Author: Ikenga Online
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Thursday described as a hoax, the alleged ostracisation of the people of Edeaniagu village in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state. Ugwuanyi, who addressed protesters from the village at the Government House, Enugu, said that such practice had no place in the state. Recall that Ishi-Ozalla Automomous Community had been in turmoil following the alleged label of the people of Edeaniagu as outcasts and their subsequent ostracisation by the community. But the governor described such alleged pronouncement as a practice which do not exist in the state, adding that the state…
A Federal High Court in Enugu presided over by Justice I.N Buba on Monday convicted and sentenced two internet fraudsters, Ferdinand Iloka, and Chidera Oleka, to one year imprisonment each on separate one count bordering on internet fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu Zone had arraigned the duo on allegations bothering on impersonation and internet fraud. They were accused of using fake social media accounts to obtain money from unsuspecting foreign nationals during which Iloka presented himself as a Korean national, Bella Chung while Oleka posed as James Michael. In one of the charges, Oleka sometime in September 2020 in Enugu, fraudulently presented himself as one James Michael, a citizen of United States…
By Michael Onwuka The Osu Caste System is an indigenous obnoxious, discriminatory and dehumanizing practice in South East, Nigeria that discourages social interaction and marriage with a group of persons called Osu. This class of persons are believed to be dedicated to the deities and as such considered as inferior beings. Hence, they are usually separated from the ‘freeborn’ in the society and it is considered an abomination for the ‘freeborn’ to marry Osu. On May 10, 1956, the defunct Eastern House of Assembly abrogated this obnoxious practice through an act of parliament due to its inherent ills. Sadly, several years after the abrogation, this practice persists in most states of…
By Osmund Agbo The journey to 2023 is starting to pick up pace all across the country. The temperature is getting hotter by the day and in my home state of Enugu, there is already the inconvenience of a putrid smell wafting through the air. The coal city state is not particularly your model of democratic governance, even by southeast standard. It’s a state where the family members of few political dynasties are the unofficial kingmakers. In every administration, they snag up plum positions and dish out commands, while the rest of us hope that one day, a miracle will…
No fewer than 100 exhibitors are expected in the 32nd Enugu International Trade Fair, the President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Mr Emeka Nwandu has said. Nwandu disclosed this on Tuesday during the trade fair launch and press briefing in Enugu. The president said that the chamber had been receiving streams of interests from corporate organisations and institutions that wish to participate in the fair. He said that the prospective participants cut across local and international entrepreneurs. He said that the fair would provide the cleavages to gauge the economic outlook of the country and would…
By Osmund Agbo It’s hard for a lightweight like me to look at the current Kogi State governor and not turn green with envy. He is young, vibrant and stands tall with a sculptured frame. For someone who self-describes as a lover of sports and fitness, especially boxing, the only thing that matches his appetite for power is his exaggerated machismo. And who could have predicted this path for him, a few years ago when he was just the kid next door, as a junior at Agassa Community Secondary School, Okene. At 45, Yahaya Bello is the youngest governor in…
No fewer than 711 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were on Monday sworn in for the 2021 Batch ‘A’, Stream 1 orientation course in Enugu State. Justice A. R. Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court, who administered the oath of allegiance on the corps members urged them to be of good behaviour. Ozoemena said that the corps members had nothing to fear in terms of security as the state was one of the safest in the country. Meanwhile, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Sam Ujogu inaugurated an Anti-Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vanguard during the ceremony. Ujogu said that…
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Enugu Field Office on Monday sealed eight petrol stations in Enugu for dispensing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) above the approved government pump price. The Head, Operations, Mr Afam Azuike disclosed this on Monday in an interview with newsmen in Enugu. Azuike, however, said that three out of the affected petrol stations were eventually unsealed as they reverted to the government approved price of the product. He said that the sealing of the defaulting petrol stations followed a public outcry over the weekend that petroleum marketers had arbitrarily increased the pump price PMS. He said…
by Ikem Okuhu Just before the vainglorious Pension for ex-governors is passed in Enugu: AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR IFEANYI UGWUANYI Your Excellency sir, To be honest, I wasn’t quite surprised when the news reached me that Enugu State Government, under your leadership, was about to make a law whose end was to shell out huge monies in pensions, gratuities and allowances for former office holders, particularly former governors, their deputies and spouses. I was not surprised because it fits perfectly into the long entrenched prebendalism in the management of our affairs, more so as the permutations for 2023 continues to…
By Nwamara Chekwube A petty trader, Mrs Bridget Nzubechi, 28, has narrated how her six year old daughter, Grace Nzubechi was recovered two years after she was stolen and sold by a suspected trafficker. Nzubechi a resident of Obizi Amakama in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, said that while Grace, whole was stolen on Dec. 26, 2019 along her sister had been recovered, the sister was still missing. She said that the suspect identified as Oluchi who had earlier lived in their community for six months sold her victims for N200, 000 each. She said that the suspect was…