NIGERIAN NOTCH

The All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled  Federal Government's  threat to withdraw the licences of  Electricity Distribution Companies (EEDC) and others, has received the approval of some rights group in the country. One of such rights groups is the Human Right, Liberty Access, and Peace Defenders Foundation (HURIDE) which hinged their rressons on the non-performance, exploitation of power consumers, corruption and high handedness by Eastern Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC). Addressing newsmen in Enugu yesterday after their expanded national executive meeting, the chairman Board of Trustees (BoT), HURIDE, Dede Uzor A. Uzor with other members of his Executives lamented that since over five years' of EEDC operation in the South East, they have allegedly raked  over 300 billion naira from  Ndigbo without at least 12 hours steady power supply. He recalled that EEDC had supplied consumers with standard prepaid metres in 2017, but had  recalle...

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Stanley Onoriode Ekemaye, described as a “notorious kidnap kingpin” who allegedly masterminded the abduction of Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, a judge with the Benin division of the appeal court. Nwosu was kidnapped on October 30 after being trailed from Ramat Park end of the Benin-Agbor road before her vehicle was intercepted around Christ Chosen Church of God International. Her police orderly was killed. She eventually regained her freedom after two weeks. TheCable learnt that Ekemaye was arrested by the secret police in the early hours of Tuesday at Okwuzi Egbema in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA in Rivers state. Ekemaye is believed to have been coordinating robbery and kidnap operations around the Delta, Edo and Rivers axis for years. Among his alleged victims are Francisca Okhiria, wife of the managing director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, who was kidnapped on September 14 and released after three weeks. Others are Esther Achim...

... Unveils plan to upgrade four general hospitals to specialists hospitals Imo State Governor, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha CON, has reinstated his administration's commitment towards transforming the state. The governor disclosed this in a press release made available to newsmen today. He said that his administration would not lend itself to the “whims and caprices of personal discretion”, noting that the, “greater good of the people of the state, would at all times take priority position”. This is as he disclosed plans to upgrade the General Hospitals in Orlu, Okigwe, Aboh Mbaise and Awo Omamma Council areas into the status of specialist hospitals in specific areas of medical specialization. The Governor stated this at the inauguration of the visitation panels to Imo State University, Imo State Teaching Hospital, Imo State Polytechnic and the Board Imo State Hospitals Management, held at Expanded Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Owerri on Wednesday. He sai...

The Federal House Member representing Nnewi Federal Constituency at the national Assembly has engaged in advanced level talks with  some power companies on the need to generate more power for EEDC in Anambra, and the south east in generally to help stem the growing tension between consumers and EEDC. This was the import of the meeting he held with Mr Benjamin Amaechi, the commercial manger of Green Fuels Energy Ltd  in Lagos on Sunday morning after meeting with the Anambra community in Lagos the previous day. Our correspondent who monitored the meeting reliably gathered, that the  meeting was successful, to the extent that  negotiations have commenced on how to reach EEDC, to provide an enabling platform to evacuate over 10MW of electricity from the company which will help reduce the present cost of buying power, which has been a major problem facing EEDC over the years. Hon Chris Azubuogu while thanking Mr Benjamin Amaechi for the drive to improve on the...

President Buhari has congratulated Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama on his appointment as Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, following the retirement of John Cardinal Onaiyekan.  As the immediate past President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), former Archbishop of Jos, former President of the Episcopal Conference of West African Catholic Bishops and former Chairman of the Plateau State Interreligious Committee for Peace, the President recognises the roles Archbishop Kaigama had played in promoting peace, interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims in the country.  As His Grace, Archbishop Kaigama begins a new phase of his ministry, the President joins all members of the Catholic Church across Nigeria in praying for a successful and memorable tenure in office that will see the Church accomplish great things for the unity and prosperity of the nation, while complementing government'...

