NIGERIAN NOTCH

From Izunna Okafor, Awka It was a scene of bewilderment at Awka, Anambra State capital, as goods worth over 10 million naira were destroyed by the officials of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (popularly known as ACTDA), which is an agency of the Anambra State Government under the administration of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo. The goods were destroyed following the destruction of a grocery shop along the Oby Okoli Avenue of the UNIZIK Temporary Site, Okpuno Awka. The ever-busy shop, which is situated among other shops and close to a mini market, was a one-stop shop for egg, flour, frozen foods, condiments, rice, beans, hot dog, noodles, and others in the entire Awka, both at retail and wholesale prices.  These goods, however, were all scattered on the street of Awka, as the ACTDA officials stormed the shop with caterpillar to pull down the building on Monday evening. Many passers-by and sympathizers were also said to have looted goods to their satisfaction whil...

  The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, yesterday said he was not aware of any court order on a dismissed officer and his commital to prison.. A Federal High Court in Abuja had  sentenced the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, to three months in prison for disobeying a valid court order. The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Bolaji Olajuwon, held that the IGP, whose men often go after such violators of the law, should be committed to prison and detained in custody for a period of three months, or until he obeys an order made since October 21, 2011. In his ruling, Justice Olajuwon said,”If at the end of the three months, the contemnor remains recalcitrant and still refuses to purge his contempt, he shall be committed for another period and until he purges his contempt.” The IGP’s committal to prison followed a suit that was filed by a police officer, Mr. Patrick Okoli, who was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian Pol...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will go ahead to conduct the 2023 general election as scheduled, the recent attacks on its offices not withstanding. The commission noted that not even the loss of some election materials already delivered for 2023 general election to recent attacks on its offices in different parts of the country would stop the polls from taking place as scheduled. INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, stated this yesterday when he received the delegation of  African Union Special Pre- Electoral  Political Mission led by Phumzile Mlambo-  Ngcuka in Abuja. Yakubu assured Nigerians that the occurrence would not affect the conduct of the 2023 general election as scheduled, as the commission would recover from the losses. He said despite INEC’s progress and preparations for the 2023 general election,  the commission was still concerned about the security situation generally in the country, particularly the incidence of attac...

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has again called for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow for certain cases to terminate at the appellate court. Justice Ariwoola made the call yesterday at the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year of the Supreme Court and inauguration of 62 barristers and solicitors elevated to the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs). The CJN said due to the backlog of appeals and heavy workload, it has become pertinent for certain appeals to terminate at the Court of Appeal so as to decongest the Apex court. “We have said it repeatedly that ordinarily, most appeals should be allowed to end at the Court of Appeal; but such constitutional provision is yet to be enacted, so we have no blame in it, rather, we are daily overburdened by that long-awaited constitutional amendment as we work round the clock to attend to the plethora of appeals,” Ariwoola stated. The CJN insisted that, “There should also be an amendment of the c...

The frontline candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for Njikoka/ Dunukofia, and Anaocha federal constituency, Chief Ezeokonkwo   kelvin Chukwuemeka has restated his resolve to improve on this community development engagement with the people of Njikoka Dunukofia and Anaocha federal constituency when elected into the green chamber of the national assembly. He made this assertion over the weekend at the unveling of the newly completed Nnewi sports club facility built by Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah. Chief Ezeokonkwo, popularly known as Kabyesi said that he has been into community development even before gunning for any political position, as he has used his God given resources to build structures for God an humanity.  Chief Ezeokonkwo ( Kabyesi) therefore called on the people of Njikoka Dunukofia and Anaocha federal constituency to vote massively for his party the YPP in the upcoming general elections in the state. This he said will go a long way in bringing in ...

