TheNewsGuru

Tag: Imo

  • Okorocha swears in own sister as Commissioner for Happiness and Couples’ Fulfillment

    Okorocha swears in own sister as Commissioner for Happiness and Couples’ Fulfillment

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has sworn in 28 new commissioners and 27 Transition Committee Chairmen for the 27 local government councils in the state.

    One of the commissioners sworn in by the governor is his biological sister, Mrs. Ogechi Ololo (nee Okorocha). She is now the state’s Commissioner for Happiness and Couples’ Fulfillment.

    Ololo, who is married to Chuks, an engineer, was the All Progressives Congress’ candidate into the House of Representatives for the Owerri Federal Constituency seat in 2015 and she has served in various capacities since Okorocha became the state governor in 2011.

    She had, before her new appointment, served as her brother’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser on Domestic Matters.

    Swearing in the new commissioners and the Transition Committee Chairmen on Monday at the Imo International Convention Centre, Owerri, the governor charged them to leave their marks in their respective ministries and local governments.

    He urged them to see themselves as men and women on a rescue mission.

  • Okorocha builds giant statue of Zuma, names newly commissioned road in Imo after him

    Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday unveiled a giant statue of South Africa president Jacob Zuma in Owerri Imo state.

    Zuma who is on a two-day visit to Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria was also conferred a traditional chieftaincy title by the state governor – a road was named after him.

    Okorocha also conferred on President Zuma, the Imo Merit Award, the highest award in the State conferred on distinguished personalities who have made a difference in the development of their communities and to humanity.

    This has triggered fierce reactions from Imo state indigenes, Nigerians who took to social media to vent their disappointment and anger.

    The visit of President Zuma, according to Imo State government, is for the signing of an MoU between Rochas Foundation with the Zuma Foundation.

    Nigerians react:

  • Irate youths set monarch’s palace ablaze in Imo

    Some youths numbering over 200 on Tuesday set ablaze the palace of Eze Edwin Mbaeyi, the traditional ruler of Obollo Autonomous community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government of Imo state.

    A source in the community, who simply identified himself as Collins told The Punch that the palace was burnt over the refusal of the monarch to coronate one Chief Chijioke Njokuocha as the traditional prime minister of the community after the death of his father, Chief Samuel Njokuocha.

    According to the source, the monarch’s preference for one Chief Jasper Nwachukwu angered the youths who had gathered to witness the coronation of Chief Njkuocha.

    The youths took laws into their hands when the event failed to hold.

    He said, “Our traditional ruler has insisted on making Chief Jasper Nwachukwu our traditional Prime Minister as against the rightful owner. The position of the prime minister in our community is hereditary.

    “After the death of our prime minister, Chief Samuel Njokuocha, our custom, and tradition demand that his first son, Chijioku Njokuocha, should be coronated.

    This issue started since 2016 and our traditional ruler has remained adamant and wants to go against the culture and tradition of our people. Even the office of the governor on conflict resolution had mandated him to coronate the rightful person but he vehemently refused.

    After much persuasion, he agreed to do the coronation today (Tuesday) after he had boycotted it one month ago.

    However, to the surprise of the excited crowd who had gathered to witness the ceremony, the monarch once again refused the coronation. The youths were embittered. They had no other option than to set the palace ablaze after the monarch had fled “.

  • Catholic priest kidnapped, killed in Imo

    Imo State Police Command has confirmed the report of kidnap and murder of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Cyriacus Onunkwo.

    Confirming the ugly incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Chris Ezike, told newsmen that the priest’s corpse has been recovered.

    “The matter was properly reported to the police and we went into action. Less than 24 hours after, the Orsu Divisional Police Officer, DPO, reported the discovery of an abandoned corpse in its area of jurisdiction”, Ezike said.

    According to the Imo police boss, priests of Orlu Catholic Diocese were called in immediately and they identified the corpse as their priest.

    “Although we are working on all leads over the matter. For now, it is a clear case of abduction and murder. If it was a case of kidnapping, his captives would have put a call across to anybody close their victim and made a demand”, Ezike said.

    Answering a question, the CP said that “although nobody has been arrested in connection with the crime, we are investigating it”. He promised to keep Vanguard posted as investigation progress.

  • Arsenal fan slumps, dies in Imo as club concedes goal to Stoke City

    Residents at Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State were on Saturday shocked, when a man alleged to be an arsenal fan, identified as Dominic Ejimba slumped and died while watching a football match between Arsenal and Stoke City in the ongoing English Premier League season.

