Ojukwu frowns at abuse of Ikemba’s image for political expediency

By Ekene Okoye

A Board of Trustees (BoT) member of The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu has frowned at the indiscriminate use of his late father’s iconic images on Social Media, Political Posters and Fabrics by some politicians, and has described the trend as an unfortunate abuse of what Late Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu represented, which he, the Ikemba, would not be happy about in his resting place.

Buttressing his point, Ojukwu clarified that Ikemba was the supreme leader of APGA and put in every ounce of himself to nurture and breathe life into the party, hence APGA according to him, remains the only party that can freely use his photographs for their activities because that was Ikemba’s wish. This wish according to him, should be held sacrosanct.

Ojukwu reminded those trying to ride on Ikemba’s fame for premium political offices with the desperate use of his images, that they are infringing on the rights of Ikemba’s family, hence he advised them to retrace their steps and stop rubbishing the hard earned reputation of Ojukwu.

He urged that while every man or woman had the right to choose which Party platform they wanted to be associated with, aspirants from various parties warming up for the Anambra Guber election in 2021 should sell their own names, their manifesto, pedigree and vision to the prospective voters, instead of indulging in the illegitimate use of the Ikemba's photographs to deceive the unsuspecting electorate.

He said; “My father stood for fair play and justice. His belief in selflessness was legendary, while he also believed in the empowerment of the Igbo Nation. Ironically, some of these politicians now attempting to lay claim to Ikemba’s endorsement with his photograph don’t even understand or reflect his ideals.”

“Ezeigbo Gburugburu, Ikemba Nnewi is only meant for APGA and that position remains sacrosanct even in death. Ndi Anambra, let’s respect our late hero by showing respect to his blessed memory. By showing respect to our heroes, to those who have sacrificed for us, we are respecting ourselves” Ojukwu concluded.

ANAMBRA STATE SET FOR STRONG SHOWING AT EDO 2020

IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

For the first time in her outings in the National Sports Festival, Anambra State will be participating in almost all the events in this year's edition of the competition.

Chairman, Anambra State Sports Development Commission, Chief Anthony Oli disclosed this mid week in Awka, Anambra State.

Oli who was speaking at the interactive platform of the Governor's Media Office, listed some of the games the State's contingent will compete in to include male and female cricket; javelin; female football; handball and basketball. Others are volleyball, track and field, male and female combat sports among others.

The Sports Development Commission boss was upbeat about the chances of the State's teams to make strong impact at the two weeks fiesta holding in Edo State, saying that sports was on the rebound in Anambra State.

'His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano has given us all the support we need. We have been organising competitions at school and other levels. And we have the facilities put in place for the 12th Police Games backing us up'.

Hon Tony Oli said the fact that Anambra State was now active in more than 30 sporting areas showed that sports was on the upswing.

'We created the under 13 football tournament which finals was played in 2019. We started university soccer for all the universities in the State'.

Oli stressed that due attention was being paid to other sports by the Commission, aside football.

On the other sporting successes, he said the State has produced two female athletes who had won gold medals at both the All Africa and Commonwealth Games.

'Anambra State's Chinecherem, who is number two in javelin in Nigeria came third at the All Africa Games in Morocco, beating Nigeria's number one. In cricket, Anambra State team is the champion in the southeast.'

IFEANYI UBAH HAS NO MENTAL CAPACITY TO BE GOVERNOR

Chima Igwe

Everyday reveals those who have no business thinking, much less asking, that they be considered to run for the Anambra 2021 governorship. As at today they are only two, but nothing says the number will not increase in the course of time.
The number one man who has neither the bearing nor the mental capacity to lead the state is the senator representing Anambra south senatorial district. He talks before he thinks. That he does not understand the difference between bond and promissory note shows the quality of representation he offers the good people of Anambra south. The next election will show whether the people who produced the first PhD holder and the second senate president of Nigeria is happy with this illiterate senator. I do not expect anything short of rejection. He should hurry back to his dwindling business.
It has been my candid opinion that the business of governance should be left to those groomed in the trade. It is not for nothing that Ngige advised Arthur Eze to stop politics that he does not understand it. In the same vein, I am telling Ubah to take a long walk from politics. He does not understand it. He talks when silence should apply.

Ifeanyi and his likes in trading should mind their stock and should not dabble into things they are least qualified to do or discuss. For whatever reason he is in the senate today, but that obviously does not confer on him the diligence and mental alertness required of a senator from the richly endowed Anambra south. Surely, Ubah is not the man for the job, somebody with knowledge is.
The same scenario is almost playing out somewhere in Umuchukwu(Nkerehi). Our dear doctor Maduka who I have always believed is better able to deal with every lthing medicine has misfired. He wants to build 21 universities in Anambra state when the ones in the state are begging to be equipped, starting from UniZik through COOU, OKO, St Paul, Tansian, Madonna to mention a few are all are gasping for fresh air. Why is the pain doctor not thinking of improving these schools when elected? Is it part of the foolishness associated with our people? Why does he want to compound our problem? I just saw in that statement the faux pas of Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state who is thinking of international business when every road in his Ngwa place is in ruins. Again I have said it that the greatest mistake Maduka would be making is to go waste his funds on an election he does not stand a chance of winning his party's ticket not to talk of winning the election. Like the trader Ifeanyi Ubah, Maduka the great doctor should bother with his specialty, anesthesiology. He does not need 21 universities to deliver good education to the people of Anambra.

But if you must not, just assume you are not in this race for anything other than to gather experience. Be apprenticed to any of the big politicians in your area before stepping out. That will save you a lot of trouble.

God and man will not forgive Anambra if she should make the mistake of thinking that an Ubah has any consideration for governorship. Ifeanyi does not know, does not want to know, but believes he should teach everybody else.
If he cannot tell the difference between promissory note and bond and speak about both interchangeably then there is a big problem. He is being goaded in this brazen path by his illiterate followers who are insinuating all manner of breach.

It explains how empty some of our youths who are yessing Ubah along are. They are busy chorusing his warped refrain that Obiano raised bond, no Obiano collected promissory note. Talking from both sides of his mouth has come to define Ifeanyi Ubah -
a rabble rouser with neither the mental capacity nor the bearing of a governorship candidate.

It is the likes of Ifeanyi Ubah and his untamed manners in the hallowed chambers of the senate that cast the Igbo man, nay Anambra man in negative light always.

Chima Igwe
Lagos

Finally, Ifeanyi Ubah's Illiteracy is Showing.


Okey Felix Onwuasoh


Somebody once wrote that he knows those who won’t be governor of Anambra state. At the point he wrote the piece many considered him presumptuous, even audacious. What does he know? Who admitted him in knowledge? When has he assumed the powers of divine authority to tell the future? The piece had no chance of a fair appraisal.


However not long after, and with many of the aspirants evolving, it is hard to shrug off the piece. A good number of them are conforming to the prophetic “impudence”. Chief among them is Senator Ifeanyi Ubah whose obscure rise to riches and manipulated election to the senate of the federal republic of Nigeria is causing Nnewi, Anambra state and Nigeria more harm than good. I will explain.   


Since he came into limelight at the instance of his Capital Oil business which is now heavily in debt, Ubah has only insulted, abused and betrayed people. He has been most brash, insulting his superiors, abusing his workers, betraying his business colleagues and manipulating the state. Sadly, he approaches public office with low level knowledge of issues and overreaching attitude to business. Ubah is a drowning man, clutching on any straw to stay out of a dangling jail term over unfinished business with AMCON. His time is running out and he desperately wants the office of the governor of Anambra state as immunity against imminent imprisonment.


Because of his low level of understanding of issues he believes Governor Obiano is standing on his way of escape from prison. In his usual manner of fighting dirty he is already crying like a chaffinch that was pelted in the mouth, accusing the Governor of every crime conceivable. But those who know Ifeanyi Ubah do not take him seriously because of his penchant for false accusations and abuse of protocols. The list of his victims is legion. Victor Umeh, Soludo, Andy Ubah, Peter Obi, Chris Ubah, Chris Ngige, Nicholas Ukachukwu, Stella Oduah, Uche Ekwunife, Bianca Ojukwu, etc and now the Governor. All of these people have at one time or the other been insulted by the whippersnapper senator though they managed his vituperations with great equanimity. Cosmos Maduka(Coscharis), Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson) Alexander Chika Okafor(Chicason) Cletus Ibeto(Ibeto Group) et al have either been fleeced by Ubah or have their businesses compromised by him. The church is also not spared of the antics of the rabble rousing politician. With the promise of building a more edifying structure for the Catholic Church in Nnewi, he has subjected the worshippers to the vagaries of the elements. Journalists in the employ of his defunct Union newspaper are on his neck for their salaries. Capital Oil truck drivers who have borne years of debt from his company have continued to sulk even on the wheel with its attendant hazards on the road.


