Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has inaugurated the 7thGoverning Council of Delta State University headed by Mr. Tony Elumelu, with a charge to members to be resourceful and generate more revenue to improve infrastructure and academic excellence.

Dr Uduaghan who performed the inauguration in Asaba implored the new council to focus more on educational programmes in the university and ensure the programmes were in line with National and International standards.

He also enjoined the council to shun all ethnic tendencies, check cultism, drugs and anti-social activities by students.

While explaining that it was only under an atmosphere of discipline and peace that progress could be made in the university, the governor urged the Governing Council to come up with effective strategies that could engender peace and harmony in the institution.

“The vision of this administration is to develop a world class institution that can compete favourably with similar institutions globally, so I charge you to focus greater attention on teaching, peace, research, training and community service,” he said.

Dr Uduaghan who described the ceremony as significant and emotional was optimistic that members of the council would live up to expectation and make meaningful impact.

He said the education sector was a critical one even as he explained that members of the council were carefully chosen because of the current trend in the development of the education sector which required academic depth, best hands in business management in order to move the institution to a glorious height.

The governor appealed to stakeholders especially staff, students and the host communities to ensure that everything was done to make the institution the best in the world.

Dr Uduaghan reiterated his administration’s preparedness to impact positively on human capital development and would consequently be consistent in improving education at all levels.

Reminding the council of the challenges facing the education sector in the state, he said ‘’Universities have challenges and as such you should have the capacity to transform the institution especially in the area of infrastructures and academic excellence’’.

Responding, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Tony Elumelu said “This is a call to duty and we will give our best to make the university a world class citadel of learning”. My personal belief is that, “What is above the ground is more valuable than what is beneath the ground” which means that brain power is more valuable than natural resources”

Mr. Elumelu who promised that they would not let the state government down, described the governor as a humble, wonderful and industrious person who has great passion to develop the state.

He promised not to betray the confidence placed on them and expressed appreciation to the state government for the opportunity given them to serve.

Other members of the Governing Council include  Mr Jite Okoloko, Prof Dafe Otobo, Prof.( Mrs.) Abhor Ighoroje, Dr. Ikoyo Eweto, Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Omeni, Dr. Bright Okogu and Prof Sam Pabor.

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has described the prevailing peace in the state as what sustains the Rivers economy.

Governor Amaechi recalled that when he became governor, the state economy was at its lowest as companies and expatriates relocated to other parts of the country on account of insecurity in the state. But he said with steady efforts to tackle insecurity, his administration was able to restore peace to the state as the economy also bounced back.  He assured that he will continue to maintain the peace in the state.

Governor Amaechi spoke during a town hall meeting with the people of Okrika at the Okrika Local Government Council headquarters on Thursday.

The governor said, “I will discuss security in line with what I consider my contribution to the growth of the state. When I became governor of Rivers State, you all know how Rivers State was. You know that it was bad.  I hardly had time to sleep because if one group is not attacking here, another group is attacking there. They were all everywhere and it was like a war zone.  And it occurred to me that as a young man if you don’t confront these young boys or young men, we would not have a state called Rivers State. Our economy was crashing, people had left the city, companies had folded up, whitemen had gone, we had no business again. When I took over, they used to pay them to come and bury somebody in either Okrika or Buguma or Abonnema.  You must pay money. They will give you one or two hours to come and bury and go. So the micro-economy was going, that economy had crashed in the riverine areas. We sat back, we discussed with the military, we discussed with the police, we argued and argued and at the end of the day we took one decision – we will not pay anybody anymore. From today henceforth no more payment, because before I became governor, government was paying kidnappers N250million, N500million, so people were even arranging kidnapping”.

“I am a Christian, so I sat back and I prayed to God that this war is not mine, it is yours and you must fight to redeem your people and the people are Rivers people and that includes Okrika people and the first place we attacked was Okochiri(in Okrika). We needed to do that to be able to let everybody know that there is a government. So I felt that there was the need to come out and address that issue if the economy of Rivers State must kick-start again. So we started the battle to make everybody accountable for their actions. People were being killed every day. Young boys at 15, 18 were parading the streets with guns, people were scared. We were told that some people were buried alive here in Okochiri. We moved in. Today, what do we have? We have peace. We must thank God that we have peace. Now our parents can go about their business. Our mothers can go about their business. Our young girls who had run away before, now they are coming back home, nobody is being molested anymore. We will not allow this peace we are enjoying now to escape from us again, never again. We must hold it tenaciously”, he said.

Amaechi said his administration has constructed ten model primary schools in Okrika Local Government Area with six others to be completed soon. He named the completed ones to include State School, Ibuluya, Government State School, Okrika, Town School, Ogoloma, Town School, Isiaka, Government State School, Abam-Ama, State School, Kalio-Ama. Others include State School, Ndubuisi-Ama, B.S.S. Okrika, State School, Oba-Ama, State Primary School, Azubie and Ibaka Town School, Ibaka.

For the model primary healthcare centres, Amaechi named the completed ones already in use to include the one at ATC Ibaka, Anyungu Biri, Okochiri, Ogoloma and Ogan-Ama, disclosing that his administration has also constructed the Okrika ring road named after a former governor in the state, Rufus Ada-George. The governor disclosed that there is also ongoing land reclamation project at Oba-Ama community.

