TheNewsGuru

Tag: Awka

  • IPOB declares ‘no more sit at home’ in South East

    IPOB declares ‘no more sit at home’ in South East

    Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has abrogated its sit at home directive in South East Nigeria, saying the development is to embrace peace negotiations organised by the Anambra government.

    According to reports on Saturday from Awka that IPOB yielded to the appeal by the Anambra Government and Traditional rulers to pave the way for peace, since all Igbo stakeholders and religious leaders have declared their intention to find a lasting solution to insecurity and incessant sit-at-home directives in the South East.

    The decision was disclosed by the Chairman, Anambra Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, during a one-day peace building and security meeting held in Awka on Saturday.

    His Royal Highness, Igwe Achebe, who is also the Igwe of Onitsha, said that the stakeholders have continually held meetings on the way forward to lasting resolutions of the impasse with the agitators.

    He said that after its meeting with the group on Friday, April 1, it was agreed that a call to release the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, would be a step to dousing the tension in the state.

    He said that after the meeting, the group placed a call to all its members to sheathe their swords, put down their guns and go the way of dialogue.

    “We call on all who had taken the way of gun to put down their guns and take up the olive leaf from the government to better themselves,” Achebe said.

    He said that the state government has set April 4 for prayers aimed at seeking God’s face to restore a lasting peace in Anambra and South East as whole.

    NAN quoted Achebe as indicating that it was agreed that on April 4, all churches in Igboland and South East will join in prayers to seek God’s forgiveness and to restore peace in the area.

    “Igboland has lost so much in economic and social development of the zone and we are tired of the situation and want peace,” the traditional ruler said.

    According to him, “It is agreed that on Sunday, April 3, all churches will announce the IPOB decision to their faithful to come out on Monday 11am to their various churches to offer prayers to God for the restoration of peace and economic development.”

    NAN reports that lots of other speakers at the meeting spoke in line with the decision.

    The speakers include Mr Uche Okafor, Anambra Speaker, who assured assured that the legislators would partner with the state government to enthrone lasting peace and economic development of the state and the zone.

    Chief Damin Ogene-Okeke, the National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, urged the public to embrace the decision to establish peace building amongst “ourselves and work towards improving security sanity in the state”.

    He called on the governors of the South East States to represent their people well and speak the minds of the citizens who elected them into office.

  • That Dirty Slap at Awka – By Hope Eghagha

    That Dirty Slap at Awka – By Hope Eghagha

    Last week, the otherwise serene but joyful, smooth transition of power in Anambra State was marred by an ugly, shameful brawl between two high profile, supposedly dignified women of Igbo extraction. It turned out that were anything but dignified and noble. Highly placed persons who throw decorum to the wind in a public space simply prove that they have a poor perception of their role as models for the people that they lead. And they ought to be called out for their ‘agbaya’ behaviour and their ignominious display of juvenile rascality in their old age!

    The two women – one, the outgoing First Lady of the state, Mrs. Ebele Obiano (55+), reputed to be abrasive and hyperactive, once reported, while ‘half clad’, to have ‘hit people with broken bottles’, and it took combined efforts of men of the DSS and Police to stop her. The other, former beauty queen, widow of War Lord Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu himself the physically attractive Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu (54 years), the lady who decades ago defied her father Chief Christian Onoh and married the love of her life, a man old enough to be her father. It is reported that Ebele taunted Bianca with words unbecoming and the latter responded by dishing out a dirty slap on the face of the obviously surprised Ebele.

    We have not heard from Receiver Ebele. But Slapper Bianca has given a version of the shameful misconduct that in a sane clime will be treated as assault and battery. ‘While I ignored her verbal onslaught as advised by people sitting around me’, Slapper Bianca reportedly wrote, ‘I requested twice that she refrains from touching me with her hands. She proceeded to do so yet again and tried to touch my head and remove my head-tie. It was at that point I stood up to defend myself and gave her a dirty slap to stop her from attacking me’. Sometimes, great people are not wise, says the good book. You slapped a First Lady to prevent her from attacking you? Not even a kindergarten child would offer such a puerile defence or explanation!

