Nigerian Army to build Bailey bridge in Enugu State

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State Executive Council has approved that the contract for the reconstruction of a bailey bridge over Ivo River in Okpanku, Ani Nri Local Government Area, be awarded to the Nigerian Army’s works unit for N54 million.

Speaking to journalists on decisions taken by the council, the commissioner for information, Godwin Udeuhele, said the army got the contract award based on the engineering expertise it had garnered over the years.

The commissioner also announced a planned collaboration between the state’s ministry of education and the Reading Association of Nigeria (RAN) towards the implementation of Literacy Enhancement and Achievement Project (LEAMP) in three local government areas of Udenu, Oji River and Enugu South. He disclosed that the education ministry has as a result been directed to express the state’s interest to the World Bank towards attracting the project.

“The LEAMP project is a reliable one that has the potential to enhance the proficiency of secondary school teachers as well as the performance of students in core subjects like English language, mathematics, sciences, among others,” he said.

Mr. Udeuhele revealed that the council further approved a review of rural electrification projects in Igbo-Etiti and Igboeze North by ten per cent of the project sum valued at N80,506,545 and N75,589,686 respectively. This review was informed by the need to ensure speedy and efficient completion of the projects, he explained.

Equally approved was the recruitment of 10 social welfare workers for the state’s ministry of gender affairs and social development to boost the establishment’s child welfare department.

The commissioner noted that the council meeting also witnessed the presentation of the Best State Government Website of the Year award to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the Institute of Information Management of Africa’s Records and Information Management Awareness, RIMA, foundation, adding that the sum of N10 million was subsequently approved for the purchase of ICT equipment for the ministry of science and technology’s Computer Training Centre to help it meet its mandate on computer literacy.

Source: Premium Times

Robbery kingpin killed in gun duel with Police in Enugu

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu state police command has confirmed the death of a notorious armed robbery suspect, Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who operated in Enugu and Abakaliki, after a gun duel.

Ebere Amaraizu, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed the death via a statement issued on Thursday in Enugu.

Amaraizu said that the unrepentant armed robbery suspect had served years of imprisonment in Enugu and Abakaliki prisons in recent time.

“In the morning of March 28 and through intelligence information, the armed robbery kingpin, Chukwuemeka Ugwu, alias Akpuike, was trailed by police anti-robbery squad to his criminal hideout at Aguowa axis of Trans-Ekulu in Enugu,” he said.

Amaraizu explained that a gun duel ensued between the suspect, his boys and the police anti-robbery squad when he sighted the police operatives.

The spokesperson said the suspect was overpowered by the superior fire power of the police, who had laid siege for him in a carefully coordinated operation.

“The superior fire power of the police operatives resulted to the armed robbery kingpin sustaining serious injuries.

“The suspect was promptly rushed to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozala for medical attention,” he said.

Amaraizu said that the doctor on duty later confirmed him dead.

Source: The Cable

“PDP is dead”, former Enugu governor, Sullivan Chime declares.

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Staff Reporter

A former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, on Friday confirmed that he had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Mr. Chime said the PDP is dead, according to a News Agency of Nigeria report.

The PDP, Nigeria’s largest opposition party governed the country for 16 years (1999 to 2015) during which period it also had majority in both houses of the National Assembly as well as majority of the state governors.

The party has been enmeshed in a major leadership after losing power and is currently split ?into two factions.

Many former PDP leaders have, like Mr.? Chime, dumped the party to join the current governing All Progressives Congress.

Enugu Governor Calls For Overhaul Of Electoral System, More Credibility.

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has advocated an overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral system to foster greater credibility and consequently ensure good governance.

Speaking at the southeast public hearing on the review of Nigeria’s electoral system, Ugwuanyi suggested that the Justice Uwais report serves as a background to the present review.

“The reform we envisage will have to include overhaul of the electoral process and the proposed reform should help entrench culture of respect for the will of the people expressed through the ballot box.

“I believe that the recommendations of justice Uwais’ electoral reform should be adopted to serve as a background in appreciation of any reform measures.

“This exercise avails us the opportunity for a robust engagement on the recommendations of the committee as it affects the strengthening and protecting the autonomy of INEC from political interference,” Ugwuanyi said.

He also noted that the issue of pre-election litigation should be considered critically.

“Another issue of concern is the area of election litigation in the country. A situation where the pre-election litigation runs through the strata of courts in the country and even sub cedes after the winner of election has been sworn in is worrisome.

“The question therefore arises as to whether it would not be necessary to set a timeline for determining issues arising from party primaries and other pre-election matters just like post-election petitions.” he noted.

