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Oji-River LG boss presents N1.33bn budget
Oji—The Chairman of Oji-River Local Government Area in Enugu State, Mr Gab Onuzulike has presented 2010 budget estimate to the legislative council. Tagged 'Budget of Light', its stands at N1.33billion.
Onuzulike noted that with the drive of his administration, the budget estimate would be realised, adding that a ten man-revenue committee had been inaugurated in each of the three development areas of the council to ensure that the target becomes a reality.
The budget will be funded from taxes, rates, local license earning from commercial undertakings, statutory allocations from the Federal and State Governments to realise the estimate.
On identified areas of concern to the council, Onuzulike noted that the reticulation and laying of ten inches cast pipes across Oji-Achi-Awgu Asphalt Road and Achi-Inyi-Awlaw-Owerri-Ezukali Road will take a large chunk of the budget.
Speaking after the presentation, the leader of Oji River Council, Mr Eugene Madubuko said that few months after the administration of the chairman came on board, he had shown that he was a transparent man, who can be trusted to fulfil his promises and assured that the legislative council will speedily ensure that the budget was passed.
Source: Vanguard, 28th April 2010.
Enugu Assembly passes NHIS Bill
By Agency Reporter
The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill into law, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The passage of the bill followed the presentation of a report from the joint committees on Health and Judiciary and its third reading during plenary at the House on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Joint Committee, David Atigwe, said the bill was referred to the committee on February 4 and that a public hearing was held in March.
Atigwe noted that with the passage of the bill, affordable health care services would be provided for all levels of income earners in the state's civil service.
Ruling on the motion to pass the bill, the Speaker, Eugene Odoh, commended members for their useful contributions since the inception of the bill.
He apologised for the delay in the passage of the bill which he attributed to other official engagements, urging implementing agencies to put necessary arrangements for its immediate implementation.
"With the passage of this bill, the contributions of civil servants in Enugu State will not be in vain as it will enable them to access health care services at minimal costs," he said.
In a related development, the Enugu State Road Maintenance Agency Bill has been introduced to the House by the deputy leader, Chief Mike Onyeze.
The executive bill which was not referred to any committee was to enable members to debate its merits and demerits before committing it to any committee.
Meanwhile, Odoh emphasised the need for the House Committee on Works to arrange for legislators to visit the rehabilitation sites at the Onitsha-Enugu and Enugu-Port Harcourt highways.
Source: Punch, 28th April 2010.
Thugs go wild in Enugu
TONY ITA ETIM, Enugu
Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs have manhandled protesting youths from several youth organizations from Umunano, Ozzi and Udenu communities, Enugu State.
The incident took place at a rally where a former gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), Ambassador Fidel Ayogu decamped to the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) at the Igbo-Eze North Local Government.
The youths were protesting an alleged decision of the PDP to bar fresh aspirants from contesting against federal and state legislators, most of who have served between eight and 12 years in office.
They displayed placards which read, " no to third-term for non-performing legislators; no fourth term in office; obey rotation arrangements ; PDP provide level playing ground for aspirants in 2011, Ensure internal Democracy in PDP" and "we won't support candidates sheepishly" .
Some of the youths who had "no to third-term" embossed on their vests or T-shirts were manhandled by suspected political thugs loyal to some of the incumbent legislators.
One Mr. Ephraim Apeh's head was broken by the hoodlums who also dispossessed people of their mobile telephone sets, cash and other valuables after manhandling them.
Meanwhile, at the rally, traditional rulers and leaders of thought in Nsukka Senatorial zone of Enugu state endorsed Governor Sullivan Chime for a second term in office and requested the governor to handover power to somebody from the zone in 2015.
They advised governorship aspirants from the area not to challenge Chime in the next years election as anybody doing so will not be supported by the people.
Chairman , Traditional Rulers Council, Nsukka zone, Igwe Simeon Osisi Itodo presented the position of the royal father and leaders of thought to Chime who was at the rally.
The royal fathers told Chime, "as our son, Dr. Fidel Ayogu today decamps to your party, we wish to emphatically reassure you of your second tenure and that no Nsukka man will disturb your good work till 2015.
"Any of our sons and daughters doing anything short of supporting your second term tenure is on his or her own and cannot have the support or consent of the entire traditional rulers, leaders of thought and the entire people of Nsukka cultural zone"
Earlier, the rulers and leaders of thought had presented Chime with an ofor, which is a symbol of truth and justice.
Source: Daily Champion, 28th April 2010.
Women March For Peace And Justice In Enugu
From Lawrence Njoku (Enugu)
A phenomenon that has over the years drawn national and international concern is the place of women in the affairs of their own society, especially surmounting the second fiddle role that has long been handed down on women.
A recent conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is said to have left hundreds of women raped and many others living in fear and penury. In Nigeria, states like Plateau, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu, and Cross River among others, have had communal and religious clashes with many women either raped, killed, tortured or displaced. Yet, this negative notoriety has continued unabated.
It is against this background that women in Enugu State recently staged a peaceful rally tagged "Join Women on the Bridge" in support of women in warring countries who are victims of these inhuman activities. The aim was to draw government's attention to these ugly developments as well as to preach for peace and unity.
The event, organised by the Women for Women International, an international humanitarian and non-governmental organization, saw the participants drawn from various local governments in the state and dressed in various attires, march round the city in solidarity with their colleagues.
They bore different banners with bold inscriptions including, 'Peace to Nigeria, Peace to the World; Join Women on the bridge; Women are Nation Builders, Stop the Abuse, Rape, and Torture of Women.'
The procession, guided by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, heralded by dancing and chanting of solidarity songs started around 10am at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium and ended in the afternoon at the Okpara Square.
As the women marched through the streets of the city, one thing that was prominent was the unity of purpose and commitment to the cause that really brought them together that day.
Mrs. Joy Ugwueze, a teacher at the Comprehensive Secondary School, Agbani, told The Guardian that she decided to be part of the rally following her discovery that "indeed women are passing through difficult times in the scheme of things in society."
Although the theme was targeted at shoring up support for those ravaged by war, she said that other circumstances affecting women, which she had witnessed could be likened to a war situation.
"I don't think you know what it means for a woman to lose her husband and be declared not wanted in a family she helped to build by her husband's people. That was the situation with of a woman here, who had three children from her marriage, but today, she has lost all these as a result of barbaric culture and traditions, was applied on her. Nobody asked her how the children would survive; nobody was interested in their welfare; they were all interested in wealth and who will remarry the woman. This is happening despite the awareness everywhere in the society."
She stated that, the procession for her was not entirely for womenfolk outside the country, but for the total emancipation of the female folk everywhere in Nigeria.
Ugwueze added that poverty and deprivation had its nucleus on the state of womenfolk, expressing regrets that nothing was being done to address the situation. She added that a situation where they could be offered equal playing ground with the male counterpart would greatly impact on their welfare and engender development.
In an address on the occasion, International Director and Founder of Women for Women International, Zainab Salbi, described the procession as one, which they hung their hope for peace and prosperity, stressing that though majority of the participants lived in poverty, they were strong, resilient and have refused to give up, despite the odds.