T he trio of the Anambra State Fire Service, Anambra State Police Command, and Anambra State Governor have given their respective comments and update on the early morning fire outbreak that hit the commercial city of Onitsha, in Anambra State. Announcing the fire outbreak in a press release to New Telegraph, the Fire Chief/Director, Anambra State Fire Service, Engr. Martin Agbili, explained that his office, after receiving a distress call about the fire outbreak, which occured at Kano Street behind Main Market, Onitsha at about 2.20am, deployed their fire trucks and firefighters to the scene. He also noted that, the firefighters, on getting there, immediately swung to action and battled the fire, refilling their fire trucks over and over. In his update, the Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu confirmed that the situation has been brought under control. While also confirming that no life was lost in the inferno; Tochukwu, however, said that goods worth ...

Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR has commiserated with victims and owners of some shops at the Kano Street, beside Main Market, Onitsha, following a fire incident that occured in the market The unfortunate fire incident occurred around 1:00 am, in the morning of Monday 28th, November, 2022 and officers of the Anambra State Fire Service were on ground to extinguish it. Governor Soludo expressed sadness over the incident that left shops and goods razed and the losses incurred  "I commiserate with the shop owners over the inferno. "As a responsive government, we are already on top of the situation, investigating the remote and immediate causes of the fire, as well as the losses incurred with a view to averting a future recurrence of the disaster", said Professor Soludo. "Efforts of our emergency responders like the state fire service contributed in extinguishing the fire and I find their efforts heartwarming. I encourage those affected ...

Ongoing investigation into alleged proliferation of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in the country is apparently paying off as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has traced the election materials to homes of some persons, including politicians. This is the result of sting operations by security operatives following reports alleging discovery of stacks of printed PVCs buried in the ground and drainages, with some even dumped in bushes across the country. The development has sparked fresh concerns among Nigerians about alleged plot to rig the 2023 general election. In the last couple of months, there had been trending videos on social media showing the discovery of thousands of PVCs hidden in underground locations or dumped in dustbins and the streets. In a bid to calm frayed nerves, INEC which recently confirmed the development said it had reported the incidents of PVCs proliferation to the Nigeria Police and other security agencies for investigation and further action. ...

  Meanwhile, reactions have trailed reports of proliferation of PVCs, with some Nigerians calling on INEC to explain the source of PVCs found in the hands of individuals to instil confidence of Nigerians in the electoral process. A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Mark Gbilah, said Nigerians should be concerned about the integrity of INEC machines that will be deployed for the elections, as well as the general preparedness of the commission Speaking with our correspondent last night, the lawmaker who represents Gwer East/Gwer West federal constituency of Benue State in the Green Chamber, noted that if INEC does not have explanation for the anomaly, the commission should prompt relevant security agencies to commence an immediate investigation to unravel the mystery. “INEC must explain to Nigerians how individuals manage to secure these hundreds of voter cards because they continue to play the Ostrich, which is not right. If INEC cannot explain it, the commission should in...

  The minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo has said the Abuja-Kaduna train service will no longer resume today as earlier scheduled. The minister, who stated this while on an inspection train ride from Abuja to Kaduna yesterday, said the resumption will be extended by one week to allow the passengers be properly enlightened on the new process of obtaining tickets and other requirements. The minister also stated that the line is fully secured and ready for operations but with the new requirements for ticketing, there is need for a little extension of time maybe by days or at most, one week. According to him, “The issue of whether the train will start tomorrow or not, we have not said the train services will start tomorrow (Monday) I want to be very categorical about that. Now, we have introduced a new system before you buy a ticket. The purchase of a ticket requires you to provide a phone number and a national identification number in order to profile because that is the be...

~ orders immediate reversal of the appellation ‘State of Osun’ to the constitutionally recognized  status of Osun State. The new governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has ordered the immediate reversal of the appellation of ‘State of Osun’ to the constitutionally recognized Osun State. Besides, he also ordered the reversal of the official State’s appellation from ‘State of the Virtues’ to the original ‘State of the Living Spring’. Speaking shortly after he was sworn-in as the 6th civilian governor of Osun State on Sunday at the Osogbo Township Stadium by Justice Adepele Ojo, Governor Adeleke also ordered the immediate freezing of all State government’s accounts in banks and other financial institutions. He also announced the immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets just as he ordered an immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate-past administrati...