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Tag: Anambra

  • Anambra Govt approves N27.4m for measles vaccination

    The Anambra Government says it has approved the release of N27.4 million for the 2018 measles vaccination campaign.

    The Head of Department, Immunisation and Disease Control, Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Nnamdi Uliagbafusi, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Awka.

    Uliagbafusi explained that the briefing was part of preparation for the forthcoming measles vaccination campaign in the state.

    “The campaign would run from March 8 to March 13 in Anambra Central and South Senatorial zones, while Anambra North zone would run from March 15 to March 20,’’ he said.

    The official said the exercise was to boost immunity of children from nine to 59 months against measles.

    “The campaign is also for children not immunised in their ninth month.

    “Children can still be given the vaccine, irrespective of the one given to them in their ninth month,’’ he explained.

    Uliagbafusi said that measles was a viral infectious illness that was common in children and could lead to blindness, deafness or even brain damage.

    He urged mothers and caregivers to take their children to the nearest immunisation posts for vaccination, pointing out that cards will be issued and kept properly for future use.

    He said that the vaccines could be administered through injection.

    Uliagbafusi re-assured that the personnel to carry out the exercise would be certified, emphasising that the vaccines would be safe, free and effective.

    He commended Gov. Willie Obiano for his support at ensuring that Anambra children would be in good health.

    Recalling the negative effects generated by the monkey pox rumour last year, he also urged the media to assist in disseminating the information to defuse unwarranted tension.

    He however appealed for further support in the area of public enlightenment.

    The UNICEF Consultants, Messrs Amedu Shaibu and Peter Onyekachi, said a robust strategy would be used for campaign.

    According to the duo, the places include fixed posts in Public Health facilities, missions, some private health facilities and temporary fixed posts like schools, churches, markets and mosques.

    The state Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Willy Onuorah, said the interest of the organisation was to ensure that no child was omitted during the exercise.

    “We are not carrying out the campaign because we have enough money to spend or enough drugs to dispense, but our campaign is based on evidence,’’ he said.

    He described vaccination as the most effective way of tackling diseases among children.

    “The vaccine is 99 per cent safe, without vaccination, 25 per cent of the children will be prone to measles,’’ he said.

     

  • Nigerian singer, Chinedu Iwozor slumps, dies on stage

    Popular Anambra-based musician, Chinedu Iwozor is dead.

    Iwozor, who is the leader of the 7star International Band, collapsed and died while performing on stage Friday in his hometown, Anambra State.

    Until his demise, the prominent Igbo singer was also a member of the Iheoma Adighi Agwu Agwu musical group.

    He was well known in the east for his numerous hit songs like ‘Destiny can be delayed, but can’t be denied’; ‘Iheoma adighi agwu agwu’ among others.

    A member of his music group, Shabach Nelson Lukebaz Igboke, who shared the photos, wrote, “Music Industry has lost another superlative legend again.

    “The singer of ‘iheoma adighi agwu Agwu’ and the leader of 7stars international band CHINEDU Iwozor died on stage while performing. RIP great singer.”

  • Anambra appoints 100 Justices of Peace

    Mr Anali Chude, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State on Thursday inaugurated 100 persons appointed as members of Justice of Peace Corps in the state.

    The ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Ms Bernadette Nwadike made the disclosure in a statement issued in Awka on Thursday.

    Chude said that the appointments as Justice of Peace Corps were reserved for people with unquestionable character and integrity.

    He said at the swearing-in event that those appointed should seek to promote and protect the rights of the masses within their jurisdiction.

    Chude outlined the duties of Justice of Peace to include issuance of warrant, bail, witnessing, affidavit swearing, certifying documents, statutory declaration and visits to police stations.

    He admonished the candidates to uphold the confidence the government reposed on them and promote peace in order to move the state forward.

    The Anambra State Chief Judge, Mr Justice Peter Umeadi who conducted the swearing-in ceremony, commended the state government for painstakingly selecting the candidates.

    He urged the candidates to be `Peace Officers’ in their respective communities.

    Umeadi announced that another batch of the 2017/2018 would be inaugurated in March.

