The Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE), has asked the Imo people in particular and Nigerians, in general, to prepare for a massive protest against Supreme Court’s judgment on Saturday, January 18, 2020, in Owerri, Imo State. The Supreme Court had earlier this week, declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who came fourth, as the winner of the last governorship election in Imo State, ousting the incumbent Governor, Emeka Ihedioha who had won the elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year. Ihedioha had also gone ahead to win…
Author: Kenechukwu Ofomah
A UK -based Charity Organization, New Bethel Christian Centre has donated cash, gifts, educational and operational support items worth millions of naira to inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Onitsha. The prison visit which is part of the organization’s annual outreach programme saw the donation of drums of diesel, a cow, cash gifts and books/writing materials for the school inside the facility. As part of its interventions, the organization is also facilitating the payment of fines to enable the release of inmates who have options of fine but were unable to regain their freedom due to non-payment of those fines.…
Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has called for better welfare package and increased support for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The governor made the call at a ceremony held at Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka to mark the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Anambra State. The event which is celebrated nationwide is used to remember the contributions of members of the Armed Forces living and dead, towards the protection of the territorial integrity of the country. The event had commenced with a joint parade by the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Legion. Governor Obiano…
Collaboration among security agencies has been described as the way forward in the nation’s efforts at battling insecurity to a standstill. The Chairman, Anambra State Vigilante Services, Retired Commissioner of Police Ikechukwu Aduba gave the view in an exclusive interview with News Chronicle Correspondent in Anambra. According to the former CP, the country is presently facing numerous security challenges ranging from insurgency and terrorism to banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery among others and independently, no agency can realize its mandate. “There is no way any single agency can deliver on its mandate. There must be a handshake among the security agencies…
Leaders of various Igbo youth groups in Anambra have commended the Amotekun security initiative of the Southwest region as a self-help security effort and not a threat to national peace and security. The commendation is coming on the heels of comments by some youths under the aegis of Northern Youths Council of Nigeria which described the Amotekun Group as the Military wing of Oodua Peoples Congress, (OPC) in disguise. The Northern Youths have also urged southwest Governors desist from backing the group which they noted, is no different from the Boko Haram and IPOB movements. But in a reaction, the…
People of Achina Community have cried out to the World Bank, Federal and Anambra State Government to urgently intervene on the erosion challenges faced by the community before the next rains. Achina is one of the communities in Aguata Local Government Area, ravaged by gully, with more than five active erosion sites. They include Okpala Osimiri erosion site (Umueleke Village), St Joseph’s Site (Umuezeiyi Village), Ezekoro/Ihe Obiji Site (Umuezeiyi Village), Iyi Nwitita site (Umuezeiyi Village) and the Okpalanwa site (Umueleke Village). A visit to some of the sites shows that work has since been abandoned on them as some buildings…
One person has been confirmed dead and three others injured as a Petrol Tanker exploded inside a welding workshop around Amawbia bypass axis of Enugu Onitsha Expressway. Visit the site by our correspondent reveals that efforts are ongoing by a combined team of the State Fire Service, the Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to put out the fire. The Area has also been cordoned off to safeguard the lives of motorists and residents. An eye witness who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the petrol tanker had gone to the…
Anambra State Police Command says it has gunned down two suspected members of an armed robbery gang. The suspects, one Onyebuchi Ngana aka Caesar and one Izuchukwu Okoro were said to have been fatally wounded during a gun duel today with operatives of the State’s Special Anti-Robbery Robbery Squad (SARS). A statement by the Command made available by its Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed said the command received a distress call that the gang allegedly attacked one Chiegulem Chidera at Aguoye Awka and at gunpoint, snatched his Nissan Xterra Jeep with Registration number Cross River GGJ 402 AA. It said…
14 persons today survived a major death scare as a commercial bus rammed into a Dangote truck along Ogidi axis of the Onitsha-Awka expressway. The Dangote truck with registration number, Kano FGE 284 ZS, was said to be negotiating into a street off the expressway, when the Toyota Hiace bus belonging to Star Sunny Motors, a local transport company with registration number Anambra ACA 675 ZP, approached with speed and crashed into it. Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps, Anambra State Command, Paschal Anigbo attributed the accident to break failure on the part of the…
One of the traders whose shops were over the weekend razed by fire at Old Automobile spare parts Mgbuka Market, Obosi, has reportedly died. The victim, Goodwill Edoziuno who is the chairman of one of the affected lines, was said to have collapsed upon seeing the disaster wrecked by the inferno which happened early Saturday. The Late Edoziuno was immediately rushed to the hospital but eventually gave up the ghost. Recall that an initial report by the Police on the fire incident had acknowledged that one of the affected traders had slumped at the market but said no life was…
