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About 503 persons were arrested by the Enugu State police command for various offences between March and December 2012.
The state commissioner of police, Mr. Musa Daura, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the achievements of the command last year.
He said suspects arrested within the period under review, included 99 for kidnapping, 201 for armed robbery, 37 for cultism, 21 for car snatching, six for NITEL and PHCN cables vandalism, eight for unlawful possession of fire arms/ammunition as well as 101 suspected members of Biafra Zionist Movement and 20 members of MASSOB.
He added that 10 other suspects were apprehended for other related offences.
The CP further hinted that the command rescued a total of 14 kidnap victims while 79 armed robbery cases were reported during the period.
Continuing,Daura said his command recovered a total of 87 arms and ammunitions, 68 locally-made pistols, 10 locally-made double barrel short guns, one revolver pistol of six rounds, four AK47 riffles, three Pump Action guns, one Brownie pistol and a total of 150 cartridges.
He further submitted that a total of 120 vehicles were recovered.
Of the 79 armed robbery cases reported, a total of 201 suspects were arrested and prosecuted accordingly, while a total of 14 kidnap cases were reported, leading to the arrest of 99 suspects who were prosecuted.
Daura noted that despite these achievements, the command faced several challenges in the discharge of its functions.
â€The challenges may be numerous but essentially,the inability of some members of the public to give timely and useful information to the police has been a source of worry just as inadequate number of patrol vehicles and other logistics are militating against our smooth operation,†the CP said.
He, however, thanked the Inspector General of Police Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, for his fatherly support to the command.
He also expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts of sister security agencies in the state, the media,all relevant stake holders in the business of security in the state and other members of the public while applauding his officers and men for their commitment towards battling crimes in the state.
He added that 10 other suspects were apprehended for other related offences.
The CP further hinted that the command rescued a total of 14 kidnap victims while 79 armed robbery cases were reported during the period.
Continuing,Daura said his command recovered a total of 87 arms and ammunitions, 68 locally-made pistols, 10 locally-made double barrel short guns, one revolver pistol of six rounds, four AK47 riffles, three Pump Action guns, one Brownie pistol and a total of 150 cartridges.
He further submitted that a total of 120 vehicles were recovered.
Of the 79 armed robbery cases reported, a total of 201 suspects were arrested and prosecuted accordingly, while a total of 14 kidnap cases were reported, leading to the arrest of 99 suspects who were prosecuted.
Daura noted that despite these achievements, the command faced several challenges in the discharge of its functions.
â€The challenges may be numerous but essentially,the inability of some members of the public to give timely and useful information to the police has been a source of worry just as inadequate number of patrol vehicles and other logistics are militating against our smooth operation,†the CP said.
He, however, thanked the Inspector General of Police Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, for his fatherly support to the command.
He also expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts of sister security agencies in the state, the media,all relevant stake holders in the business of security in the state and other members of the public while applauding his officers and men for their commitment towards battling crimes in the state.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Benin National Congress, BNC, a socio-cultural organisation in Edo State, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to consider running for the 2015 presidential election, if he fails to find solution to insecurity and crisis in the power sector. President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan
President of BNC, Mr. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo, in his paper entitled Nigeria: Nation-State in Dire Need of Patriots, at the 2012 Merit Award ceremony organised by the group in Benin City, accused the political class of abandoning public institutions for selfish reasons, adding that kidnapping and restiveness were a fall-out of mis-governance.
He charged President Jonathan to either stand up for the masses by exposing every agency of corruption, or deprive his party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of election victories in Nigeria.
He said: “President Jonathan promised heaven on earth when he appealed to us to support him, but today, it is sad to note that nothing is done to save Nigerians from the untold hardship and insecurity pervading the land. The President cannot say he wants a second term when he has not achieved any thing in his first term. Unless he solves our problems, we will stop him if he decides to run for a second term.â€
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Seven months after its fleet was grounded following the crash of its flight 992 on a scheduled flight from Abuja to Lagos, Dana Air, operator of the crashed plane, will resume domestic flights today.