    According to sources who narrated the ordeal to Punch, the deceased, a die-hard Arsenal FC supporter, could not bear it when his team conceded a goal midway into the second half of the game. He was watching the encounter at a viewing centre on the Owerri-Okigwe expressway, the source said.

    A Liverpool fan, Chuks Amaku, said, “Dom is dead. He slumped immediately Stoke City scored a goal. Before my uncle, Hezekiah Amaku, could rush him to the hospital, he died.

    “It was unfortunate because all of us were exchanging jokes. Nobody was sensing any danger. We never knew that death was lurking. He had supported Arsenal for a very long time now. He couldn’t had taken that goal very seriously.”

    The deceased’s brother, Francis Onwuka, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Sunday.

    Onwuka said, “Dom is dead. He slumped while watching Arsenal and Stoke City match on Friday and could not make it to the hospital.

    “It is unfortunate and saddening because he has left a very young wife and three little kids. His demise pains.”

    An Arsenal fan, Barrister Kissinger Ikeokwu, who also confirmed the death, disclosed that Gunners’ fans in the state mourn the painful exit.

    Ikeokwu, who described the Dominic as a great fan of the London-based football club said the thoughts of all Arsenal fans in the state were with the family.

    It was gathered that the deceased, who was in his early 40s, had supported Arsenal from his childhood.

    “He loved Arsenal passionately. He closed his shop to make sure that he watched his darling club play. He could even deny himself food if his team was beaten,” another source said.

    The late Dominic Ejimba hailed from Umufuku-Umunchi in Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo State.

  • BREAKING: 4 feared dead as building collapses in Owerri, Imo [Photos]

    No fewer than four persons have been confirmed dead while six others were rescued alive from a three-storey building collapse in Imo state.

    The incident occurred on Sunday morning at No.9 Egbu road, by fire service junction in Owerri.

    Reports say that the cause of the building collapse is due to structural defect as the landlord is alleged to have added two more floors to the structure without approval.

    Meanwhile, the Imo State government has instructed that all ongoing building construction should go for re-verification before completion.

    The Imo State Police Commissioner, Chris Ezike noted that no arrest has been made but the landlord of the building is currently at large.

    Details to follow…

     

  • JUST IN: Aisha Buhari returns from London, storms Imo [Photos]

    JUST IN: Aisha Buhari returns from London, storms Imo [Photos]

    Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has returned from London where she went to visit the president who is currently on medical vacation.

    Mrs. Buhari, upon her return, headed to Owerri to grace the 2017 August meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, hosted by wife of the Imo State Governor, Nneoma Okorocha.

    She was welcomed at the Sam Mbakwe Cargo International Airport in Owerri, the State capital by the state governor, Rochas Okorocha; his wife, Nneoma; wives of other Nigerian governors and other government officials.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that President Buhari traveled for medical check-up in London on Sunday, May 7, more than a month he came back into the country from a previous medical vacation.

    See pictures from the visit below:

     

     

     

     

  • Panel identifies police officer who released billionaire kidnapper, Evans in 2006

    The Policewoman who has been accused of aiding the release of billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans in 2006 has been identified.

    According to a report in The Nation, the woman simply identified as Tina is now a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

    She was reportedly involved in the transfer of Evans from Lagos State to Imo State and his eventual release.

    The police had said Evans was apprehended in 2006 after a bank robbery.

    As a result of the revelation, IGP Idris constituted a panel to investigate the 2006 arrest, transfer and eventual release of Evans and his members.

    The panel was to identify all officers who had a hand in the matter, whether serving or retired.

    According to a source, the panel has identified all the officers involved in his release.

    The source said: “I can tell you that Tina is not the woman’s real name but I won’t give you her name. I can also tell you she’s now a CSP and still in service.

    So many officers took part in that 2006/2007 release of Evans and they are being investigated. The panel has made progress and almost all of them have been identified. An official statement might be release by the authorities soon.”

  • With my legacy in Imo, my successor will be stoned if … – Okorocha

    With my legacy in Imo, my successor will be stoned if … – Okorocha

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has declared that his achievements in the last six years have surpassed those of his predecessors put together.

    The governor, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, also said that his records will be difficult for his successor to beat.

    According to him, his administration has impacted positively on citizens.

    The chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum said: “I’m on this job not for the profit of it but for the honour and glory of the job. So I want to leave a legacy.

    “I want Imo people to miss me and they will definitely. Believe you me they have not seen such developmental works before now and they will miss it.

    “The only problem I have is that anybody that comes after me and does not perform will be stoned.