By Kizito Duru The Interim Management Committee chairman of Ikeduru Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State, Anselam Opara, has said that the LGA will generate around Ten Million Naria (10,000,000) from cash crops in one year. The Chairman stated this while addressing some select journalists in his office at the council headquarter in Iho, recently. He said that in line with the Agro initiative of the state governor, Emeka Ihedioha, the LGA under his watch had embarked on cash crop and poultry farming. He said the agro revenue will increase in subsequent years. The Council boss announced that in a short while, Ikeduru LGA will produce Tomatoes, Cucumber, Lettuce, pepper, egg, et al, for commercial purposes. The Chairman noted that the investment on Agro-industry will boost the Internally Generated Revenue (1GR) of the LGA and create job opportunities for the people of Ikeduru. He added that the Agro-industry will empower the beneficiaries of the state government's...

The popular Balogun market on Lagos Island was gutted by fire this morning 5th Novenber,2019. More details later.....

By Chigozie Igbo Jr The  Annual Lecture for the remembrance of Chukwuemeka Ojukwu held yesterday was an intellectually filled one as, Professor Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu, PhD, OON, FCIB, LLD Former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Convener, To Build a Nation (TBAN), made startling revelations on the prospects of Ndigbo in the Nigerian state and economy. In his emotion laden lecture he went down memory lane to eulogize, the Late General (Dim) Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu,(Ikemba Nnewi) who he described as a great man, as well as the son of a great man by all standards. He said that the need to celebrate a legend can't be over emphasized because of the legacy he left in the sands of time " we celebrate a legend, a visionary African of courage who took an indelible place in history with his leadership of Eastern Nigeria as a military governor at a time of grave national crisis, and in the shortlived Republic of Biafra" Prof Moghalu, went on to state that ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the bill seeking to amend the deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contract (DOIBPSC) act into law. A bill that was sponsored and advocated for by Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, the Senator Representing Anambra South Senatorial Zone, who is also a major player in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. The bill seeks to amend the act by reviewing the sharing formula to accrue more benefits to the federal government. Nigeria is projected to earn an additional income of $1.4 billion annually from international oil companies operating in the country if the bill seeking to amend a particular section of the act is passed into law. Buhari signed the much anticipated law from his residence in the UK where he is on a private visit. Writing via his Twitter handle, he described the new law as “a landmark moment for Nigeria”. Although Nigeria signed the first set of PSCs in 1993, while the DOIBPSC was enacted in 1999, failure to review the PS...

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has suspended the immediate past National President of the Union Waheed Odusile and National Vice president of zone C South East Comrade Petrus Obi. Others suspended along side are NAWOJ National Vice President Zone C South East Comrade Chibota Edozie and Ngozi Agbo of Enugu state Council over alleged anti-union activities. The decision was taken at the quarterly National Executive Council Meeting of the Union which was presided over by the National President of the Union Chief Chris Isiguzo with the State Council Chairmen and Secretaries including Imo State Council Chairman Chief Christopher Akaraonye and Secretary Comrade Juliet Dim as well as Zonal and National Executive Members including South East National Trustee Sir Innocent Igwe in attendance. It was also gathered that the decision of the Union to the suspension of the affected members also followed the flouting of the Union's constitut...

The Court of Appeal, Enugu division, on Friday, at about 2.30pm, delivered judgment on the Appeal filed by Chief Victor Umeh and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), seeking to set aside the judgment of the Tribunal, which earlier affirmed Senator Uche Ekwunife's election. Justice Ignatius Igwe Agube, while reading the judgment signed by two other justices, dismissed the appeal filed by Chief Victor Umeh and his party, APGA, for lack of merit. While agreeing with the judgment of the tribunal delivered on the 9th of September, 2019, Justice Agube stated that the appellant, while challenging the nomination of Senator Uche Ekwunife as the candidate of PDP, wrongly relied on Section 285 (13) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Justice Agube also stated that the nomination of candidates is a pre-election matter, which is outside the mandate of the Election Petition Tribunal, hence, the appellant has no business bringing the matter to the tribunal in the first place. ...