Aviation authorities had temporarily grounded the airline following the crash of its plane in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb, on June 3, 2012, killing over 160 passengers and crewmembers as well as those on the ground in the neighbourhood.
THISDAY checks revealed yesterday that the airline, which had been making feverish preparations since it regained its Air Operation Certification (AOC) one month ago, has perfected all arrangements to ensure a hitch-free return to the air.
Its spokesperson, Mr. Tony Usidamen, in a telephone interview, said preparatory to full resumption of commercial flights, the airline yesterday had a pre-inaugural flight from Lagos to Abuja.
But he added that the flight had no commercial passengers on board, except some officials of the airline.
According to him, full commercial operations will begin today with the first commercial flight taking off at 9.45 am from Lagos to Abuja.
It was gathered that the inaugural flight would have on board government officials from regulatory agencies such as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), entertainers such as Basket Mouth, Denrele, Karen Igoh of Big Brother Africa fame, Durela, Buchi and Bovi.
Usidamen explained that a flight was dispatched yesterday by 4.20 pm to Abuja, which would airlift the first passengers of the airline from Abuja to Lagos by 7.30 am. He said: “It is true that Dana Airline will resume operations between Lagos and Abuja tomorrow (today). We did not resume today. What we did was just an inaugural flight. We did not carry any passenger.
“Tomorrow (today), by the grace of God, we will start normal flight operations with the flight positioning. We are taking off from Lagos by 9.45 in the morning, hoping to get to Abuja by 10.45 am.
“I can’t say categorically when our flight will leave Abuja back to Lagos. But the management will determine the time by tomorrow (today) morning.â€
With the resumption of flights, Dana Air would become the second Nigerian airline involved in a crash in the last 10 years that was allowed to fly. The first was Bellview Airlines.
While international best practices and the regulation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) dictate that unless investigations proved otherwise, authorities cannot stop an airline whose flight was involved in an accident from operating, usually, emotions, angst and sentiments have often informed the decision by the Federal Government to suspend the operations of airlines whose planes crashed.
On December 19, 2012, the House of Representatives made public the recommendations by its Committee on Aviation, which among others, directed that Dana Air should be stopped from operating and that the Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, should be suspended, a recommendation that many industry experts said was against ICAO regulations.
Experts said the House, by that recommendation, was usurping the responsibilities of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), which has the responsibility of investigating air crashes, as provided under Annexe 13 of ICAO.
Dana Air officials, however, are hopeful and optimistic that over time, the airline would recover its share of the market, which before the crash, was over 30 per cent. But many Nigerians do not think so.
Those, who spoke to THISDAY, said that it would take some time before passengers could trust Dana Air again. But others also spoke in favour of the airline, saying that they would fly the airline anytime it resumed operations. To recover its certification, Dana Air went through the rigorous process which the NCAA subjects new airlines before they obtain their AOC, including 50 hours of demonstration flights that the airline had to operate without passengers, except NCAA officials.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Tragedy struck in Idi Iroko, in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wednesday night when a fully loaded petrol tanker fell on Ago-Sasa road and spilled its contents which subsequently sparked up fire, leaving a mother and her two children dead.
The inferno was also said to have razed16 houses and shops in the area, while no fewer than 15 people also sustained injury during the incident.
Vanguard gathered that the three members of the family whose names were not ascertained as at time of filing the report, included the mother and two other children who were burnt beyond recognition.
An eye witness, who pleaded anonymity, said that the family members were already sleeping when the fire started.
He told our correspondent that the tanker was reportedly on iits way to a filling station when it fell.
“It was a serious incident, we were already on bed when it happened. A tanker was moving into a nearby filling station to unload its contents when it fell and spilled its content and caught fire.
“It was so bad because it happened in the night when people were already asleep. A family of three was wiped out and about 15 people were seriously injured in the inferno,†he said.
The source also confirmed that a four year old last child of the family survived the incident and was receiving treatment at the General Hospital in the area.
The Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Irunoje David Abiodun who confirmed the incident revealed that the tanker belonged to some smugglers who were trying to move fuel across the border.