  • Anambra Govt frowns at non-completion of N20m community infrastructure projects

    The Anambra State Executive Council has frowned at the delay by some communities in completing the N20 million Community Infrastructure Projects in their areas.

    Mr Tony Nnachetta, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy made the government position known in a statement issued on Thursday in Awka.

    Nnacheta, in the statement, directed president generals, traditional rulers and leaders of town organisations to galvanize completion of the projects.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the administration of Gov. Willie Obiano initiated community infrastructure projects with the provision of N20m to each community to execute projects of their choice.

    The commissioner noted that in spite of releasing first and second tranches of N20 million to communities, some of them had yet to complete their first projects.

    Nnachetta said that the council had directed 19 communities whose names were listed in the statement to ensure that they completed their projects before the end of February 2018.

    The commissioner said the council also noted with dismay that some communities had yet to process the second tranche of the project fund.

    “Government is set to activate the third tranche around March 2018 and completion of first and second tranches are clear prerequisites for communities to qualify,’’ he said.

    Nnachetta said that the state government would equip the Anambra Road Maintenance Agency to operate three-work teams in each of the three senatorial zones and aggressively maintain the road network in the state.

    On the Lassa fever outbreak in some states, the council expressed concern for the outbreak of the disease and had continued to provide considerable medical attention through professionals at the Ministry of Health.

    “Everyone is advised to take extra care in cleanliness and for any symptoms, which should be promptly reported to health authorities.

    “Council requests all Local Governments, churches and unions to disseminate information to our people to be extra vigilant in schools and public places,’’ Nnachetta said.

    The commissioner expressed council’s satisfaction, gratitude and cooperation to the people of the state for their effective participation during the funeral of late former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme.

     

  • PMS scarcity: Sell at N145 or lose your petrol, DPR warns marketers in Anambra

    PMS scarcity: Sell at N145 or lose your petrol, DPR warns marketers in Anambra

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has warned marketers within its Enugu Zone to comply with N145 pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or have their products dispensed to customers free.

    Mr Unyime Akpan of Health, Safety and Environment Department, DPR Enugu Office, gave the warning in Awka when he led an enforcement team to Anambra on Tuesday.

    Akpan said the team sealed one filing station for allegedly refusing to revert and enforced the pump price sale of the product in nine other stations on Atani road in Ogbaru and some parts of Idemili North Local Government Areas.

    He expressed regret that some marketers had remained defiant, in spite of DPR’s efforts to ensure compliance, noting that the DPR might apply more stringent punishment by dispensing products of defaulting marketers to customers for free.

    “Petrol price is controlled; stations are not supposed to sell above N145 per liter and if the cost of getting products suggests they cannot sell at that price, then they should leave out.

    “Marketers are the people encouraging the hike; if they are not gaining from it, then they leave out until the system returns to normal.

    “We may have to begin to dispense their products free because DPR also has the powers; if this price compliance sales proves ineffective, we may be left with no option than to give out their petrol, so that they can understand how serious we are,” he said.

    In a reaction, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) absolved its members of any complicity in the hike of petrol price and blamed it on scarcity.

    Chief Ikechukwu Nwankwo, Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot, in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states, urged DPR to stop the clampdown the members as sealing outlets and auctioning the products would not solve the problem.

    Nwankwo decried the petrol supply situation in the country and called for a more sustainable measure to normalise it.

    He said DPR’s action on IPMAN members, especially those under his zone, amounted to being punished for a problem they did not cause and could not solve.

    Nwankwo said that solution to the problem was massive and sufficient supply of petrol into the system by the NNPC.

    The IPMAN chairman said marketers were making efforts to make the product available to customers as complete scarcity would amount to shutting the economy and holding the masses hostage.

    “I have spoken with my members here in Anambra, the situation of fuel supply is bad and it is our wish that we begin to get products like the way it used to be before.

    “IPMAN is not happy with the way the DPR is harassing us, closing our stations and auctioning our products. It is like they want to push us out of business because we cannot continue to suffer this loss.

    “NNPC is not allocating products to us, DPR should go and monitor the marketers that get allocation from NNPC; how can we buy product at N190 or N195 and DPR sells them off at N145.