As activities marking the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day happen across Nigeria, Nigerians have been urged to intensify efforts at ensuring a united, secured and indivisible nation. The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor made the call today in a homily during a Concelebrated Eucharistic Holy Mass to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration in Anambra State. Ezeokafor said any government that can not protect the lives and property of its people is worthless and should not be seen or regarded as a government, emphasizing the need for adequate security of lives and property of…
Anambra State Government says it will commence implementation of the New National Minimum Wage by January, 2020. Anambra State Head of Service, Barr. Harry Uduh dropped the hint in a chat with our correspondent in Awka. The journey to a new National Minimum wage has been a tortuous one, with many industrial actions that culminated in the #30,000 wage that Government and the Organized Labour eventually arrived at. In Anambra State, workers have feared that the Government will not implement the new wage and when their expectation that the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano will make a pronouncement on the…
Traders at the Old Automobile Spare Parts Mgbuka, Obosi in Idemili Council Area of Anambra State, are presently counting their losses following a fire that destroyed goods worth hundreds of millions of naira at the market. The cause of the fire which was said to have started at about 01:30 am, yesterday, and razed down many shops and the contents, is yet unknown. No death was however recorded as a result of the inferno. One of the traders whose shops affected who identified himself as Emma said the fire disaster has left him with nothing as he could not get…
As agitations rage in the Southeast, over the proposed change of existing meters by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), the Management of the Company has explained reasons behind the discontinuation of the use of meters. Over the past few days, various groups have voiced out their disagreement with the proposal by the EEDC and had urged the people to vehemently resist such. But in a statement to newsmen in Enugu made available by the EEDC spokesperson, Emeka Eze, the Company said it had in writing, communicated the less than 40,000 affected customers about the increasing difficulty in providing support…
Umuzu Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State was agog with jubilation today as they received start-up funds for the construction of two secondary school classroom blocks from the World-Bank Assisted Community and Social Development Project (CSDP-AF). The project is in continuation of the interventions of the implementation agency, Anambra State Community and Social Development Agency (ANCSDA) in approved focal communities and vulnerable groups, to reduce poverty and empower the poor communities across the state. The CSDP-AF which became effective in Anambra State on August 1st, 2018, so far, has twenty-two ongoing projects being executed by ten vulnerable…
Professor Ike who is also the traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu Community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State died yesterday, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi at the age of 89. A frontline traditional ruler in Anambra State, Professor Ike is well known for his literary prowess, evident in his numerous works that blends lampoon, humour and satire. Major among his literary works were Toads for Supper(1965), The Naked Gods (1970), The Potter’s Wheel (1973), Sunset at Dawn (1976), Expo ’77 (1980) and The Chicken Chasers (1980). Others include The Bottled Leopard (1985), Our Children are…
As part of efforts aimed at ridding the State of touts, the Anambra State Ministry of Transport has arrested 15 illegal transport revenue collectors operating in parts of the commercial city of Onitsha. The arrests were made during a raid of major black spots in the city, conducted in collaboration with the Focused Initiative against Touting (FIAT), a joint task force set up by the State Government late last year. The persons were caught with fake receipts bearing Anambra state emblem, huge sums of money collected and other incriminating materials. Touting has been a major challenge in Onitsha, the commercial…
A Pan-Igbo Group, Ndigbo United Forum (NUF) has called on people of the Southeast region not to allow replacement of their existing prepaid meters. The call was contained in a communique made available to the group, after a meeting of the group and officials of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC at the EEDC corporate head office at Okpara Avenue, Enugu. The EEDC has in recent times, come under fire from people of the region for increasing its tariff for residential areas (R3) from #27.11 to #48.12 per unit. The EEDC new rate which is to take effect from the…
Anambra State Government has denied that it gave out the contract for payment of salaries of civil servants in the state to a private firm. About 10 percent of the entire state workforce is presently entangled in a salary payment mix-up that saw some workers overpaid, some underpaid and others not paid at all for the month of December. A visit to the state computer centre at the Jerome Udorji Secretariat, Awka where all salaries of civil servants are computed, confirmed the mix-up as the workers were seen filling out forms to enable the correction of the anomaly as directed…
30 senior police officers in Anambra State have received promotions following approval by the Police Service on the recommendation of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu.Twenty-two of the senior police officers who rose from the ranks of Superintendent to Chief Superintendents of Police were today in Awka, decorated by the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, John Abang, while the remaining eight comprising two deputy commissioners of Police and Six Assistant Commissioners of Police were decorated at Zone 9 headquarters, Umuahia by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of the zone, AIG Baba Tijani. Among the new Deputy…