He said that a fuel laden vehicle marked LAGOS AAA 36 XA, lost control and rammed into two other tankers before it burst into flame.
“I think there was a spark from the tanker and then it caught fire., The two children and the mother were burnt beyond recognition,†he said.
The commander hinted that the fire service in Ipokia Local Government was contacted but the damage had been done before the fire could be quenched.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Some residents of Abuja, yesterday, condemned the continued use of fireworks after the festive period.
The city had continued to experience fireworks and bangers three days into 2013, in spite of the intense firings on New Year eve.
A resident, Mr. Istifanus Friday, said: “One could hardly differentiate fireworks from any gunshots. The bangers were so much that I became confused.
“If a gun duel had ensured between two groups, one would hardly have known the difference.â€
Another resident, Miss Grace Akanwa, said it was not proper for people to continue using fireworks after the festive period.
She said: “Criminals can take advantage of the confusing nature of the sounds to perpetrate crime.â€
Some of the residents, however, commended security agencies for ensuring peace and security during the period.
Mr. Adbul Ibrahim, a civil servant, said the peace and security recorded in the city during the festive period was commendable. Ibrahim advocated greater support for the agencies to further guarantee the safety of lives and property in the city.
“It gives room for better association, interaction and development,†Ibrahim added.
He called for the replication of such level of security in other parts of the country.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Not everyone in Rivers State is on the same page in the rating of Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s performance since he assumed office. While some, harping on the his landmark transformation of basic education and primary health infrastructures and service delivery, consider his administration outstanding, others believe the government is willfully wasteful and delivering far less than expected to justify the huge cash inflow.
In the midst of the conflicting perceptions in assessment between the critics and supporters, almost everyone acknowledges that there has been marked improvement in the security situation since the coming of the governor into office.
This sameness in views develops from the terrible pre-Amaechi security situation in the state in which rivalry among gun-running militants’ factions and hoodlums against an incapacitated police gave criminals undue leverage to kill and destroy with impunity.
So precarious at the time, even the governor who was in the fight of his life through the courts to reclaim his stolen governorship mandate over the 2007 elections, was himself caught in the web of the high level of insecurity that prevailed. He was forced to relocate and execute the struggle for his robbed mandate from Ghana. Taking over the reins of power eventually, the governor wasted no time in dislodging the hitherto intractable forces of criminality in the state.
Measuring improvement content
Navigating the state from the stronghold of the criminals came on the platform of a drastic blend of capacity enhancement among security forces, particularly the police in Rivers and a cost intensive engagement of global experts partnering to provide cutting edge security infrastructures at the heart of making the state safe for residents and investors.
Not long ago, the governor convened a stock taking forum and exhibition on the infrastructures, solutions and the men behind the transformational progress his administration has made in building a safer Rivers State. In a presentation on state Investment In Security since 2008 and Vision for the Future, CEO, MPD Security Systems, David Meyer measured the progress made so far as encompassing “what the public can see, what they know and what they cannot see.â€
The security expert noted that owing to lack of manpower and under equipment of the police in relations to the population to secure, income inequality, tardy justice system, proliferation of firearms and other post conflicts challenges, crime was bound to be on the increase in Nigeria as the regular police is grossly incapacitated in fighting the criminals.
“The situation in Rivers not being an exception. The first step we took was to raise capacity among select police personnel, over 200, through local and overseas training in Israel and other parts of the world on modern crime fighting techniques and intelligence gathering,†Meyer explained.
Working with modern gadgets and substantial logistics including an Israeli trained concealed weapon detecting dog, these crossbred police team had since been strategically placed at main outskirt check posts witnessing mass movement in and out Port Harcourt City. Others lead a number of metro patrol teams responding to security emergencies around the town and environs. These are far as the public can see.
Beyond public view, as part of Rivers current long term vision of security, Meyer pointed to underground application of ICT aided security hardware and software helping the police to sense and react to security situations with dispatch. This network of technology managed by experts from a hub which Meyer would not disclose its location for security reasons, employs the C4I urban surveillance cameras watching over the city and active 24hrs of the day in Port Harcourt and environs.