    “Because you cannot come to Imo State now and say you want to abolish free education from primary to university, they will not accept.”

    He went on: “I have spoilt Imo people believe me. You cannot come to Imo State and say you want to give them a single lane road when they are used to eight lane road in the city, they won’t accept it.

    “You cannot come there and tell the children to go to schools that the floors are not tiled. They will not accept because all the schools have been rebuilt.

    “I have rebuilt 450 schools. You can no longer take them to those ramshackle hospitals.

    “Those shanties they called hospitals because I have built ultramodern 27 to 200 bed general hospitals. You can no longer tell them those stories. All the infrastructure is there.

    “You cannot tell them that there are criminal activities anymore and that your hands are tied they will not accept it because we know where we brought Imo from, from unsafe place to a safe place right now.

    “And you can no longer tell our workers to dress shabbily they will not. They will want to dress in their suits and tie and white shirts. So Imo has changed believe me.”

    He asserted none of his predecessors has done as much as he had done.

    “I stand to be challenged and corrected by anybody that what we have done in Imo State in this six years can be comparable to what any governor in that state living or dead has done.

    “And whether if we put all of them together can match what we have done. Have you seen me sounding boisterous? That is the truth,” the governor explained.

    He said he has refused to be quiet with his performances, adopting a different approach to governance.

    “The point is I don’t make media noise. I don’t make foundation laying stones programme. I don’t bring women to dance because I want to lay foundation project.

    “I don’t commission projects because for me it doesn’t make sense. They say that is the only way to get the media to know what we are doing but to me it doesn’t make sense.

    “What is the most important is that people are benefiting and people are happy.”

  • Pope wades into ethnic crisis in Catholic Church in Imo

    Pope wades into ethnic crisis in Catholic Church in Imo

    Pope Francis has intervened in an ethnic crisis involving the Nigerian town of Ahiara, Imo state , whose bishop, Peter Okpaleke, appointed by Benedict XVI in 2012, is unwanted by lay people and priests of the diocese.

    Though Mr. Okpaleke is an Igbo from Anambra State, the Catholic leaders in Ahiara rejected him because he is not an Igbo man from Mbaise.

    The Vatican Insider said the pope received on Wednesday a delegation from the Diocese of Ahiara, accompanied by Archbishop of Abuja and apostolic administrator of Ahiara, Cardinal John O. Onaiyekan.

    Others at the meeting were Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, Monsignor Anthony Obinna, Archbishop of Jos and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Monsignor Ignatius Kaigama, and the Bishop of Ahiara, Bishop Okpaleke.

    Priests Clement O. Ebii, Jude N. Uwalaka, Uhuegbu Innocent Olekamma, Sister Bernadette O. Ezeyi and Stanley Pius Iwu, chief of the staff were also part of the delegation.

    After a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Nigerian delegation attended the Pope’s private Mass celebration.

    The delegation had previously met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Fernando Filoni, and the superiors of the same dicastery, with whom the Church’s situation in Ahiara was widely examined.

    Pope Francis spoke of the inadmissibility of the situation in Ahiara and reserved to take the appropriate measures.

    He said he was entrusting the Diocese of Ahiara to the motherly care of Mary.

    It was Benedict XVI who appointed Monsignor Okpaleke in 2012, only to meet a storm of opposition by the leaders and congregation. He was not even allowed to hold mass in the church.

    His predecessor, late Victor Adibe Chikwe, came from Mbaise and was accepted by the worshippers, because he was “son of the soil”.

    Pope Francis appointed John O. Onaiyekan apostolic administrator since July 2013. But the crisis has lingered.

    Since Okpaleke’s appointment in 2012, the priests and Catholic faithful from Mbaise had insisted they wanted a Bishop of Mbaise extraction.

    Nonetheless, Okpaleke was ordained a Bishop on May 21, 2013 in Owerri, the mother Diocese to Ahiara Diocese.

    His ordination was graced by the cream of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, including Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Jos and President Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN); Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop of Owerri and Metropolitan of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Archbishop Anthony J.V. Obinna and the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, His Grace, Archbishop Augustine Kasuija.

    In a post-ordination speech, Okpaleke said: “My ordination is a celebration of my marriage to the Church of God in Ahiara. Just like wives married into families, I have left my people and have become “onye” (member of) Ahiara Diocese. I remember a piece of music by monks of Western Priory in the State of Vermont USA, which I love so much. The monks set into song Ruth’s response to Naomi: “wherever you go, I shall go, wherever you live I shall live. You people will be my people and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I shall die and there I shall be buried.