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Tag: Ikpeazu

  • Abia Govt. announces resumption date for primary, secondary schools

    Abia Govt. announces resumption date for primary, secondary schools

    Abia Government on Thursday announced that primary and secondary schools in the state are to resume on September 28 to complete the third term of the 2019/2020 academic session.

    The Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu, made this known in a statement he issued in Umuahia on the outcome of the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting.

    Okiyi-Kalu stated that the schools were expected to conduct a one-week revision classes to prepare the pupils and students for the promotion examination.

    According to him, the state government directed that the examination should hold from October 5 to October 16.

    He further stated that the examination would be used to assess the children, in addition to their first and second term work as well as the radio/television classroom programme.

    He stated that teachers would be given one week to prepare the third term results, while the first term of 2020/21 session would commence on October 26 and end on December 23.

    Okiyi-Kalu also stated that the Ministry of Education would publish other guidelines, including the COVID-19 protocols and approved fees to be charged by private schools.

    He stated that the resumption dates for tertiary institutions would be announced by the schools’ authorities based on the time-table and protocols submitted to the state government.

    The commissioner also stated that the EXCO directed the state Internal Revenue Agency and other relevant agencies to ensure that they met government’s internally generated revenue target for 2020.

    He stated that the EXCO also approved the establishment of road maintenance committees in the 17 local government councils to achieve the “zero pothole” policy of the state government.
    Okiyi-Kalu further stated that the EXCO approved the constitution of a committee to oversee the transition of Abia State Road Maintenance Agency to a limited liability company.

    He stated that the measure would enable the agency to bid for road maintenance and construction jobs and also become more efficient and independent of government funding.

    He also stated that approval had been given to a new construction company for the Ohafia Golf Course project with a mandate to complete its first phase on December 24.

    He stated that the Ministry of Works had been directed to prioritise the rehabilitation of Ngwa-Emelogu-Opobo-Azumini Road in Aba, with emphasis on Good Morning Market Bridge.

    Okiyi-Kalu stated That the EXCO also approved the contract for the construction of Omuma Road, off Ama Ogbonna, Aba, with Rigid Pavement (Cement) Technology (RPT).

    Others included the reconstruction of Awoja-Akoli-Ngodo-Imennyi Road, reconstruction of Akalanna Street, off Okigwe Road, Aba, reconstruction/rehabilitation of Ofeme Empire Road, rehabilitation of Mbawsi Road (from King Jerry Mortuary to Railway Crossing).

    The rest were the reconstruction of Milverton Avenue-Chisco Lane-Ojike Lane, Aba, with drains, asphalt overlay of Okigwe Road, Aba and construction of Ahunnanya Street in Obingwa with RPT.

    He stated that EXCO also approved the procurement of mobile laboratory and medical theater to cover all the local government areas as part of the fight against COVID-19.

    Okiyi-Kalu stated that approval was also given for the procurement of COVID-19 intervention materials for Abia State University Teaching Hospital and College of Health Sciences and Management, Aba.

    Okiyi added that EXCO also approved the partial commencement of non-contact sports in the state.

    He stated that the EXCO charged the state Independent Electoral Commission to ensure that the upcoming local council poll would be free, fair and credible. (

  • JUST IN: Ikpeazu beats coronavirus weeks after testing positive

    JUST IN: Ikpeazu beats coronavirus weeks after testing positive

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has recovered from coronavirus.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the governor’s sample submitted on June 4th, 2020 had returned positive and he immediately went into isolation.

    However, on Saturday, the state’s Commissioner for Information, John Kalu, said the governor’s samples submitted on Thursday returned negative on Friday.

    He wrote, “To the glory of God, repeat COVID-19 test conducted by Nigeria Center for Disease Control on samples submitted by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Thursday, 2nd July 2020, returned negative result on Friday, 3rd July, 2020.

    “Governor Ikpeazu is therefore deemed free of the virus according to the extant guidelines of NCDC and the World Health Organisation.”

    Meanwhile, as of Friday, Abia recorded 382 infections including 207 recoveries and three associated deaths.

  • Anxiety in Abia as Ikpeazu remains Covid-19 positive, weeks after relocating to Abuja for treament

    Anxiety has mounted in Abia State over the health status of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who is currently battling Covid-19.

    According to a source who spoke with TNG on the condition of anonymity, the people of Abia State are now worried, especially that Ikpeazu has relocated to Abuja for better treatment and is yet to recover from the deadly virus several weeks after.

    Recall that Ikpeazu’s result came out negative following his test on May 30. However, he submitted another sample on June 4, which turned out to be positive.

    Ikpeazu tested positive to the deadly infection as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported fresh 67 cases of Covid-19 in Abia state on Sunday, June 7.

    On June 8, the sick governor directed his deputy gov to act on his behalf in a brief statement on Abia State Government’s Twitter handle.

    Before his situation got worse, Ikpeazu had reportedly made attempts to be flown abroad but the restriction on international flights ban in many countries around the world and his positive status of the virus put paid to that move.