    Sadly, the focus of that day has not been the epoch-making speech of Governor Chukwuma Soludo. Bad news travels faster than good news. ‘The Dirty Slap at Awka’, a fitting title for a work of fiction has gone viral. Different memes and punchlines have been creatively and mischievously developed by Nigerians. Most of it not salutary. ‘How to slap a Bitch! ‘If you Ebele me, I will Bianca you! ‘If two women dey fight, na the wowo one go dey at fault- Warri proverb! ‘I’m not surprised, her father as governor slapped a Bishop! ‘Biancanized Slap- A hot slap that sets one ablaze! And the bomb of them all with vulgar connotations: ‘Now I understood it when Patience Jonathan said ‘Ojukwu is dead, but his manhood is still alive! And many more! Nigerians have a penchant for creating laughter out of the tragically absurd.

    Almost a week after the ugly incident, the rumpus caused by the two viragos have dominated the headlines. Not Soludo. Not Obiano. Not the continuous victory of the entrenchment of sanity in the once volatile political terrain that was Anambra. Do we remember how Dr. Ngige was kidnapped as governor of the State? Do we remember Okija Shrine and the antics of one scoundrel per excellence whose name equals the acronym of one of the oldest banks in Nigeria, the bank owned by Tony Elumelu?

    Public brawls are often associated with the hoi polloi, the agbero and area boys and girls of city life. To exchange physical blows in public is an indication of lack of self-discipline, poor character, and a display of infantilism. A variant of such fights sometimes erupts in parliament by some men in that dignified chamber. It is often over strongly held views. Women of the upper class, that delicate gender, are expected to restrain themselves from exchanging blows. Being upper class in education and character, such persons ought to show restraint. As for Bianca who was once a beauty queen, etiquette obliges not to engage in acts that could bring the crown to disrepute. To be beautiful in the exterior and carry the character of a motor park tout is the greatest contradiction in character formation. To be a First lady and cause a brawl during a State Event is unbecoming and such a woman should not be referred to as First Lady in the annals of Anambra history. Former Governor Sir Obiano as I know him is a gentleman. If his wife has been as terrible as she has been painted, he must have endured her excesses with great patience.

    In all the fight between the two women remind us of disagreements between women in the past that later had reverberations throughout a region and the country – that of Lady Ferreira Akintola and Chief (Mrs.) HID Awolowo. But they carried themselves with some dignity though the animosity was deep rooted.

    Public officials should know that their behaviour is observed by the rest of us, old and young. Teachers who preach against violence to students will have to explain to pupils and students why two women of Age 50 and above could have degenerated. Theirs is not a good example. We have passed the age of slugging it out physically to prove a point. Perhaps Bianca simply copied the model of her late husband who was reported to have tailed Umaru Dikko into the toilet during the 1995 Constitutional Conference and gave him a slap because Dikko had made some disparaging remarks about him on the floor of the Conference. If this account is true, Bianca learnt from the master himself. Yet such behaviour is an anomaly is a country where rule of law is respected. The two women ought to apologise to all girls and women, the people of Anambra State and the entire country for their shameful conduct on a day of renewal and reaffirmation of hope.

     

    Professor Hope O. Eghagha (BA, Jos; MA; PhD, Lagos) MNAL

    Department of English

    Faculty of Arts

    University of Lagos

    Akoka Lagos

    NIGERIA

  • Cultists raid funeral in Anambra

    Cultists raid funeral in Anambra

    Police in Anambra have confirmed Saturday’s violent attack at a funeral at Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra by suspected cultists.

    A source said that the 34-year-old man whose funeral was holding at the time of the incident was killed on Dec. 30, 2021, also by suspected cultists.

    He was killed at Amansea Area in Awka North.

    “It was during the lying-in-state at the residence of the deceased that the suspected cultists arrived at the scene and started shooting at mourners,’’ the source said.

    He said also that there were casualties from the gunshots, adding that victims were taken to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital at Amaku, Awka.

    “My brother is among those injured and we have been at the hospital since 11 a.m. trying to ensure that they stabilise him,’’ he said.

    Police spokesman in Anambra, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incident told newsmen that “a burial was going on when some people suspected to be cultists invaded the area and started shooting.

    “I do not have details of casualties now, but I will keep you informed once the picture becomes clear,’’ he said.

    Ikenga added that the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Mr Echeng Echeng, had despatched a tactical squad comprising of various units to the area to maintain peace and order.

  • Mystery fire guts petrol station in Awka

    Mystery fire guts petrol station in Awka

    The Mobil filling station at Unizik Junction, Awka axis of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway was on Thursday gutted by fire.