In a recorded voice message which is everywhere on the internet, Ubah accused Governor Obiano of harassing him. He called himself the third highest elected political office holder in Anambra person after the Governor and his Deputy. But he quickly corrected himself by saying that under classification (whatever that means) that he is the 5th person after Senators Stella Oduah and Uche Ekwunife. A thoughtless fellow who speaks before he thinks, he finished ranking himself ahead of Oduah a ranking senator and Ekwunife who was formerly of the House of Reps, before he realized his gaffe.


But that is not even the issue, Ubah has over the years failed to realize what decorum is – that a politician should be polite and restrained of speech. Each time he opens his mouth and prattles like a tout he leaves many blushing. He threatens where he should cajole and blurts out where measured speech is required. Hear him: “The Governor has taken more than he should and must be warned from harassing me. Onye akpakwana agu aka n’ odu, ma o din ndu, ma onwulu anwu” (loosely translated as - a lions’ cub should not be provoked dead or alive).  Vintage Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah he talks like an uncouth trader whose level of education is hardly above elementary six or at best, secondary class one.


It is important to note that Ubah has an axe to grind with Governor Obiano. Ever since he lost the APGA ticket for Anambra south senatorial contest in 2019, he is yet to forgive the party, the Governor and the government. Blinded by vengeance, he is ever ready to concoct any lie to tarnish the image of the Governor. His position is not helped by his low level of education which denies him the critical faculties to know what is believable and what is not.


Eager to be cheered by his listeners and to suck up to some powerful political blocks in the state ahead of 2021, Ubah made spurious allegation about the Governor collecting N25 billion from the federal government. But because he is sloppy about most things, he did not say whether it is a grant, a refund or a loan. And if it is a grant whether Anambra state received it in isolation? Which other states were beneficiaries?


If it is a refund what project was being refunded?  If it is a loan what type of loan? Infrastructural, agricultural, educational or what? 


Anybody who has a slight knowledge of what is going on in the country would know that the federal government is struggling to keep the economy of the nation above waters. It has had to borrow money from China and even asking for more loans from Brazil. It makes no sense therefore that it is taking these loans not for specific projects, but to give to Anambra state either as a loan, a grant or a refund of money owed her. The last time I checked Anambra state is still in Southern Nigeria, does not share affinity with any of the Northern States and Governor Obiano is not Aminu Bello Masari.


Ubah insists there is total collapse of governance because Governor Obiano did not bring them (the elected representatives of the people from other parties) together. It is doubtful if Ubah understands what total collapse of governance is and what makes him believe he holds the aces. Assuming without conceding that Ubah is deep enough to offer any meaningful suggestion, what is the guarantee he won’t betray the cause? What, from his provenance, guarantees that his advice will not run the government aground as he ran many of his businesses? What evidence of patriotism does he bring to the table? 


Mass purchase of Innoson brand of vehicles by the federal government suffered the worst frustration in the floor of the senate under Ubah’s shenanigans.


Ubah should realize that ndi Anambra are discerning enough to know who they want or do not want come 2021. And nothing is going to stop them from sticking out their necks to defend their votes. The EndSARS protest should be enough eye-opener to rabble rousers like him who is planning to compromise 2021. Ubah should know that Obiano is not his problem and he is not contesting in 2021. He should therefore concentrate and stop dissipating his energy.


Enough said!


Okey Felix Onwuasoh


Ezeogidi street, Nnewi

IFEANYI UBAH - PORTRAIT OF A SENATOR WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR

Okey Felix Onwuasoh

It is now very clear that Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has no idea what his limitations are. Don’t get it twisted. He is just a business man who ought to have remained in that trade. But he did not. He maneuvered his way to the senate where he is more of a burden to our people than a blessing.

From the benefit of hindsight he should not have been availed the chance of an elected office. To this day, Ubah's presence in the senate denies Anambra state a chance at quality representation.

But Anambra is not the only unfortunate state that suffers this denial. She shares the misfortune with some states, chief among them is Adamawa where one of her senators Ishaku Elisha Abbo is as uncouth as Ubah.

Like Abbo who beats women at will, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has history of luring people into his house to beat them. At a slight provocation he slaps his aides and lures his campaigners to his house to beat and dispossess them of campaign material which he gave them at the beginning of an electioneering campaign. This is in addition to the terrible situation he subjugates those who work under him by owing them arrears of salary. As at the time of writing this, drivers on Capital Oil fleet are owed over a year six month salaries. The funny aspect of this is that he converts their salaries into chasing of unnecessary publicity.


Apart from Ubah’s questionable dealings in the Congo and which he complemented through the fleecing of business colleagues like Coscharis etc, not much in terms of the source of his wealth is known.

Ubah is unfit to occupy any public office which must be attained on personal integrity. He does a few charity work here and there, gives a car here and donates money there, but he still does not possess personal integrity that supports the ambition he nurses. The best Ubah can do is to stay out of politics like Senator Chris Ngige rightly advised Arthur Eze lately and manage his business. But where that is not possible because of his belief that money answers everything even when our people know that he is in serious debt now, he can do well to go into unionism. In unionism his natural aptitude will find the right expression.
Ndigbo will get their politics right the day traders and business men like Ifeanyi Ubah stay away from politics. They have systemic limitations.

Complex matters of governance will task Ubah's mental capacity and put the state through avoidable problem. It is only in unionism that his limited education will not encounter serious challenge.

Many will argue that good leadership does not require lots of education to thrive. Those who say this are yet to encounter a barely literate man with lots of money. He is one of the most difficult persons to deal with. He is without humility and has no need for correction.
Obstinate, brash and cutting, lack of education puts him at odds with good reason and makes him fail altogether.

Ubah's selfish impetuosity does not sit well with Anambra of today. For a state that produced some of Nigeria's greatest to tolerate what it rejected over 17 years when the other Ubah(Chris) ran riot in the state will only encourage retrogression.

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s braggadocio does not support the politics of Ndigbo which requires tact and team work. He is way off the mark and lacks the mental power to articulate the views of our people.

For example his aspiration to higher political office does not need the drama he brings into it. For some time now, he has spoken in a manner that suggests he lacks tact. He has followed up with sending his e rats on political opponents and the state government, accusing both of sundry misdeeds.

If he fails to pay members of his football team, the government was responsible. If he cannot deliver any constituency project to his people, the government is blocking him from doing so.
It is a pity that when other senators work hard to represent their constituents, Ubah is work in reverse. No senator has fought as hard as Ubah to frustrate a member of his constituency from assessing federal government patronage. Innoson Vehicles were proposed to be purchased by the federal government, rather than support it Ifeanyi Ubah made spirited efforts to frustrate it. He fought a bitter war on the floor of the senate with Senator Chuka Utazi over this matter. Coscharis had been a victim of Ubah's blazing greed. He fleeced him of good money and defied him to do his worse.

His barely literate aides may want to defend him, but those of us from Nnewi cannot stand akimbo and watch Ubah ruin our worthy sons. He may decide to war with everybody, including the state government which he has no business with, but bringing the war home to Nnewi will consume him.

Just because he wants to be governor everybody must be decimated. We have not forgotten his failed promise with the catholic church in Nnewi and many others. Let it be communicated to Ubah that na Nkwo Nnewi amaro na ofu onye abiaro afia. He can carry on with his repair of roads without exposing his uncouth manners. Others have done so quietly. The state knows those who won't govern her even if the aspirants are still in the dreamland.

Okey Felix Onwuaso
Ezeogidi street, Nnewi.

#EndSars Protest Individuals Count losses

Anambra Rice CEO; Chief Akai Egwuonwu bemoans looting and vandalization of his warehouse/office building.

The dust raised by the once peaceful #Endsars/#EndPoliceBrutality protests across the nation are beginning to settle but Government, Individuals and private Investments have started counting their losses. One of them is Anambra billionaire Industrialist and Chairman/CEO of Stine Group, High Chief Akai Egwuonwu (Ume-Ebube Agu) who's factory produces Anambra Rice, Stine Rice, De Zara water, Gime Noodles and Diet Floating fish feed. Chief Akai is also the founder of First Petroleum Limited(Oil and Gas) and has massive investment in shipping.

Chief Akai Egwuonwu like his late mother Chief Mrs. Lucy Egwuonwu (Ezenwanyi) who at her time was the producer of the popular "Odiche Bread" believes in contributing to the growth of the country Nigeria, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs and means of livelihood for many despite the obvious difficulties of doing business in Nigeria.

But in the process of expressing dissatisfaction to the Nigerian Government, irate youths and hoodlums attacked one of their own...Chief Akai Egwuonwu, who himself is a young man and a victim of whatever frustration there is in the failure of Government at the Federal level. He is forced to spend heavily on diesel to power his giant generators to run his factory because of poor power supply and so many other issues many might want to complain about.

