The Commissioner of Information, Chinadu Offor has confirmed to 247ureports.com the kidnap of Nollywood star and a Special Assistant to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Nkiru Sylvanus. She was abducted at about 2:30pm.
Her abductors are demanding N100 million ransom.
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General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB), the National Leader of the Congress
for Progressive Change (CPC), expresses personal grief and a deep
sense of loss over the death of the governor of Kaduna State, Sir
Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, the immediate past National Security Adviser,
General Andrew Owoye Azazi and others on Saturday the 15th December,
2012, in a helicopter crash in Bayelsa State. Undoubtedly, this is a
monumental National tragedy and GMB sees it so.
For this reason and as a mark of honour to the dead, GMB has directed that the ceremony marking his 70th Birthday scheduled for Monday, 17th
December, 2012 at the International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja
be postponed indefinitely. He has conveyed his sincere apology to the
Chairman of the Occasion, General TY Danjuma and the Guest Speaker,
Bishop Matthew Hazzan Kukah for the general inconveniences caused by
this unfortunate cancellation. In the same vein, all other invited
guests that have cancelled scheduled engagements to be able to attend
the ceremony are equally deserving of GMB’s apology. However, a new
date shall be announced later.
Indeed, this is another difficult time for the Nation and calls for
sober reflection. GMB commiserates with the immediate families of the
deceased, especially the government and people of Kaduna State for the
great loss. May the Almighty God grant all concerned the fortitude to
bear the irreplaceable loss.
God bless Nigeria.
Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC.
(Sunday, 16th December, 2012).
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has described the death of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna state and General Owoye Azazi in a helicopter crash as shocking.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Peter Okhiria, Comrade Oshiomhole said: “I received with great shock, news of the death of my brother Governor, Mr Patrick Yakowa and General Owoye Azazi in a helicopter crash in Bayelsa state.
“I wish to convey the deepest condolence of the people and Government of Edo State as well as my personal commiseration to the families of the victims.
“Yakowa’s death is not only a great loss to the good people of Kaduna State whom he served so devotedly but also to the nation. He was a man of peace as his administration has ensured relative peace and stability in Kaduna despite the initial hiccups he faced.
“His passion and pride with which he embarked on the Kaduna renewal project has been most endearing.
“His contributions at several fora, including the Governors’ Forum, were invaluable. He always came up with pan-Nigeria ideas to help move the nation forward.”
On General Owoye Azazi, Oshiomhole said: “I had a very cordial and fruitful relationship with General Azazi. In all my dealings with him, he came across as a detribalized Nigerian who had a burning passion for the country.
“Azazi was an epitome of the saying: ‘an officer and a gentleman’ because despite his very senior rank in the Army and his position as NSA, he was very humble and unassuming.
“The death of these two fine gentlemen at this point is a colossal loss to the nation. We cannot question God, we however pray that He lays His consoling hand on the families the victims and grant eternal rest to the souls of the departed.”
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called for a thorough investigation of Saturday’s military
helicopter crash that killed Kaduna Governor Patrick Yakowa, former NSA Owoye Azazi and four others,
saying unravelling the cause of the crash with a view to preventing a recurrence will mean the victims did
not die in vain.
”It is said that every plane crash makes flying safer. That assumes that every such crash is properly investigated
and the cause or causes found, disclosed and fed into efforts aimed at averting a recurrence. Saturday’s crash
should not be an exception,” the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
It said far from the rituals of mourning the victims of such tragedies and ordering a probe, this latest crash must
not be allowed to go the way of the previous ones, the cause or causes of which are yet unknown, thus robbing
the nation of the chance to make flying in the country safer.
ACN said till date, the March 2012 crash of a police helicopter in Jos, in which a Deputy Inspector-General of Police
was killed, has yet to be unravelled, neither has the nation been told conclusively what caused the June 2012 crash
of a Dana Air MD-83 plane that killed over 159 people, or even the series of deadly plane crashes that occurred
prior to those ones.
”For the military, the crash in 2011 of two of the newly-procured Chinese fighter jets fit into this pattern, as the cause
or causes have not been unravelled, to the best of our knowledge. The crash of another military aircraft, the Nigerian
Navy Agusta helicopter, on Saturday must not be allowed to follow this pattern.
”The safety of the flying public as well as our men and women in uniform must be of paramount importance to those
saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safe air travels, and no stone should be left unturned in ensuring this,” the
party said.
ACN said it received the news of Saturday’s fatal crash with rude shock and deep sadness, describing it as an
unspeakable national tragedy.
The party expressed its condolences to the federal government, the government and people of Kaduna and Bayelsa States,
as well as the families of all those who died in the crash.
It prayed that God will give the families the ability to find understanding and strengthen them to bear their incomparable
loss, and that the deceased will find eternal rest.