    The fire which emanated from yet to be identified source razed an empty petrol tanker, the lube house, part of the administrative block and some dispensing machines.

    Firefighters on the spot were able to contain the inferno from spreading to the neighbouring plaza and buildings

    A manager of the the filling station, who identified himself as Ugo, said the standby tanker which was completely razed had no content.

    Ugo commended the fire service officials and rescue volunteers for their efforts.

    The fire incident was barely 10 days after three filling stations were also gutted in Onitsha.

    DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra confirmed the incident.

    Ikenga said that officers of the command had cordoned of the area to prevent breakdown of law, adding that men of the fire service arrived the scene on time.

  • Over 100 retired LG health workers protest poor pensions in Awka

    Over 100 retired LG health workers protest poor pensions in Awka

    No fewer than 100 retired Local Government health workers on Tuesday staged a protest in Awka, over non-adjustment of their Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) in Anambra.

    The protesters, under the umbrella of Health Pensioners of the Anambra Local government system, carried placards with various inscriptions and marched along Enugu/Onitsha expressway, Awka.

    Some of the placards read; “Pay 2015 to 2019 Health retirees their retirement benefits”, ”JAAC pay pensioners their entitlements”, ”Cabal is in control of JAAC”, ”retirement is not a crime” and ”Akpokuedike global come to our rescue”, among others.

    The spokesperson of the group, Mr Rapheal Okoye told journalists that Gov. Willie Obiano had approved an increment for health workers from 40 to 60 percent since 2015, but the consequential adjustment for the affected members had not been done since the approval.

    “We have followed the file and ascertained that it was acknowledged by the office of the Head of Service, computed by the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) and vetted by its auditor”, he said.

    But, Okoye added that in spite of the approval, the JAAC office had refused to effect the payment even when all documentary processes and several reminders had been sent.

    He lamented that the good intentions of Gov. Obiano for retirees were being frustrated by the JAAC office, which ‘deliberately refused to pay the retirees their due.

    Okoye said some of their members were passing through hardship because of the paltry sum they go home with as their monthly pensions.

    “Some of our pensioners get laughable amounts as monthly pensions, while their counterparts get more reasonable pay. This ugly trend had jeopardized the lives of many while some had died in the process”, he said.

    Okoye called on Gov. Obiano to order JAAC office to pay her members their entitlements in full, without further delay.

    “We appeal to His Excellency to caution JAAC Secretary for refusing to carry out the order of duly constituted authorities.

    “We further wish that the secretary be re-assigned to another portfolio suitable for his age and experience, since he is messing up the good intentions of our governor.

    ”Once again, we thank Gov. Obiano for approving 60 percent for all health workers in Anambra and all Anambra people who have been with us in the course of this struggle,” he said.

    When NAN visited the office of Mr Confidence Azodo, Secretary JAAC, Anambra, he was said to have gone out on official assignment.

    But, two women in his office advised NAN to keep coming to the office that one day we would be lucky to meet Azodo or alternatively call his phone number.

    However, all telephone calls made to him, were not picked as at press time.