During the nation-wide lockdown occasioned by the outbreak of the novel corona virus, Chief Akai Egwuonwu dolled out millions to ensure feeding of the vulnerable everyday for weeks, he distributed thousands of bags of rice, noodles and cash to indigenes and the vulnerable as a means to support families during the period.

Few days ago, Over two thousand (2000) bags of rice were looted from his warehouse in Awka, hundreds of bags of cement being used for another warehouse beside the existing one and his entire office building completed vandalized, his office was left in shambles; furnitures, electronics everything except his pictures. Two private offices in the same building (a law firm) owned by Barr. Ifeanyi Ezegamba and another WOW office completely vandalized and all office equipments, electronics and furnitures stolen.

On getting the information, Chief Akai Egwuonwu restrained security agents from opening fire on the looters as he believes no life is worth wasting for material things and they were left to have a filled day. He has since left them for their conscience, law of nature and God to be judge while he begins repairs at the complex.


He is also using this opportunity to inform Nigerians, especially Ndi-Anambra, that Anambra Rice Mill is privately owned but bears Anambra Rice out of Patriotism to show the rice was made in Anambra and not owned by the Anambra State Government as many might think. His company just like many others in the State enjoys the business friendly environment created by the Willie Obiano administration and various business support platforms and patronage by the State Government just like other privately owned businesses in the State like Cosharis and Innoson.

He has urged the youths, especially those who attacked his facility to channel their grievances appropriately and not on private properties and individuals who themselves are victims of the State of affairs in the nation, condemning what he termed self destruction by youths who are supposed to protect all investments and businesses in the South-East as their contribution to the growth of the region especially after the wanton destruction of the region during the Biafra war between 1967-1970, promising to even invest more in the region and create jobs for our teeming youths who are known as hard-working people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV9T--a-OZQ

Governor Obiano Storms Awkuzu SARS, Frees 3 Detainees.

The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano stormed the premises of the defunct Awkuzu SARS today and set three citizens who were unlawfully detained in the infamous facility free.

Obiano's visit was a fulfilment of his promise to Nigerian youths who had staged a peaceful protest at the Government House, Awka two days ago.

The three detainees who hailed from Enugu and Plateau states were quite excited at the sudden turn of events that had led to their immediate regaining of freedom.

Governor Obiano also used the opportunity to shore up the moral of the officers and men of the Anambra Police Command.

"Do not be demoralized by the recent developments, " he said while thanking them for working so hard to make Anambra the safest state in the federation.

He was accompanied by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Mrs Uju Nworgu and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr John Abang.

Watch the video below...

Let's stand against rape and gender-based violence

Emeka Ozumba

The wife of Governor of Anambra State and founder of Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFE), an NGO has called for a united stand against rape and gender-based violence.

Mrs Obiano stated this Friday during the tour of Onitsha North and South Local Government Areas. The tour is a continuation of her 2020 Tour of Local Government Areas in Anambra State to provide palliative support to the less privileged.

Addressing people at the Council Area headquarters, Mrs Obiano stated that rape and violence against women and girls is the worst form of abuse and should be condemned by all.
In her words:
" Those who indulge in rape do not have the fear of God and need counseling.When sex is not consensual it is oppression and that must be stopped for the good of our society. Let us join hands and stop rape."

The governor's wife explained that the annual tour has never been prompted by political considerations, but an avenue for expressing love for the people, especially the less privileged. She assured that she would continue to embark on such visit which is not just fulfilling to her, but also useful to the beneficiaries.

She further stated that despite the economic difficulties, arising from the crash in global oil price, the government of Anambra will continue to prioritize the welfare of Ndi Anambra which is evident in regular payment of workers' salaries as well as other welfare packages targeted at cushioning hardship on the people.

In extolling the First Lady, the Member representing Onitsha South 2 Constituency, Rt. Hon Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche, said that Mrs Obiano does not discriminate in her kindness with people both home and abroad.
Hon Eddy Ibuzo who represents Onitsha North Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly was no less enthused with Osodieme's good works which he said speak volumes for her among ndi Anambra. He requested the First Lady to convey the goodwill and gratitude of his Constituency to the Governor.

Hon Uzoma Eli who represents Onitsha South 1 Constituency at the Anambra State House of Assembly equally had kind words for the Gov's wife. He said that Osodieme has cultivated a strong passion for humanity despite her social position, pointing to her adoption of the scriptural injunction of love of one's neighbour.

Two Commissioners present at the occasion, Lady Ndidi Mezue and Hon. Nnamdi Onukwuba of the Ministries of Women and Children Affairs and Agriculture respectively attested to the good works of the Anambra First Lady. Mezue said that collaboration between the CAFE and her Ministry has gone a long way in creating a social space that favours the poor and the less privileged in the State. While Onukwuba in extolling Osodieme's steadfastness in the pursuit of charity said that even children feel her impact wherever she goes.

The Transition Committee Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Mr Emeka Asoanya and his counterpart in Onitsha North Chief Patrick Aghamba, also commended Mrs Obiano for being the solid pillar upon which the successes of Governor Willie Obiano's administration is built.

The LGA tour which has become an annual ritual for the Governor's wife in the past six years, has created a platform for meeting and interacting with the people, especially grassroots women on different socio-economic issues including health, career development, empowerment, agriculture, social and community development.

The Anambra State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mrs Sally Mbanefo, APGA Board of Trustees member, Chief Romeo Ezeonwuka, as well as other government officials were present.

Awol1:


That's what alcohol told Obiano. Lol

How can u build only cargo airport in Anambra.

Isi adikwa ya mma?

Keep quiet , it's cargo and passenger Airport.

This is scary

Sometimes it is easy to say people should not take their lives, we just pray not to find ourselves in those desperate situations.

God help us.

Ezenekwe and his blackmailing stories

Chima Igwe

Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe the publisher of 247ureports.com is a wonderful person. He cuts the picture of a sedate and thoughtful personality. Nothing about him suggests he could be anything short of the persona. But sadly he is.

Until he relocated to Nigeria from the US in a very questionable circumstance, Ezenekwe was a guy with a lot of promise. The Anambra State Association, USA an association of Anambra indigenes resident in the US to which he was a foremost member reposed reasonable trust in him. Ezenekwe also had the trust of Sowore with whom he co-founded the Sahara reporter. It was not long before he lost both.

It took a sponsored visit to Nigeria by the ASA, USA for Ezenekwe to betray the cause. He could not deliver on his assignment as he frittered away the money entrusted in his care. Impecunious and without any hope of surviving in Nigeria, Ezenekwe hopped onto a campaign trail of moneybag politician. In time his services were otiose and he was laid off. Ezenekwe went on the fiddle. He went and resurrected the 1974 erosion tragedy in Umuchiani Ekwulobia and gypped the Peter Obi administration of good money. Again because he was leaving off people and on fraudulent acts he soon ran out of cash and he began to blackmail the government.

It is doubtful if Ezenekwe has his senses in the right place, especially once without money. He fell for a stratagem. He was lured to the Government House for reimbursement. On stepping into the State House he was seized and beaten blue and black until a high government official intervened to save him.

Next on his blackmailing list were other politicians like Mrs. Uche Ekwunife and Orji Uzor Kalu. The former she caused to look like a courtesan through animated pictures. She had his arrwsted and put away until he tendered public apology. Chief Orji Uzor Kalu was not luckier. He suffered similar fate in the hands of Ezenekwe. All Ezenekwe's victims did not need to steal government money to buy a house in Nashville before they were blackmailed. All what every of Ezenekwe’s victim has in common is that they are, like his would-be future victims, public figures. And the possible antidote to escape his blackmailing list is just prayer or where otherwise to hand him some physical punishment. Obi, Ekwunife et al escaped his his pernicious publication after both rough handled him.

It was absolutely unnecessary talking about Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe, but for the reason that he should be situated in perspective for people to know him well enough and for an informed opinion to be made on his latest victim Chief Primus Odili. He is not the first and will surely not going to be the last. Except for mischief, Ezenekwe knows that it is not out of the ordinary for Odili to buy a house in the US on mortgage. He is aware that the mortgagor who has lived long in the US and whose wife still resides there can access the mortgage facility. The whole idea of talking about Dr. John Nwofia and why Odili did not make it to the priesthood was to spice up a dumb story. The yarn which has no chance of believability must gain some attention once a negative story is woven around it. Like someone had earlier asked: is Odili without classmates in the seminary? Has Dr. Nwofia gone to his reward? These people are alive and can authenticate or disclaim the story.

The earlier people begin to pay less attention to Ezenekwe and his many blackmailing stories the better for the society. One this is certain, it will not be long before Ezenekwe is completely unmasked. It is very pathetic that he wasted all his years in the US only to return to Nigeria, a blackmailer. Though the times are hard and his Ukpaka report is not doing very well, but blackmail is no job. Ezenekwe should be reminded that he who lives on blackmail suffers the fate of a blackmailer.

