Author: Editor

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Member representing Aba North/ Aba South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, has renovated four blocks of classrooms at Ezeama High School, Aba North. The intervention, he said was part of his commitment towards delivering quality education in his constituency. The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, lawmaker in a statement said that education remained the bedrock of every society. He decried the state of infrastructure in some public schools in the constituency, and promised to continue to engage the relevant agencies to upgrade them. The lawmaker who noted that education remained a…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Isiama Afaraukwu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, has celebrated this year’s new yam festival in low key to protest the continued detention of her son and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The traditional ruler of the community, HRH Eze Amaechi Kelvin Ugwueje, who disclosed this to newsmen in his palace, said the community did not consider it wise to embark on celebration galore while Kanu, a Prince in the community is still under incarceration. Eze Ugwueje succeeded Kanu’s late father, HRM Eze Israel Kanu, who…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions, has expressed displeasure with the quality of job at the custodial centre headquarters in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. Chairman of the Committee, Chinedu Oga, stated this during the Committee’s oversight visit to the state. Ogah who represents Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency said that the committee members were in the state to oversee the different custodial centres in the state with a view to making recommendations to the relevant authorities to enhance professionalism and the welfare of the inmates. The Lawmaker noted that he has already communicated the Controller-General of the…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/ Ivo federal constituency at the National Assembly, Chief Nkemkanma Kama, is set to embark on reconstruction and revitalisation of some primary health care facilities in his constituency. The Lawmaker stated this at the weekend during a constituency tour and inspection of some projects he was carrying out in various communities in the constituency. He said he will collaborate with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in the revitalisation of the PHCs. He expressed worry at the poor state of some of the primary health care centers promising to collaborate with both the…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Enugu State Government has announced that the administration has commenced payment of pensions to local government retirees in the state, even as the pension verification authority said it uncovered 2,640 ghost and deceased pensioners still on the payroll. Confirming the development on Sunday in Enugu, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Chidiebere Onyia, said the payment was in line with the promise of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration to clear outstanding pensions and gratuities inherited by the administration. He stated that more than 7,000 local government pensioners had since received payments following the governor’s…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Members of the Association of Radio and Television Technicians in Anambra State (ARTANS), Onitsha, have issued an appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to instruct his officials to discontinue the use of security operatives to harass and intimidate them in the market. They alleged that electronic dealers at Iweka Road, Onitsha, where they engage in electronic repairs, are enlisting the services of government agencies and the police in an attempt to remove them. In spite of a court order from the Anambra State High Court in Awka, the ARTANS group claims that the electronic dealers, who…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia South-East caucus of the National Assembly, has expressed fury over the non-inclusion of students of tertiary institutions from the zone in the students’ loan disbursement by the Federal Government. The caucus which described the sad development as part of marginalisation of Ndigbo, called on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUN), to quickly address the anomaly. A statement by the caucus on Sunday said it would not tolerate any attempt to deny students from the zone their rights. The caucus in the statement by its Leader , Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Igariwey…

 By Owei Lakemfa The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Monday August 19, made another public claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a peace proposal to end the war in the Palestine. The US christened its latest claim a “bridging proposal.” However, going by previous US announcements, this is maybe another false claim by the Biden administration. As in past, the US puts the burden on Hamas to accept the so-called proposal. Again as it claimed in previous offers, this is the best offer. However this time, the US proclaims that this could potentially be the…

By Ernest Ojukwu, SAN; Sam Erugo, SAN; Chidi Anselm Odinkalu; & Mbasekei Martin Obono  Amid the greatest crisis of judicial authority since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 23 August 2024 swore in an Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). For the new Chief Justice, this challenge is also an opportunity to articulate an agenda for reform that can restore public trust in the judiciary. Such an agenda must address the following: ensuring merit-based judicial appointments; addressing the problem of abuse of interim injunctions, ex-parteorders, and conflicting judgments; enhancing judicial discipline and accountability; addressing the crisis of political…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Concerned Igbo Stakeholders Forum (CISF), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called for the reversal of non-inclusion of South-East tertiary institutions in Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) beneficiaries. The Leader of the Forum, Chief Chukwuma Okenwa, made the call in a statement on Saturday in Enugu while reacting to exclusion of tertiary institutions in the South-East from the published beneficiaries of the Fund in its website. According to Okenwa, President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s non-inclusion of any higher institution in the South-East as a beneficiary in the NELFUND Student loan “is a joke taken too far.” He…