–
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Lagos, Dec. 16th 2012
The planned deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along Turkey’s border with Syria could lead to a “world war” that would threaten Europe as well, Iran’s military chief of staff was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, in November to help bolster its border security after repeated episodes of gunfire from war-torn Syria spilling into Turkish territory.
General Hassan Firouzabadi, the Iranian armed forces chief, said Iran wanted its neighbor Turkey to feel secure but called for NATO not to deploy the Patriots in its easternmost member state, which also borders Iran.
“Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map, and is meant to cause a world war,” Firouzabadi said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency. “They are making plans for a world war, and this is very dangerous for the future of humanity and for the future of Europe itself.”
Iran has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the 21-month uprising against his rule and long a strategic adversary of Western powers who have given formal recognition to Syria’s opposition coalition.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order on Friday to send two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey along with American personnel to operate them, following similar steps by Germany and the Netherlands.
Iranian officials including parliament speaker Ali Larijani have previously said that installing the Patriot missiles would deepen instability in the Middle East, and the foreign ministry spokesman said they would only worsen the conflict in Syria.
Turkey has repeatedly scrambled jets along its border with Syria and responded in kind when shells and gunfire from the Syrian conflict have hit its territory, fanning fears that the civil war could inflame the wider region
Abia state will be benefitting N1.2 billion in 2012 under the conditional grants scheme of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
Senior special Assistant to the president on MDG, Dr.Precious Gbeneol made this public while inaugurating projects executed under 2011 Millennium Development Goals Conditional Grant Scheme in Abia state.
She said that 607 million was spent in Abia in 2011, adding that her office funded 3 local governments –Obingwa, Ohafia and Ikwuano all of which received N200 million each to fund MDG projects.
According to her,the MDG office will be taking 4 additional local governments in Abia in 2012 –Arochukwu, Umunneochi,Ukwa East and Isiala Ngwa south and commended the governor for releasing the counterpart funding for the state promptly.
She further stated that N187million will be disbursed to the state under the conditional cash transfer, disclosing that Abia is among the 24 states to benefit from the sum of N5 billion released by the federal government.
The senior special Assistant thanked the wife of Abia state governor for helping to alleviate poverty among the people, pointing out that the major goal of the MDG is eradicating extreme poverty and hunger among the people.
She urged benefitting communities to protect and use the projects or get blacklisted.
Speaking, Abia governor, Chief TA Orji said the projects were executed to have great impact on the people.
Chief Orji revealed that his administration built and equipped a total of 250 health centres from 2007 till date and built 10 solar powered boreholes.
He maintained that 46 primary health centres were equipped and 17 ambulances purchased in 2011, adding that over 200 communities can boast of using modern facilities in their health centres.
The Abia state chief executive stated that his administration believes in the provision of projects and programmes that impact on the poor segment of society and the underprivileged and thanked the senior special Assistant on MDG for approving 4 new local governments to benefit from the scheme.
He however requested for the inclusion of 4 more local governments from the state to benefit from the scheme.
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has described the death of Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Owoeye Azazi and others in a helicopter crash as devastating, saying “I am still in shock.”
Reacting to news of the deaths, Governor Uduaghan said that it was a big blow to the country particularly given the caliber of all people involved.
According to him, these are deaths too many for Nigeria and Nigerians to bear noting that this saddening development called for prayers.
“This is so sad and painful. It is devastating not just to me as an individual, but to our collective being as a nation”, he stated.
Dr Uduaghan condoled the government and people of Kaduna state, the government and people of Bayelsa state, the families of the deceased and Nigerians over the fatalities.
He prayed God Almighty to grant the souls of the departed eternal rest.
South Korea imports of Iranian crude oil have increased 2.9 percent in November compared to a month ago despite West’s unilateral embargoes against Iran’s oil and financial sectors.
According to the data released by Korea Customs Service, Seoul purchased 814,797 metric tons, equivalent to 5.97 million barrels, of oil from Iran in November which indicated a 2.9-percent rise from October, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
South Korea halted crude purchases from Iran in August and September after its refiners lost insurance coverage on ships because of the sanctions imposed on Iran. However, Iran responded by using state-owned tankers to carry cargoes, a move that would allow South Korea to receive crude shipments without concerns over insurance guarantees.
According to reports, South Korea purchased 9.4 percent, or about 87 million barrels, of all its oil imports from Iran last year.
At the beginning of 2012, the US and the European Union imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors with the goal of preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.
The illegal US-engineered sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran strongly rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Not a few great and ably placed personalities of Abia extraction have at different times and fora acknowledged the complete absence of building cranes at any construction site close to Abia State, until the gubernatorial stewardship of Sir T.A. Orji. It was a sad reality that starred Abia in the face for over a decade whether during the military or democratic dispensation. With the passage of time, Abians were completely aghast to discover the magnitude of deep-seated executive grandstanding typified by poorly finished road and similar construction works.