Chima Igwe

Writes through cimatrok@gmail.com

Malicious Article Against Chief Primus Odili- Wickedness, Ignorance or Poverty?

(Chukwuma Ofoma)

The internet is awash with a wicked publication against the person of Chief Primus Odili, the Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Anambra claiming he churned out a whooping 1.8M Dollars on a mansion in far away America. Anyone who wants to be honest and in touch with reality will know that the Office of the Chief of Staff does not have access or budget to that tune of money. However, the air has been cleared as it was purchased on mortgage spread across many years.

If it is not wickedness, the sharer of such news would have been kind enough to state the true state of affairs as regards the purchase.

If it is ignorance, it is not an excuse in the court of law and he who does not know should ask to know before alleging.

However it seems it stems from poverty of the mind and low mentality. In many developed countries of the world like America and Europe, houses and cars are necessities and not for showoffs; governments across all levels, private companies etc invest so much money to make all of these necessities readily available to citizens. What this means is that one who has a steady source of income or job can afford to live in the best of houses and drive the best of cars because the government and those companies have put in measures to allow you pay little by little until whenever you pay fully depending on terms and conditions.

We can only pray for such individuals as the carrier of this fake news to be saved from poverty of the mind, ignorance or wickedness as the case may be.

We will also pray for our country Nigeria to grow and offer her citizens such privileges as supposed.

Chief Primus has done no wrong, he has done what a lot of people do in developed countries by dropping finances little by little, denying himself of so many things to actualize his desire.

We also can do it, approach mortgage banks and commercial banks for houses and cars and pay little by little .

TravelBeta, a tourist company in Nigeria also offers her customers opportunity to travel to any destination for holidays by paying little by little.

People who spread such false news to score cheap political points should be told in clear terms that no one grows by bringing another person down and that truth will always surface despite the amount of lies, falsehood or propaganda peddled.

Obiano Hits Milestone with Anambra Health Insurance Scheme

By James Eze

The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has recorded a great feat in public health with the rapidly growing enrolment of over 90,000 beneficiaries in the medical insurance scheme of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA).

Out of this figure, over 30,000 beneficiaries are from the grassroots, made up mostly of farmers, petty traders, rural dwellers and low income earners who were hitherto cut off from the circle of good healthcare but who are now able to access quality healthcare services with a meager one thousand naira (N1000) only under the ASHIA scheme.

This was revealed in Awka on Tuesday by the Executive Secretary of Anambra Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Simeon Onyemaechi, at the weekly ‘Meet the Media’ forum organized by Governor Obiano’s Media Team.

Speaking at the forum, Dr Onyemaechi revealed that to ensure effective coverage of the state, his Agency had accredited over 200 hospitals pointing out that “with one thousand naira per month, you can access quality healthcare in Anambra State. This means that with N12,000 only, anyone resident in Anambra State can enjoy quality healthcare service for a whole year.”

According to him, in its short history of existence, the Agency has become a model of healthcare insurance in Nigeria with eight states of the federation sending delegations to understudy its operating manual. States like Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Nasarawa and Gombe have sent their teams to Anambra to understudy ASHIA in the well-known tradition of borrowing from best practices.

“What we have on our hands is another National Health Service (NHS) in the making. In the years to come, Obiano will be remembered as someone who instituted something similar to NHS,” Dr Onyemaechi remarked and further revealed that a distinguishing feature of the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency is its revolutionary “Philanthropist Adoption Model” which has drawn applause from Nigeria and overseas.

The Philanthropist Adoption Model allows public-spirited individuals to subscribe to the scheme for thousands of beneficiaries as a special intervention that offers quality healthcare delivery to citizens who ordinarily could not afford it. Dr Onyeamaechi revealed that the model was widely applauded at an international conference on public health in Liverpool, England in 2019.

The public health specialist observed that it was clear to him from the start that for ASHIA to fulfill its mandate, it must find a strategy that would take health insurance from the elite to the poor. “This is because every country that has made progress relied heavily on health insurance,” he observed and further revealed that the Agency covers up to 15 days of admission for account holders in its partner hospitals a year.

Other health concerns covered by ASHIA policy range from outpatient cases like malaria to serious surgeries like caesarian operation, appendectomy, tuberculosis, glaucoma, cataract and a host of other ailments.

As Anambra Smart City Births at Nkwell-Ezunaka

By Emeka Ozumba

From all indications, Anambra's first smart city is a success story right from conception and execution. Sired on Governor Obiano's Aku Luo unò policy and dream of a 21st century town with state of the art and eco-friendly infrastructure. The Anambra Luxury Place Estate was predicated on the State's Public Private Partnership (PPP) template and consummated with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Anambra and Rotech Energy Services Limited, a real estate and energy services group of companies.

The reality of the smart city dawned on many who expressed pleasant surprise on arrival at Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area on 3rd September 2020. The occasion was the Groundbreaking Ceremony by the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano (Akpokuodike). The undulating picturesque landscape of the smart city, dotted with already completed houses of various shades and designs, is a delight to behold.

The Anambra Luxury Place Estate is valued at USD14m. Anambra State owns a 18% equity in the estate, being the cost of 50 hectares of land valued at USD2.5m. The investor, Rotech Energy Services Ltd, owns 82% equity worth USD11.5m.

Governor Obiano described the estate as a modern, smart and hitech city, and encouraged Ndi Anambra to buy property in the city. According to Gov Obiano, "what we are building here is a smart city. It is very close to Anambra state International Cargo Airport, Umueri. The closeness of the estate to the airport, the commercial city of Onitsha and the capital city, Awka makes it a choice location."

"My administration has remained committed "to creating enabling environment and business opportunities in Anambra State by providing security, strengthening the private sector, creating wealth and uplifting our communities," the Governor emphasized.

He commended the Chief Executive of Rotech Energy Services Ltd, Chief Austin Oguejiofor (Onwa Enugwu-Ukwu), for embracing the Aku luo uno Think Home philosophy and making such a fantastic project a reality.

The Commissioner for Housing, Architect Michael Okonkwo, praised the developer for adopting what he described as an "off-plan development strategy through which the Ministry ensures that housing is more than just a shelter." He noted that the development of the Luxury Estate explores underground infrastructure systems including, power, sewage etc thereby ensuring good interconnection and environmental friendly practices.

Earlier, Chairman of Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Mr Jide Ikeakor, said that the Luxury Estate is a testament to the success story of PPP in Anambra State and called on other investors to emulate the Rotech Energy example.

The man of the moment and Chairman of Rotech Energy Services Limited, promoters of the Anambra Luxury Place Estate, Chief Austin Oguejiofor, thanked Governor Obiano for the opportunity and secure environment in the state which made it possible for the company to answer the Aku luo uno call. He restated his commitment to the project and called on other investors to take advantage of the friendly business environment in Anambra.

Though there are other estates serving the interest of the low and middle income across the state, the Anambra Luxury Place Estate Nkwelle Ezunaka stands out amongst several other new real estate developments under the Obiano administration. There is no doubt that the Estate's contemporary and distinctive smart features can compete favourably with other highbrow communities in Nigeria.

Ozumba writes from Urunnebo, Enugwu-Ukwu.

We Are in Fore-front of Remuneration and Upkeep of Royal Fathers - Obiano

By Emeka Ozumba

The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano said that his administration is at the fore-front in looking after the welfare and wellbeing of our traditional rulers.

The Governor made the assertion today during an Interactive Session and Presentation of 151 airconditioned Innoson Ikenga model SuV cars to traditional rulers in Anambra State at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka.

Governor Obiano explained that the SUV cars presentation to the royal fathers was delayed by the outbreak of Coronavirus and that it is for their use in coordinating affairs within their various domains.
Said Obiano:
"Over the years we have ensured that the remuneration and upkeep of royal fathers is well above all statutory requirements that enable them to perform their duties."

"Those who are receiving this gift today are distinguished royal fathers who are duly recognized and certified in line with the Anambra Chieftaincy Laws." He emphasized.
The Governor congratulated the beneficiaries and charged them to continue to keep the peace in their various domains and by extension throughout Anambra state.

Earlier, the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ozonkpu, Sir Victor Oye commended Governor Obiano for his commitment to the welfare of all segments of Anambra citizens. He noted that the Traditional Rulers are well recognized in the scheme of things and called on them to continue to work for peace in their domains as well as support the government so as to deliver good dividends to ndi Anambra.

Sir Victor Oye said that Obiano has been exemplary in all sectors including security and the people's welfare, stressing that "it is the hallmark of APGA, a party that leaves no one behind." He therefore called on both the Traditional institutions and ndi Anambra to continue to support the party and the government.

