NIGERIAN NOTCH

The traditional ruler of Ihiala in Ihiala LGA of Anambra state HRH Igwe Sir Thomas Ikenna Obidiegwu(Oluoha XVII) last Monday  received  Uzoakwa community, Ihiala, ably led by the Chairman of Nze na Ozo  of Uzoakwa,Hon.Osy Obijekwe. Uzokwa is made up of 10 clans with each headed by a village head.  While receiving  Uzoakwa delegation , the traditional ruler of Ihiala who was recently given certificate of recognition by the Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano, thanked God for making it possible for him to ascend the throne, a feat that would have been impossible without the people of Uzoakwa community.  He stressed that Uzoakwa community in Ihiala plays a pivotal role in every project of Ihiala and promised to carry them along in a the activities of his reign.  He sued for lasting peace in the community, stressing that he has opened his doors for reconciliation of any aggrieved member of the Ihiala, who was not pleased with the turn out of events in the community.

The immediate past Chairman of Nnewi Butchers Association,Chief Amobi Nnoruka (Ogbuefi Okwuanasoanya) has officially handed over to the newly elected officials of the association, now led by Chief Uchenna Okafor. In his valedictory address at the handing over ceremony held at Chief Amobi Nnoruka's residence, in Okponuegbu Umudim Nnewi, Chief Amobi Nnoruka thanked God for making it possible for him to pilot the affairs of the butchers in Nnewi for 8 years without any issues. He thanked members of the association in Nnewi for the support and assistance given to him, which made it possible for his smooth sailing, through out the period of his stay in office, as no case of epidemic surfaced as a result of cows that were sold to people in Nnewi axis. He congratulated the new Chairman and his excutives , Chief Uchenna Okafor, prayed that God will give him the strength, and wisdom to pilot the affairs of the association in Nnewi. In his acceptance speech, Chief Uchenna Okafor t

…Seeks continued partnership with Japanese Government Governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha CON, has enjoined Imo citizens to always take advantage of their contacts and positions to attract development to the state, reiterating  the readiness of his administration to partner with such persons or organizations. The governor stated this at the commissioning ceremony of the 100 solar powered street lights, built and donated to the people of Ezeagbogu, in Ezinihitte LGA by the Japanese Government in corroboration with Development Dynamics and Ufotonnie International Ltd, on Tuesday. He maintained that his administration is focused on encouraging Imolites and foreigners to join in the rebuilding project for the benefit of all and sundry. "I associate myself and Government of Imo State with positive developments for the good of our people. I thank our brothers who facilitated this project. It is a matter of fact that development is influenced, so when you have a pri

From Chibuike Onyeukwu Less than three weeks after His Excellency, Governor Emeka Ihedioha, assumed office, a columnist in an Owerri-based newspaper queried why he was yet to flag off a “major project”! A few days later, another commentator in a rejoinder argued that while “projects” are important, they must be distinguished from “edifice mentality” which, according to him, was the bane of governance in the state for eight years; and wherein the people were made to see halls and squares as the hallmark of development. Today, if we are talking of edifices, Imo would likely rank the first among the 36 state. But unknown to the hapless citizens of the state, the buildings and squares are standing on top of a massive financial and procedural filth. Before, I continue, let me note that we insiders of the new administration appreciate the charges that we seem to prefer to look back instead of looking forward – whatever that means. Of course, the administration of Hon. Ihedioha is inevit

The CP of Anambra Police Command has called to order warring parties in a land tussle in Umuali Akanator Omor and Ereator Igbakwu communities. It will be recalled that on the 13/7/2019 at about 7:am,there was a communal clash between Umuali Akanator Omor and Ereator Igbakwu communities occassioned by perennial Land dispute between the two neighbouring communities all in Anyamelum LGA of Anambra State. It was gathered that four persons sustained injuries, one house was set ablaze and three motorcycles burnt, in a release made available the PPRO SP Haruna Mohammed.  The Commissioner of Police Anambra State Command CP John B. Abang fdc based on information made available to the command immediately ordered for the deployment of PMF /SARS/ANTICULT personnels and other conventional police to augment the Anaku Division who brought the situation under control and normalcy restored in the Area. Consequently, in order to find lasting solutions to the problem, the Commissioner of Police

