A frontline politician, Labour Party Stalwart and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP during the 2021 Governorship election in Anambra State, Mr Valentine Ozigbo has said there is nothing to about the successes claimed to have been accomplished by Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the past two years. Soludo marked two years as governor of Anambra State on the 17th of March, 2024, with various claims of accomplishments across key sectors of the state’s economy. But during an interaction with the media in Awka Anambra State Capital on Saturday, Mr Ozigbo said he would have done better as governor, had…
Author: Kenechukwu Ofomah
The Director, National Water Resources Capacity Building Network Centre, South-East, Region, Professor Emma Ezenwaji says that most ailments Nigerians suffer from on a daily basis are related to water. Prof. Ezenwaji disclosed this during the commemoration of this year’s International Water Day, with the theme “Water For Peace”. The event was held at Igwebudu Primary School Urum, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, where a water borehole is to be constructed in conjunction with the Borehole Drillers Association of Nigeria, Anambra State Chapter. According to him, “when Nigeria gets the issue of public water supply right, most of…
It seems the dream for the actualization of the Anambra Central Fish village, located at Adazi Nnukwu in Anaocha Council Area of Anambra State, may not be dead after all, following an assessment visit to the project site by a delegation from the ECOWAS commission. The delegation led by the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, was attracted by the Managing Director, Anambra Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency, FABDA, as part of efforts to enhance the state’s capacity to become a major table fish producer in the country and ECOWAS region. Recall…
The Nigeria Women Football League, NWFL, Congress rose from its virtual congress on Thursday, to reject the motion to suspend the replacement of the Nationwide League with the States League, as approved at the Annual General Assembly on October 5, 2023. The emergency congress of the NWFL was convened to deliberate on important issues through a series of motions concerning the Championship and Nationwide Leagues of the NWFL Congress. A communique issued at the end of the virtual congress, said the States League will therefore commence in the 2023/2024 Season. The Congress however mandated additional discussions and a review of…
Kodex Africa and the Anambra State ICT Agency on Thursday, played host to a delegation of budding entrepreneurs from the Enterprise Development Centre (@EDC4SME), fostering innovation and collaboration within the Anambra State’s tech ecosystem. The visit, part of a broader initiative to nurture entrepreneurship, as explained by the Head, of the Alumni Relations and Support Services Department at the Pan Atlantic University, Mrs. Nnenna Ugwu, highlights the partnership between the EDC and the Mastercard Foundation for the implementation of the ‘Transforming Nigeria Youth Programme’. According to Mrs. Ugwu, “This program is dedicated to empowering Nigerian youths, between ages 15 to 35, by…
A middle-aged man, Onuora Innoma arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in Ado Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State has confessed to the crime. Police Public Relations Officer Tochukwu Ikenga who disclosed this to newsmen in Awka, said the suspect admitted to the crime during interrogation, assuring that justice would be served. Recall that Governor Chukwuma Soludo, through Commissioner of Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, had ordered immediate remand of the suspect, after his detention at the Inland Town Police Division, Onitsha. The governor frowned at the nefarious act of preying on innocent ladies, vowing to take every available legal…
As part of efforts to ensure effective regulation of the traditional Igbo apprenticeship system, popularly known as “Igba boi,” a bill for a law to provide for its regulation and other related matters in Anambra State has passed its second reading at the State House of Assembly. The bill seeks to establish a regulatory framework to govern the Igbo apprenticeship system and to ensure fair treatment of apprentices, establish minimum standards for training, provide mechanisms for dispute resolution, and establish Anambra State Igbo apprenticeship commission. The bill also aims to formalize the relationship between mentors and apprentices, outlining rights and responsibilities for both…
A rights group, the Rule Of Law And Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC has called for an end to the military revenge and indiscriminate actions that have led to injury, death, and displacement of innocent civilians in Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, and neighboring communities. There have been varying reports and figures on the casualties in the communities, following the invasion of Okuama by military personnel after some armed youths of the community killed 16 soldiers and 3 officers of the troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army. The armed Okuama youths had reportedly ambushed the soldiers who…
One hundred and fifty youths in Anambra state, who have been trained on Table Fish Production Business, were on Tuesday, presented with Certificates of Training. The four-month training was organized by the ECOWAS, with support from the Anambra State Government, through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency, FABDA. In line with the implementation of the ECOWAS regional strategy to support the employability and entrepreneurship of young people in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector in ECOWAS member states, the ECOWAS had provided a grant of 58,768 US dollars, to fund the training. Presenting the certificates to the trained persons, the…
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi on Monday said it is still very early in the day for the details of the 2024 budget of the Federal Government to be revisited, to ensure that scarce resources are appropriated to critical areas like security, and fighting poverty among others. Obi is advising the Executive and Legislative arms of government to immediately commence the review of the 2024 budget for the right things to be done. The former Anambra Governor’s opinion is coming on the heels of the recent controversies trailing the budget.…