"It is in honour of every woman who decided to stand up and echo their voices in one united voice, we join with these women to let the world hear our cry and listen for once to what women have to say," said Salbi.
Country Director, Women for Women International, Nigeria, Ngozi Uchenna Eze, under whose auspices the event was organised told participants including officials in government that women have continued to bear main burdens of war and poverty, stressing that they congregated to stand up with their sisters still living and suffering in war-ravaged places of the world.
She added that the event was held in support of fellow women in Plateau, Ebonyi, Niger Delta, Enugu, Cross River and other states, where "we have had communal or religious clashes as well as women in other warring countries who are targets and victims of rape, torture, displacement and pillaging.
"The difference this time is that women are speaking out and stand united as they break their silence, demand an immediate end to war and the building of sustainable peace that will allow them to farm, harvest, go to work, send their children to schools, dance, live and eat without any fear."
She continued, "we are demanding that our leaders, politicians and people of goodwill ensure that government policies and actions support women and girls in building strong communities."
Eze, who said that the deprivations and its negative consequences were responsible for the establishment of the Women for Women International, to find ways of assisting women and moving them out of the present squalor, added that the organization had continued to impact positively on the lives and wellbeing of women.
"In Nigeria, we are presently working in Enugu and Plateau states. In Enugu state we are working in the following communities: Ugwuogo-Nike, NekeUno, Owo, Umulumgbe, Nachi, Aku, Idodo, Coal Camp, Abakpa-Nike, Akpoga Nike, Agbogugu, Edem, Ihe, Iwollo/Oghe, Ukehe, Ituku, Amokwe, Ogbaku, Opi, Umuoka and Ekoli-Okpanku," she said.
Others include Oduma, Ndeabor, Umuode, Oruku, Ngene Ugbo, Nimbo, Ugbene Ajima, Ezza-Nkwubor, Mgbidi, Ohofia, Mmaku and Nkwubor, while in Plateau, the organization works with men and women in the Muslim and Christian communities in Gwong, Sarki and Miango.
Eze said that as part of the effort to empower women, the organization had helped hundreds of them acquire skills in various trades, adding that some had engaged in meaningful agricultural and commercial purposes to sustain their families. "These are in the areas of poultry, animal husbandry, piggery, garri and rice processing, farming among others.
"We have trained over 28,000 women as at November 2009 in leadership, human rights, business, family, health and political awareness and skills. Of these women, 96 per cent began income-generating projects at the end of their courses," she said, adding that several men and traditional rulers have also benefited from the activities of the organisation.
For Ijeoma Igwenagu, the plight of women could get better should the hostilities they suffer during communal and religious conflicts be curtailed or checked as, according to her, "we are hardworking and have always believed in our abilities."
She stated that the peaceful procession had offered them opportunity to be part of the clamour for not just peace but women emancipation all over the world and called for policies that could enable them actualize the objectives.
President of Global Health Awareness Research Foundation GHARF Prof. Obioma Nworgu, while applauding the initiative urged action on the plight of women in the country, even as she challenged civil society organizations to continue to raise awareness on those issues - cultural, political and legal that silence and subordinate women.
Source: The Guardian, 25th April 2010.
Forum Claims Shoddy Job In Enugu Road Projects
By Onyedika Agbedo
A GROUP, the Igbo-Eze North Elite Forum (INEF), has condemned the slow pace and poor quality of work on road projects in Nsukka areas of Enugu State especially the Nsukka - Ibagwa- Enugu-Ezike- Ette road.
It appealed to Governor Sullivan Chime to show greater interest in on-going road projects in the zone.
The group also condemned attempts by politicians in the state to continue in office in utter disregard of the zoning principle of political offices in the state.
The INEF comprises professionals, civil/public servants and captains of industry who are indigenes of Igbo-Eze North Local Council Area of the state.
In a statement issued after its quarterly meeting at Enugu-Ezike, the group faulted the ongoing campaign by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to discard the zoning formula adopted by various communities to ensure peace in the state by allowing both performing and non-performing political office holders to go back to their respective offices unopposed come 2011.
In the statement signed by its Interim Chairman, Ignatius Apeh and Secretary, Ifeanyi Ukwaba, the group, however, commended Governor Chime for his achievements in office so far, which it described as a clear departure from what held sway in the last dispensation in the state.
They noted that the governor had recorded giant strides with on-going roads reconstruction projects in Enugu and Nsukka areas but expressed concern over the low-quality work as well as the slow pace of work on the road projects in the area, especially in the case of Nsukka-Ibagwa-Enugu-Ezike-Ette road.
The group noted that the political principle of power rotation or sharing had become a vital national political arrangement to ensure equity and give sense of belonging to the various segments of the society, saying the principle allows each of Igbo-Eze North and Udenu Local Councils a maximum of two consecutive tenures for a member of the House of Representatives who represents the constituency in the National Assembly.
Noting that it is currently the turn of the people of Igbo-Eze North to produce the member of the House of Representatives in the 2011 general elections, they charged all stakeholders, especially the leaders of political parties in the areas, to be guided by the arrangement that had been working smoothly since 1999 in order not to introduce disorder.
Source: The Guardian, 24th April 2010.
Enugu revenue board moves to increase IGR
Our Reporter
The Chairman of the board, Mr. Felix Chime, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) last Friday in Enugu that the board vowed that nobody or arm of government would be spared in an effort to raise revenue.
``Everybody must pay up their taxes to date before we can issue tax clearance. My staff have been warned to stay away from indiscriminately issuing clearances.
``Any one caught will be severely punished. Nobody will be spared,'' he said.
Chime added that even politicians wishing to contest elections in 2011 would have to pay up all their taxes.
The chairman announced that the board would introduce an electronic tax card in place of tax clearance.
``This is the first of its kind in the country. The beauty of the card is that it involves all sectors including artisans, commercial motorcyclists, traders, road transport workers union and others,'' he said.
He said that the informal sector would pay a flat rate of N3, 000 while the formal sector would be based on `Pay As You Earn' (PAYE).
Chime said in order to enforce the system, the board planned to co-opt members from the informal sector, including trade unions as agents to ensure compliance and effective implementation.
On issuance of tax clearance, Chime said that all individuals would be assessed to ensure that the person completed payment within three last years.
According to the chairman, tax clearance was for three years so the individual would be assessed for that period to ensure the he or she was up to date.
He, however, urged the people of the state to perform their civic responsibility by paying their taxes to complement government's efforts in the development of the state.
Source: Daily Champion, 19th April 2010.
Enugu to Explore Commercial Agriculture
By Agency Reporter, Published: Wednesday, 7 Apr 2010
Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Eric Oluedo, has said that the state would cultivate 1,000 hectares of land for each of pineapple, yellow pepper, rice, maize and cassava this year.
Oluedo said this in Enugu on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria
He said the agricultural policy was aimed at increasing food production on a commercial proportion to enhance food sufficiency.
The commissioner said that tractors would be provided for farmers at a subsidised rate to encourage more participation in commercial agriculture.
" It was in line with the realisation of food security that the state government embarked on the training of 165 graduates in agriculture at Songhai Farm in Benin Republic,'' Oluedo said.