    Though he is believed to be in a stable condition at the moment, he is said to still be a long way from full recovery.

  • Two Ikpeazu’s aide test positive, family Covid-19 result released

    The Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; his wife, Nkechi Ikpeazu; their children; and all members of the Abia State first family have tested negative to COVID-19.

    This followed the release of results of their samples taken on May 30, 2020, occasioned by the death of the State’s Commissioner for the Environment and member of the state’s Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Solomon Ogunji.

    A statement to that effect, personally signed by Governor Ikpeazu, said: “Leading this battle from the front as your Governor, I and all members of the first family subjected ourselves to COVID-19 tests on Saturday, 30th May, 2020 and the results came out negative today.

    “Unfortunately, results of two of my aides who also subjected themselves to COVID-19 tests were positive while others turned in negative results. We are confident that within days, the currently asymptomatic positive patients who are now isolated will be successfully nursed back to good health, with God on our side.

    “The new phase of the fight against COVID-19 in Abia will require that the state embark on massive tests of citizens to achieve at least 10% coverage of our population at the initial stage of the exercise.

    “To this end, the state epidemiologist has been directed to work out modalities for case searches using sample population size of between 30 to 250 persons, in some densely populated LGAs of the state.

    “Meanwhile, we cannot win and save lives as long as we continue to stigmatize our patients. If any person contracts COVID-19, it will be saddening but it is neither criminal nor is it necessarily the person’s fault. Let me put it on record that statistics show that far more people recover from the virus than those who pass away from it.”

    Governor Ikpeazu has also directed all Chairmen of the 17 Local Government Areas of the State and their deputies to present themselves for COVID-19 test.

    He said: “Further to my earlier directive on the testing of members of the State Executive Council, I wish to direct that all Transition Council Chairmen of our 17 LGAs, and their Deputies, present themselves for COVID-19 tests and thereafter isolate themselves pending the release of their test results.

    “I urge all citizens and residents to eschew rumour mongering and get involved in the battle against COVID-19. Take responsibility because Abia is ready to win this battle with all hands on deck.”

  • COVID-19: Ikpeazu appoints Okonjo Iweala, Arunma Oteh, others into Abia economic team

    The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has approved the appointment of Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as a member of the state Post COVID-19 Economic Advisory Committee.

    Iweala’s appointment is coming less than 24hrs after she (Iweala) was announced as the Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

    Another top brass of the Economic Advisory Committee is the former boss of Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh.

    A release by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chris Ezem, announced that the committee would be chaired by Prof Anya O Anya. Other members of the committee include, Dr. Emeka Onwuka, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuadigbo and Mr. Chris Odinaka Igwe.

    Though the terms of reference of the economic team was not made public, in a chat, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka, said the team was set up to advise government on the economic realities occasioned by the impact of the Coronavirus and how to make necessary adjustments in the state’s economic strategy.

    “They will look at the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic and its implications on the Nigerian economy and then ultimately on Abia economy,” Ememanka stated.

     

  • Coronavirus: Ikpeazu orders shut down of private hospital

    Abia State Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu on Tuesday announced the indefinite closure of the private hospital where the two index cases of the coronavirus in the state were receiving medical attention before their referral to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Umuahia.

    Ikpeazu told reporters in Umuahia, the state capital that all the medical staffers and patients on admission at the yet-to-be-named private in the hospital would remain quarantined until the result of their samples returns back from the NCDC centre.

    The Governor gave the ages of the two index cases as 70 and 72 years old, adding that they had underlying medical ailment ranging from “High blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart failure”.

    He pointed out that the state has started massive contact tracing of all persons who had contact with the index cases in Ikwuano, Ukwa West, and Umuahia North Local Government Areas of the state.

    Ikpeazu insisted that the sit-at-home order and border closure in the state remains bounding, adding that the state would treat anybody flouting the order as sabotage, adding that mobile Courts would be set to bring offenders to book.

    Meanwhile, St. Nicholas Hospital, a highbrow hospital on Lagos Island has also been closed down.

    The hospital was shut on Monday due to its exposure to the deadly COVID-19.

    The Clinical Director, Ebun Bamgboye, in a statement dated April 20, said the hospital’s decision was as a result of “exposure to COVID-19”.

    The statement said the management decided on the shutdown after two of its nurses and a very senior staff member tested positive for COVID-19 from exposure to a patient.

    Already the management has already decontaminated the hospital located on Lagos Island and shut it down for two weeks.

     

  • Just in: Supreme Court affirms Okowa, Bello, Ikpeazu’s elections

    The Supreme Court has just affirmed the election of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as Governor of Delta State.

    It dismissed the appeal of Great Ogboru and the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state.

    Similarly, the apex court upheld the elections of governors of Abia, Niger and Taraba states.

    The Supreme Court has A five-member panel of justices, on Wednesday, said Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State, PDP); Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta, PDP), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger, APC); and Darius Ishaku (Taraba, PDP) were duly elected.