    “We make extra effort to get product at tank depot so that economic activities can go on and we should not be punished for that; we may have to close our stations if they continue to pursue us,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru reports that pump price of petrol has dropped from between N240 and N250 to N200 per liter.

     

  • Cattle breeders ready to pay all levies, taxes to Anambra Government – Chairman

    Alhaji Bello Maigari, Chairman of Amansea Cattle Market, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra, said his members were ready to contribute to the economy of the state through payment of all the levies and taxes.

    Maigari who spoke on Sunday in Awka, while briefing newsmen, described the relationship between the cattle breeders and host communities in Anambra as cordial.

    He said that currently, his members only pay veterinary services levy, but noted that they were in talks with officials of the state government to work out an internal revenue arrangement to be paid to the state.

    “We are discussing with the state government on the revenue that our members will be paying apart from the veterinary services fee we are currently paying.

    “Before now, there was lots of people collecting money from cattle sellers in the states across the country, but the Federal Government has abolished all that.

    “Here in Anambra, we are about to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government on what we will be paying as revenue and how we will be paying it,’’ he said.

    The chairman who is also the secretary of Hausa community in Anambra, said the Amansea Cattle Market had operated for about 20 years without harassment because of the good understanding that exists between the cattle sellers and the host community.

    He said they understood that the land where they currently occupied belonged to a family whom they pay royalty to, and also obtain permission from communities where they graze their cows.

    He said his members buy feed for their cattle instead of moving around with the cattle for grazing.

    “We know that the place we are using now belongs to a family, we respect that and pay them royalty, and everyone is happy.

    “At times we buy feed from the north, a bag cost N3, 000 and you need three of it to feed five cows every day,’’ he said.

    Maigari thanked Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra for setting up the Cow Menace Committee, which he said had contributed greatly to achieving peace in the state.

    He said that the committee had intervened in crisis which would have degenerated to full fledged conflict with his members and different communities in the state.

    He urged Obiano to help them develop the land that had been allocated to them to enable them relocate, as development was fast approaching their present market.

    He said there was need to fence the place, provide security, water, and other amenities, including place of worship.

    “This place is getting choked because of the development, we are appealing to Gov. Willie Obiano to help develop the land he has earmarked for us so that we can move to the place,’’ he said.

     

  • 2019: Buhari unperturbed by APC’s loss in Anambra, Taraba polls – Presidency

    The Presidency on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to deepening the roots of democracy in Nigeria and as such is not perturbed when his political party (the All Progressives Congress, APC) losses elections to other political parties.

    This was coming on the heels of the rerun elections conducted over the weekend in Anambra and Taraba States where candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where declared winners by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The APC candidate also won the the Gwagwalada election.

    Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, who was commenting on the outcome of the polls said: ‘‘the President is inherently committed to the independence of the electoral commission in his belief that the will of the people shall be the basis of authority of government which is expressed through periodic, free and fair elections. He will do nothing to impede INEC.”

    Congratulating the winners of the elections in Anambra central senatorial district, Ardo Kola state constituency in Taraba and Gwagwalada central constituency in the FCT, on behalf of the president, the spokesman reaffirmed that under President Buhari’s watch, Nigeria will record more free, fair and credible elections.

    The spokesman reiterated the president’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions in the country, by ensuring that all relevant institutions in the electoral process maintain a high-level of professionalism and independence throughout the electoral process.

    While commending INEC, security agencies, civil societies, the media and other stakeholders for their roles in the elections, Mr. Garba called on parties not satisfied with the outcome of the polls to heed the president’s counsel by seeking legal redress through constitutional means.

  • Anambra Central re-run: Low voter turnout as INEC officials arrive polling units early

    Low voter turnout characterised early voting in the Anambra Central Senatorial District re-run election organised by the INEC.

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited voting centres in Awka South, Awka North, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Idemili North, Idemili South and Anaocha Local Government Areas report that electoral officials were at the polling units by 8 a.m.

    At Aroma Junction I&II polling units in Awka South, Miss Edith Igoromi, the INEC electoral officer, told NAN that five people have voted as at 8.30 a.m, while at ward eight unit three and four, seven and 10 people had voted.