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has launched a Community Empowerment Program for customers and community representatives in Anambra State.The launch of the program which was held at Awka was attended by key stakeholders in the Power sector as well as representatives of the State Government and user Communities.Speaking at the forum, the Managing Director of EEDC, Mike Nwosu said the initiative became imperative to help educate electricity consumers on the new ways to preserve energy for the betterment of all. One of such way he noted, is the use of energy bulbs at home as against the conventional bulbs.…
The spate of hit and run incidents along major expressways in Anambra State have been attributed to the absence of pedestrian bridges at the appropriate places. This was the view of some road users in Anambra State who spoke to newsmen on the worrisome deaths resulting from hit and run incidences. A trip from Amawbia in Awka South Council Area to Ogidi in Idemili North, reveals that there is no single pedestrian cross along the expressway.In the State Capital City of Awka, an only pedestrian bridge exists at Unizik temp-site junction whereas only three of such facilities can be found…
The Senator representing Anambra Central District in the National Assembly, Senator Uche Ekwnife has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately commence reconstruction of Onitsha-Umueri-Nzam-Kogi road to ease the burden of traffic on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway. Senator Uche Ekwunife made the call today when she inspected reconstruction work on Umunya- Amawbia axis of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway. The project is an augmented part of the Enugu-Umunya reconstruction contract which was awarded last year, with a contract period of 42 months.During the visit, it was observed that the Umunya to Awkuzu axis has been fully completed while work was ongoing along the…
The Umunze Erosion/Flood Control and Road Improvement Works were today commissioned and handed over to the Umunze community, in Orumba South Council Area of Anambra State. The project which was executed by the Federal Government, commenced on the 20th of September 2018, was completed on the 19th of June last year. It includes the construction of a total length of 3.30km with 10m wide, double-coated asphaltic pavement with line drains on both sides.The road has a total of 52m of 900mm single cell concrete pipe culverts, 35m of 900mm double cells concrete pipe culverts as a cross culvert, with assessing…
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into alleged brutality on a citizen by four policemen within the state. Yesterday, the social media was flooded with a video showing four unidentified policemen beating a young man mercilessly while he sought to know his crime. According to the source, the incident took place in Enugu even as persons in the video spoke intermittently in the Igbo language. Reacting to the incident in a statement, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu said the Command is aware of the assault of the victim who has been identified as…
The Human Right, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE), has lauded Governor Emeka Ihedioha, of Imo State for renaming the hitherto Jacob Zuma street, after the First Republic Politician, Chief Mbazulike Amechi. The immediate past Governor of the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha had named the street after former South African President Jacob Zuma, a development that did not go down well with the majority of Imo people. In a statement made available to journalists in Owerri, Imo State, the Group said the gesture by Governor Ihedioha signifies a paradigm shift in the administration of the State. The statement signed…
A midnight fire outbreak at Patterson Memorial Grammar School, Awada-Obosi, Anambra State has claimed the life of a student of the school. The victim, a JSS one student identified as Chigozie Dim Anyichie, aged 11, was said to be inside a block of the school dormitory that was completely burnt down at about 10 pm last night. It was gathered that all the students living in the dormitory were out in the field for night prayers when the said incident took place except for the unfortunate Chigozie. The fire was said to have been eventually put off through concerted efforts…
As the 2021 Governorship election in Anambra State nears, two of the top political parties contending for the Governorship seat, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are already enmeshed in verbal fireworks.Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not announced the timetable for the election, prospective aspirants of both political parties have commenced internal consultations, sparking utterances from both camps, aimed at whittling down perceived growing influence of aspirants. In a recent publication, the Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on political matters, Ifeatu Obi-Okoye had lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in reaction…
It was a ceremony that celebrated the rich Igbo cultural heritage as Aguleri Kingdom in Anambra East Council Area of Anambra State held its 120th Ovala Festival. The event which also marked the first Ovala of the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Mike Idigo, witnessed conferment of chieftaincy titles on some deserving personalities from within and outside the community notable of whom were former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, real estate developer, Chief Clem Nwogbo, renowned business man, Augustine Oguejiofor, among others. The ceremony took place at Amaigwe arena and featured performances by masquerade and…
With the coming of the first weekend of 2020, major roads in Anambra State over the weekend witnessed severe traffic congestion as holiday makers travel back to base. Despite the heavy presence of men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, and other traffic management Agencies in Anambra State, the roads were still congested as commuters waited hours just to pass. Among the congested areas visited by our correspondent SARS Awkuzu Junction, Nkwo Enugwu-Ukwu, Oye-Agu Abagana, Afor-Igwe Ogidi, Building Materials Market Ogidi Junction among others. At SARS Awkuzu junction was a spectacular case where one of the dual carriageway recently reconstructed…
