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Tag: Umahi

  • Ebonyi gov Umahi, daughter, aides survive COVID-19, test negative

    Ebonyi gov Umahi, daughter, aides survive COVID-19, test negative

    Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has recovered and tested negative for COVID-19.

    The Governor confirmed this in a statement he signed on Friday.

    Umahi also revealed his daughter and three of his aides who also contracted the virus, have also tested negative.

    The Governor thanked God for his recovery and residents for their prayers and support.

    Umahi on July 4 announced he, his daughter and some aides tested positive for coronavirus.

    Although he said they were not showing any symptoms, they went into isolation in line with protocols laid down by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    He directed his Deputy Kelechi Igwe to take over governance.

    While in isolation, Umahi suspended over 1,000 junior aides, five Special Assistants, Coordinator of FADAMA and two Auditors-General.

    He also appointed some new aides and Caretaker Chairmen of some Local Governments.

    He then signed into law the revised 2020 budget of the state.

  • You can’t be sleeping, waking and expecting bank alerts, Umahi fumes, sacks over 1,000 aides

    You can’t be sleeping, waking and expecting bank alerts, Umahi fumes, sacks over 1,000 aides

    Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Monday announced the sack of more than 1,000 aides for non-performance.

    He said the dissolution would take effect from August 1, 2020.

    Umahi made the announcement in Abakaliki during a virtual swearing-in of some Special Assistants and Caretaker Chairmen of Local Governments, among others.

    He noted that governance of the state was no longer “business as usual”.

    The governor listed the affected categories of aides to include: Technical Assistants (TAs), Senior Technical Assistants (STAs) and Executive Assistants (EAs).

    ”We have over 1,000 of you, over 350 LGA liaison officers and several Development Centres management committee members, yet myself and my deputy threw ourselves ‘in the ring’ on the COVID-19 issue.

    ”I don’t know where else you will get a position, where you will just sleep and wait for bank alert,” he said.

    The governor noted that the affected aides who wished to re-apply for the positions must be endorsed by a State Government’s ministry or department.

    ”We will hold such ministry or department responsible on you and you must have and show us your farm, if you wish to re-apply.

    ”People who were never in these categories of aides should not apply because I will not expand such offices. But if we don’t fill all the positions, we will then call for nominations,” he said.

    Umahi, who used the occasion to sign the revised state 2020 budget, thanked God for the conclusion of its process, describing it as stringent, citizens- based and highly Information Communication Technology-compliant.

    ”The budget, which was reduced from N178 billion to N132 billion, was occasioned by the realities of the times as some sectors such as heath and education were reviewed upwards.

    ”I am categorically declaring that schools in the state will not re-open presently and we have commenced the process of using the communities to clear the primary and secondary schools surroundings.

    ”We shall send medical teams to inspect and do sample testing of teachers, while directing that the syllabus of primary and secondary schools be reviewed,” he said.

    Chief Francis Nwifuru, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, commended the executive arm of government for its support in ensuring the speedy, even though painstaking, review of the budget.

    He also commended members of the House for their patience and diligence during the review, noting that the House effectively engaged relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for an effective process.

    Mr Orlando Nweze, Commissioner for Finance, said that the budget would be effectively implemented in spite of the uncertainties of the times, noting that it followed laid-down World Bank stipulations.

  • JUST IN: Umahi suspends Auditor Generals indefinitely

    JUST IN: Umahi suspends Auditor Generals indefinitely

    Ebonyi Governor David Umahi on Monday indefinitely suspended the State AUditor General, Innocent Nweda with immediate effect.

    He also suspended the Auditor General for local government in the state, George Ukpai.

    Secretary to the State Government(SSG) Kenneth Ugbala announced this in a statement in Abakaliki, the state capital.

    The statement said their suspension was as a result of their failure to perform duties of their offices.

    The Governor, according to the statement, accused the two officers of failure to prepare and produce the annual audited accounts of the State and Local government.

    Umahi further directed that Nweda should hand over to the next most senior officer in rank.

    He also directed one Dr U. A. Udu should take over as Acting Auditor General for local government until further notice.

    “All handover and takeover should be concluded before the close of work on Monday 13 July 2020,” the statement added. Ends

  • COVID-19: Umahi not showing symptoms, working from isolation-Kelechi Igwe

    COVID-19: Umahi not showing symptoms, working from isolation-Kelechi Igwe

    Ebonyi Deputy Governor Kelechi Igwe has said Governor David Umahi is presently not showing COVID-19 symptoms and is conducting official duties from isolation.

