Author: Ikenga Online

….we must amend or abrogate it …South-East asking for equity, fairness  By Our Reporter Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has described the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) as an imposition on the people. Umahi disclosed this on Wednesday in Enugu during the South-East Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The event was organised by the House of Representatives Special Committee on Constitutional Review. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kelechi Igwe, said that the country was in dire need…

Few years ago, precisely on the 23rd of November, 2009, the then President of Nigeria, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua took ill and had to be emergently flown to a Saudi Arabian hospital for treatment. From subsequent reports, we learnt that our President got diagnosed with acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the covering of the heart that normally wouldn’t require any specialized care. Prior to that however, and even before coming to power, Mr. Yar’Adua was already known to suffer from a litany of medical problems including chronic kidney disease and an undisclosed heart condition, all of which were treated as a…

……but aborted by Fulani Oligarchy By FEMI ADESINA ( current spokesperson to President Buhari)In December 2009, I was at Aburi, while holidaying in Ghana. We Nigerians call it A-b-u-r-i, but the Ghanaians pronounce it as E-b-r-i. For those who have read widely about the civil war that we fought between 1967 and 1970, Aburi is a significant place. This was what I wrote about Aburi, after returning from that journey:“Aburi. Beautiful, serene Aburi, set daintily atop a hill. It is home to a botanical garden that is 119 years old. But for us in Nigeria, Aburi goes beyond just nature…

Many people still wonder why residents of the South- East stay at home every May 31. It should be noted that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not compel residents of the defunct Biafra territory to stay at home. He should not have, ordinarily, issued the ‘stay at home’ directive if we have well-thinking political leaders and governors in the area. Sadly, he needed to remind us because we seem to be very afraid and scared to remember those who died for us; he needed to remind the ignorant among us that our future and those…

In this concluding part, ARINZE CHIJIOKE talks about some of the projects that are serving the people and how various WASH programmes have failed to tackle perennial water issues in the country. In Eziagu, the solar-powered borehole is serving the people Before the solar-powered borehole in Obinofia Ndiuno was rehabilitated, residents had to cross hills to get water. The borehole had been long abandoned after it stopped working three years ago. Vincent Okoli, Chairman of the WASH committee in the community, said water scarcity had been a major challenge. He told this reporter that his community’s health centre, where the water project was sited, did not have any source of water. “They…

By Our Reporter A retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Chinwe Iyizoba has raised concern over the debilitating state of the judiciary in the country. Iyizoba disclosed this on Saturday while delivering the First Law Lecture of the Faculty of Law, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu. The topic of the lecture was: “ Assessing the Impact of Judicial Autonomy on the Efficacy of the Nigerian Judicial System: An Insider Experience’. She said that the judiciary seemed to be under siege over the unwillingness of state governors to obey the constitutional provision on judicial autonomy and subsisting court judgement on…

By Our Reporter A former speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo on Saturday  in Enugu inaugurated an empowerment foundation aimed at assisting indigent members of the society. Odo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that the foundation known as ‘Offiaduru Foundation’ was in honour of his late father, Chief Samuel Odo who died in 1996. He said that the foundation co-founded by his other siblings would focus on the provision of interest-free loans to skilled Nigerians and payment of school fees for indigent students.The former speaker said that the gesture was part of the family’s contributions toward sustaining the legacies of their late…

By Arinze Chijioke The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) will host its first-ever digital conference on Africa’s drylands. The two-day virtual conference scheduled to hold from June 2 to Jun 3 will also seek to find out how integrative restoration practices can see the drylands flourish once again. Drylands are an important biome comprising  grasslands, agricultural lands, forests and urban areas, and occupying more than 41 per cent of  the  global  land  area.Trees and forests in drylands generate a wealth of environmental services. They provide habitats for biodiversity, protect against water, wind erosion and desertification.Africa’s drylands, particularly, are the birthplace of…

By Our Reporter The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council has expressed concern over the worsening security situation and attack on public infrastructure in the state. In a communique issued at the end of its monthly congress, the NUJ called on the state government to inaugurate the ‘Ebube Agu’ security outfit in the state. The communique was signed by Messers Okechukwu Nwafor and Hyginus Odo as well as Miss Sylvia Udegbunam The union said that the inauguration of the outfit would efficiently complement the efforts of statutory security agencies in curbing the spate of crime in the state.…

By Our Reporter No fewer than 301 patent medicine shops in Enugu State have been sealed for various reasons, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has disclosed.. The Registrar of PCN, Dr. Elijah Mohammed disclosed this on Friday in Enugu while briefing newsmen after its enforcement operations in the state. Mohammed was represented at the event by the Director, Enforcement of the council, Mr Stephen Esumobi. The registrar said that 90 pharmacies were also sealed while six pharmacies and patent medicine shops were issued compliance directives during the enforcement exercise. He mentioned the offenses to include but not limited to…