People of Urum community in Awka North Local Government Area have begged Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo to restore theelected leaders of the community. Some stakeholders of the community at an emergency meeting on Tuesday, accused the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon TonyCollins Nwabunnwanne of showing manifest interest in the community by cancelling the election held in December. Recall that the community had conducted an election into the town union but a lot of issues arose. At the meeting, the stakeholders which comprised elders of the community, said they were annoyed that after three months, the…
Nyango Gyang of Plateau State has emerged winner of the maiden edition of the Anambra State Marathon, defeating other marathoners to win the prize money of N1 million. Gyang won the 40 kilometer marathon, which began at the Ogbunike Toll gate, through Enugu -Onitsha expressway, and ended in Awka, in a record 1 hour 26 minutes. The event, organized by Thanos Charity Foundation, in partnership with Federal Ministry of Sports and the state government, began at the Ogbunike Toll gate, through Enugu -Onitsha expressway, and ended in Awka. Ismael Sadjoh came second to win the cash prize of N300,000 while Selengwe Constant, won…
Some rights groups have called on the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Mr. Solomon Arase and the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to discipline an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Akoko Obadiah, and his colleagues over alleged criminal exploitation of a complainant to the tune of one million, one hundred naira (N1.1m). The call was contained in a joint statement by the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and Human Rights Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) in Onitsha, made available to newsmen on Monday. The statement was signed by High Chief Uzor A. Uzor, who…
The Anambra State Police Command on Monday, vowed to fish out gunmen who attacked the State Vigilante Office at Amichi in Nnewi South Council Area of the state last week. The gunmen who invaded the facility in their numbers had set a building at the place as well as a vigilante operative they met in one of the cars in the premises ablaze while shooting sporadically. Amichi and some other communities in Nnewi South LGA including Ukpor, Osumenyi, Unubi, and others, have been terrorized by gunmen, who came from the forests of the communities that border Ihiala LGA. Although the…
Anambra State Government through the State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB, has handed over instructional materials, monitoring vehicles, and other educational support equipment to Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in the state. The materials were procured under the Universal Basic Education, UBE initiative, where Governor Chukwuma Soludo, paid the state counterpart fund of over N3 billion, to match the Federal Government’s contribution for the materials. Among the items distributed to the schools at the event which took place at the ASUBEB headquarters in Awka, were Galaxy tablets to be used by Quality Assurance evaluators for e-quality assurance, UPS stabilizers, English,…
A pro-Igbo group, Odinala Cultural Heritage Foundation (OCHIE Igbo), says teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) using the mother tongue will guarantee easy understanding and ensure Nigeria progresses as it should in the areas of science and technology. The Executive Director, of OCHIE Igbo STEM school, Mr Okoro Chinedum, stated this on Thursday in Awka, during a media chat to announce the inauguration of the committees for the development of the curriculum for STEM in Igbo language. The OCHIE Igbo STEM initiative is in collaboration with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka. The initiative is to make STEM real and practical for students and not abstract, by…
As part of efforts at unleashing sporting potential in Anambra State, the Thanos Charity Foundation will on Saturday, 16th of March, 2024, be holding the first Anambra Marathon event. The event which will commence on Saturday by 7 am, will see athletes take off from Ogbunike Tollgate and end at Emmaus House, Awka. They will cover about 35 kilometers on the Onitsha to Awka stretch. The winner of the event will go home with N1,000,000, the first runner-up will take home N500,000 while the second runner-up will get N300,000. Addressing a press conference on Thursday to announce the sporting event, the…
Schools in Anambra State have been besieged by non-indigene pupils and students, coming to take advantage of the free education policy introduced by the state government, under Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The State Commissioner for Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh made the disclosure in a media chat to mark the 2nd year-in-office anniversary of the Soludo administration in Anambra. Recall that the governor had announced free education for pupils of primary schools and students in Junior Secondary Classes One to Three, as part of efforts to avail every child access to education in the state. In the Senior Secondary Classes, students are to…
The Anambra Police Command on Tuesday said its operatives its operatives have smashed a deadly insurgents’ gang in Awka-Etiti Community in Idemili South Council Area of Anambra State. The Police Spokesperson in Anambra, Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Awka. According to him, police officers attached to the command, while on patrol with the local vigilante in Awka-Etiti, Idemili South LGA, accosted the gang, which was on a yet-to-be-unraveled mission while heavily armed. He said the joint security team chased the hoodlums until the vehicle they were in ran into a ditch. The hoodlums, Ikenga said, had…
Contrary to the agelong myth that constant taking of processed cassava otherwise known as garri can lead to Glaucoma and eventual loss of sight, an Optometrist, Dr Chidiebere Ezeanowai, has said there is no connection between food and Glaucoma. Dr. Ezeanowai, who is the Anambra State Chairman of the Nigerian Optometric Association, disclosed in a media chat in Onitsha, as part of activities to mark this year’s World Glaucoma Week, held from the 10th to the 16th of March 2024. The year’s celebration, with the theme ‘Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World’, is dedicated to raising awareness about glaucoma, a group of…