The committee chairman, Ken Nnamani, who told the gathering that the single objective of the public hearing is to see how electoral systems can be reformed to strengthen democracy, urged participants to discard every fear that the outcome of the reform would not be implemented.

“For those of you who are afraid that the outcomes of this hearing will not be implemented, be rest assured that if Mr President, who has been a victim of our electoral system for more than three times is on seat, he is most likely to implement the outcome of this hearing”.

He, however called on other citizens who could not make presentations to send email to the committee before the end of two weeks.

Source: Channels TV

Enugu Internal Revenue Board Goes Tough, Seals Off Eight Banks.

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue has sealed off eight banks in the metropolis, for failure to remit about 1Billion Naira tax to the government.

The exercise which started on Monday morning at about 5:30am, affected Access Bank PLC, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Skye Bank, Union Bank, Unity Bank, Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank and Sterling Bank, in the metropolis.

The Chairman, Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Emeka Odo made this known to newsmen in Enugu, that the board obtained an order from the state High Court to seal the affected banks.

Mr Odo, said sealing of the banks which is the first phase of the enforcement exercise on the major companies and institutions will remain under lock and key, to ensure that they perform their civic obligations to the state government.

He however called on customers of the affected banks not to panic as the banks are expected to take necessary actions, to enable the government serve them better.

Source: Channels TV

Police nab two vigilante for alleged kidnapping in Enugu

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested two members of vigilance group in Nimbo, Uzouwani Local Government of Enugu State, for alleged kidnap of Enechi Ejiofor on Dec. 13, 2016

The command’s spokesperson, Ebere Amaraizu, made this known to journalists in Enugu on Thursday.

Mr. Amaraizu said the suspects abducted Mr. Ejiofor, a Special Assistant on Security Matters to Uzo Uwani Local Government Area Chairman, in December on his way to an official assignment at Ugwuiyi Ekoro.

The victim is still in the custody of the kidnappers.

He said that the kidnappers demanded N10 million ransom on December14, 2016 from the family but later reduced it to two million which one of the suspects collected.

The police spokesperson said that the two suspects were helping the operatives in their investigations.

He said that the first suspects revealed that they allegedly collaborated with the community vigilance group to kidnap the victim.

Mr. Amaraizu said that the first suspect, who claimed to be a Nollywood actor, said that he played a big role in monitoring the victim’s movement because he “knows him very well.”

The police spokesperson said that the suspects claimed not to know the whereabouts of the victim, saying that some vigilante members known as Ratty, Miri and Earthquake, whom he did not know their real names, knew better.

The second suspect also said that it was the first suspect, his friend, that lured him into the group.

Amaraizu said that first suspect accepted being involved in the kidnap as a full member of the vigilante while the second suspect just joined the group.

Enugu Government Signs 2017 Budget Into Law.

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has signed the 2017 budget estimated at 105.72 billion Naira, themed budget of Economic Recovery and Inclusive Development into law.

Governor Ugwuanyi commended the Enugu State House of Assembly members for a speedy passage of the budget and promised to fully implement it for the development of the state.

“I wish to express appreciation to the good people of the state for the opportunity to serve and reassure that our promise to deliver good governance and selfless service remain non-negotiable.

“I wish to assure you of our commitments to fully implement this budget so that we can achieve the objectives we have set out for rapid growth of the state.

However, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Edward Ubosi, said that there was no alteration to the budget as it was the size presented by the governor on December 23, 2016.

Mr Ubosi, however, said that the lawmakers juggled some of the entries where they found necessary to make the document more responsive to the yearnings of the state. He said that some ministries and government had unnecessary allocations to themselves but such were moved to other more pressing areas.

“In the course of looking at the budget we made some adjustments in areas we deemed necessary,” for instance the Ministry of Works was allocated two hilux vans, one of such vans was for five million Naira, the other was for 10 million Naira.

He said that the office of the Secretary to the State Government had allocated some money to rent a house “but we found it unnecessary and put the fund to another ministry.

Mr Ubosi appealed to the governor to ensure the full implementation of the budget, adding “the budget is a social contract between you and the people”.

Enugu Assembly to blacklist, prosecute erring contractors

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State House of Assembly has threatened to blacklist any contractor who failed to complete the job given to him on schedule.

The Chairman, House Committee on Works, Housing and Urban Development, Sunday Ude-Okoye, made the assertion when he led members of his committee to Aninri and Awgu Local government Areas in an oversight function.

He expressed disappointment over the slow execution of work in some of the project sites visited.

Ude-Okoye regretted that some contractors collected over 30 per cent of the total sum of the contract awarded to them and abandoned the job.

