Co-driver of a truck conveying product believed to be gas is critical condition at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Annex, Ukpo, after the truck hit the “Access Road Island” at Abba junction, along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, summersaulted severally, and spilled it’s contents.
According to a security operative at the junction, Mr. Alison Chinweze, the incident happened between 12 and 1am this morning.
Passersby have called attention to that spot and others along that route, since according to them, more accidents have been happening due to the size and projection of the “Access Road Island”.
Recall that when similar incident occurred at the Enugwu-Agidi junction of the Expressway, during which ten persons escaped death, a staff at Nawfia base of the RCC Construction company handling the road project attributed it to lack of markings on the road.
He noted that it was pressure from the motoring public that led to the quick opening of the road.
Meanwhile, road construction is ongoing around the scene, and may cause further traffic congestion.
Former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has said his decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) was to offer unhindered support to Governor Hope Uzodimma to move the state forward.
Ohakim disclosed this, during a reception organised by the APC at his hometown, Okohia in Isiala Mbano Local Council of the state, to officially welcome him into the party. The ex-governor also applauded Uzodimma for his development-driven policies and programmes for the state, adding that he was also joining APC to add value to the party.
He said: “Given my commitment to the best decisions that would be most beneficial to the people and desirous of the need to quickly join hands with my friend, Uzodimma, and other leaders of the party in Imo, South East and Nigeria to build a formidable political party headed by individuals that share the same values and ideals with me, I, Ikedi Ohakim, and my supporters and associates decided to join the APC.
“This decision is in response to the pleadings of my admirers and the touching request by the leadership of APC in Imo. What I am doing today, therefore, is to publicly endorse an action I took at my ward level many months ago.”
According to him, so far, Uzodimma has shown zeal, commitment and capacity to provide good governance, adding that it behoves Imo people, at this point in time, to support the governor to uplift the fortunes of the state and meet the desires of the people.
“Added to the above, I find in Governor Uzodimma a man, who is determined to set enviable records that would change the lives and fortunes of the people and the state at the end of the day,” Ohakim added.
Other party chieftains at the event, including Imo APC Chairman, Marcel Nlemigbo; House of Assembly Speaker, Paul Emeziem; Secretary to State Government (SSG), Cosmos Iwu; and Chairman, APC Membership Registrations, Update and Revalidation Committee, Godwin Anaughe, said Ohakim’s entrance would boost the membership drive of the party.
They added that Ohakim would also bring his political wealth of experience in mobilising massive support for state government.
The former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ohakim who was at the helm of Imo affairs in the State between 2007-2011 announced his defection on Tuesday after he met with Governor Hope Uzodinma’s aides and APC Chieftains.
It was further gathered that the defection took place at Okohia, the country home of former governor in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area.
Ohakim was elected as governor of Imo State from 2007 to 2012 under the political platform of Peoples Progressive Party (PPA), later abandoned his party PPA and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from where he defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
The Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi, has disclosed that 85 million Nigerians are on the verge to lose their jobs due to lack of digital knowledge and skills.
The Minister stated this yesterday as the special guest of honour at the launch of the Generation Unlimited Nigeria, a global platform bringing together government, multi-sectorial institutions, private sector and young people with the aim to support 20 million young Nigerians within the ages of 10 to 24, and 35 years to get jobs by 2030. Abdullahi said the ministry is leveraging on existing structures at its disposal with a mission to incubate young people and get them ready for the labour market. According to him, “85 million people are about to lose their jobs due to lack of digital knowledge and skills. As a ministry, we’re leveraging on TVET as a means of getting the youths employed, and we are ready for to partner the UNICEF.”
In the vein, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who was also a special guest of honor at the occasion, lamented that one key issue affecting Nigerian youths in skills acquisition is the Nigerian university curriculum, which he said was no longer relevant to present realities, and has continued to graduate unemployable youths without skills.
Ganduje stated that in embracing the digital future through skills acquisition, the sum of N7 billion has been spent in building skills acquisition centre in the state, ‘which was based on research that can make youths self-employed’. He said moving forward, the state government has been able to identify 20 different skills, and “we are graduating thousands of youths who are being employed and are entrepreneurs too.”