Source: Punch, 7th April 2010.
Catholic Women Protest Cleric's Arrest, Detention
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
CATHOLIC women in Enugu yesterday staged a protest before the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Revd. Callistus Onaga, over the arrest and detention of a Catholic priest in Oruku, Revd. Fr. Chimezie Ani, while preaching a sermon in church on Sunday.
The police reportedly stormed the Catholic Church and disrupted the Easter Mass being celebrated by the parish priest, as worshippers fled into a nearby bush.
The cleric reportedly became the tenth person so far arrested by the police in Enugu since the renewed fighting on Friday between the Oruku and Umuode communities in Nkanu East Local Council area of the state.
The fighting has also left about two persons dead with several others sustaining serious injuries and property worth several millions destroyed.
Others arrested were the traditional ruler of Oruku, Cornelius Nnomeh and the president of the town union, Chief Okey Adenyi.
Heavy shooting was reported in the area on Friday when armed men from both sides engaged themselves in a gun-duel at a time the natives were preparing for the Easter celebration, bombing several houses with explosives suspected to be dynamites.
Residents of the two communities had engaged themselves in a protracted land dispute since 1990 when many lives were lost and many houses destroyed on both sides. The Umuode were forced into exile on account of the bloody conflict and only returned to their homeland in 2007 following the intervention of the Sullivan Chime administration.
Another major bloody clash was recorded in the area in 2008 following which a unit of mobile policemen was stationed in the two communities, while the Nkanu East Local Council took over the responsibility of their feeding.
The protesting women accused the state government of conniving with the police in carrying out a one-sided arrest in the latest development, stressing that all those arrested so far were Oruku people, while their Umuode counterparts were walking about freely.
But police said only six persons were being held so far, refuting allegations that they were being used by the government to effect one-sided arrests over the development
Police Public Relations Officer in Enugu, Ebere Amaraizu, said only those fingered in the latest attack were being arrested.
He said the weekend's incident followed a disagreement between the warring communities over the construction of a market by the Umuode side on the disputed Aguefi land
The placard-carrying women expressed their grievances over the arrest of the priest by the police and the alleged persecution of Oruku people by the Enugu State government.
The inscriptions on their placards read, "Save Oruku from extermination by IG of police, Anthony Onovo", "Release Our Igwe C.A. Nome," "Police arrest old man when Easter mass was going on," 'We cannot be forced out of our homes", "Enugu State Government is suppressing and oppressing Oruku."
Spokesperson of the protesters, Amaka Igwe, said that the people of Oruku had now realised that they were not fighting with Umuode's alone, adding that the policemen who invaded the community on Sunday were drafted on the orders of the IG and the Enugu State government to invade a whole town.
"So, we are helpless in this situation and we therefore came to tell the bishop that we don't know the whereabouts of our reverend father. We want the bishop to help us tell government to leave us alone. What offence have we committed? We never sent Umuode away. They said they wanted a settlement, we gave them a settlement but they refused to go there. They don't want us to rest because they have an IG in government. We don't have anybody, we don't have money, but we have God and we are fighting with God, " Ike stated.
Bishop Onaga, who was represented by the Secretary of the Enugu Diocese of Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Ambrose Agu, told the protesters that the priest was safe and assured them that the church would do everything possible to bring peace to the area.
Amaraizu said that one person from the Umuode side identified as Ikechukwu Ugwu, who was shot in the stomach, died at the Annunciation Specialist Hospital, Emene, Enugu on Friday while the second victim also from Umuode, Abel Egbo, who was shot on his right thigh, was rushed to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla where he was being treated.
He said that "on receiving information on the conflict, the police command mobilised security operatives to restore normalcy and I can tell you that the situation is calm now."
"Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and a good number of mobile policemen have been there since the crisis broke out and they will remain there to maintain law and order. Already, the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID, has commenced investigations to determine what actually happened," the PPRO said.
Meanwhile, the people of Oruku, especially the young men, have fled their homes for fear of arrest while hundreds of Umuode residents, including women and children, have been rendered homeless.
Source: The Guardian, 6th April 2010.
Kidnapping: Army Parades Notorious Kingpin in Enugu
From Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
The kingpin of the notorious kidnapping gang suspected to have been terrorising the entire states of the south east zone, especially Anambra, Abia and Imo was yesterday paraded before newsmen by the General Officer Commanding the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Mohammed Isah.
The kingpin was said to have in March 2007, kidnapped Nnewi based business mogul, Chief Pius Ogbuawa and two Chinese expatriates working at the Nnewi plant of Innoson Production Company. Though, Ogbuawa later secured her release after allegedly paying a N20 million ransom, one of the two Chinese nationals was killed and buried by their captors at their hideout in Ekoli-Edda, Afikpo South local government area of Ebonyi state.
The suspected leader of the gang, who was identified as Chukwuebuka Ike-Nwachukwu, 29, and hails from Ideani in Idemili North council of Anambra state, according to the Army was dismissed from the Military in 2008 for alleged malingering and had since then, engaged in the provision of training for the notorious gang at Ojoto and Ideani parts of Anambra State which operates under the aegis of Biafran United Liberation Council, an offshoot of MASSOB.
One of the leaders of the gang who was arrested by the police, one Innocent Orji had in his confessional statement to the Police at the Office of the Former Inspector General of Police, Michael Ehindero in 2008, implicated Chukwuebuka as providing training for the group and supplying them with weapons.
He had also said that the suspect led the attack on the Police station in Nnewi in 2008, where they made away with Police bullets, uniforms as well as AK47 rifles among others.
However, parading the suspect, who was dressed in full Military uniforms yesterday at the command headquarters in Enugu, the GOC, Major General Isah, said the suspect who served at the 9th Brigade Garrison in Lagos was dismissed from the army for malingering adding that since his dismissal, he had been engaged in several other criminal activities with the notorious gang, "killing, maiming and kidnapping innocent citizens of the south East".
Explaining that Chukwuebuka was arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State by Soldiers on road block on December 22 last year for impersonation, following the discovery that though he brandished Army identity card, his uniform he was putting on was that of an Army Captain.
He stated that when the team of Soldiers conducted further search on him, they discovered various Biafran apparatus on him, including MASSOB headed papers, flags, unexpended bullets, jack-knife, locally made- pistols among others.
"When we got the report that, he was an impersonator and with all the discoveries made about him, we ordered that he be transferred to Enugu for further interrogation. While in Enugu, we interrogated him and in fact was preparing to hand him over to the Police for prosecution, when information filtered in that he was on the wanted list of the Police in Anambra for various kidnapping offences and armed robbery.
"It was here that the confessional statement of Innocent Orji at the Police headquarters Abuja, which was recorded on tape was played and he (Orji) implicated Chukwuebuka as providing the group with training and arms used in their various nefarious activities", the GOC said.
Isah, who played the video tape of the recorded confessional statement made by Orji to the Police for Journalists and Chukwuebuka yesterday, said the shared information as well as evidence on ground proved that he (Chukwuebuka) was a high profile criminal.
He said that the discovery was made only two days ago, adding that the number of sim cards discovered on him was sufficient proof to the fact that he was fully involved in kidnapping and other nefarious acts.