He vowed to organise a thorough Public Hearing on ongoing state projects in all the local government councils in the state.

The chairman warned the contractors to mobilise back to site or risk being blacklisted and prosecution.

He said, it will no longer business as usual in the state, where some scrupulous individuals collect government money without doing the work they were paid to do.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that Enugu government in October, 2016, inaugurated over 35 projects in 17 local government areas of the state.

Enugu police rescues kidnapped girl sold for N350,000 in Abia

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Enugu State Police Command said that it has burst a kidnapping and human trafficking syndicate that abducted and sold a four-year-old girl in Abia for N350,000.

Ebere Amaraizu, the command’s spokesman, said in a statement that the little girl’s kidnap was aided by a family member from Inyi community in Oji River Local Government Area.

According to Mr. Amaraizu, the little girl went missing from school without a trace at about 12:45 p.m. on December 15, 2016 and was only recovered by the police one month later.

“The report of the missing girl threw the entire family, especially the mother, into confusion and sorrow.

“In the course of investigation, one Miss Chinedu Chukwu, immediate younger sister to the mother of the victim, and her boyfriend, Osunkwo Chinonso, were nabbed for their involvement in the dastardly act.

“They conspired and came in from Anambra to the school where little Chinecherem was, tricked and whisked away to Umuahia in Abia.

“They sold the child at Ihe Olokoro community of Abia to one Florence Nwokocha at the price of N350,000.

“Police operatives on January 16, nabbed Nwokocha who provided information leading to the recovery of the girl from where she was kept at Faulks Road, Aba, awaiting a buyer,” he said.

Mr. Amaraizu said the police had also launched full scale investigation and manhunt for the person who harboured the little girl in Aba.

“All the suspects are assisting the police in their investigations just as little Chinecherem Irechukwu has been reunited with her family,” the police spokesman said.

The mother of the victim, Mrs Irechukwu, expressed gratitude to God and the police for their prompt action which led to the arrest of the suspects and the rescue of her daughter.

“God is at work,” the relieved mother said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

She expressed regret that her immediate younger sister was involved in such a woeful act.

Buhari messed up by not traveling to Enugu – By Jude Egbas

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Staff Reporter

In the minds of the average South Easterners, President Muhammadu Buhari doesn’t care about them.

It’s ‘constitutional’ to hate or deride Buhari in several parts of the South East. He’s persona non grata in these parts.

South East States are Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia. It is not uncommon to hear people from these States refer to the President’s political party, APC, as Hausa party.

In the last presidential contest, only a few persons in the South East turned up for Buhari.

Buhari received a paltry 198,248 votes from the South East. In contrast, Goodluck Jonathan harvested 2,464,906 votes from the region.

Even Jonathan’s South South base handed Buhari more votes. 418,590 people voted for Buhari in the South South. Jonathan had the most votes in the region, polling 4,714,725 votes.

The South East has always been wary of any politician from the North of Nigeria. That fear of the Northern politician in the Igbo speaking States stem from the ills visited on Biafra by Nigeria during the civil war.

The Head of State at the time of the civil war was a northerner and majority of the rank and file in the Nigerian Army hailed from the northern geopolitical zone of the country.

Buhari was in the top echelon of the Army at the time of the civil war. He was never going to get love from the South East during the 2015 presidential election. The grudge from the South East for Buhari for “fighting against them” during the war, was evident in the eventual outcome from the 2015 polling.

The civil war scars have yet to heal in Igbo-land.

Buhari was flatly rejected in the region.

After winning the general election thanks to the votes from the South West and the northern geopolitical zones, Buhari’s first job was to unite a fractured country. It’s what decent leaders do.

He didn’t.

At an event in Washington DC in July 2015, Buhari said people from the region who gave him 5% of the vote shouldn’t expect to be treated the same way as those who gave him 97% of the vote.

“I hope you have a copy of the election results”, Buhari said at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP). “The constituents, for example, that gave me 97% [of the vote] cannot in all honesty be treated on some issues with constituencies that gave me 5%. I think these are political realities”, the newly elected President said.

It was a careless and flippant thing to say.

Where the South East was looking for inclusive governance cues from the new leader, Buhari handed them one more reason to believe that he isn’t their friend.

With one careless remark, the President had marginalized sections of the country even further.

In the months that followed, groups like the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) became more vocal and destructive; and a certain riff-raff called Nnamdi Kanu gained more sympathizers for his misguided Biafra cause.

Still, Buhari didn’t read the signs.

In his first set of federal appointments, he made sure to ostracize the South East and South South regions some more, handing critics who say he is clannish, more arrows for their bows.