In his vote of thanks on behalf of the Traditional Rulers, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Agbogidi, confirmed that the Governor takes good care of royal fathers and thanked him for fulfilling the promise of the car gift. He equally assured that the car will be of immense benefit to the members in the performance of their duties and that they will always support his government in its efforts to take the state to greater heights.

We've Funded 13,750 Small Businesses in Anambra ... Gov Obiano

By Ikenna Aniagboso

Governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano has revealed that his administration has funded 13,750 small businesses in the state in addition to providing timely support to critical infrastructure since inception.

Governor Obiano spoke on Tuesday through the MD/CEO of Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA) Chief Clems Chukwuka during an interactive session with members of his media team tagged "Meet the Media."

"We took off in 2015 with N2,000,000,000.00 (two billion naira only). One billion was given to micro credits while one billion went to SMEs as single digit loans. So far, we have funded about 13,750 micro enterprises and supported critical infrastructure in the state.

We funded many co-operative societies which were made up of market women, artisans, farmers and youths. These youths were trained in many fields including rice farming, poultry, fishery, shoe making, metal fabrication and others. We supported their businesses with single digit loans of N500,000 and they are doing well today. No wonder Anambra has the least rate of unemployment in Nigeria", he declared.

According to him, "ASBA was created to exterminate poverty from Anambra state and create wealth for Ndi Anambra. The agency was conceived and established by Gov Obiano in 2014, to be a development financial agency for Anambra state".

"Note that MSMEs are the pillars; the engine room of any developing economy", he opined. In Anambra, the MSMEs account for about 75% of businesses that contribute essentially to the economy and GDP of the state and any dynamic and serious government must address this sector. This is why Gov Obiano made wealth creation, through ASBA, one of the enablers of his economic blueprint for Anambra state", he further stated.

Continuing, Chief Chukwuka revealed that Gov Obiano's belief that strong institutions begets strong legacies compelled him to institutionalize ASBA by signing into law the bill that proposed its creation after it was duly passed by the Anambra state House of Assembly.

Going further, Chief Chukwuka said that Gov Obiano mandated the agency to partner with development financial institutions in the country to raise facility to support the MSMEs. "The CBN, Bank of Industry and other development finance institutions have supported us with fundsand I am proud to say that we have recovered about 85% of the loans we gave out and this has encouraged us to do more".

ASBA has also developed and sponsored business clusters that have become major business hubs serving business interests in Nigeria and Africa. "One of such clusters is the shoe making business cluster situated at Nkwele Ezunaka. There we funded about 800 shoemakers with N500,000 each but through a tripartite arrangement between the government, the union and a developer, to build a business cluster of about 1000 shops. The cluster today, exports shoes to other African countries".

"The performance of the shoe making business cluster has motivated the Federal and state government to build a warehouse that will accommodate modern shie making equipment which the FG acquired to support the shoemakers. The state government has also started the development of a textile and tailoring cluster close to enhance textile making and tailoring in the same area. This and many other accomplishments won us the Federal Government's award as the best state that supports MSMEs", he revealed.

"The effective management of funds in ASBA and the timely refund of facilities by the hardworking people of Anambra state has encouraged development financial institutions and the government of Anambra state to provide more funds to support MSMEs in Anambra. This is why we are calling on Ndi Anambra to visit ASBA and grow their businesses. We will provide the necessary support, guide and training where necessary to ensure that you realize your dreams", he concluded.

Mrs Obiano Does not Receive Government Subvention

The wife of Governor of Anambra State and Founder of the NGO, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFE), Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme) does not receive any form of government funding for her charity programmes or other activities.

This clarifications became necessary to once more to dispel claims and fabricated reports on the social media platforms which suggest that she receives N250 million a month. Where will that be from?

There are no records or proceedings of the Anambra State House of Assembly where such appropriation was made to any private citizen, and certainly not Mrs Obiano.

As a proactive and diligent wife of the Governor, Mrs Obiano has expanded the boundaries of excellence in philanthropy and charitable giving by co-opting people of like minds into supporting her NGO interventions hence the widely acclaimed selfless projects and empowerment programmes she executes for the benefits of the less privileged.

We understand that the pervasive and vicious smear campaign against Mrs Obiano has no other purpose but to get at her husband, the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano. Fortunately, this devilish strategy which has seen all manner of sponsored fabrications and invectives hauled at his wife by untrained hands with hand-held devices are doing their political sponsors no good.

We do not wish to give credence to the many other poorly concocted lies from the pits of hell dished out from innocuous platforms and personal blogs. We have no doubt that discerning members of the public already know that such disinformation and rumours are aimed at knocking heads together and fanning embers of disunity between Governor Willie Obiano and ndi Anambra.

Chief Willie Obiano is focused on completing his tenure on a high and his wife has proven to be the most supportive and exemplary partner in good deeds. Therefore, the publications of beer parlour gossip and unimaginable falsehood in the guise of propaganda cannot deter our amiable Akpokuodike and his wife, Osodieme.

The misguided youths who have been engaged on the smear job against the Governor and his wife are advised to desist from circulating such libelous content. Rather they should learn to sell the proposals of their sponsors to ndi Anambra.

They should know by now that Chief Willie Obiano has acquitted himself creditably and no amount of mudslinging and attacks on his wife can tar his legacy.

Emeka Ozumba
Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

WILFUL DEMOLITION OF MY PROPERTY: A CRY FOR JUSTICE

 

J.J. Emejulu

The Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is after my life. He wants to take over my large expanse of land known as the Airport Road Layout Phase IV and V. This lands measures over 400 plots. I bought it from Umuenwene Iji, Nike, Enugu, Enugu East local government area in 2008.

But the plot by the Gov Ugwuanyi to terminate my life and take over the land came to a head precisely on Friday, August 14, 2020. That was two days (12th of August, 2020) after the execution of the Order of Mandamus by an Enugu State High Court issued to the IGP to make sure that I take over full possession of my property which Gov Ugwuanyi was hiding under the cover of the Federal Ministry of Aviation to grab from me by claiming that it is now part of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Let me state this unequivocally that I am a patriotic Nigerian. So I am not opposed to government acquiring any land, including my own for overriding public interest. I also know that normally acquisition is done through due process. But what Gov Ugwuanyi is trying to do in my case is completely different. He wants to appropriate my land for his personal gain, using his office as the governor of Enugu state to achieve that.

My travails started about 5 years ago when the then Chairman of Enugu East LGA, Hon. Cornelius Nnaji and his nephew the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly approached me to give them half of the entire layout or they would use their position to take away the land from me. When I refused and called their bluff they now went and incited Umuchigbo community and Edward Ubosi’s community to start laying claims to my land. Both communities went to court against me over the ownership of the layout. But the court presided over by Justice J.O. Odugu in suit no. E/247/2015 gave judgment in my favour.

Consequently, I employed five security men to guard the layout for me.  But Nnaji and his cohorts wrote a petition to Governor Ugwuanyi that I was harboring kidnappers in the place. One fateful day the Governor led a team of security operatives to the layout and arrested my security men, tagged them criminals and charged them to court. They were remanded in prison custody for good one year before I could secure their release through the court. The Governor even approached the then State Commissioner of Police Enugu State, Mr. Ojukwu, to arrest me, accusing me of harbouring kidnappers in the place. But the Commissioner explained that he was aware of the presence of the security men at the layout and that I was not harbouring kidnappers there. So the Commissioner declined the order to arrest me.

Determined on taking my land forcefully from me, Nnaji and his cohorts brought in one Emeka Ene, the Managing Director, En-Power Energy Ltd, based in port Harcourt and empowered him to start construction of a free Trade Zone in the layout. Nnaji even invited Governor Ugwuanyi to come and declare the place a free trade zone, the same land he had earlier accused me of harbouring kidnappers in. Nnaji further co-opted two serving commissioners in Enugu state government and promised them five plots of land each in the layout. They went into the land and demolished 25 duplexes, nearing completion, claiming that the layout is a free trade zone belonging to the Enugu State Government.

The owners of the demolished buildings now sued to court, alleging that I sold government land to them. The trial Judge, Justice A.R Ozoemena, in suit no. E/642/2016 gave judgment in my favour, stating that I am the bona fide owner of the layout and that the layout neither belongs to the Enugu State Government nor was it revoked by it. It was after I took possession of the layout based on this judgment that Gov Ugwuanyi invited me. When I met with the Governor I complained to him how Hon. Nnaji, Hon Edward Ubosi and some serving commissioners under him have been trying to dispossess me of my land. Convinced about my plight the Gov invited the Commissioner for Lands Mr. Solomon Onah that very night and warned him in my presence to desist from trying to dispossess me of my land.