The governors added that as the most populous state in the country based on the last census, the state government has invested so much in education and has benefitted not less than N3 billion as counterpart funding from the federal government through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
In his remark, the Chief Executive Officer of Generation Unlimited, Mr. Kevin Frey, said if young people have the right skills, 1.8 billion people around the globe would be positively affected.
He said already, 100 million people have been employed globally in 47 countries in the three years of the existence of Generation Unlimited which started in 2018.
The initiative, which runs in different countries around the world, has partners and supporters which include the Office of the Nigerian vice-president; UNICEF, Tony Elumelu Foundation, World Bank, USAID, Airtel, Jobberman, ILO and many others.
The Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi, has donated a sum of N5 million to Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled, Old and Tramps (RECDOT) Ozubulu, as part of the activities to mark his 60th birthday celebration.
He also equipped the computer laboratory of RECDOT Comprehensive Secondary School, Ozubulu. Obi, who made a visit to RECDOT Family and RECDOT Secondary School explained that it was more fulfilling for him to celebrate his birthday with the downtrodden and the poor people in the society.
He said it would do neither him nor the society any good, if he lavished huge amount of money on exotic celebrations, when people were hungry on the streets. “Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t do parties. How can I be drinking expensive champagnes in Abuja when millions of Nigerian youths are roaming the streets hungry and unemployed? I would rather invest whatever money I have into making our society better by building schools, upgrading hospitals and lifting people out of poverty. That to me, is more rewarding and fulfilling”, Obi explained.
Handing over the cheque to RECDOT Centre and 10 laptop computers, 2 printers and a generator set to Recdot Comprehensive Secondary School, Obi encouraged their founder, Mrs Rosemary Odunukwe, to keep up her good works.
Addressing the students, Obi encouraged them to take their education seriously, for it remains a pathway to greatness. Obi reiterated that education remains the greatest contributor to national development and urged the students not to take it lightly.
In her words of appreciation, Odunukwe said that Obi has always come to their aid and always contributed to their welfare. She prayed God to bless Obi always.
Obi who celebrated the mass of thanksgiving to commemorate his birthday on Sunday at the Centre was accompanied by Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna and Engr. Dr. Patrick Obi.
Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Prof. Charles Esimone says there are plans to recreate a semblance of “Evil Forest’’ within its Awka campus.
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`We are contemplating naming the arena anIgbo Village’ so as not to be misunderstood by our people, who are predominantly Christian population, who can read ulterior motives.’’
He said this during a workshop that the university and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) co-sponsored to work toward an Action Plan for Anambra Forest – Landscape Restoration project in Awka.
The VC noted that evil forests were fast disappearing in South East states due to poor environmental education and awareness.
According to him, the institution will be collaborating with some NGOs such as NCF and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) to establish an Igbo Village, a Golf course, and a natural zoo that would promote Igbo culture while seeking to preserve our natural heritage as created by God.
Prof Esimone noted that already various species of monkeys exist in Awka with an appreciable flock of monkeys currently roaming in certain areas of the campus in Awka.
They would be used to form the foundation of the natural zoo.
They had been preserved as a result of taboos placed against their slaughter by indigenes of Awka, who have a myth built around the monkey as having been saved by them during past inter communal wars.
During take-off of the state, Anambra had eight forest reserves, but was left struggling to maintain six of them threatened by extinction.
The Evil Forests of the past are dark, scary places, where the lines between the living and the dead are drawn.
It was largely a forest reserve of sorts in its natural habitat and left with all its virginity. It was used as a dumping ground for those believed to have committed sacrilege.
Animals roam there freely. Ironically, the concept of what the university wants to achieve is a cultural Igbo Village, where the portion would achieve a typical Igbo village setting.
The Anambra State House of Assembly has warned the state governor, Willie Obiano, for conducting government business in his village, Aguleri.
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The lawmakers restated that Awka remained the seat of power of the state .