Buhari is yet to visit a State in the South East region of Nigeria since he assumed the reins.

When the security summit recently held in Enugu, it was perfectly normal for the entire country to wonder why Buhari was nowhere near the venue of the event, especially because the government he heads holds up security as one of its cardinal objectives.

For the South East, this was one more reason not to trust Buhari.

What a difference his visit would have made!

Imagine what a charm offensive to this region during the visit would have done for his ratings.

In his defense, the President said he shunned the security summit because he yielded to counsel from South East elders.

“The President was presented with a request to attend the Economic and Security Summit by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. The President happily accepted”, a statement from the Presidency read.

“The visit to Enugu was scheduled for Thursday 22nd as can be found on the weekly programme.

“After this was done, some other stakeholders from the South East came and advised him to not go in view of the closeness of the date to Christmas; that given the sensitivity of the period to the people, a presidential visit may come with over-exertion and possibly, be disruptive of Christmas.

“In view of this, President Buhari requested that the event be pushed forward to January, 2017. Given his nature, he did not insist. He said if the change of date is not possible, then the event can go on without him. That is what the organisers chose to do.

“The President did not, and he absolutely has no reason to snub anyone.”

Tell that to the birds!

It was a lame excuse from the nation’s number one citizen.

A Commander-In-Chief should be able to show up in any part of the country whenever he chooses—whether at Christmas, Yam Festivals, Ogboni rituals, Cultists’ initiation, hailstones, earthquakes, flooding, Boko Haram war—whenever.

He’s the C-In-C for a reason. A packed Christmas schedule in the host State shouldn’t prevent the President from making a most important trip to any part of this nation.

Citing closeness to Christmas as reason for not making the trip to Enugu was rather hollow and infantile. It was pure, unfiltered baloney. It made little sense.

It would have been better to shut it.

Buhari has to do more to unite a fractured country. He has to assure persons of other regions who didn’t vote for him that they are part of his plans for a better Nigeria.

He’s got to be the unifier in Chief. Thus far, he hasn’t.

Not making the trip to Enugu and canceling an earlier trip to Rivers to flag off the Ogoni cleanup, were missed opportunities.

The President has no one else to blame (for the agitations and unrests in these geopolitical regions) but himself.

President Buhari, Ministers Shun South-East Summit After IPOB Threat

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday stayed away from the maiden South-East Economic and Security Summit in Enugu, which started about 48 hours after some pro-Biafra agitators warned him not to set foot in Igboland.

Buhari was meant to be the Chief Guest of Honour at the summit, which held in the Enugu State Government House, according to the programme of the event.

Although the President was expected at the event, as noted by several speakers who spoke during the event, he did not show up, neither was he represented.

Also, ministers from the South-East, who were slated to make presentations at the event, all stayed away.

A pro-Biafra group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, had in the build up to the summit, issued a statement, warning Buhari to stay away from the South-East, in his own interest.

IPOB, whose leader, and director of pirate radio channel, Nnamdi Kanu, is being held by the Federal Government, accused Buhari of ‘persecution’, and threatened ‘a breakdown of law and order’ should the President attend the summit.

While no mention of the IPOB warning was made throughout the opening session of the summit, Buhari’s absence was a major talking point as several speakers expressed surprise, and confusion, at the development.

The Chairman of the South-East Security and Economic Summit, former power minister, Prof. Barth Nnaji, in his opening remarks, observed, “We have not seen the President.”

Later on, in a presentation by the summit committee, Nnaji had to substitute Buhari’s name with that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who attended the event as the ‘Distinguished Guest of Honour’, in the introductory part of a prepared address where he was to thank Buhari for attending the occasion as the Chief Guest of Honour.

Instead of thanking Buhari for gracing the occasion as the chief guest of honour, as stated in the prepared address, Nnaji thanked Obasanjo for attending the event as the distinguished guest of honour.

Nnaji also thanked the Enugu State government for undertaking to sponsor some aspects of the President’s visit.

The chairman of the event, former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, drew attention to Buhari’s absence.

“I was going to start by saluting the representative of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but I have not been told of such a person,” the retired diplomat said.

Anyaoku went further to express regrets that Buhari was not present at the event.

Rounding up his address with a call for the restructuring of the country, he said, “I had hoped that Mr. President would be here to hear me.

“Like Cato, the Roman senator who always ended his speeches by calling for the destruction of Carthage until his call was heeded, I will restate my assertion that if the Nigerian federation is restructured to have less federating units, this country will achieve greater stability and faster pace of development, and there will no longer be a need for the Federal Government to bailout many of the non-viable 36 states.”