Surprisingly, two months after my meeting with the Governor in 2018, they drafted some mobile Policemen to give protection to the area, saying they were protecting the Akaunu Ibiam International Airport land. This is the same layout Hon Nnaji and gang earlier claimed belonged to Umuchigbo community, later a free trade zone of the Enugu state government, is now being claimed to be the property of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Aviation. To make good their scheme they co-opted the manger of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Chief Security officer of FAAN Enugu, including some Air force men to be guarding the area. Meanwhile Nnaji and co have sold some plots of land from the same layout they claim belong to the Federal Government to private developers to the extent that 30 buildings were erected in the layout. Obvious that Nnaji and his cohorts have convinced the Enugu State Government to dispossess me of the land, I now ran to the Inspector General of Police and explaining my plight he gave me some police protection. Two weeks after, I moved in there and started construction. The Enugu State Commissioner for Capital Development Authority and some officials of FAAN, accompanied by operatives of the Nigerian police and the Air Force, loaded in five Hilux trucks stormed my layout and demolished several buildings and five thousand beacons. They said the buildings were obstructing free flow of traffic in the Airport, claiming the demolished buildings were illegal structures on FAAN land.

It is important to state here that Emeka Ene the MD of En-Power who Nnaji as the chairman of Enugu East LGA  brought and gave C/O on my layout took me to court, claiming ownership of the layout. I am now in court with him over the land in suit no. E/094/2019.  Note also that the same Hon Nnaji who is now claiming the layout belongs to the Federal Government has also sued along his brothers to an Enugu State High Court (Court in suit no. E/9/2020, claiming that the layout belongs to their Nnaji nuclear family.

In the course of my travails, I had also reported the matter to the EFCC whose officials after investigation turned in their report in my favour.  With the recent completion of the renovation work at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Governor Ugwuanyi is now trying to hide under the perimeter fencing of the Airport to take over my layout. To achieve this they decided to fence in my layout which is over 400 plots into the Airport land. I then approached an Enugu State High Court which issued an order of mandamus, compelling the IGP to assist me possess my land. Consequently, the IGP gave me 40 police men to execute the order of mandamus which is to assist me take full possession of my layout by removing illegal structures built on it. This incident happened on Wednesday August 12, 2020. The Governor of Enugu State was later to drive to the Layout, accompanied by heavy security men. Fuming with rage, the Governor said that I damaged Federal Government property with armed thugs. He then drove straight from to my private residence at No 23 Eziokwe str. Trans Ekulu, Enugu. Fortunately, I was not in house when he came, but he met a friend of mine Hon. Arc. Paul Eze who was a colleague of his in the National Assembly. Hon Eze represented Uzo-Uwani/Igbo Etiti Federal Constituency while the Gov represented Udenu/Igbo Eze North Federal Constituency. Hon. Eze is currently paralysed and is recuperating in my house after he was discharged from the hospital. Governor Ugwuanyi told Eze that he had come to demolish my house and that he would kill me; that I cannot come from Anambra state and be contesting a choice property with him in Enugu State where he is the Governor.

The Governor later invited the Minister for Aviation and told him that I used some armed thugs to destroy FAAN property at the Airport and that I should be dealt with. The Governor immediately followed up by demolishing my two palatial duplexes. Painfully, I did not remove even a pin before the houses were demolished. He even declared a manhunt for me and directed that I should be shot on sight.

This is the trouble I am passing through in the hands of Gov Ugwuanyi. I am appealing for the intervention of well meaning Nigerians, especially illustrious Igbo sons and daughters to help me secure my life and my hard earned layout.  

 

Arc J.J Emejulu

Nkolofia Village, Awka Etiti

Anambra State

Chairman ,Chief Executive Officer Air Peace

Barr Allen Onyema (Ide Ihiala) in this interview with the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), spoke extensively on the Ongoing Anambra International Cargo Airport, one of the Legacy Projects of the Governor Willie Obiano Administration.

As one of the Biggest Players in the Aviation Industry in the World, Chief Allen Onyema after a tour of the Project with the Governor, offers an Insight into what to expect from the project when completed and the opportunities that abounds.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3741421032539791&id=100000157941785

Click link, Watch and share

#WillieIsDoingMore

A Greater Anambra is Upon Us.

THAT ATTACK ON GOV OBIANO'S PICTURE

Ejike Anyaduba

Idlers on the net have launched an offensive against the Governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano. The attack ,as was wont, has no justifiable reason. Just a mere drivel. It came on the heels of the visit of former aviation minister, Chief Femi Fani Kayode who dropped by in the state.

The Governor who had earlier attended a youth program and inspection of ongoing projects in the state, including the Airport project which Chief Kayode also had a chance to see, later retired to a photo shot or two in his Lodge . This picture which has Chief Kayode and the wife of the Governor was taken without attention to ceremony.

However, not long after that, the picture was seized to criminal advantage by cyber stalkers. An otherwise innocuous picture has become a trolling topic for idlers on the net. They gave the picture different interpretations and lectured the world on the de rigueur of fashion.

Though they be aware the attack was unnecessary, yet they were bent on expanding the threshold of mischief.

It may be argued that political leaders hardly go to public function, wearing social attire even when there is no law forbidding it. But that is as far as it goes because it is yet to be established that the formal dresser performs better in office.

Social attire -- whether ripped jeans or shots as won by a former Governor in the state while on inspection of projects -- does not detract from performance.

Apart from personality expression, formal or informal amounts to nothing insofar as neither borders on lewdness. It should not concentrate the minds of any busy people.

Sadly it did, possibly because of the oncoming governorship election in the state. Anambra politics is a peculiar brand that sometimes seeks expression in less ennobling, often wasteful acts. Unless, the election is going to be held in breach in which case the Governor is contesting again, the barrage of attack on his person is misdirected. The shot is aimed at the wrong target. The effort, if indeed it qualifies as one, has no reward.

So far the attack was not because the Governor failed to provide security, basic infrastructure, payment of workers' salaries, pensions and gratuities etc. It was also not because he deals treacherously with the collective wealth of ndi Anambra and stashes away their fund.

It is a mark of foolishness for a people battling militancy, insurgency, suicide bombing, ravages of hunger and the current pandemic to be concerned not with the above, but about what a Governor wears in his house.
There must be a limit to fatuous comments and or posts. Opposition should bother less with a man who has done his beat and will soon exit the stage. They have work to do and should resist attempt to trip over trivialities.

Attacking Governor Obiano with the fierceness of a surly mastiff, often without cause, will avail nothing. Are these detractors blind and without sense of value? Is keeping Anambra state safe amidst violent eruptions, mindless abductions, vicious armed robbery, herders' carnage, etc not enough to elicit commendation?

Claiming every commendation of the actions of government as transactional is pure malice. It happened when Senator Murray Bruce in his "Common Sense Talk" spoke of Anambra as performing well. The commendation of Femi Fani Kayode on the development strides of the Obiano government, especially the work at the International Airport project, was also dismissed as secured at the cost of N40 million.

It is becoming a trifle too disdainful for some to claim knowledge of every action of government from the remoteness of their bedrooms.

Please, time to change the refrain.


Ejike Anyaduba

WHAT HAS A GOVERNOR's DRESS STYLE GOT TO DO WITH GOVERNANCE?

IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

A photo snap by Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano in casual wear with former Aviation Minister, Fani Kayode on a weekend at the Governor's residence has left detractors falling over themselves on who pokes the most acerbic comment.

Bad faith is not amenable to reason. John the Baptist, the ascetic, was declared possessed. Christ the care giver of lepers, converter of sinners, was derided as casting out demons by the power of evil spirits! What is at play is the mind of a man. What the mind is nurtured on determines it's attitude to phenomena around it.

There are two categories of Obiano's fashion critics. The first of the pack are the prisoners of social expectation and class convention. It was something close to a scandal for the independence era Umuofia when Obi Okonkwo returned from Europe wearing simple shirt and trousers and not speaking big grammar. That was against their expectations of greatness.

Before the Rivers State Government later presented him with a car, novelist Gabriel Okara once told of how people
called him fool for not stealing government money when he served as Commissioner. In their disordered values, it was anomalous, infra dig, embarrassing that a former Commissioner would be seen trekking along the streets.

Every individual, whether world leader or commoner, has his unique traits. There cannot be uniformity in dress sense. Britain's war hero, Winston Churchill is "credited with popularising an unusual cross between a business suit and a workman's coveralls." In 2015 Canadians elected Justin Trudeau Prime Minister knowing full well he had a tattoo of a raven on his left arm. Rev Fr Charles Ikeme, the first Catholic priest from Nimo was admired for his khaki shorts and blue shirt. Yet, some public places pride themselves on not admitting non - formally dressed persons.

The other band of critics are the politically motivated. Anambra State is gradually drawing towards the 2021 governorship election. Obiano's APGA remains the party to beat and no opportunity is to be missed discrediting Anambra's best Governor since creation of the State and who happens to be the APGA leader. Consider that Fani Kayode on the occassion of the aforementioned photo taking extolled Governor Willie Obiano for his stellar achievements. "What Obiano has managed to achieve here is extraordinary. The tendency is for people not to remember what the situation was before development came. I want to commend him for putting the State first." And this coming from a PDP stalwart known for his bluntness. It is easy to see how this must have spoilt the party for the perennial Obiano bashers. In the circumstance, it would be irresistible for the detractors to try to drown out the eulogies by orchestrating the triviality of a light hearted picture.