Amaechi promised to establish a fish farm in Okuma-Ama, Okrika which will also create employment for the people. The State government, according to him, will put in place a temporary water scheme in Okrika to provide potable water for the people, while waiting for the federal government that has promised to do a comprehensive scheme in Okrika. He also said his administration has offered scholarship to students from Okrika to study in universities abroad.

The governor equally said the state has disbursed N2billion to the Rivers State Microfinance Agency (RIMA) to boost microeconomic activities in the state by giving Rivers people business loans.

Earlier, the Chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, Barr Tamuno Williams in his address of welcome, commended Governor Amaechi for keeping his promises to Rivers people.

“Your visit is auspicious, your visit is an impeccable demonstration of a government that is alive to its duties and responsibilities. You are a faithful leader, a leader who keeps his promises, who is steadfast, who tenaciously holds unto ideals”, the Okrika chairman said.

A third group sharing the acronym APC has filed a letter of intent to be registered as a political party with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The name it seeks is All Patriotic Citizens (APC).  On Monday, the African Peoples Congress (APC) filed a letter of intent INEC.

The development has further worsened the troubles of the merging opposition political parties to be known as the All Progressives Congress (APC). The opposition parties are yet to file any letters of intent for its new party to be registered with the INEC.

But the opposition parties are crying blue murder, vowing never to let go their name and acronym, since they were the first to announce to Nigerians and the whole world the name of their new party-to-be. They said the name and acronym remain their intellectual property.

The parties alleged that they have it on good authority that the establishment has set up a high-powered team headed by a ranking officer of government and furnished with unlimited resources from public funds with a clear mandate to corrupt the democratic institutions and destabilise the opposition.

The opposition further warned that over and above the collective correspondence the merging parties sent to INEC, each of them has communicated to INEC the assurance that the processes stipulated in the Electoral Act are accordingly ongoing towards the consummation of the merger.

INEC will not register political parties with the same acronym going by the Electoral Act. Against this backdrop, it is viewed by observers that the scheming is geared towards scuttling the opposition parties.

The African Peoples Congress went ahead to unveil their logo, flags and party headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

‘APC is our intellectual property’

The merging opposition political parties yesterday in Abuja declared that the acronym of their platform, All Progressives Congress (APC), is and remains their intellectual property.

They vowed to pursue the process of its registration to its logical conclusion in the interest of “dear fatherland”.

Addressing a press conference, chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Tom Ikimi, flanked by Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Alhaji Garba Gadi representing other parties in the merger, said the name and acronym “APC” have become the intellectual property of the merging parties since February 6, 2013, as they have received wide publicity in the print and electronic media.

Ikimi warned that the feeble attempt by any other entity to pretend to use the same acronym is an exercise in futility, because it amounts to what, in law, is called “passing off”.

He said the group had, for several weeks now, put the country and indeed the whole world on notice about the decision of three registered political parties, namely, the ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to merge into one formidable party for the purpose, among others, of accentuating political competitiveness, providing a viable alternative political platform and promoting the much-desired political change in the governance of the country.

According to Ikimi, all legal and constitutional processes required to formalise the merger and register the new party with INEC in the name of All Progressive Congress (APC) are already in progress, in top gear and includes its earlier announcement on February 6, 2013, of the decision of the three parties to merge.

He said: “Prior to the adoption of the name, we had carried out a careful search of the existing names of all parties with extant registration in Nigeria and, finding out that none had the name All Progressive Congress nor the acronym, we chose the name and unveiled it. Thus, by that public announcement, the name All Progressive Congress and the acronym APC became our intellectual property which we shall guard jealously.

“It has therefore come to us as a rude shock that the INEC would announce receipt of a letter from what is known to be a faceless and unknown political group ostensibly driven by sheer mischief purporting to request for registration with the name African Peoples Congress.

The obvious motive of this letter is to attempt, albeit in futility, to scuttle the registration of the All Progressives Congress, which has been so widely publicised and well received to the discomfort of the establishment.”

Continuing, Ikimi stated: “Unfortunately, we have it on good authority that the establishment, gravely troubled by the emergence of a united opposition, has set up a high-powered team headed by a very high ranking officer of government and furnished with unlimited resources from public funds with a clear mandate to corrupt the democratic institutions and destabilise the opposition.

“We have taken the pains to furnish the foregoing facts because we will not accept any attempt by INEC, relying on a dubious application clearly not in compliance with the conditions set out in the constitution or the Electoral Act, to scuttle our plans to formalise our merger under our adopted name and acronym.

Source: Leadership

The Ebonyi House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Chief Valentine Okike, has been removed from office for alleged insubordination, promotion of disaffection among members and improper dressing to official functions.

Moving the motion for his removal, Mr Chris Usulor (Ezza South) said Okike committed acts which negated the corporate existence of the House.

“The deputy speaker is fond of committing gross insubordination against the leadership of the house, causing disaffection among members, and dressing improperly to official functions.