  • A visit to Awka – Hope Eghagha

    By Hope Eghagha

    Last week, I visited Awka as one of the speakers in the Emeka Anyaoku Lecture on Good Governance which celebrated a decade of commitment to the legacy of the Commonwealth icon in Awka, Anambra State capital. I had attended two previous outings as a representative of my boss at the time Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, one in Lagos where former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon chaired the ceremony and the other in Awka hosted by Governor Peter Obi. I remember that when I shook hands with General Gowon, I told him how awed I was to sit on the high table with a man I was lined up the streets to receive in Sapele as a primary school pupil in 1969! Talking about rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty in society. That is subject for another day!
    Other speakers were presidential candidate Professor Kingsley Moghalu and common sense Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, two distinguished Nigerians who need no introduction. The Obi of Onitsha HRM Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (CFR, mni) looking regal and fatherly with a permanent smile, as always, suggesting peace and contentment with himself and his subjects, was also in attendance. Former Governor Donald Duke, handsome, urbane, and charming as ever was Chairman of the event. To be sure, members of the Anambra State Executive Council graced the occasion in support of the Special guest and the Governor. Scheduled to start at 10am, the event finally took off at 1pm with no clear explanation on what caused the delay or change in time. But when it took off, it was an excellent outing both for Anambra state and the Special Guest, the 88year-old Chief Emeka Anyaoku (GCVO, CFR, CON) former Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs under Alhaji Shehu Shagari from October to December of 1983.
    In my opening comments, I dwelt on the very idea of the lecture itself as driven by the youthful and highly focused Johnson Ogbonna who has remained steady, committed and passionate about the contribution of Chief Emeka Anyaoku to world politics and governance for a decade. In a world where mediocrity and materialism seem to govern the day, Johnson Ogbonna must be commended for serving as a medium of engaging intellectual ideas on the pedestal of a man who is no longer in power. His power and his influence lie in his legacy as a successful world diplomat and his cerebral contributions to national discourse. Icons ought to be celebrated in their lifetime. Not after death. Not only when they hold political office or command a bank of wealth. That way, we reinforce the positive and high values of decent society for the youth who are seriously in search for mentors.
    We were all guests of both Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano and the respectable and dignified Chief Emeka Anyaoku for a day and a memory. Driving across the Niger Bridge from Asaba, one was shocked at the impunity with which soldiers and policemen extorted commuting drivers at both ends of the bridge. Of course, the traffic snarl on the bridge is almost perennial and familiar. I first drove across the bridge in December 1971 on our way to Aba shortly after the civil war when the Onitsha end of the bridge was a narrow, improvised construction made by the Engineering Corps on the Nigeria Army. The story was that the Biafran forces blew up that end of the bridge to slow down the advance of the Nigeria Army as it prepared for a full-scale war to defend the motherland against the federal ‘vandals’. Hahahahaha! Those days of hellish propaganda! We spent frightening long hours on the bridge then, fearful of the fierce-looking soldiers who were there to ensure peace after the war ended.
    Some fifty years later, it was with a feeling of déjà vu therefore that I confronted soldiers again at both ends of the bridge, some fifty odd years after. Something ought to be done to stop the rapacious soldiers from stealing in the open. Later that night I encountered them again in a checkpoint where it was business as usual. It was a sore point in my Awka visit.
    The meat in the visit was the intellectual ideas that flowed from the tongues and minds of the three speakers and the Guest of Honour. It was unanimous that the Nigerian people had not been well served in terms of governance. This has resulted in negative values and stilted development in the land. In my lecture titled ‘Labyrinths of existence and Laments of the Silent Drums: An Exegesis of the Leadership Conundrum in the Nigerian Experience’, I relied for a thesis, on the Achebean prognosis which he encapsulated thus in his pamphlet ‘The trouble with Nigeria’: ‘The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership’. After the listed speakers, it was now time for Chief Anyaoku to address the audience in a vote of thanks manner which he articulately did, in his traditional rich baritone, careful articulation of words in a at-home British accent. But he took time to address national issues which he had refrained from doing for about a year. He said that Nigeria was degenerating into ‘international relevance’, because the nation was drifting away from the dream of the founding fathers. He also decried the level of insecurity and poverty, condemned kidnapping, and terrorists in the country.
    At the end of the lecture, it was time for Governor Obiano to entertain his guests in his county home Aguleri. Aguleri! I remember how we used to discuss the battles between Aguleri and Umuleri! Two communities with identical names, obviously of the same ancient stock but perpetually at war. but that war has ended. In Aguleri, we saw another side to the character and disposition of the governor. The expansive country home was built before he became governor, clearly showing that he was wealthy before assuming public office. While with his guests, he showed extreme humility, a down-to-earth approach and urbaneness. He personally served us drinks and small chops with relish, even picking up discarded bottles and drinking glasses from the side stools. Whoever does that? A serving governor in Nigeria? As if reading my thoughts, Don Adinuba Commissioner for Information assured me that Governor Obiano was being himself, always pragmatic with no false airs when dealing with persons from all strata of society. The icing was the three kids he had adopted into his family, bringing them up as father with the full support of the First Lady. This is a big chance for the kids to get on in life.
    While sitting with Governor Obiano in the mini theatre, we saw videos and pictures of landmark projects in the state which he completed for the benefit of the people of Anambra State. It would have been great if I had the opportunity to visit some of the sites. The cargo airport which he has almost completed infrastructure-wise will be a big relief to businessmen in the state who had hitherto relied on other airports. It is indeed a challenge to the airport in Asaba. The competition will be real! But the menace of the rampaging soldiers and greedy policemen in the southeast must be addressed by political and cultural leaders of the zone. Silence is not golden in this case!
    Leadership should be by example. No matter the height he has attained, a leader’s feet must always be on the ground. He must keep touch with reality. All too soon when people are in power aides and sycophants make them believe that they are superhuman. That they will rule forever. That the world would be incomplete without them. That they are the Messiah sent by Allah or God to save the cosmos. Sadly, some people in power fall into the deceptive trap and conduct themselves like deities until the day of reckoning. If Nigeria must change, leadership must be redefined and practised with a view to altering the fortunes of the ordinary folks of the world.