    NAN reports that at Aaba town Hall polling unit 005 and 006 both in Dunukofia, voting began at 8 a.m with four persons and two respectively voting at both units.

    At Akpu in Ukpo also in Dunukofia, voting started at 8 a.m with the same low number of voters recorded.

    NAN correspondents, who visited polling unit at Obosi Central School in Idemili North, Enugwu-Uku in Njikoka, polling unit eight located in Nri Primary in Anaocha also report that voting commenced at 8 a.m though the turnout was still low.

    NAN reports that in all the polling units visited; only the agents of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were sighted at the voting centres.

    Mr Okonkwo Jisike, APGA agent, told NAN at Aroma Junction that he was impressed with the peaceful conduct of the exercise, adding “though the turnout is low, the exercise is going on peacefully’’.

    NAN reports that observers were yet to arrive in the voting stations visited while there were impressive presence of security in all the polling units visited.

     

    NAN

  • DPR seals 6 filling stations, enforces N145 per litre in Anambra

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has seal off 6 fuel stations in Anambra for allegedly hoarding and selling petrol above the official pump price of N145 per litre.

    The affected filling stations were located in Awka, the capital city, Onitsha the commercial town and neighbouring Nkpor and Obosi.

    NAN reports that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) sold between N220 to N240 per litre in Awka and most parts of Anambra at outlets owned by major and independent marketers.

    The DPR also enforced the government approved pump price of N145 per litre by supervising the dispensing of over 16,000 litres of PMS to customers in the state.

    Speaking on their field operation in Anambra, Mr Callistus Obodoechina of the Retail Outlets and marketing Unit, DPR Enugu office said the enforcement would continue until marketers complied.

    Obodoechina said the reasons for sealing the filling stations include selling product above the approved pump price, refusal to revert to normal rate. alleged involvement in diversion and hoarding of products.

    “In line with the resolve of DPR to ensure that Nigerians especially PMS user buy the product at the government approved pump price, we have intensified monitoring here in Anambra.

    “Our aim is to ensure that every marketer who has products sells at the normal price and make that there is no hoarding and diversion.

    “In two days we have supervised the sale of over 16, 000 litres of PMS to the public at N145 and the sense of relief clear on the faces of people.

    “We also sealed six filling stations that refused to revert immediately on the excuse that the director or technician was not around and those who hoarded or diverted products.

    The official said it was unfortunate that marketers in the state had continued to cheat customers in spite of the government pronouncement on the situation.

    Also speaking, Mr Uyinme Akpan, an official of DPR deplored a situation where marketers return to the exploitative ways soon after the DPR enforcement team left their filling stations.

    Akpan warned that such practice would be met with strict application of the law and advised them to either sell at the approved rate or don’t sell at all.

    He assured customers in Anambra of continued protection of the DPR and encouraged them to report defiant marketers for appropriate actions.

    Meanwhile customers in Anambra have commended the DPR for its mitigating role and called for a more robust enforcement through deployment of more teams to the state.

    Mr Chris Nduka said Anambra was so big that one team of DPR enforcers cannot create the desired effect because of the attitude of marketers who were bent on ripping off their customers.

    “The federal government iis doing well through the activities of DPR but it is not enough, the agency should be beefed up with manpower to effectively manage te situation,” he said.

     

  • We are ready for Anambra Central rerun – INEC

    We are ready for Anambra Central rerun – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra said it has taken adequate measures to ensure smooth, credible, free and fair election in the Anambra Central Senatorial District rerun on Saturday.

    The Head of Publicity and Voter Education for INEC in the state, Mr. Leo Nkedife, stated this while speaking with journalists in Awka on Friday.

    Nkedife said all sensitive and non-sensitive materials as well as ad-hoc staff had been mobilised to the seven local government areas of the senatorial district.

    He urged the residents of Anambra central senatorial district to come out with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to exercise their franchise.

    He urged the voters to elect candidates of their choice, saying INEC was fully prepared for the election.

    The INEC official assured that plans had been perfected to ensure adequate security the area where the exercise would be conducted.