He said the suspect would be transferred to the Police for prosecution, stressing that the Army would not condone further smear on her image by certain elements in the society.
But Chukwuebuka, who watched the video tape showing where he was indicted, though agreed to have known Innocent Orji for several years, as well as provided training for the gang, said he was a freedom fighter adding that, his duty was basically to ensure that they (gang) were acquainted with security tips that could help them in their fight for freedom.
Source: This Day, 2nd April 2010.
Enugu Allocates 300 Hectares of Land to FHA
Written by By Kuni Tyessi, Abuja
Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime has approved the allocation of 300 hectares of land to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) for the development of a housing estate in the state capital.
Chime gave the approval in Enugu while receiving an FHA delegation led by its Managing Director, Arc. Terver Gemade.
He directed that the allocation be made to the authority in the New City being developed by the state government on the outskirts of the state capital.
The governor expressed delight that the FHA was coming at a time the government was seeking partners in actualising its dream for the development of the state.
He also acceded to the FHA managing director's request for the state government to partner with the authority to facilitate housing development in the state.
However, rather than receive the number of houses commensurate with its equity participation through the funding of the development of infrastructure, Chime said the state preferred to take its own share
of the profit on the completion of the houses.
He also counselled the FHA to ensure that the houses to be built would be affordable to the people of the state.
Earlier, Gemade said his team was in Enugu as part of the authority's on-going land acquisition drive across the country.
He said the FHA had promised to deliver 106,000 housing units by 2013 and that it was determined that Nigerians in all parts of the country should benefit from the housing programme.
To ensure faithful delivery on that promise, the FHA boss said the Authority had devised eight models including direct construction, public-private partnership, public-public partnership, rental housing,
co-operative housing, regeneration and new town development.
He said the authority had delivered over 1,000 housing units in the past nine months which he said was a good improvement over the record in its 36 years of existence.
With three partnership agreements already signed and work commenced in one of the sites, he said the delivery of over 12,000 additional houses was well underway.
To further help in actualising the dreams of many Nigerians for home ownership, Gemade said the FHA was entering into a strategic alliance with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria for the provision of mortgages as a way of making home ownership easier for the people.
Source: Leadership, 2nd April 2010.
Ekulu River Layout: Family petitions
Gov. Chime
...Laments sale of family land to strangers by Housing Authority
From CHIDI NNADI, Enugu
Members of the Nwaewuigbo family of Enugu Urban 1 Autonomous Community, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State, are in great pains. Their father, Mr Christopher Ani, who inherited a parcel of land at Ekulu River Community Layout, Enugu from his fathers, is now lying critically ill in hospital over the shock he received when the workers of the Enugu State Housing Corporation with the help of security operatives allegedly descended on their land, destroying their property worth over N.5 million.
A spokesman of the family and son of Ani, Mr ManofGod Christopher, who came to Daily Sun's Enugu office, wept profusely as he narrated the ordeal of his family.
ManofGod told Daily Sun that the Enugu State government, had, in 2004 given his father the go-ahead to develop the land through the state official gazette number 3 volume 13, page B30 dated June 25, 2004.
The young Ani who sounded agitated said their family was surprised that the authorities of the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC) disregarded the official gazette to apportion plots in their land to other people.
Still lamenting on the woes of the family, he alleged that the worst happened when on March 16, 2010; ESHDC officials came to the land in company of some armed policemen to destroy the perimeter fence and metal gate the family erected.
He claimed that the continuous encroachment by the housing corporation into their land has given their father and breadwinner of the family to develop health complications resulting in stroke.
He, therefore, appealed to Governor Sullivan Chime to call the Managing Director of the ESHDC, Chief Ikeje Asogwa and his workers to order, saying that the encroachment into their land has already caused them their father who is now lying critically ill in hospital.
But when Daily Sun contacted Chief Asogwa on phone, he dismissed the claim of the Nwaewuigbo family, saying that they may have mentioned his name in error.
The ESHDC MD pointed out that the Ekulu River Community Layout is not under the jurisdiction of his corporation.When reminded that the Nwaewuigbo family has petitioned the governor and mentioned his name as the one responsible for their predicament, he retorted, "I am telling you that they have mentioned my name wrongly."
However, the young Ani said Asogwa may have denied his involvement as he knows that what his corporation was doing was wrong, making him to call on Governor Chime to prevail on the corporation to leave their land for them. Hear him:
Background
My name is ManofGod Christopher, the first son of Christopher Ani. My father is the heir and only surviving son of Nwaewuigbo family of Enugu Urban I Autonomous Community, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Our land
This land was inherited by my father from Agu Ani who inherited it from Ani Ugwu who inherited it from Ugwu Nwaewuigbo and Ugwu Nwaewuigbo inherited it from Nwaewuigbo who inherited it from Igbo. Ani Ugwu was the one who was alive at the advent of the British who came for coal in 1909 and it was on record that he supplied them with sharp sand from the bank of Ekulu River when they were building offices and residential quarters whilst still rearing cattle and other livestock, as well as farming on the same land uninterrupted.
What we used the land for before now
As I said earlier, our patrimonial parents have been farming and rearing animals on the land without interruption until 2002 when the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation attempted to trespass on it, but were stopped by my father physically.
The family, therefore, employed Divine Habitat Consultants (Town planners and land development advisers) to prepare a proposal to the state government for its development and this was adopted and published in the Enugu State Official Gazette of No 3 Vol. 13 page B30 dated 25th June 2004.
Whereabouts of my father
Right now, my father is bed-ridden and is in the hospital. You can see the doctor's report. Immediately after the approval of the plan by the government my father built a sight office on the land, made block and corrugated iron sheet. Housing Corporation made my father ill and since then his health has deteriorated.
What my father did to stop the Housing Corporation encroachment
On one of the occasions he obtained an interlocutory order restraining Enugu State government and her agents, assigns, officers and the Commissioner of Police Enugu State from interfering with his (my father's) enjoyment of the land and after which the land was published in the gazette by the Enugu State government and my father saw no need to continue with the case as page B30 of the gazette indicated that Nwaewuigbo family own the land to which my father is one of the heirs.
My father and his sickness
His condition became worse when on March 16, 2010, the Enugu State Housing Corporation came with armed policemen from SARS to destroy the perimeter fence and metal gate which the family erected.
We have lost the health of our father the breadwinner of the family and about N500,000 being the cost of the site house and the perimeter fence and gate installed. Presently, members of my family are psychologically traumatized.
What we want the MD of the Housing Corporation to doI am telling him to desist from further trespassing on the land and we are using this opportunity to appeal to the general public not to transact any business in respect of this land. If the MD has no regard for law let him remember God.
Our appeal to Governor Chime
I want our amiable Governor Sullivan Iheanacho Chime to look into our claim and if it is right call the MD of the Housing Corporation to order and for him to stop further molestation of the family over our property.
Already, the Nwaewuigbo family has contracted the services of a legal firm, Emerald Law Firm, based in Enugu who has petitioned the governor, stating the travails of the family.
The lawyers also noted that their clients were aware that the governor was not aware of what the corporation's MD was doing with their land.
