Author: Editor
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State has once again shown his preference for merit over other primordial considerations by appointing Mr Benson Ojeikere from Edo State, as the new Head of Service for Abia State. This follows the exit of the current HoS, Dr Queen Obioma, who will formally bow out on December 31. Ojeikere had served as Permanent Secretary, Government House before his elevation as the number one civil servant in Abia State. This will be the first time in the state and probably in the entire country a non-indigene would be appointed Head of Service.…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu Troops of Joint Task Force South-East, code-named “Operation UDO KA” said they have neutralised 13 armed members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and nabbed three kidnappers in teh South-East. The Spokesman of Operation UDO KA, Lt.-Col. Jonah Unuakhalu, said in a statement on Monday in Enugu that the feat was in furtherance of its clearance operations to make the South-East safe and peaceful throughout the yuletide. Unuakhalu said that the Force Commander of Operation UDO KA, Maj.-Gen. Hassan Dada, had called on all well-meaning citizens to continue supporting the Joint Task Force. He said…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan on Sunday stunned Rangers International FC, with a 1-0 defeat to end Rangers 10-match unbeaten run in the 2024/25 NPFL week 18 encounter played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu. The highly anticipated old rivalry between the two teams lived up to the pre-match billings. A 27th minute strike by Ikouwem Utim saw the halting of a10-match unbeaten run of the NPFL reigning champions, Rangers International F.C, as the visitors, 3SC, ran away with the three maximum points at the Cathedral. The encounter saw the coach Fidelis Ilechukwu-tutored side take the battle…
Chinwendu Uzoatu, Awka It was indeed grand as the Priests Welfare Home, Awka, celebrated 2024 Christmas Party for their elderly priests of Catholic Dioceses of Awka and Ekwulobia. The event which was held at Priest’s Welfare Home, Awka, started with a Pontifical Holy Mass at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, G.R.A. Awka presided by the Bishop of Ekwulobia diocese, His Eminence Peter Eberechukwu Cardinal Okpaleke, who thanked God for the lives of the priests, who are not all necessarily old, but for one reason or the other live in the home. In his homily, the Bishop of Awka diocese, Most…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Gov. Alex Otti, has appointed Mr Benson Ojeikere as the new Head of Service (HoS) for Abia State, following the exit of Dr Queen Obioma, who will formally bow out on December 31. Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, in a statement, Monday, said the appointment of the new HoS was based on merit. The statement read: “Following the conclusion of a rigorous merit-based selection process, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, has approved the appointment of Mr. Benson Ojeikere, as the New Head of Service for Abia…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Governor Alex Otti has disclosed that the Abia airport project flagged off on Tuesday, the previous week, by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, would be ready in two years time. The airport located at Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, is a federal project with the collaboration of the state. It has a 36-month completion contractual agreement. Governor Otti made the disclosure on Sunday, 22nd December, during a church service at Living Faith Church (a.k.a Winners Chapel) KLM 3, Opobo Road, Ovom 1, Ogbor Hill, Aba. He said: “A few days ago, we flagged off…
By Godwin Onyeacholem Over the past year and a half, it’s been quite a bumpy ride for whistleblowers, journalists and civil society actors in Nigeria even as the ruling class and its associates unduly preen themselves on the country’s quarter century of a brand of democracy that the majority of citizens have long written off as a sham. Indeed, a disservice. Yes, an unqualified disservice. Because rather than serve the people, Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 has been serving the power holders, at the head of which is usually a thin cabal comprising a small unit of the predatory political class…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Nigeria Police, Enugu State Command, says it has dismantled a notorious kidnapping gang and arrested suspects linked to burglary, car theft, and other crimes. A statement by DSP Daniel Ndukwe, the command’s spokesperson, said the operatives of the command also recovered firearms, ammunition, and stolen items from the suspects. Ndukwe said that the breakthrough followed series of intelligence-driven operations by the Command. According to the police spokesperson: “On December 15, 2024, operatives from the Nsukka Area Command raided a gang’s hideout in the Nru community, Nsukka Local Government Area, acting on credible intelligence, the police engaged the suspects in…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu In 1991, Nigeria was in the full throes of the interminable transition to civil rule programme of General Ibrahim Babangida. The effort by the regime in 1991 to relocate their terminal date from 1992 to 1993 coincided with a planned meeting in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria, of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). At the time, the security agencies had secreted on major campuses around the country assets masquerading as students. University of Ibadan was no exception. The unsuspecting NANS leadership were taken by surprise when the SSS swooped on their meeting, abducted their entire…
Lawrence Nwimo, Awka A coalition of Civil Society Networks on AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM Network) has expressed concerns over the rising cost of drugs for treatment of malaria and other sundry ailments in Anambra State. The State Advocacy Team (SAT) of the group raised the alarm during their recent advocacy visit to the Programme Manager of the National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP), Mr Nonso Ndibe. The State Programme Officer (SPO), Onyekachi Ololo, who expressed the concerns during his presentation, noted that while HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis drugs are available for free at the primary healthcare facilities in the state, malaria drugs…