Nor can you downplay the angry noise from the quarters of the adversarial business man and suspended traditional rulers.

The notion that a Governor has no private life borders on sophistry. What laws say so? Regulations on public office are intended to enable the occupants perform satisfactorily; but not to deny them their humanity. It is hypocritical to say that a man cannot spend his weekend on casual wear because he is a Governor.

Party dress is not necessarily better than sporting outfit. Pyjamas is not inferior to three piece suit. Farm wear is no less clothing than office attire.

There is a time and setting for various wardrobe materials.

One of the beneficiaries

The House is usually fully furnished and comes with a borehole that would serve the beneficiary and her community and a standby power set that would power the building as well as the water.

Anambra First Lady Hands Over Keys Of 27th Free House For Widows

Two more Widows Get Free Houses from Mrs Obiano

By Emeka Ozumba

In furtherance of her NGO, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFE) free housing programme for indigent widows, the wife of Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme), today, handed over keys to two fully-furnished bungalows built for two indigent widows in Akwa Ozubulu and Ameze, Aguleri in Ekwusigo and Anambra East Local Government Areas respectively.

The houses are among the twenty-seven houses built by her NGO, CAFE and has been handing over in phases to the beneficiaries so as to ensure strict adherence to Covid-19 protocol.

The beneficiary at Ozubulu, Mrs Eucharia Nwakibie, lost her husband in 2012, and had been forced to live in her father's house afterwards due to accommodation difficulties, with seven of her children, two of whom had died during the challenging periods.

Septugenarian, Mrs Victoria Udenka is the beneficiary of a 3-bedroom house at Ameze Aguleri.

The newly-constructed bungalows, like others previously constructed, come with a borehole that would serve the beneficiary and her community and a standby power set that would power the building as well as the water.

The houses are also equipped with sets of furniture, forty-inch LED television, standing fan, refrigerator, mattresses and other basic living gadgets.

Presenting keys of the new houses to the widows, Mrs Obiano said that she has always felt the need to provide succour and revive hopes of the less privileged. She urged them to live comfortably and in peace without disturbance by anyone.

She also noted that she has always had a strong sense of responsibility to build an atmosphere of difference with her NGO in Anambra State, having trained over five thousand youths and women on vocational skills and helped them start up and sponsoring other humanitarian programmes.

Mrs Obiano who also expressed satisfaction with the low recorded cases of coronavirus in Anambra State, reminded the people of the need to keep adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols as the disease remains effective and deadly.

The beneficiaries, Mrs Nwakibie, and Mrs Victoria Udenka who were visibly astounded, thanked Osodiemefor restoring their hopes.

Commending the gesture, Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Lady Ndidi Mezue, said that the beauty of Osodieme's philanthropy is that she does not know any of the beneficiaries of her housing programme because they are randomly selected. She thanked her for coming to the aid of the widow and many other beneficiaries of her innate acts of kindness.

In respective remarks, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, ACTDA, Venerable Amaechi Okwuosa, that of Anambra Signage and Advertisement Agency, ANSAA, said that the governor's wife has adopted the biblical injunction of coming to the aid of the desolate in the society, a virtue that complements Governor Obiano's excellent administration.

Earlier Chairman of Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Barry Austin Enendu, said that the governor's wife's pattern of charity is unique because she has continued to revive the hopes of the downtrodden through works that have remarkable effects.

The houses are among the twenty seven built so far by Mrs Obiano and handed over to indigent widows since CAFE was officially registered as a charity organization in August 2014.
Pix 1: Old Akwa Ozubulu House (Before)
Pix 1b. New Ozubulu Houses (After)
Pix 2. Old Ameze Aguleri House (Before)
Pix 2b New Aguleri House (After)

Anambra's Economy, a Function of its Social Stability says Hon Okafor

By Ikenna Aniagboso

Anambra State Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Wealth Creation, Hon Uchenna Okafor has attributed the economic and commercial stability of the state to the peaceful and enabling environment created by the Obiano administration.

Speaking recently to members of Gov Willie Obiano's media team in Awka, Hon Okafor revealed that the huge economy and the thriving commercial activities witnessed in the state is practically hinged on the security and safety of the state's business environment.

Describing security as the fulcrum of every functional and progressive economy, the Commissioner commended Gov Obiano for making Anambra state safe for traders, investors and patrons alike. In his words, "let me tell you, what determines the economic stability of every state is its social stability and the paramount appendage of social stability is security. This is why Governor Willie Obiano provided security in Anambra state and it has proven to be the catalyst that made every other thing to work".

"You cannot talk about development in a place that is not secured", stressed Okafor. "This is because security is the only thing that can encourage investors and this is why Gov Obiano ensured that Anambra became the safest state in Nigeria".

Continuing, the commissioner said that "security is the greatest thing you can give to us in this geographical part of the world. Here in Anambra the strategy of the Obiano administration and the security agencies is geared towards ensuring that crime is nipped in the bud and criminals are chased out of the with no chance of returning.

The priority given to security by the Obiano administration has permeated into the several market unions in Anambra state, creating a peaceful atmosphere that has encouraged patronage from West Africa and beyond. Businesses are thriving and international partnerships and opportunities are opening up for ndi Anambra because of the safe and peaceful business environment.

According to Hon Okafor, "the usual skirmishes and feuds associated with market unions and other trade associations are absent in Anambra state. This is because government has cultivated a cordial relationship with the market unions".

"For us here in Anambra we are so organised that we treat the market unions as another tier of Government. It is our own arrangement here in Anambra State. Apart from different markets having their leadership, we have a central body called ASAMATA (Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association)l, a leadership that is in charge of a consortium of all the markets in Anambra State.

Going further, he said, "under my watch, many of the markets have had their elections and they were free and fair. That can be achieved once you allow the leadership of the markets to be according to the will of the traders. When that happens, there is no way there will be a problem. As far as I am concerned the relationship is quite cordial and elections have been very free and fair until the covid-19 period.

"As a result of the ban on social and public gathering, we couldn't gather the people in the name of election because their lives are more important to the Governor than the election so we installed caretaker committees and the committees were set up according to the desire and will of the people in the markets because we understand that if the markets in Anambra are calm then Anambra is calm".

Suspension-Anambra monarchs deserve worse

Nkemjika Ozodi

Reactions have continued to trail the suspension of 12 Anambra monarchs who went to Abuja just to see President Buhari. Expectedly, not everybody was in support of the action of the state government. Some called it overkill, insisting the Governor should have cautioned the erring monarchs and discharged them. Others felt the Governor was self restraining that he should have dethroned them outright. While both agreed the monarchs erred, the point of disagreement was the degree of punishment served.

The fact that everybody does not sign off on all the actions of a governor does not mean that the suspension of the errant monarchs should be a matter of infantile debate. No government is recorded as responsible for ceding its authority to its detractors. No government is celebrated as responsive for yielding to the antics of renegades.

The rule stays the same. Traditional rulers should not leave their domain without permission from the chief security officer of the state. But the lawlessness of the 12 would encourage them on the trip there was not obvious objective. They did not embark on the trip at the instance of the umbrella association. As a matter of fact, the umbrella body - the Anambra Traditional Rulers Council - led by the stately and highly respected Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, was in the dark. They were neither apprised nor did they send them. The body has since condemned the act.

What the 12 displayed was total lack of wisdom. It is a fact that virtually all of them under suspension have one avoidable case in their domain or another. Their lack of tact in the ill -fated trip to Abuja reflects on the way they run their communities. There are cases of misconduct, rapine, misappropriation of community funds against majority of the suspended monarchs. As I write a good number of the communities have been rejoicing over the suspension. Some have started collating materials to support outright dethronement after the suspension elapses.

What was the justification for an Igwe of a community to allow himself the ignominy of being videoed, receiving handout from a wealthy man without wealth of knowledge?  The promise of lucre made the custodians of the traditional institution of their different communities to dance naked in the public.

Truth is that Governor Obiano is one of the most urbane governors ever to chance on the political space of Anambra state. Elsewhere the 12 would get dethroned and banished from their communities. You went to Abuja as a support team against a governor that does not interfere in the affairs of your communities. You went to Abuja to lend support to a man who wants to disparage governor before the president. The only way to pay your governor back for all the good he has done in the state was to align with a man whose only claim to goodness is indiscriminate ladling out of funds to politicians and miscreants. His boasting of connection to high places has been his stock in trade and sadly the 12 irresponsible monarchs fell for it.