     

    Igwe said this on Tuesday at a meeting with top government officials and the state COVID-19 Response Team in Abakaliki.

     

    He declared that the governor “is still very strong”.

     

     

     

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Umahi on July 4 announced that he and some of his aides had tested positive to the virus.

     

    He then said they would isolate in adherence to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols.

     

    The deputy governor said the development had shown Umahi’s level of passion and love for the state, adding that the government would use prayers to “speed-up” his recovery process.

     

    “We have directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately commence one-hour daily prayer session for the governor’s recovery, including others infected with the disease in the state,” the deputy governor said.

     

    Igwe noted that the government would not abdicate on the fight against the virus because of the governor’s ‘temporary isolation’, saying that the fight’s sustenance would help him recover quicker.

     

     

     

    Ebonyi House of Assembly Speaker Francis Nwifuru described the disease as ‘operating in mysterious ways’, which confound both the leaders and the led.

     

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Daniel Umezurike said the meeting was timely because the COVID-19 challenge was huge and needed steady review of strategies to fight it.

     

    He said the death toll of COVID-19 patients in the state have risen to six out of the 508 persons, who tested positive to the virus.

     

    He noted that of the 508, who tested positive to the virus, 426 patients have been treated and discharged.

     

     

     

  • Umahi shuts Ebonyi courts as state records first COVID-19 death

    Umahi shuts Ebonyi courts as state records first COVID-19 death

    Ebonyi Governor, David Umahi on Friday ordered the immediate shut down of all Courts in the state.

    He said they are to remain closed for the next 10 days to enable health workers fumigate the buildings and premises.

    The Governor gave the directive in a broadcast to residents.

    He also ordered all judicial staff in the state and their families to immediately proceed for COVID-19 testing.

    Umahi said the state has recorded its first Covid-19 death, which he described as regrettable and saddening.

    “It is unfortunate that we have recorded one death due to this Covid-19 and it makes me so sad.

    “I am directing that in line with the Covid-19 law all the courts in Ebonyi state be shutdown for the next 10 days. The Judiciary, State High Court, Industrial Court, Federal High Court, Magistrate court should all be shutdown”,

    “Also, I advise all the Judiciary officcers and their families to undergo Covid-19 tests. I have ordered that all the Judiciary buildings and premises should be immediately fumigated within the 10 days”.

    The Governor advised marketers and churches to take the Covid-19 safety protocols seriously for their own good.

    He regretted residents were not taking the pandemic serious and warned that any church or market found flouting the COVID-19 law will be shutdown.

    “We are not contemplating closing markets and churches but we advise them to please take this matter serious. If you are working ensure that you sanitise yourself every 10 minutes”.

    “This is very serious. We have a spike because we have a high testing. People may have the Covid-19 but won’t show any symptoms but will go about spreading it”.

    “Some people with the virus will argue that they are not showing any symptoms. Yes, your immune system is fighting it but the next person that may be weaker than you is at danger and our job is to protect everybody in Ebonyi”

  • Why Umahi is after me – Former Ebonyi Commissioner

    Why Umahi is after me – Former Ebonyi Commissioner

    Chief Abia Onyike, former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi, has explained reason behind his present ordeal with Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi.

    Onyike in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abakaliki, explained that Umahi and his agents were after him due to his criticism against the governor’s style of administration.

    NAN recalls that Umahi in his live COVID-19 weekly radio broadcast to update the people, had directed the Director, State Security Service to ensure that Onyike was compelled to under go compulsory COVID-19 test.

    He was directed to isolate/quarantine Onyike for 14 days for allegedly breaching the COVID-19 protocol restricting order on inter-state travels.

    The statement was captioned, ‘Harassment, Intimidation and Isolation/Quarantne: Gov. Umahi’s Tactical Maneuvers To Silence Me From Criticising His Government’.

    The former commissioner who also was the General Manager of Ebonyi Publishing and Printing Press, alleged that Umahi had employed all subterranean tactics to muzzle him and stop him from constructive criticism of the administration.

    Onyike, a former National Deputy President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and first Chairman, NUJ Ebonyi Council, has however vowed to resist any form of harassment, intimidation or persecution in his quest to get the government do the right thing.

    The statement reads: “I want to seize this opportunity to draw the attention of the public to the incessant intimidation and harrassment which I have been subjected to by Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi and his agents.

