks between opposition political parties would “definitely” solve the political problems facing Nigeria, when concluded.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Emma Eneukwu in Kaduna, on Monday.

    The statement said that Onu expressed the optimism when he led a delegation of ANPP leaders on a condolence visit to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, over the death of his daughter.

    ‘‘The merger talks are ongoing right now, and we hope that it will be successful. We want to give Nigeria effective political competition in the political arena.

    “We are convinced that when we have this in the country, we will be better for it. Many of the problems that have confronted the nation over the years shall be solved,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the ANPP chairman as saying during the visit.

    Onu urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity, unemployment and poverty, adding that “these are serious problems that should not be in our land.”