Just before the Abuja misadventure, Arthur Eze who lured the greedy 12 to their current debacle took on not just the Governor but some other notable Igbo. Condemned to suffer the ignominy of being locked out of the presidential villa was perhaps a recompense for disparaging the entire Igbo race. He called the people names and pontificated with the foolishness of someone doomed to certain rejection. He failed to realize that even with his riches he is not a Governor and should do well to respect the office. But it is obvious he lacks the wisdom of his age and does not realize that his likes are in the North, West and South-south. It is not read anywhere that Dangote has spoken ill of the Governor of Kano much less talked about dealing with him. Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, neither spoken so strongly against any of the governors of the Southwest states. Maybe Eze and his gang of 12 have short of no memories at all. If they do they will not forget that Sanusi dethroned and banished from Kano state without the emirate raising a whimper.

Does Eze forget so easily that Anambra politics does not have regard for godfatherism? What efforts has he not made to make Tony Nwoye governor without success? What was he thinking when he threatened to deal with the Governor? Is it a case of a butterfly that thinks itself a bird? Eze may be rich enough to buy 12 Igwe out of the other monarchs but he must realize that he should not usurp the powers of the state. It is unfortunate how the 12 irresponsible monarchs were easily swept off their feet because of N100,000 and a promise of monthly salaries of N200, 000 if the governor decides against paying them. I hope he did not promise them letter of credence upon which they could act as traditional rulers when their certificates were withdrawn. It must have dawned on them that he could not take them by hand to Buhari as promised. It would have also dawned on them where they stand today. All the promises of making them see the president and get him to deal with his governor failed in their faces so were the promise of making them millionaires.

The suspended 12 should comport themselves well within the period of suspension in order that they do not get an extension, a dethronement and banishment

Nkemjika Ozodi

ozodiexcel@yahoo.com

ARTHUR EZE & COMPANY HAD IT COMING

IfeanyiChukwu Afuba

Suspension of twelve traditional rulers in one fell swoop is an unusual occurrence by any measure. But so was the outrage trailing the seeming impunity of a tiny ring of Anambra State's traditional rulers led in confrontation against the State Government by controversial business man, Arthur Eze.

If the arrowhead of the affront could afford to be careless being a private citizen, what gave the community chieftains who are answerable to the authority of the State Government the leave to take the flights of fancy they did?

Along with an earlier suspended member of the tribe, the Dutch courage of the group is associated with the financial inducement video that has been trending on social media.

Two days before the hammer of August 13, 2020, fell on the ambitions of the twelve, the State Traditional Rulers Council had proposed sanctions on these members who ventured on a doomed trip to the Presidency in the name of the Council.

Condemning the illegality of the undertaking, the leadership of the Council equated the action of its members involved with 'usurping power and mandate which traditional rulers do not have.'

After Peter Uyanwa of Ukwulu was suspended on account of petitions against his ascension and reign, maverick business man, Arthur Eze who had earlier promised to take the Willie Obiano administration to court for constitutional breaches, paid Uyanwa a solidarity visit. The meeting was an offensive political rally except in name. Daily Orient Newspaper of July 30, 2020 reported the event with the headline: 'Suspended Anambra monarch dares Obiano, pledges loyalty to Arthur Eze, Buhari.' Vanguard newspaper of the same date quoted the relieved traditional ruler as saying: 'At the end of our interaction, Prince Eze promised to take us to President Buhari.'

One can only shudder at the drooling of the group of thirteen in this misadventure. They were deadened to their limitations as public servants under an approving authority. They were blind to the absurdity of a make - believe, self declared monarch of Awka exercising headship over them. They were oblivious to the fact that the traditional ruler of Eze's Ukpo town who is related to their mentor was conspicuously not part of their picnic.

The misconduct of the suspended traditional rulers says a lot about their sense of judgement. I doubt if they have actually read the Traditional Rulers Law of 1981. Some of them still arrogate to themselves the title of His Royal Highness even when the law rejects that coronation.

Governor Obiano has done the needful by sanctioning the rebellious group of thirteen. The Governrment should ensure that the full weight of the indictment is applied to the letter. Anambra State is not anybody's playground.

The idea of leading deviant traditional rulers on a spiteful visit against the Governor of Anambra State clearly borders on the godfather syndrome. But Eze will have to search elsewhere to indulge his godfather fantasies. Obiano earned the administration of Ndi Anambra by being his own man from day one; it's inconceivable that he will reverse himself at this late hour.

From Premier Breweries to Orient Bank, Ndi Anambra know too well the number of companies that crashed under the incompetent chairmanship of military regime apologists.

The belief that money confers super citizenship on anyone and that people out there all have a price tag is a delusion.

Let’s Tell Arthur Eze the Inconvenient Truth.

By Ngwu Nweze

If Ndigbo do not tell Arthur Eze that money is not everything, he will destroy whatever value is left in Igboland. The self-acclaimed Igbo Messiah (Ozo Igbo Ndu) has become a most irritating pain in the neck of Ndigbo. In the past thirty years, Arthur has brought everything he has touched to ruin. Eastern Plastics, Premier Cashew Industry, Anambra Vegetable Oil Products (AVOP), Premier Brewery Limited, Orient Bank and even his own Triax Group of Companies all melted under his cancerous touch. And now, Arthur has turned his attention to the Igbo presidency project and the government of Anambra State. Now is the time to tell him to stop!

Anyone who has followed the appalling drama playing out in Anambra State at the moment will not miss the underlying message – mutiny! Arthur is currently leading a rebellion against the government of Anambra State. This is not opposition as we know it. This is an act of rebellion. When a man is puffed up by his belief in his own invisibility, he turns himself into a menace to society. That was exactly what Arthur Eze did when he took 12 traditional rulers from Anambra State to Abuja on an ill-advised mission to create disaffection for the governor of Anambra State at the presidency. Arthur is leading a mutiny against Anambra State. He should be told ‘enough’ by Nigerians who value decency and order in the society. The traditional rulers are the leaders of the grassroots in our democracy. Anyone who successfully turns a sizeable number of them against the sitting government under any guise has masterminded civilian coup plot. That is exactly what Arthur Eze has done. He is hell bent on setting Anambra on fire. He will succeed only if we support him with our silence.

We must tell Eze that the office of the governor of Anambra State should not be desecrated. And that any effort that denigrates and belittles it exposes Ndi Anambra to ridicule before decent people across the world.

Without a doubt, Arthur Eze appears to have a brutal knee firmly pressed into the neck of Ndigbo. He ridicules our aspiration for the presidency. He spits in the faces of our political leaders at will. He is locked up in a mortal battle with neighbouring villages in Anambra State. He is at war with the novelist, Chimamanda Adichie. He instigated criminal charges against Pius Nweke, the CEO of Best Aluminum who unlike him has created thousands of jobs for the people. He has no respect for constituted authority. He believes that money is everything. Arthur is one of the disappearing breed of post-Biafra War Igbos whose dumb worship of money set the tone for the moral decline of our society. His inherent evil has always been easy to see. His very name invokes a horrifying atmosphere that is antithetical to democracy and peace. It reminds us of another Arthur in another era. But even more horrifying, he reminds us of godfatherism and reckless brigandage. But we choose to turn a blind eye to Arthur.

For many decades, Arthur strutted the entire South East Nigeria like a winged monster in a Hollywood movie, talking down on his enemies and giving the impression that with money he could buy anybody including one half of heaven. He moves around in the longest and most expensive vehicular convoy in Igboland. He feels that everyone is beneath him. He does not weigh his utterances. He speaks as the mood takes him. At a time when his Igbo people feel entitled to provide Nigeria’s next president, Arthur told them that they were not good enough for the position in clear terms. Only Northerners are good enough to lead Nigeria because they gave Arthur contracts. He is a bull in china shop. Nothing is sacred to him. He is a monster with a philanthropic face! But Arthur Eze should be reminded that all his philanthropy does not stretch beyond dashing people money. And that begging is not in the DNA of Ndigbo. This is one truth Arthur must be told!

Throughout history, Igbo people have shown a definitive practical side to their communal life. In Igbo worldview, no one, no matter how gifted can win judgment against a clan. A thematic exploration of this deep philosophy gave birth to Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God. Somebody ought to tell Arthur that he cannot win a fight against his own people. In fact, the futility of that enterprise in Igboland has been demonstrated to a point where some gods that proved to be a thorn in the flesh of their worshippers were hurled to the crossroads and set ablaze by the same people who once supplicated them for protection. It is therefore embarrassing to see that just because he could sell a few oil wells, Arthur Eze has forgotten the capricious nature of his own culture. He is blind to the fact that a masquerade that turns against its minders in a stab of arrogance risks the humiliation of being deserted at the market square!

This is the inconvenient truth we must tell Arthur Eze!

Ngwu Nweze writes from Ajalli, Orumba North LGA of Anambra State.