They, therefore, pleaded with Chime to restrain the housing MD from further acts of trespass on the land.
They would also want the governor to order the immediate investigation of the illegal use of members of SARS by the Enugu State Police Command by the Housing Development Authority's MD just as they would want him to order him to indemnify "our clients of all damages suffered as a result of his irrational, delinquent and lawless actions."
Source: Sun, 31st March 2010.
Mysterious Fire Kills 3 in Enugu
ENUGU—THREE persons including a pregnant woman, her one year old son and housemaid were found dead in their two-room apartment in Enugu yesterday, following a fire outbreak that gutted one of the rooms.
The mysterious incident occurred at Neni Street in Ogui New Layout, Enugu, where the woman identified as Mrs. Amuche Onyia, a petty trader from Agbudu in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, resided with her only son and the housemaid, said to be about nine years.
One of her neighbours in the compound told Vanguard that the woman whose husband travelled to Calabar some days back, had gone to bed at about 1 am after concluding the day's domestic work with her housemaid. Unlike her usual habit of waking up as early as 6 am, the neighbour said members of the family were not seen outside when the tenants woke up yesterday morning, a situation that made them to draw closer to the building, which was erected behind one of the houses in the compound.
"On a closer look, we saw the entrance door and the two wooden windows locked but there were marks of tick smoke on both the door and windows while their slippers were lying at the doorstep," the neighbor narrated.
According to him, sensing that something dangerous must have taken place, the tenants rushed to Ogui police station and reported their strange discovery to the police, from where some policemen were detailed to ascertain what happed.
On arrival, they discovered that the only door to the house, which could be described as a Boys Quarter, was still locked from inside, while the policemen and the tenants had to force the door open, only to discover the lifeless bodies of the woman and her son lying behind the door of the front room, which served as their sitting room.
In the second room, the housemaid who had also given up the ghost was seen lying on the mattress placed on the floor of the room.
The policemen, however, observed that the sitting room was gutted by fire which might have resulted from a candle light placed near an upholstery chair closed to the entrance door. The rubber carpet in the room, the upholstery and electronic sets were completely burnt while the occupants were sleeping.
They were suspected to have died after inhaling the smoke that emitted from the burnt household property. The roof of the building was, however, intact.
Source: Vanguard, 25th March 2010.
Enugu: A city choking on garbage
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
THE innumerable heaps of refuse found all over Enugu, the Enugu State capital, also called the Coal City, did not spring up overnight.
When the heaps began to appear last year, the
Enugu State government, in October had made what it then termed, a response to the yearning of the public, when it announced major shake-up in the State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA), removing its Managing Director, Greg Anyaegbudike.
It also went ahead to move the parastatal, which was under the Ministry of Environment to the newly created Ministry of Capital City Development.
All that, the government reasoned, was for better performance and in line with efforts to restore the Coal City, currently celebrating her Centenary Anniversary, to its original master plan.
An ambitious effort by the Sullivan Chime-led administration to ensure effective disposal of refuse in Enugu and Nsukka urban, actually got underway in 2008 when it imported several compactors and over 1000 dump-stands distributed to strategic locations in the state for easy collection of refuse.
At a ceremony at Okpara Square where the facilities were handed over to ESWAMA, the governor spoke of the readiness of his administration to have a state that would be the envy of others "in cleanliness and order".
He had said that the facilities would not only make waste evacuation easy, but would complement the serene environment the government had in mind.
Indeed, the residents had applauded as the compactors began to move waste to locations and ESWAMA introduced the "bagging system" for all household waste before they were taken to the waste bins.
Gradually, things began to work and Enugu started getting back on track to regain her lost glory as a one-time cleanest state capital in the country.
But, sadly, that impetus has collapsed. The enthusiasm has fizzled out and the Coal City has once again been taken hostage by innumerable heaps of refuse with which motorists and pedestrians vie for any available space.
As the heaps of refuse grow and multiply, residents whose buildings are located near them have resorted to setting them on fire, in a bid to ward off dangerous and foul smelling odour that oozes out of the overflowing refuse heaps.
From Independence Layout to Trans-Ekulu, from Uwani to Coal Camp, Agbani Road, Awkunanaw, Abakpa, Amechi Road, Achara Layout among others, overflowing refuse bins are threatening to swallow the modest achievements made in the last three years of the Chime administration.
A resident of Abakpa Nike, Mrs. Ngozi Uzama, said ESWAMA had not evacuated refuse from their area since the second week of December.
Lamenting that such a situation poses grave danger to their health, Uzama called on the government to take urgent action before the situation gets out of hand.
Another resident, Mr. Benjamin Obeta, a butcher at the Ogbete Market, said the sanitary condition of the market was worrisome due to heaps of refuse in the area.
Calling on ESWAMA to quickly evacuate the refuse in the area, he explained that the situation had scared their customers from patronizing them.
Yet another, Chief Emeka Odogwu told The Guardian in front of his building at Ochi Street, Achara Layout, where a refuse heap had reduced movement on the newly rehabilitated streets, that the situation would be compounded should the rains begin.
He explained that though some residents, decided to place an alert that reads "No Dumping of Refuse Here" that has not improved the situation as "the people do not seem to know where else to dump their waste".
He continued: "As much as we hail the government for its efforts in road repairs, I do not think anybody in government can be proud of what is happening.
"There is genuine fear that an epidemic could break out with the amount of waste all over the state.
"I was shocked by the huge amount of rubbish I saw on my way back from Abakpa yesterday and residents have resorted to self-help by setting them on fire.
" But for how long? Very soon, the rains will come. These things will be washed into the gutters to block free flow of water, and soon after we will begin to talk about collapse of road, bad road and what have you. I think it is time for government to act."
It was gathered by The Guardian that the breakdown of most of the waste disposal trucks procured by the government has stalled prompt clearance of waste brought by residents to dumpsites.
A source at ESWAMA said on Thursday that, at least, nine out of the 15 waste disposal trucks are now grounded as a result of one fault or another less than two years after they were procured.
The source also said of the many trucks, which had been poorly maintained, only six trucks are functional.
"That is why it has been impossible for ESWAMA to clear the mountainous heaps of refuse from homes in Enugu and suburbs such as Emene.
But a top government functionary described the blame on faulty equipment as "diversionary and lame excuse", stressing that, the previous management of ESWAMA worked well with the said equipment and yet. achieved results.
He continued: "It was following this same excuse that government contracted pay loaders and tippers belonging to a construction company for use by the agency. Yet, the result has not changed".
He argued that handing ESWAMA over to a private organization could be the solution to the problems.
Further investigations revealed that there was also the very important factor of the inability of the management to settle over 12-months arrears of salary owed to workers as well as the attitude of residents, who, in the last few months, evaded payment of sanitation bills.
But Frank Egwu, Public Relations Officer of ESWAMA, told The Guardian, that though the agency had faced equipment problems some months ago, it has been able to overcome it and 14 trucks were in operation.
He blamed the large number of rubbish heaps on increasing population, which he said had been made responsible by the good governance and provision of amenities by the Chime administration.
He said: "You are aware we had equipment problems, but we have been able to over- come that.
