Author: Editor

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Enugu State Government says it will henceforth organise regular quiz competitions among nursery, primary and post-primary school pupils and students to promote Igbo language, culture and tradition in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, said this in Enugu during the commemoration of the 2024 International Mother Language Day. The commemoration was organised by Igbo Efula and the Centre for (Igbo) Memories. Madueke also said that her ministry would also go ahead to print Igbo calendars to also promote Igbo language and tradition. “A calendar that will have the four market…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Pensioners in Enugu State have appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to come to their aid by offsetting their arrears of pensions since February 2022. The President of Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) Enugu State, Mr Ikechukwu Ekere, made the appeal in Enugu while speaking on the plight of pensioners in the state. Ekere commended the Governor for his efforts in motivating workers in the state and urged him to look into the condition of retirees, especially the local government workers and primary school teachers. He lamented that retirees of both the local government and primary school received…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Kidnappers of late Mr Israel Ugwuanyi of Ameze Owerre, Umabor community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, have released his decomposing corpse to his family. Ugwuanyi’s corpse was dropped by the unidentified gunmen by the roadside after three days in captivity. Meanwhile, the driver of the ambulance from Lagos and two family members of the deceased are still being held by the abductors who have insisted their initial N50 million ransom. A family source said that Ugwuanyi’s relatives have priced N200,000 for the release of the victims which the kidnappers has labelled as unserious. “We…

  By Azu Ishiekwene Nigeria’s politicians have perfected the art of burying themselves with one foot sticking out. And it appears that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will, once again, stage this rite of self-destruction in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. The party’s primaries on Saturday was such a shambles, it has now been forced to conduct it again, with no guarantee of a sensible outcome for an exercise involving perhaps less than 500,000 members (parties routinely inflate their roll). If Governor Godwin Obaseki’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had paid to put a spell on APC, the…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State, early Thursday morning, recorded its first rainfall for the year, 2024. The rain which came around 1:00am as residents battled irritating heat wave brought a lot of relief. It rained heavily both in Umuahia the state capital and Aba the commercial city as well as other parts of the state. The rain flushed water drainages and swept the roads although it also deposited debris on some roads. Meanwhile, the rain has been a huge source of relief to the discomfort caused by the increasing heat wave following the climate change. The Abia State Government had on…

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu This past week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) adopted a new treaty Relating to the Specific Aspects to the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa. The explanatory memorandum explains that this treaty “seeks to facilitate the inclusion of individuals within African States, by providing legal solutions for the resolution of the practical problems linked to the recognition and exercise of the right to a nationality, to eradicate statelessness, and above all to identify the principles that should govern relations between individuals…

… Says history ‘ll judge it if it chickens out Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has berated the Department of State Service, DSS, over statement issued by the secret police concerning the nationwide protest being planned by Labour. NLC accused DSS of trying to portray it in bad light and possibly arm twist it to shelve the planned protest. Piqued by the action of the DSS, Labour vowed to go ahead with the planned protest against the biting economic hardship, insisting that it is in the interest of the masses and not intended to compromise the soverignty…

… Says destabilisation of LP, real intention of his persecutors Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Less than 24 hours after his arrest by the Edo State Police Command, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Julius Abure, has been released. Abure was arrested following a petition forwarded to the zone from the office of the Inspector General of Police in Abuja. Addressing his supporters after his release Thursday morning, Abure said he was being persecuted because of what he represented, vowing not to be deterred. He said the real intention of his persecutors was to destabilise the Labour Party. Abure…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The number of deaths in the recent Ebonyi Lassa Fever outbreak has risen to 14, an official of the state’s Ministry of Health has said. Hyacinth Ebenyi, the director of Public Health at the ministry stated this on Wednesday in Abakaliki, capital of the State. The Ministry had at the weekend said the death toll was 10. Mr Ebenyi said that the 14 cases were among the 29 confirmed cases of the disease recorded as of 20 February. He expressed worry over the rising cases noting that 110 suspected cases of the disease were recently recorded in…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Government has advised residents on some precautionary measures to be able to survive the health hazards triggered by the increasing climate change. The State Government said the advice had become necessary to avoid the suffering from the various adverse effects of the worsening weather changes. Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, in a statement, noted that the adverse effect of the current situation ranges from dehydration which can lead to fainting, contacting of chicken pox, heat rashes and mental stress. The statement said that the heat waves could lead to skin cancer, meningitis and…