2,000 brand new laptops were on Tuesday, distributed to headteachers, ICT teachers, and principals of public and public-mission schools across Anambra state. Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who made the presentation at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Awka, said the distribution aligns perfectly with his vision which the Anambra State ICT Agency is driving, to ensure the full digitization of all sectors of the state economy. The implication of headteachers, ICT teachers, and principals owning laptops is that they will fully key into the digitization vision of Mr. Governor and, as such, guide school pupils and students early in their lives to join the digital revolution in the state. In Governor…
Mixed reactions have trailed a video that went viral online, showing a man alleged to be a tout, being tortured with a pestle by operatives of the State Special Anti-Touting Squad, SASA. In the viral video, one of the SASA operatives dressed in mufti carelessly hit the victim with a short pestle. The SASA operative repeatedly hit him with the pestle on the suspect’s ankle and other bony parts of his body, including his chest, while his colleague videoed the victim as he was rolling on the ground, helplessly crying and begging them to allow him to explain. There were also stains of fresh blood on different parts…
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Anambra State Command in its quest to protect critical national assets has reiterated its commitment to deploy all proactive measures to holistically address and mitigate vandalization Maku Olatunde, the State NSCDC Commandant stated this on Monday when he paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to all the financial institutions in Awka. The visit was to assess the performance of personnel deployed to protect and build the confidence of the public in all financial institutions, markets, and public avenues in and around Awka. The State NSCDC Command helmsman stated that his visit was part of…
As part of efforts aimed at advancing the cause of healthy living among the elderly across parts of Anambra State, the wife of the Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo has distributed 27,000 cartons of Vitamin Supplements to the elderly in the state. The distribution took place at the Utility Hall of ASUBEB Awka over the weekend and saw the governor’s wife distribute the vitamin supplements to Councilors of 326 wards in the state. The initiative will see 80 elderly persons per ward benefit. The supplements include multivitamins suitable for addressing deficiencies due to reduced body metabolism, and vitamins A, B, and…
Less than three weeks after a two-storey building collapsed at the Oduigbo Section of Ochanja Market, Onitsha, killing at least ten persons, a five-storey building Sunday afternoon, collapsed at Fegge in Onitsha South local government area of Anambra state. Sources said the five-storey building was under construction when it suddenly collapsed. Residents of the area say they heard the sound of a crack and then a loud noise and the two-storey building collapsed. It is not clear if there were workers on site, but an eyewitness had it that there were human activities under the building two hours before it…
The Anambra State Police Command on Monday said it has recovered an AK-47 rifle with two magazines loaded with 50 rounds of ammunition while trailing kidnappers at Awgbu in Orumba North Council Area of the state. On Friday, the Command said its operatives, while on patrol and snap checks with the local vigilante, intercepted some kidnappers along Amagu-Awgbu Road, as they were heading towards an exit route from the State. According to the police spokesperson in Anambra, Tochukwu Ikenga, the gang, had opened fire sporadically on sighting the patrol team, but bowed to Police-Vigilante superior firepower, while two of the…
As the International Women’s Day was marked the world over yesterday, the wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo has called on women to rise above socio-cultural, religious, and economic obstacles, to excel in their chosen careers and businesses. The governor’s wife is also advocating for an end to the hostilities, societal pressure, molestation, battery, abuses, stigma, and short-changing rules that have held women down from achieving their manifest destinies. This year’s International Women’s Day celebration has as its theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.’ Speaking at a ceremony she celebrated at the governor’s lodge, Amawbia, with young student…
As part of efforts to address the recurring issues of students’ exploitation and extortion by lecturers, the Acting Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, Dr. Uche Onyegbu launched a dedicated phone line that will be used to report all cases. The Rector is therefore warning all staff of the institution against all forms of extortion and exploitation of students, calling on the students to resist extortion by lecturers under any guise. Speaking on Friday at the 40th matriculation ceremony of the institution, Onyegbu also warned against any form of indecent dressing and behavior, insisting that decency and good conduct were…
Any structural development commenced henceforth in Anambra State without a permit will be brought down as an illegal structure. The Chairman, of Anambra State Physical Planning Board, ANSPPB, Barr Chike Maduekwe disclosed in a press briefing on Thursday to mark the commencement of the operation across parts of the State. Recently, two out of three buildings under construction at the Oduigbo section of the Ochanja Market, Onitsha had collapsed, resulting in the death of about 10 persons, while many were injured. The State Government through the ANSPPB, had embarked on the demolition of the remaining three buildings, claiming the developer…
It was an enriching workshop that exposed Anambra journalists to the numerous capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, AI, in the Journalism practice, as Anambra State ICT Agency and Activ8 Hub put together a workshop on AI in Journalism for media professionals. The workshop which took place in Awka, saw practitioners undertake classes on emerging AI models, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Bing AI, and Microsoft Copilot, among others, with the aim to enhance their journalistic practices, ensure more efficient, accurate, and compelling reportage. The workshop facilitated by experts including Mr. Chukwuma Mezie-Okoye, co-founder of Activ8 Hub, and Nehemiah Onyekachukwu Emmanuel, an AI Engineer with Microsoft, offered deep…