Hon. Douglas Egbuna, representing Onitsha North 1, lamented that government business in the state was being operated as a private business.
He said, “It seems like the government seat has moved from Awka to Aguleri and Ogbunike because people from those areas get all the job and appointment opportunities.
“We have a duty as Lawmakers to carry out oversight functions and check the other arms of government, therefore, we must invite those involved in this illegality to explain what is going on,” Egbuna said.
The lawmakers called for the suspension of the recruitment exercise into the newly constructed state’s International Cargo Airport.
The house also faulted the recruitment methods into the state’s Ministry of Justice, describing the two exercises as illegal.
The House, in a resolution at plenary said the recruitment exercise did not follow due process.
The resolution followed a motion raised by Dr Timothy Ifedioranma, representing Njikoka I Constituency, under Matters of Urgent Public Importance.
Ifedioranma said the recruitment exercise was shrouded in secrecy and lopsidedness.
He said,”The alleged recruitment exercise did not follow due process and as a responsible House that speaks for the people, we cannot watch while things go wrong in the state.
“There is need to investigate why due process is not followed and why that is on, the exercise should be stopped until the proper thing is done.”
Supporting the motion, Lawrence Ezeudu, representing Dunukofia Constituency, said he heard from a reliable source that the employed persons were already undergoing training in the state.
“It is true that the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies are secretly recruiting without publishing vacancies.
“Such recruitment is supposed to be transparent and not lopsided, every constituency must benefit from the employment because that Airport is the pride of the state.
The lawmaker , representing Njikoka II Constituency, Dr Pete Ibida said the ongoing secret recruitment exercise was unacceptable.
Ibida said, “I think this House is being taken for granted, therefore, we need to address this matter with all seriousness because our constituents will begin to see us as tools rather than machinery of good governance.
“We should not tolerate any form of imbalance in the ongoing recruitment and we should not hesitate to suspend any recruitment exercise that is conducted in contravention with approved guidelines,” Ibida said.
Ruling, the Speaker of the House, Uche Okafor, said “Be it, therefore, resolved that the ongoing employment did not follow due process and that no state fund shall be spent to pay salaries of staff already employed or in the process of being employed in the state airport or ministry of justice.
“That the Commissioners for Works, Ministry of Justice and Chairman of the state Civil Service Commission be invited to appear before the House for further explanation.
“Also, the resolution of this House shall be needed to re-authorise employment in the cargo airport and ministry of justice after due process must have been complied with,” he said.
Barely three days to the close of the substitution window set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial poll in Anambra State, billionaire captains of industry in the state have planned a meeting to review affairs in the three major political parties.
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It was learnt that during the meeting, scheduled for Friday, July 30, the billionaires would deliberate on the implications of pending lawsuits and factionalisation of the governing All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on the governorship candidate of the party, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
It would be recalled that some multi-billionaire businessmen endorsed Soludo for the forthcoming election before the litigations and factionalisation came up.
One of the billionaires told The Guardian that the meeting became necessary following the listing of another aspirant as APGA candidate by INEC. He said there was the need to know how to deploy campaign funds so that the group would not put all their eggs in one basket.
He disclosed that the forum would also discuss representations from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he described as an offshoot of APGA. According to him, some of the persons in the group are of the view that the former Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Technical Matters, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, should be accommodated.
“We want to hear from lawyers and some old politicians on the developments in the major parties and consider governorship candidates that have bright prospects and are not harassed by court cases,” the billionaire, an oil magnate, said.
This is just as the gubernatorial standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, convened “an important meeting” of PDP stakeholders to update them on his “reconciliation efforts, litigation, campaign organisation and other matters of interest.”
Ozigbo said those expected at the meeting include, the Anambra PDP leader (Mr. Peter Obi), Board of Trustees and National Executive Council members from the state, fellow 2021 governorship aspirants, senators, House of Reps member, all former National Assembly members still in the PDP and all members of the dissolved PDP state executive committee.
While indicating that the meeting would hold on Thursday, July 29, Ozigbo told the invitees: “I will be honoured by your presence. I look forward to receiving you.”