"In fact, I will say that we don't have operational problems at present. However, population increase in the past two years because of infrastructure development has become a major challenge to the agency, such that the more you evacuate, the more they are dumped.
"The equipment on ground at the moment cannot sustain operation level and based on this, government is making effort to equip ESWAMA so it can operate to the satisfaction of the residents.
" Unfortunately, some residents continue to show negative attitude to settling sanitation bills, many of them in an attempt to avoid the monitoring teams set up by the agency, dispose their waste at nights and indiscriminately.
"We have what we call the regulatory hours and between 6.00a.m. and 8.00p.m. when we expect people should dispose their waste properly. But some have this attitude that only at odd hours would they dispose the waste and dump them anywhere they want. It is a big problem for the agency", he said.
Confirming that the workers were owed 13 months arrears of salary Egwu said such a situation did not dampen the zeal of the workers.
He added that cleanliness and order would be restored in Enugu before the end of the month.
Source: The Guardian, 15th March 2010.
Clara Chime's Rescue Mission For Enugu Women, Children
By Onyedika Agbedo
RECENTLY, wife of Enugu State Governor, Mrs Clara Chibuzo Chime, organised a three-day workshop in the state under her
Child and Mother Empowerment (CHIME) initiative, a pet-project she initiated in 2009 through which she wants to empower vulnerable children and mothers in the state using a bottom-top approach.
WOMEN and children have remained the most vulnerable groups in most societies. Virtually every programme initiated by past and serving governments, especially in Nigeria has brought little or no succour to them.
But in Enugu State, Mrs. Clara Chibuzo Chime, wife of Governor Sullivan Chime believes she can still make a difference in the lives of women and children.
So, for three days from February 17, 2010, she assembled over 500 women delegates from ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches and local councils for a seminar at the Presidential Hotel, Enugu under her pet-project, christened Child and Mother Empowerment (CHIME) to get their input into her welfare packages for this neglected class.
The seminar was co-organised by the CHIME Working Committee headed by Dr. Betty Agojiobi and RSB Associates, Lagos. Mrs. Chime, who opened the event, unveiled the vision, mission and goals of the project.
The dominance of women groups at the forum, according to the governor's wife was because they will drive the initiative at the grassroots. The project, she said, centres its activities on empowering children and mothers who are more vulnerable to certain risks in their communities.
CHIME started operations in 2009 with a sensitisation programme organised in the three senatorial zones of the state. Its visions are premised on empowering all vulnerable children and mothers in the state through a bottom-top approach and guiding them towards realising their full potentials and securing a sustainable future. It is designed to ensure that children and mothers in the state are catered for through access to quality education, healthcare services, acquisition of relevant skills and opportunities to promote their welfare, sustainably support their development and improve their values and contributions to the state.
The goals of the project also include strengthening the existing capacity of local groups to effectively support the child and mother empowerment programme and support new development of similar groups, and to raise funds for the actualisation of all CHIME programmes.
Mrs. Chime said the initiative is focusing on children and mothers because they are central to sustainable development in the society. "If you empower mothers, it will reflect on their children, families and their communities. An empowered child or mother has the potential of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance," she said.
The centre has Education Support Programme (ESP) for children and Industry-based Skill Acquisition Programme (ISAP) for mothers. Other programmes include Quality Healthcare Programme (QHP), packaged to improve their accessibility to better healthcare services and other health-related services such as portable water, proper sanitation through informed partnership with the service providers, local councils and community unions, among others.
Papers presented at the event include 'Involvement of Women in Politics and Public Decision Making', by Dr. Edith Nwosu of the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria (UNN). She advocated full participation of woman in the political process and called on political parties to be more gender-sensitive. Nwosu further canvassed that certain percentage of seats be reserved for women in public institutions as done in Rwanda.
She charged political parties to go beyond establishing women's wings by encouraging them to seek both elective and other public offices. Her words: "We should discard the traditional role of "cheer leaders" and assume position of "chair leaders." To ensure more women participation, she advised political parties to stop holding crucial party meetings at unholy hours, adding that "parties should establish appropriate mechanisms to elevate female candidates and elected officials."
In her paper titled 'Domestic Violence and Child Empowerment', Agujiobi identified the causes of domestic violence as it relates to women/family as disobedience and wrong manner of approach, stress, lack of finance and jealousy between men to women and women to men, among others.
She said that before "we can understand how to empower a child, we need to address the issue of child development. Children need parental friendship, love, attention, listening ear and qualitative education, among others."
"We should empower them by assisting them in choosing their career. We need to give them spiritual support and buy good motivational books for them. We need to educate them on their rights to shelter, protection, security, counselling and guidance, among others," she added.
Other papers delivered at the seminar were 'Core Values of Our Women and Child Labour' by Mrs Favour Ugwuanyi and Mrs. Angela Oji. Ugwuanyi noted the traditional commitment of the Enugu women to successful marriages and advised them to utilise their God-given seven power gifts.
At the end of the seminar, Mr. Roy Mbah Jr of RSB Associates said it was the first time such an event was being organised for women in the state. He said participants at the workshop were greatly enriched and expressed the hope that the CHIME Committee would set up structures that would engender the effectiveness of its activities in all the wards and local councils in the state. He praised the governor's wife for the initiative and called on women, youth and children of Enugu State to support the organisation.
Source: The Guardian, 13th March 2010.
Governor Chime Grilled In Witness Box At Lagos Court
By Omobola Tolu-Kusimo
THE courtroom can be an interesting place sometimes when it receives top dignitaries or influential personalities as it humbles them before the judge.
This was the case when an Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Kazeem Alogba received the Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime on Tuesday. Chime sat down patiently and was grilled in the witness box by the defence counsel, Mr. Owolabi for about one hour.
Governor Chime who had been in the High Court premises for more than three hours came into the court like an ordinary man to give evidence in a case he filed against one of his opponents in the 2007 governorship election, Chief Okechukwu Ezea over a statement Ezea made in 2007 that he wanted him dead.
The governor entered the court premises in the quietest way to the extent that he was hardly noticed by people around. He did not come with the usual entourage that accompanies a governor neither did he come in his official vehicle.
In fact, so humble did he look that he was driven out of the court premises in a Peugeot car with plate number VV 16 AAA. Besides, he sat beside the driver.
He was accompanied by a few men, one of who was his personal friend and Commissioner of Environment for the state.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was serene and spectators listened as the number one citizen of Enugu State gave his evidence in the open court. His countenance was cool and captivating. He answered the questions without arguing with the defence lawyer during cross-examination.
The dialogue went thus:
Owolabi: Did you hold any meeting with the defendant, Okechukwu?
Chime: I had a meeting with Okechukwu and some other contestants of the 2007 election. I went there with my Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Chijioke who is the first witness in this case and my close friend and two other people.
Owolabi: What was the purpose of the meeting?
Chime: After the election and my inauguration, I tried to bring everybody (contestants) back into the forum. All the people I contested with including the first defendant, Okechukwu, used to be members of our party, the Peoples Democratic party, PDP. As a matter of fact, the first defendant also ran for primaries in PDP but he came last and left the party after losing in the primaries. So I felt there was need for all of us to come back as a family to move the state forward. I have been able to bring back other opponents like Mr. Monye, Mr. Abala, Dr. Oscar Uguonu and others.