    In Niger, Governor Abubakar Bello’s election was also reaffirmed as the apex court in dismissed the appeal of Mohammed Nasko of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

  • Ikpeazu reacts to 'sickness' rumour

    The governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has debunked the news making rounds that he is sick and incapable of performing his official duties.
    In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka, Ikpeazu said that he is hale and hearty, and discharging the duties of the office of Governor of Abia State with zeal, zest, and passion, as he has done since 2015.
    According to Ememanka, Ikpeazu had a busy schedule on Friday attending to a long line of official visitors who came to Government House Umuahia.
    “Those carrying the rumor that the Governor is sick and bedridden are political fifth columnists and agents of destabilization whose stock in trade is to spin rumor mills and trade on falsehood.
    “The unfortunate news they have been spreading exist only in their disjointed imaginations.
    “The good people of Abia State are advised to completely disregard these agents of confusion and their evil machinations.
    “Your Governor is in a perfect state of health and is prepared to challenge any of those spreading the rumor to a game of soccer,” the statement concluded.

  • Ikpeazu dissolves political appointees

    As part of the efforts of the incumbent governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to constitute a new set of people that would form part of his yet-to-be inaugurated government, Ikpeazu on Saturday announced the dissolution of all political appointees.

    According to a release by the permanent secretary of government house, Elder Bernard Ogbonna, those serving in the office of the Deputy Governor and Wife of the Governor are also affected by the order.

    Ikpeazu also directed Commissioners, Secretary to State Government, his Secretary, the Deputy Chief of Staff (both Governor and Deputy Governor) and the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to continue to perform their official duties till further notice.

    Ikpeazu while thanking all the political appointees for their contributions to the success of his administration in the past four years assured that their contributions to the making of a more progressive Abia would never be forgotten.

    The release further disclosed that Ikpeazu also dissolved the board of Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB).

    The members of the board were equally directed members of the board to immediately hand over to the most senior staff in the board.

    The release read, “Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has approved the immediate dissolution of the body of appointees to the Governor, including Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants and Technical Officers..

    “The Governor also directs that Commissioners, Secretary to State Government, Principal Secretary to the Governor, Deputy Chief of Staff (office of Governor and Deputy Governor) and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor continue to perform their official duties till further notice.

    “He wishes to express profound appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of his administration in the past four years and assures that their contributions to the making of a more progressive Abia would never be forgotten”.

    However sources within the Abia State Government House disclosed that there has been intense lobbying among the outgoing political appointees who are seeking for reappointment as party members and close associates to the governor who felt sidelined in the first four years of the Ikpeazu led administration are equally hoping that they would be appointed to one political position as they claimed to have vigorously worked for the reelection of Ikpeazu at the just concluded polls.

  • 2019: Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu, Umahi, Ayade react to defection reports

    2019: Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu, Umahi, Ayade react to defection reports

    Governors Ben Ayade (Cross River), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Okezie Ikpeazu all of main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have denied nursing plans to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They said they would continue to remain loyal party members of the PDP, stressing that it was laughable and unfortunate for anyone to make such insinuations.

    The APC National Vice-Chairman, North Central, Alhaji Suleiman Ahmed-Wambai, had on Thursday, while speaking in Lafia during a party stakeholders meeting, stated that in the next three days, about three governors from the South-East would join the APC.

    The three states in the South-East governed by PDP governors are Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu.

    But, in their separate reactions, the governors dismissed the claim.

    Umahi emphasised that he had no plan to dump the PDP. He described the rumour as unfortunate, saying it was the handwork of mischief makers.

    He said, “Due to my relationship with President (Muhammadu) Buhari, there were rumours that I was moving to the APC. I ask such people that my going to APC is it for what? It is not the will of God that I should join the APC. I pity people who jump from one political party to another; we are not going to do that.”

    Also, the Abia State Commissioner for Information, Chief John Kalu, who spoke on behalf of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, said it was laughable to think that the governor would leave the PDP. He added that the claim was synonymous with “the lies and idol gossip associated with those running the APC.”

    He said, “I do acknowledge the fact that just like former Governor Orji Kalu once said that if Governor Ikpeazu joins the APC they would give him automatic ticket, they are wishing that our performing governor is part of them. But our governor would contest the next election and win under the platform of the PDP.”

    Also, Ayade, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, said his relationship with the President was purely on governance and not because he planned to join the APC.

    He said, “There is absolutely no truth in it. It is the fertile imagination of the author of the report. The governor has a relationship with the President based on governance. There is need for us as a people to understand that governance is different from politics. Ayade is a committed PDP member.”

    Meanwhile, in Enugu State, one of the officials close to the governor confided in our correspondent that there was no truth in reports that Ugwuanyi was dumping the PDP for APC.

    The official said, “People are leaving the APC, so it is understandable that claims like this would be made to score cheap political points.”

    Efforts to get the governor, the Commissioner for Information or the APC chairman in the state were not successful as at the time of filing this report.

    However, the state publicity secretary of the APC, Mrs. Kate Offor, said, “We are not aware that Governor Ugwuanyi is planning to join us; we don’t know anything about it.”