A source within his VCO Campaign Organisation told The Guardian that the PDP candidate’s meeting with stakeholders is ostensibly to reassure them of his candidacy and stave off “plans by a rival governorship aspirant to lure them out of PDP to a smaller party.”
It would be recalled that following crisis in APGA, PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build up to the November 6 governorship election, three other parties: ADC, Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Labour Party (LP) emerged as strong contenders.
Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue state says he will rather die than surrender his land to the Fulani ‘who have made over a million homeless (people) in his state’.
Ortom disclosed this on Tuesday in Markudi, the state capital, while receiving the mission team of the Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors without Borders.
The governor accused the Nigerian government of paying lip service to its fight against insecurity.
He maintained that the Muhammadu Buhari-led government has the capacity to arrest killer herdsmen but has chosen to look the other way to fulfil an alleged agenda of ethnic cleansing.
He said, “Our people are dying, our women, mothers are being raped, our children can’t go to school, they are suffering.
“These criminals, they display themselves on social media, claiming they are here for an agenda to drive our people away and take over their land and also kill them. And they are here courtesy of Federal Government but for me, if they come, then I’m ready to die than to surrender my land to Fulani men. If God didn’t protect me, then I need no help from anybody.”
“The spate of insecurity has also led to increased internal displacement which is now commonplace in most parts of the nation’s food basket as statistics continue to swell on what seems to be a daily basis with many more communities sacked from their ancestral home by the persistent attacks with no hope in sight for their safe return home,” the governor added.
ONE of the governorship aspirants in Anambra State, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo has revealed his intention to contest the November 6 election on the platform of another political party following his loss of the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the party’s primary.
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The hint was dropped by a pressure group, the Anambra Rescue Committee, ARC, which observed that Anambra people are desirous of having Okonkwo as the next governor of the state and are therefore urging him to enter the race immediately.
Leader of the group, Mr. Azubuike Anazor, who spoke with reporters in Onitsha observed that the ongoing political developments in the state had shown that the November election would, from all indications, produce a governor that might not be generally acceptable to the people, which is why someone like Okonkwo is needed to be in the race.
Anazor said: “The recent gubernatorial primaries of the major political parties in the state – PDP, APGA and APC — have resulted in the imposition of candidates and manipulation of the electoral process by vested interests actuated, not by altruistic motives and intentions, but by the egregious desire to foist on our dear state a leadership that will serve interests not in tune with the wishes of our people for good governance.
“The result of these untoward practices and maneuvers at the parties’ primaries is what we are witnessing today. There is palpable confusion suffocating the political landscape.
“There are endless litigations and counter litigations, alliances and misalliances. These litigations and counter litigations promise to go on and on and even beyond the Novembers 6 election day.
“This state of affairs, if not arrested now, will compel our people to accept all manner of persons as governor and deputy governor without their requisite critical support, endorsement and imprimatur.
“It is against this backdrop that we, the members of the Anambra Rescue Committee (ARC) comprising 22 patriots from the 21 local government area of the state have decided to intervene with a view to salvaging our Anambra from an imminent but inexorable slide and a return to the pre-2003 years of bad governance, incompetence and lax administration.
“We in the ARC rationalized that if we do not decisively intervene now to squelch the present descent into anarchy and confusion, history will not exonerate us from a willful sin of omission.
“We are intervening to rescue our dear state from an imminent shipwreck which will, if allowed to occur, throw our state back to the years of holocaust and result in the reversal of all the goods we have witnessed since 2003.
“Our state needs a credible, competent and urbane leader with the capacity, reach, viable programme of actions and policies and who is generally acceptable to our people as the governor.
“We find these qualities in Dr. Obiora Okonkwo and we hereby publicly urge him to re- enter the race for the governor of Anambra State under the banner of any of the registered political parties.
“We call on all Anambrarians, irrespective of their political persuasions or leanings and their membership of any of the existing political parties, to rally round Dr. Okonkwo if and when he accedes to our request to rejoin the race.”
According to him, Okonkwo would declare his new political party before the expiration of the period for public of the final list of candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
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