Owolabi: At the first meeting you had with the defendant, you asked him to withdraw his petition pending at the tribunal?
Chime: Yes, we discussed that because there will not be any reconciliation without that and it will show his willingness to join us. But that was not the condition for settlement because except for one, all the other went ahead with their petitions. The first defendant went ahead with his too.
Owolabi: When you asked the first defendant to withdraw the petition, he told you that he has to get back to consult his party?
Chime: No, he has disagreement with his party, the People's Progressive Alliance (PPA) and that is why he has left his party today.
At this point, Owolabi told the judge that he would not be able to continue with the trial as his next question bothers on one Sunday Okolo and pleaded for adjournment.
Justice Alogba who said he would not tolerate any lawyer coming to his court without proper preparations and in the interest of fair hearing and justice, adjourned the matter for further hearing.
Source: The Guardian, 13th March 2010.
Police Stray Bullets Kill 2 in Enugu
Policemen in Enugu who went for an arrest have ended up killing, at least two innocent persons while two others, who also sustained bullet wounds are currently receiving treatment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu .
The five-man police team went to arrest one Obiora Utondu of 23 Ochi Street , Achara Layout but failed to effect the arrest as the suspect reportedly turned violent, using a machete to inflict serious injury on one of the policemen.
The police in turn opened fire and in the process innocent passersby were gunned down and others wounded.
One of the victims was identified as Augustine Osita Obe, a 25-year-old trader at Timber Market, Maryland , Enugu, while the identities of the others among them an Okada rider, who also lost his life, were not disclosed.
Obe hailed from Amachalla, Enugu-Ezike in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State and was said to have just completed his secondary education before delving into buying and selling of plywood. .
It was gathered that the five-man team, led by one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ituma Ituma, from the Uwani Police Division who had gone for the arrest met a strong resistance.
Irked by the alleged recalcitrance of the suspect who allegedly displayed dangerous weapons including a machete, the security operatives were said to have opened fire, shooting sporadically and in the process, one of the bullets hit the young Obe on the chest, killing him instantly. Other victims had similar gun wounds.
An eye-witness told our reporter in Enugu that the incident occurred along Ochi Street in Enugu metropolis when the victims were returning from their day's businesses before running into the scene of the police shooting.
When visited, the residence of one of the deceased at Agbani Road , Enugu , scores of sympathizers were seen consoling the parents of the victim, who threatened to prosecute the police officers in court until justice was done.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims have been deposited at the Eastern Medical Centre, Enugu, waiting police autopsy.
It was learnt on Wednesday at the Uwani Police Station that the five member police team was already in cell waiting for interrogation. When contacted the Enugu Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Ebere Amaraizu only confirmed the death of one person.
Said he; "A case of assault was reported against one Obiora Utondu, a case of wounding in which he inflicted injury on one Pastor Jude Utondu of 23 Ochi street. Based on this the police went in to arrest Obiora who became violent and used machete on a police Corporal, Hycinth Ugwu. The suspect also went ahead to break the windscreen of the police Hilux van."
Amarizu said in an attempt to demobilize the violent Obiora the policemen reportedly opened fire and in the process an innocent victim was killed.
He said the police corporal was receiving treatment in hospital and that investigation was on.
He said the State police command was not taking the incident lightly especially with the murder of an innocent citizen, assuring that justice would be brought to bear on the matter.
Source: The Sun, 4th March 2010.
Enugu Residents Protest Police Killing
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
WHAT could have resulted in a breakdown in law and order was averted by the police in Enugu yesterday as residents of Achara Layout trooped to the streets in protest over the killing of two persons, including a 25-year-old trader at the Timber Market, Maryland, Enugu, by the police.
The residents, bearing green leaves were on their way to the state police headquarters to register their displeasure over the alleged shooting and killing of the two innocent persons, when they were encountered by the police who fired several canisters of tear gas that dispersed them.
The incident occurred at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday night, on Ochi Street, Achara Layout, leaving two other victims lying critical ill at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu.
But the police yesterday insisted that only one person was killed in the incident from a stray bullet fired by the team that carried out the operation, explaining that the gunshot was fired to demobilise and ward off a violent situation caused by the culprit it went to arrest.
The dead trader, who was identified as Augustine Osita Obe, hailed from Amachalla, Enugu-Ezike in Igboeze North Local Council Area of the state. He was said to have completed his secondary education two years ago before delving into the timber business and was returning home when he met his untimely death.
Source: The Guardian, 4th March 2010.
Enugu Lauds FG on New Polio Vaccine
Enugu—Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr Uche Uzochukwu has applauded the introduction of the new bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine, OPV, in the ongoing first round National Immunization Plus Days, NIPDS, in the state, noting that it was the only way of ensuring that children below five years of age are properly immunized against the deadly type 1 and type 2 wild poliovirus cases recently discovered in the country.
The wild polio virus according to medical experts is tenacious and could circulate very quickly in un-immunized children, causing lifelong paralysis.
The first NIPDs of 2010 was marked at the weekend, as the country tries to vaccinate more than 40 million children under five between 30 January and February 2.
Only about 388 polio cases were recorded in the country last year with majority of the victims coming from the Northern region. The Commissioner enjoined parents in the state to ensure that their wards were vaccinated during the NIPDS exercise.
Source: Vanguard, 1st Feb 2010.
Chime's Ploy Dims Opposition in Enugu
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State may have devised a ploy to deplete the ranks of the opposition in the state. The state Governor Sullivan Chime, who had to contend with some opposition party candidates during the 2007 election, may have succeeded in wooing those who contested with him.
The latest captors are the governorship candidates of the Accord Party (AP), Chief Ugochukwu Agballah and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Rev Oscar Egwuonwu. The two were guests of the governor at the swearing in of council chairmen in the state last week, and had visited and pledged their support to him. The two were among those who contested Chime's victory at the tribunal.
The development is part of the intrigues and realignment towards the 2011.
Explaining further the significance of the presence of the two politicians in Chime's camp, sources said that with the two politicians, a major hurdle on the governor's re-election bid in 2011 might have been removed. He said that the movement is only logical and in the best interest of the politicians, since their area might not get the chance to govern Enugu until the next 16 years.
Agballah was campaign manager to former Governor Chimaraoke Nnamani during the 1999 elections. He ran for governor in 2003 on the ticket of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) against Nnamani and in 2007, and against Chime in Accord Party when APGA denied him ticket.
Egwuonwu served as chairman of Udi council under Nnamani and later became a staunch critic of Nnamani following a petition against the administration at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This action raised his profile and encouraged him to challenge Nnamani in 2007. He remained a strong voice in the state until the verdict of the Court of Appeal in 2008, which restored Chime's victory.
Sources said that they fear for a mass exodus of their supporters to the ruling party. It was gathered that soon after Chime was declared victorious, supporters of the two men began to abandon them, due to what a former supporter described as "inability to oil the machinery of the party." The two men ran the election without campaign offices.