It was also gathered that about 45 per cent of former cabinet members will return to take Buhari’s policies to the ‘Next Level’. Of course, the list is as controversial as it is surprising to some who are close to the president. For example, it was learned that the president has picked Great Ovedje Ogboru to represent Delta State in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) against the choice of Festus Keyamo. In Oyo, former Governor Abiola Ajimobi makes the list, leaving former Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu, and governorship candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, according to a source, ‘in the lurch’ Amongst those lucky to return are former Ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola; Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Aviation (State), Hadi Sirika; Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Finance, Zainab Ahmed. Others are former Ministers of Education, Adamu Adamu; Water Resour

Imo State government has disclosed its readiness to send a Bill to the State Assembly that will make Igbo Language a compulsory subject at all levels of education in the state. This disclosure was made by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Gerald Irona, while receiving a civil society organisation, Green Pathway Initiative in his office in Owerri at the weekend, saying the idea is to preserve the culture of the Igbo ethnic group, especially the language. Irona, who spoke in Igbo language, lamented what he described as the decline in the use of Igbo language, assuring that the new administration would do everything possible to urgently remedy the situation. His words: “Every tribe has an identity. One of the identities of a people is their language. It is unfortunate that a lot of our children neither speak nor understand Igbo language. I commend the Igbofo group for their efforts in preserving the Igbo language. It is a step in the right direction. I will discuss the details with criti

The airwaves last week carried the position of Imo state government to adopted a TSA, otherwise known as Treasury Single Account. Looking at the colossal loss of funds and the impunity that characterized the last government of Rochas Okorocha in Imo state, the decision came at the right and proper time. Imo State Governor's readiness to sign an Executive Order which will allow for the use of Treasury Single Account by the State Government,is a commendable development, which has shown that the government of the day in Imo, wants to be accountable to the people of the state. It leaves no one in doubt, where the government of Emeka Ihedioha is headed to, towards the rebuilding of the state. The governor directly said it was imperative following the discovery of over 250 accounts in various banks operated by the Rochas Okorocha led government, a situation that is no longer accepted in all ramifications. It is our thinking and believe that the TSA will help to eliminate leakage

How Okorocha ‘garnisheed’ Imo for his last supper Steve Osuji That the eight-year reign of Governor Rochas Okorocha left Imo State a wasteland is common knowledge to most Imo people. Our people are not stupid. Indeed, they are witnesses to the vandalism callously meted against their state. They are also aware of the vicious vendetta Okorocha unleashed on our mother land in the two months after he lost the ‘guber’ election. Since he never planned for an exit, the loss at the polls sent him into what one wants to describe as a paroxysm of plunderation. It’s something that is also called scorch earth policy in war: which means that you don’t just conquer an enemy, you raze him to dust. Okorocha did not only conquer Imo, he tried to obliterate her. Imo people are of course witnesses to the frenzied last minute pillage of the state’s physical assets meanwhile more debilitating and unseen  havoc were unleashed on the state by the exiting band. Here are some of them. One, about 150

An early morning fire at Amaigbo Market in Obiagu, a sprawling suburb in Enugu, on Friday, destroyed goods worth millions of naira. The Chairman of the market, Mr Emeka Nnajiofor, told Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who visited the scene, that the fire broke out at about 2am. Nnajiofor said that at least 68 petty traders were affected by the incident, adding that the cause of the fire had yet to be ascertained. He said that most of the stalls in the market were completely razed down by the fire. Mrs. Nkechi Eneh, the Executive Secretary, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, said that they got a distress call about the inferno and alerted the state Fire Service which, she said, responded promptly. Eneh said that it took the men of the fire service about two hours to put out the fire. “The fire affected 68 traders and they are all gathered here,” Eneh told the governor. Responding, Ugwuanyi directed the Chairman of Enugu North council area to take the inventory of the loss c

GOVERNOR Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State, yesterday, ordered heads of agencies to convene a meeting with the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, over reports of invasion of farmlands by herdsmen. Special Adviser on Security to Governor Ihedioha, Raymond Nkemdirim, confirmed this to this newspaper, added that “we have asked the heads of security agencies to engage the leadership of Miyetti Allah and get back to us quickly so that we can make a decision on the matter. “We are waiting for the outcome. They have already started the interface and before the end of today(yesterday) they will get back to us.” In a related development, stakeholders from communities in the South-East zone have identified beefing up of community vigilance groups as one way of tackling security challenges in the area. At a meeting of Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, at Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, the stakeholders described the security situat