“He even wears ‘boxer shorts’ to functions among other acts which negates the exalted office he swore an official oath to protect.

“This motion is in consonance with section 92 sub section 2C of the 1999 constitution.

“It stipulates that a Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House shall be removed from office with a 2/3 majority votes,” he said.

Mr. Frank Onwe, (Ohaukwu North) seconded the motion which was put into vote by the Speaker, Chief Chukwuma Nwazunku, and it was voted in favour by majority of the members.

Nwazunku, in his remark, said that the deputy speaker had been suspended as a member for two weeks.

“A committee will be constituted to thoroughly look into this matter and report back to the House accordingly before subsequent actions will be taken,” he said.

Mr. Eni Uduma (Afikpo South West) moved a motion for Okike’s replacement and nominated Mr Blaise Orji, representing Afikpo South East constituency.

Mrs. Mabel Aleke, (Ohaukwu South) seconded the nomination which was accepted by majority of the members.

The House had earlier directed its Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to review and arrive at a consensus on its report on activities of State Local Government Service Commission.

Source: Leadership

The African People’s Congress (APC), has celebrated the public unveiling of the political party, and the official opening of the National headquarters of the party in Abuja.

Officials, members and supporters of the party, gathered at plot 983 Garki, opposite the main gate of Apo legislative quarters, where the national head offices of the party is located.

The party official red colored flags and emblem could be seen on the building as party members also wore red face caps and red mufflers.

In a prepared speech, the acting chairman of the party, Onyinye Michael Ikeagwuonu described the merger of major opposition political parties, ACN, CPC, ANPP and others as “simply an amalgam of people that must rule.”

He added that “they are largely part of the same over-recycled crop of power mongers that have plagued Nigeria with their abysmal misrule and maladministration.”

“The corruption in these parties often rubs off on their legislators in the National Assembly, with clear reflection on the quality of legislation churned out from our hallowed chambers,” he added.

Later in an interview with journalists, the legal adviser of the party, Kingsley Nnadi, said the fulfilment of the African People’s Congress in submitting its intention to register the party after passing other requirement of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), put to rest any controversy over the acronym (APC), of the Party.

According to him, “I believe the unveiling of the party has finally put to rest the contention of over the acronym APC. We are waiting for their response within thirty days, because we have fulfilled every stipulated requirement in the electoral act.”

He refused to answer question on the fake office address submitted to INEC in their application to register the party, responding that, “are we not here now at the head office of the party?”

He claimed that the party has offices in 26 states of the federation, and more offices were being opened and also said they were not in any way affiliated to the ruling PDP

Questions are rife on the minds of many over the sudden appearance of this party, complete with a constitution and manifesto as to whether this is an orchestrated attempt to cripple the success of the proposed merger and who are the real powers behind this new party. But with 2015 still ahead, this is seen to be just the beginning of interesting events to unfold.

Source: Channels Tv

This morning, a team of crack investigative reporters from Osun Defender Newspapers and our Search Engine Consultants (SEO), dug out with forensic zeal and tore the mask from the face of evasive “masquerades” behind the phantom party, African Peoples Congress (APC), believed to be sponsored by PDP to thwart the merger and registration of the All Progressive Congress.

The picture above is that of the lawyer, one “Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu” from the floating “Legal World Chambers” who wrote to INEC the controversial letter of intent on behalf of his “clients” the African Peoples Congress (APC). Because of the exposure of the dirty game, the lawyer has switched off his two numbers: 08164257977 and 08053957522. Yesterday, he picked the phone when we called him but he was evasive and not forthcoming of if he was the Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu, he told us he would call us back and by 8.23 p.m. after so many un-returned calls (44 in all) he switched off his two phones and they are yet to be switched on as at this afternoon before we went to press.

The address on the letter-head— Suite 1007, Block B, Anbeez Plaza in Wuse Zone 5, also happened to be another mystery in the duplicitous game. A staff who pleaded anonymity told us outside the office that none of the members of two chambers that co-habit the office (IJEOMA DESTINY CHAMBERS and Maji-Emmanuel & Co) had any knowledge of either a third chamber by the name: “Legal World Chambers”, neither any partner that bears the name: “Barrister Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu”. The staff after we showed her the printed picture of Barrister Samuel Chinedu said he knew the face but was not a member of the either chamber, and was only a casual acquaintance of one of her principals. She said the drama is not uncommon with charge and bail lawyers who most times do not have a chamber but use the address of their friend’s chambers.

Meanwhile, the vociferous challenge mounted my APC spokespersons has driven the phantom APC to hastily provide “logistics” for the unveiling of a logo this morning in Abuja at a press conference.

Samuel who hailed from Owerri township in Imo State joined FACEBOOK on 11th October, 2008 had only 8 friends – all female, (Bibi Olukini, Chichi Ekpe, Beeorlah Mimi Julia Soyebo, Chibbie Raymnd Nonyizzle, Joy Jade Ikhialose Idomeh, Tenny Olowu, Chioma Kaycee Onyebuchi and Maurine Bayen) in 2008, but grew to 43 in 2009… His steady stream of friends has since grown to 462 as at yesterday 13th march 2013.

Source: Osun Defender