Another source attributed their defection tent with the governor as part of 'economic survival strategy," alleging that they had actually paid courtesy call to the governor, where they assured him of their support.
But sources closed to the government said that the romance was the outcome of intervention by prominent Udi persons in government, who had said that it was out of place to continue to fight when Chime, who is also from Udi is in power.
"I think the important thing is that Udi now has political power and that is why, even if there should be opposition to Chime at all, it should not come from Udi. What we are looking at is a situation where we can form a bloc to make it easy for the governor to return in 2011."
Agballah, last Monday, rode with the governor to the swearing in of new council chairmen, who are all PDP in the state, had sat with Egwuonwu and the governor, while the event lasted.
Although Egwuonwu refused to comment, one of his supporters said, "what do you expect him to say? He is a citizen of the state, who has no problem with the governor and since circumstances have changed, he ought to change as well. It is a demonstration of politics without bitterness."
At a public function recently Chime told party supporters that Enugu lacked credible opposition. He said that those who still pride themselves as opposition lacked principle and ideology. He said that the development strides and pattern of the administration of the state were responsible for the development. He advised the returnees to be patient and assured that they would at the appropriate time be rewarded for their loyalty.
Agballah and Egwuonwu have not formally declared for the PDP and there are doubts on how their loyalty would be retained by the party in the event positions in the state elude them.
On the equation of power in the state, should the rotation principle be followed, power will switch to Enugu North (Nsukka) for eight years and return to Enugu East for another eight years. This means that if Adada State is not created, the two men would not have enough political will or resources to prosecute another governorship election when it returns to Enugu West.
With the movement to PDP, it is believed that voices of dissent may have been finally buried in the state.
Mr. David Oko, said he did not believe that the romance by almost everybody in Enugu with the PDP could be sustained for a long time, stressing that the lure for occupation of office by those who felt that they have relationship with the governor or his relations would derail the process.
Oko said he had no sympathy for any group in the state but faulted the governor's statement that his achievement was attracting opposition to PDP.
"People flock to the PDP because they believe they would find what to eat there, not that the governor has been marvelous. It is just that for you to become anything in government or state, you must be identified with the PDP. And when these people feel they were going to be dropped from government, they will return to oppose," he said.
But Okey Ezea, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the 2007 election, said that the opposition parties and their supporters were not aware that Agballah and Egwuonwu had switched camps. Explaining that though it is their rights to join any party, he said their presence in the opposition dimmed after the Court of Appeal ruling that revalidated the mandate of Chime.
According to Ezea, "we have lost nothing as far as I am concerned because, so many factors could contribute to their movement. It is now that the stage is defined, people now know who the true opposition in the state is and those who have been pretending to be part of it. I will remain opposed to what is happening in Enugu and there are so many people in Enugu who are not satisfied with what is happening in this state.
"They are from Udi and no one expects an Udi man to fight or criticise what his brother is doing. I don't expect anything less. It is in line with our peculiar politics."
"I have always disagreed with the governor on principle. He is not a product of a fair and free democratic process, the way he conducted the council election for 2007 and 2009 has remained fraudulent. A situation where people cannot be allowed to elect their leader is tyrannical. Since he assumed office, he has not done much to make me change my position. Since 2007 he has not accounted to anybody how he has been spending Enugu money and his sycophants said he is performing. I have challenged him often to tell the people how he is spending the state's resources."
Although celebrations have been on air within the party over the recent development, it does not seem that all is well after all, following the persistent frosty relationship between the former governor Senator Chimaraoke Nnamani and the leadership of the state. Nnamani and his ally in the House of Representatives, KGB Oguakwa have vowed not to identify with the administration of the state.
When the state leadership of the party released recently the 2010 calendar, with the pictures of current members of the National Assembly from the state Nnamani and Oguakwa were omitted, giving indications that all is still not well in both camps.
The calendar has the functionaries of the party even to the council level as well as the only minister from the state. There were also the national chairman of the party, the South East Zonal chairman, the governor, his wife and deputy governor.
Criticising the party for humiliating the former governor and Oguakwa, who are still members of the PDP in the state, Chief John Ngwu said that, "it has shown there was no true reconciliation in the party."
He noted that the fact that the calendar was capturing functionaries of the party as well as those produced by it who are serving at the federal level should have as much as possible recognised the duo, stressing that they have overstretched the imbroglio.
"I thought we have realised that there is no need for quarrels. What you should realise is that these people that are being humiliated have strong supporters; one way or the other, they would one day, work either in the interest of the party or against it. The entire thing would depend on the way we are treating them today. We should learn to forgive and let go no matter the cost," he said.
But the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Okey Eze, said that the party wrote its members informing them of the calendar and requesting their portraits. "We did not get any picture from either Nnamani or Oguakwa. If they had forwarded their portraits, we would have used them, because they are still members of the PDP produced by the party in the state", he said.
Source: The Guardian, 20th January 2010.
Enugu Explains Repair of
Old Assembly Town Clock
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
ENUGU State government has said that it decided to rehabilitate the old Eastern Province House of Assembly Town Clock in recognition of the importance of the monument to the socio-political development of the area.
The Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory, John Egbo, explained that Governor Sullivan Chime embarked on the rehabilitation of the Town Clock built in 1948 as part of his administration's commitment to the upliftment of the state capital and the enthronement of a maintenance culture.
Egbo disclosed that the rehabilitation of the clock was undertaken by its original makers, Messrs Smith of Derby, who he said, were invited from the United Kingdom (UK) to maintain quality and ensure that the instrument was upgraded properly.
He noted that the slight adjustment in the mechanical structure of the clock was made by transforming it from manual to electronic, adding that the rehabilitation by engineers from the UK company had shown Governor Chime's commitment to a maintenance culture and a departure from the common belief that government's property is no man's property.
Egbo stated: "What His Excellency has done is a demonstration of his insistence that the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain. You would be sure that the Enugu Town Clock is at the centre of the Coal City legend. It is, therefore, instructive that the rehabilitation of the clock at this point in time is a veritable way of bringing back the original vision of our founding fathers and rekindling unity and love among residents".
While listing the benefits of the town clock, the commissioner stressed that whenever the clock ticks, it would not only rouse residents into productive activity, but also help in planning for their day's activities.
Egbo noted that the hurry and desperation exhibited by commuters were traceable to the lack of time consciousness.
"Our people should learn to plan adequately for their movement, especially for the day's activities. The rush and desperation that describe the city is traceable to lack of time consciousness. His Excellency has given impetus for our people to make hay while the sun shines. The clock is also a reminder of how far the city has come and it is a symbol of our unity and sense of enterprise", Egbo added.
Describing the town clock as the pride of old Eastern Region now spread into nine states, the commissioner disclosed that his authority was embarking on the resuscitation of other dilapidated monuments including the old Eastern Province House of Assembly, which he said, would serve as the temporary site for the Eyo Ita Hall of Fame for past leaders of the region.
Egbo explained that his authority would continue to search and rehabilitate other historical monuments in the capital city, pointing out that so, far the urban face-lift of Enugu would be in top gear this year even as he warned residents to desist from building shanties on open spaces or abandoned access roads in the city.
Source: The Guardian, 14th January 2010.
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