I have had cause to variously infer that Sir T.A. Orji is an innocent victim of accumulated and misplaced aggression, occasioned by the people’s angst over decades of infrastructural neglect and decay before his Davidic intervention. Bottled up anger were at the verge of exploding destructively, before the Governor strategically intervened to liberate his people from political gulag and unbridled executive insensitivity, which in the past cascaded over the state like a life threatening dark cloud. The desired breath of fresh air was heralded with the liberation of peoples lives held captive by kidnappers and armed robbers.
The celebrated victory of government over the challenge of security became the latitude, which encouraged growth and a healthy race for the re-branding of Abia State. It evidently brought out the best in Sir T.A Orji as he constantly rode on each mile-stone to triumphantly establish another.
From a hollow state, lacking in identity and the necessities of life Governor T.A. Orji has stimulated a very healthy sectoral growth in Abia State. Development cannot take place in a vacuum, the plat form like the Governor is doing must be provided. It was this understanding that earlier gave rise to the synergy with Millennium Development Goals which in one fell swoop produced over 210 Health Centers situated in all the nooks and crannies of Abia State. Frankly speaking if the Health Center initiative of Governor T.A. Orji did little to arouse the curiosity of Abians, the incredible icing of Abia State Specialist Hospital jolted them and Diagnostic Center delivered in association with Me-cure Health Services, India. Abians whose mind were conditioned to patiently tolerate what they perceived was going to be another misrule, suddenly realized that this Governor could be the Moses, prepared and equipped to lead the people out of Egypt. Abia state Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Center has not only been extended in terms of annex, but has become a reliable one stop shop for diagnosing and treating complicated health situations like liver, kidney, eye and other allied cases.
Scarcely had the people finished dealing with the hospital amazement than the governor stepped up activities in other sectors.
The International conference centre, projected to seat over 3500 people and which some Abians thought was going to be a fleecing conduit, will be commissioned in a couple of months from now. A speculative tourist boom in that regard has given rise to a healthy race in the location of quality hotels and guesthouses in the state capital. Abia Hotels is being up-graded to a 3 Star Hotel to compete effectively in that sector. It is closely followed with workers secretariat, which can stand shoulder to shoulder with others in any part of the world. As earlier on else where acknowledged, the hollow past of Abia is so deep that self-seeking administrators governed the state from the property of late Emeka Omerua which he graciously allowed the state to occupy. I have always wondered aloud each time I sojourned in the thought of wanting to know why successive Governors and Military administrators did not think it befitting to drive the construction of a modern Government House in Umuahia, until a man who knows how to engrave his name in gold came on board. As widely held in Ibo land, you need not kill more than one lion before you are called “Lion killer.” With the reality of a new government House, Abians can testify that the Governor is poised to kill a thousand and one lions. Chronic critics are ridding themselves of that toga having enlisted in the bandwagon of helping the Governor to move the state forward,
Many Abians are oblivious of a brand new layout in Umuahia, which is playing host to these new structures. I have always attributed this ignorance to the reason behind the torrents of vituperations which government suffered in the past. Critics who have had cause to visit the new Umuahia layout have had cause to eat their misguided utterances. They have always discovered that besides the on-going workers Secretariat, International Conference Centre and New-Government House, a shouting distance away will reveal the reconstructed Abia State House of Assembly. A little walk around the expansive premises will also reveal the on-going 28 rooms Constituency offices being driven by the government of Sir, T.A Orji.
The judiciary has also benefited from the Governors season of projects in Abia State. A new and gigantic Umuahia High Court is almost completed and same is being replicated in Aba. The Government of Sir T.A. Orji had earlier built a new and modernized office block at Ministry of Justice even as old Magistrate Court Umuahia is under-going reconstruction.
Broadcasting Corporation, the mouthpiece of Abia State is also a beneficiary of government project initiative. This intervention when completed will usher the station into the League of digitalized broadcasters. Shop rite, a household name in chain stores has mobilized to site; Old garki for the construction of a shopping mall in Umuahia.
It is part of the positive feedback from the reality of Ohiya 132 KVA power station, which re-defined the socio-economic configuration of the State capital. Government-Geometric Power synergy due for commissioning in February 2013 will extend this illumination to Aba metropolis for business revivals and other ambitious projects. That this government matches words with action, played out recently, during the relocation of Umuahia Industrial market to Umudike. Umuahia ultra modern market is poised to follow suit as Ubani is gearing up to permanently host the new market. The housing drive of Abia state under Governor T.A. Orji is looking up.
The elitist Amaokwe-Ugba Housing Estate has been delivered, awaiting the almost completed Ahia-eke Housing Estate. The organized private sector is also sharing in this aspiration and its parading blue-chip players like Aso-property, and Juno-Hermes who have since flagged off their housing projects.
Time and space will fail me to talk about the on-going re-construction of 16 roads in Aba but suffice to say that it’s a practical way of demonstrating the Governors desire to re-engineer Aba.
–
Iyke Ogbonnaya wrote in from Umuahia.
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