  • Many feared killed as gunmen attack INEC, police offices in Awka

    Many feared killed as gunmen attack INEC, police offices in Awka

    Gunmen Sunday night attacked the Nigeria Police Divisional Station and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Awka, Anambra.

    It was gathered that the armed attackers came in three Hilux trucks at about 8pm on Sunday, 23 May.

    A witness who almost ran into the troubled area located in between the popular Ekwueme Square, Awka said the bandits exchanged gunfire with policemen for close to one hour at B Police Division.

    They then moved to INEC office. Residents in the area on hearing the gunshots scampered into safety.

    “I saw flames going up from the police station and INEC offices, but I cannot say whether people were killed or not because I did not go closer,” the witness said.

    Other residents reported possibility of deaths, as the hoodlums appeared to have subdued the police before moving to INEC office.

    Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra said he had received information on the attack in his office.

    “I need to get clear picture of what happened in my office before I can speak”, he said.

    DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) said he was still making contacts to get correct situation of things around the two federal institutions in the state.

    Attacks on INEC and police offices have become rampant in both the South East and South South zones of Nigeria.

  • #EndSARS: Gov. Obiano sacks aide as protesters ground vehicular movement in Awka

    #EndSARS: Gov. Obiano sacks aide as protesters ground vehicular movement in Awka

    Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra on Thursday relived his Senior Special Assistant on Security, CSP James Nwafor, of his appointment, promising to secure freedom for all illegally detained suspects under custody of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

    Obiano said this while addressing the mammoth crowd who thronged the Anambra Government House, Awka, as part of the anti-SARS protest going on in most states.

    Nwafor, a retired Police Officer, was a former Commander at the Awkuzu SARS office, and had come under a series of attacks over alleged high spate of extra judicial killing during his reign.

    He also announced that a special panel headed by the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice had been set up to document human rights violations and abuses by the defunct SARS with a view to getting justice for victims and bringing closure to old injuries.

    He assured the people that he would personally visit all the facilities of the defunct SARS in the state and effect immediate release of suspects who are unlawfully held in the cells and commended the protesters for conducting themselves peacefully so far.

    Meanwhile, traffic on Enugu-Onitsha expressway was grounded by the team of anti-SARS protesters and other group of Nigerians who were clamouring for reopening the nations universities.

    The gridlock spans from Immigration junction through Aromma to around Regina Caeli which make up half of the stretch of the road through the capital.

    Smaller vehicles who knew the terrain tried to meander their way through the link roads with the town.

    Some motorists who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) expressed frustration as a result of the setback the gridlock had on their journeys.

    James Nnaji, a truck driver, said he was heading to Lagos but had given up on the journey until the road became clear.

    Nnaji urged the Federal Government to address the demands of the protesters so that things would return to normal.

  • Tragic! How hit-and-run driver killed woman in Awka

    A yet to be identified woman was on Sunday killed by a hit-and-run driver in Awka.

    The accident occoured at about 11:05pm at Regina Caeli Junction on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

    According to Mr Andrew Kumapayi, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra, the accident left the woman dead instantly.

    Kumapayi said the corpse had been deposited at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital morgue, Awka.

    The sector commander reiterated the call for pedestrians to be careful on the road, especially during festive periods, because of increased vehicular movement.

    “My advice to road users especially pedestrians during this season is to be extra careful when crossing the road.

    “They should endeavour to use the pedestrian bridge provided for them if any, and if there is none, they should look left, right and left again to make sure that the road is free before crossing.

    “Let them wear reflective clothes when walking in the night so that they can be seen by oncoming vehicles,” he said.