    ” Umahi has vowed to employ all sinister measures to silence and prevent me from being critical of his anti-people administration.

    “On Tuesday, June 9, I was part of a three-man panel of discussants invited by 92.5 Dream FM Radio in Enugu.

    “The live radio programme was to analyse the issue of Leadership and Democracy in the South-East geopolitical zone, as part of the celebration of 21 years of uninterrupted democratic governance in Nigeria.

    “In the one-hour programme, I took time to dissect and analyse Gov. Umahi’s administration government in Ebonyi.

    ” I accused the government of being nepotic, as the governor had converted the state to a private family dynasty.

    “After the programme, I returned to Abakaliki and was confronted same day by Mr Austin Umahi, the governor’s younger brother who is the National Vice Chairman of PDP.

    ” He sent a message to my WhatsApp and threw caution to the winds by calling me names amidst other unprintable and derogatory comments, and sought to know why I criticised his brother’s government.

    “Then, Thursday, June 11, Umahi used his live broadcast to issue an order that the security agencies should compel me to be isolated and quarantined.

    “I wish to state categorically that the present step by Umahi is a calculated witch-hunt aimed at curtailing my fundamental human rights and freedom of speech.

    ” It was based on a letter issued by the Caretaker Committee Chairman

    of Afikpo South Local Government Area, my LGA of origin.

    ” But, this process is shrouded in mystery and contradictions; first and foremost, I am resident in Abakaliki and not Afikpo South LGA.

    ” I wish to state that I will not be comfortable with any test being conducted by Gov. Umahi’s agents in Ebonyi as the governor and his brother, Austin had threatened to kill me.

  • Ebonyi Gov, Dave Umahi confesses: There are moles in my government

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has openly acknowledged the existence of moles in his government but insisted that his administration had nothing to hide.

    Umahi’s position is contained in a social media comment posted on Sunday.

    He was reacting to a post by a WhatsApp group participant accusing the former Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bernard Odoh, of “unholy alliance with a particular incumbent governor of a South-Eastern state”.

    Umahi, who reiterated his earlier warning that government appointees should not castigate another governor or other officials, urged his critics to visit the Ebonyi government’s information website for information they needed.

    “Those who want to betray me will end up fighting the wind as there is nothing to betray except, maybe, a display of ingratitude to God.

    “Those who sit on the fence in defending their government will definitely receive the same reward whenever they need defence from government.

    “Anyone who supports him (Odoh) or his betrayal will also get betrayed especially at a time of his or her greatest need,” Umahi said.

    Umahi, while challenging the moles in his government to send his post to whoever they cared, described the said governor as his friend “even before now”.

    “Whenever someone becomes a governor, he is no more the property of anyone else other than God and the people,” he said.

    He enjoined his supporters to leave the said governor or the ruling party at the federal level out of any accusation, insisting that Odo was not in the mentioned state’s government house as alleged by the WhatsApp group participant.

    The Ebonyi government had been having a running battle with the former SSG over the disbursement of the small and medium-scale agricultural fund in 2016.

    State government officials and Odoh’s supporters have resorted to the social media to air their views and, in most cases, cast aspersions on one another over the panel of inquiry set up by the government to investigate the disbursement.

    They have also traded accusations over the petition written by Odo to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urging the anti-graft body to investigate the disbursements.

  • Failure to monitor COVID-19 ‘ll attract sack letters, Umahi threatens political appointees

    Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi has vowed to sack any political appointee that failed to monitor Covid-19 situations in the state.
    The governor made this declaration while announcing recorded cases on Sunday.
    The Governor announced that Ebonyi State recorded a total of 13 cases between the 26th of April and 20th of May and 6 have been discharged successfully.
    ” On the 22nd of May, we recorded 8 new cases: 6 from Ishielu, 2 from Ikwo. The cases were all the people traveling from Delta, Lagos, Imo, and sneaked into the state through the borders.
    “Also, on 23rd May, we had another 9 new cases from Afikpo North while on 24th, we had 2 new cases from Ohaukwu LGA.
    “We currently have 33 cases with 6 discharged successfully and the breakdown are as follows:
    Afikpo North LGA – 9
    Izzi LGA – 8
    Ishielu LGA – 6
    Ikwo LGA – 4
    Ohaukwu LGA – 2
    Ohaozara – 1
    Onicha – 1
    Ezza North – 1
    Total – 33
    Discharged – 6
    “. Ebonyi State does not have a recorded case of community transmission.
    Umahi explained that the state had delays in getting kits from NCDC. They gave us some kits but the kits are not enough – it is difficult to hold people for 14 days without testing them. The federal government will have to intervene immediately about this. If they ask us to isolate these people from society, we should also have enough testing kits to follow the NCDC policies.
    ” The Ebonyi State Neighborhood watch will stand dissolved by 1st June 2020. We have asked the LGAs Chairmen to ensure their salaries are paid for the month of may immediately.
    ” We are reconstituting the neighborhood watch and we are asking the traditional rulers, president general, and head of communities to immediately come together and recommend for immediate deployment 100 neighborhood watch.
    “We will reduce the blocking of borders from 6 to 4.
    “By the expiration of the tenure of the current 13 Council Chairmen, I will by mid-night of Thursday, 29 May 2020 appoint a Transition Committee to run the affairs of the 13 LGAs pending when the election will be held.
    “We have equally approved the stoppage of payments of allowances to security personnel through their Service Chiefs but through direct payment of the security personnel on their duty post by the Monitoring Team led by the Deputy Governor. The same applies to Medical Personnel. The daily routine register will be the basis for payments to avoid leakages.
    ” All the Liaison Officers, Members of Local Government Advisory Committee, all political office holders are expected to be part of the Monitoring Team day and night. Defaulters will be relieved of their duties.
  • Almajirai not welcomed in any part of Ebonyi – Umahi

    Almajirai not welcomed in any part of Ebonyi – Umahi

    Almajirai are not welcomed in Ebonyi, Governor David Umahi has declared.

    Speaking on reports of Almajirai being smuggled into the Southeast after expulsion from some Northern states in wake of the rampaging coronavirus, the Governor said they won’t be entertained in any part of the state.

    While acknowledging the Northern Governors for their cooperation on the issue, Umahi however told the Almajirai to stay away from the state.

    “We will not be afraid to say that there will not be Almajiris in Ebonyi state and the Northern Governors I commend them, they said go to your state of origin.

    “We will not allow Almajiris in Ebonyi state. Ebonyi will not allow Amajiris, they should go to their state of origin. We have to as a people to begin to tell ourselves the truth,” he emphasised.

    He also banned rearing of cattle around the new Government House located inside the Centenary City Abakaliki.

    “I have directed the Chief Security Officer to meet with the security people. Please I don’t want to see any cow within the premises of the centenary city.

    “How can I be struggling with cows to come into Government House? Please, in the entire centenary city, I don’t want to see any cow. Not just Government House, anywhere that is called centenary city; international market, the mall. This is insulting.

    “So, security people should do meeting with the cattle owners whether it is Hausa cows or Igbo cows because I can also see some Igbo cows and I don’t want to see it again.”

    He said cows seen flouting the order should be impounded and a court order obtained to auction them off.

  • Umahi heeds CAN’s ‘passionate’ appeal, lifts ban on religious gatherings in Ebonyi

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has lifted the ban on religious worship across the state with effect from May 15 as part of efforts to relax the COVID-19 lockdown.

    Mr Uchenna Orji, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Abakaliki on Friday.

    He said that the decision was in response to passionate appeals made by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state.

    “The re-opening of the worship centres must, however, be under strict observance of the state laws and must be once a week.

    “All churches are to observe their services only on Sundays from 9.am to 11.am.

    “Seventh Day Adventists and Muslim faithful are to observe their services on Saturdays and Fridays, respectively and also from 9.am to 11.am.

    “No religious centre shall permit more than 50 people and worshippers must observe a minimum of two metres social distancing from one another,” he said.

    Orji said that wearing of face masks, washing of hands with running water and use of sanitisers must be strictly observed in all religious centres.

    “No religious service is allowed to hold any other day than the days specified herein and which must be in strict observance of all COVID-19 laws and regulations.

    “The CAN has a duty to shut any religious gathering and arrest the principal of the worship centre, which violates this order.

    “The government requests all religious bodies in the state to use this window to create awareness among members on the protocols, policies, laws and regulations regarding COVID-19 as well as pray for the state and Nigeria,” he said.

    Orji also urged religious leaders to use the opportunity to advise members on the need for aggressive participation in agriculture and other lawful means of livelihood.

    “The CAN leadership and anti-COVID-19 committee on religious centres, are requested to mount strict monitoring of all religious centres in the state and ensure strict compliance and discipline,” he said.