Author: Editor

Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Tuesday accused those funding the criminal gangs in the South-East zone as the ones responsible for the killings and kidnappings in the South-East region. The IPOB detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, disclosed this in a statement to newsmen in Owerri, through his lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, after they had visited him (Kanu) at the detention facility of the Department of State Service, DSS, in Abuja last Monday. IPOB, said it was because of the activities of the criminal gang that the zone has remained under siege. IPOB, in a message to…

By Osmund Agbo Just last month, Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times, covering Colombia’s election predicted that “a large and loud youth electorate hungry to transform one of Latin America’s most unequal societies could propel Gustavo Petro, a former rebel, to the presidency.” Well, on Sunday, June 19, 2022, that prediction came to pass and Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, an economist, senator and former guerrilla fighter is now the president-elect of the Republic of Colombia. This south American nation named after the Italian navigator, Christopher Columbus, was founded when the Spaniards in 1499, first landed…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The 2022 Batch B stream 1 Orientation Course of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), commenced in Ebonyi State with the swearing in of 1337 corps members on Tuesday. A breakdown of the 1337 corps members shows that 233 of the new members were male while 1104 were female. The event took place at the State Permanent Orientation Camp old Macgregor College Afikpo Local Government Area. The new Corps members were sworn into the Service by the State Chief Judge, Elvis Ngele represented by Justice Vincent Nwancho. Addressing the Corps Members, the Director-General of the NYSC, Mohammed…

Michael Onwuka, Enugu The Enugu State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr Sam Ujogu, says efforts are being made to enhance the monthly state allowance paid to corps members serving in the state. Ujogu disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing newsmen after the swearing-in of the 2022 Batch ‘B’ Stream I Corps Members in Enugu. Ikengaonline reports that corps members posted to urban centres of the state are paid monthly allowance of N1000 by the state government. However, their counterparts posted to rural areas are paid monthly allowance of N4000 by the state government. The NYSC state coordinator said…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Commissioner for Industry Abia State and a senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Abia Central, Chief Henry Ikoh; Umana Okon-Umana (Akwa-Ibom); Ekuma Joseph (Ebonyi); and Goodluck Opia (Imo), have made the list of seven new ministerial nominees by President Muhammadu Buhari. Others include: Umar Ibrahim (Kano); Ademola Adewole (Ondo); and Udum Odi (Rivers). President Buhari has already transmitted the names of the nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation. Their nomination is contained in a letter addressed to President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan and read at plenary on Tuesday. The President in…

By James Ezendiaru Not a few analysts would have sworn that having defied all the odds to defeat all his opponents at the very transparent national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the matter of choosing who will run with him on the APC ticket would be a mere walk in the park for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Clearly it is not turning out to be so. And there are quite some reasons why choosing a running mate in the 2023 presidential race is not just an easy call. As a matter of fact, taking that singular decision…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia There is no end in sight yet to the controversy trailing the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State, as one of the aspirants, Chief Daniel Eke, has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, to stop both Chief Ikechi Emenike, and Dr Uche Ogah from parading themselves as governorship candidates of the party. Eke, in the suit marked FHC/UM/ 18/96/2022, urged the court to declare the outcomes of both primaries as “unlawful and invalid.” The duo emerged from parallel primaries, and have both laid claims to the ticket. While Emenike emerged…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has released the names of its governorship candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the 2023 polls in 19 states. According to the list signed by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Mr Ifeanyi Mbaeri, Professor Greg Ibe is APGA’s flag bearer for Abia State. Others include: Ekpo Ita, Akwa Ibom State; Yahaya Cholli, Adamawa State; Joseph Waya, Benue State; Great Ogboru, Delta State; and Professor Benard Odoh, Ebonyi State. The list also shows Frank Nweke Jnr as the governorship candidate for Enugu State; Elleman Ahmed, Jigawa;…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, Chief Chuku Wachuku, has knocked political office holders who give out tricycles and motorcycles to youths as empowerment tools, describing such attitude as wickedness and mockery to youths. Wachuku who is a Small and Medium Enterprise, SME, expert, decried the harm “KEKE and Okada empowerment” had done to many youths. “Sharing KEKE and wheelbarrows to youths in the name of empowerment is mockery and recipe for poverty,” he regretted. He argued that skill acquisition remained the best form of empowerment as “it takes care of the whole family.”…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Immediate-past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Ogah, has insisted that he is the authentic governorship candidate of the party in 2023. Ogah who spoke through the Spokesman of his Campaign Organisation, Sir Joshua Ogbonnaya, dismissed the purported reconciliation meeting of APC factions on Saturday at Ikwuano as a gathering of people without electoral values. At the reconciliation meeting, various gladiators from the two waring camps met and declared ceasefire and collapse of their structures into one united APC under the leadership of Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu as the state Chairman. They also recognised…