The interactions between the seen and unseen infrastructures, according Meyer, account for the recent security operatives swift bursting of some of failed organised crime operations, including an attempted raid of a bank in the Mile 4 area of the city this year. “These measures have been working good and while the public may not know, it has lead to several arrests and we have gained convictions against suspects on account of the improved networkâ€, he emphasised.
Raising the bar in infrastructures readiness
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, any moment from now, the Rivers State Government’s security web would be two surveillance helicopters stronger, laying foundation for a standing air wing. Governor Amaechi disclosed this at the recent security forum.
He said the helicopters, costing $30m (N4.5bn) with surveillance cameras to fly all over the city of Port Harcourt and other parts of the state would arrive at the end of December and commence operations in January. He stated that Rivers now has in place a technology reliable for tracking criminals and their hideouts.
“We have pumped huge funds into Police Financing to provide expertise, equipment and logistics support. That is why I am an advocate of state police and you can testify that crime in and around Port Harcourt has reduced drastically†,Amaechi harped.
He said the huge security funding, aside the acquisition of the soon to land surveillance helicopters, has been devoted to facilitating a collaboration with various security agencies including the military, police and some Israeli partners.
While tasking the Rivers populace to pay their taxes promptly to strengthen capacity at steady improvement on security and other development interests of the state, the governor harped on the necessity for government and the private sector to provide jobs as the lasting preventive measure for ensuring a drop in crime rate in the state and Nigeria at large.
Critical public unimpressed
Notwithstanding the widely acknowledged improvement in the security situation in the state, not everybody is impressed by the progress gained under the current administration. At the heart of the critics’ grouse with the prevailing atmosphere is the feeling that the billions of naira the revolutionary interventions are claiming belie the progress as promoted by the government.
Passionately loud about the criticism of the government’s huge security investments is the Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Jerry Needam. The opposition party spokesperson is disturbed that in spite of the huge spending on security, police in the state still continues to fail in its policing duties as it is either not showing courage or has been caught napping in the fight against crimes such as a bank robbery in Choba in March, a car explosion at Rumuokoro in May, the gruesome murder of the Aluu four and the kidnap of the State Commissioner for Power, Augustine Wokoca along Omoku Road among other recent high profile cases. Needam accused the Amaechi -lead administration of wastage for leaving the state still ‘â€so porous to crime†despite the huge spending on security.
Others are of the view that the huge investment in security is self serving to the extent that it only finds expression in protecting the governor, other key political office holders and big corporations who respectively use political power and financial standing to engage a large proportion of the police, leaving the majority at the peril of criminals.
Yet, others are of the feeling that the massive investment and the steady progress being achieved by the government in securing the state are concentrated in the capital city, leaving the larger populace outside Port Harcourt prone to recurring crimes.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A middle-aged man identified as Ude Sebastine on Wednesday allegedly murdered his wife, Abigail in cold blood after both of them engaged in a midnight quarrel.
The incident took place at the couple’s residence around 4.30am in Ikata community, Ahaoda East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Though the reason for Ude’s action could not be immediately ascertained, the man, who had engaged in an all-night squabble with his wife, was said to have given Abigail several machete cuts that led to her death.
We gathered that members of the community that learnt about the ugly incident invited the police, who promptly arrested Ude.
Speaking with newsmen on the matter, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, said the suspect had since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“A suspect identified as Ude Sebastine was arrested this morning (Wednesday) by the police for allegedly killing his wife. The incident happened at Ikata community in Ahaoda East.
“We learnt that the woman, who was identified as Abigail Sebastine, was killed by her husband at about 4.30am after a quarrel.â€
The police commissioner also said nine suspected cult members, who unleashed terror on Ochiyiba community in the same council and allegedly killed one Mr. James Okpara in the process, had been arrested.
Indabawa explained that policemen assisted by operatives of the Joint Task Force cordoned off the area and embarked on an intense search for the hoodlums.
According to him, the suspects arrested are Godday Robinson, Sunny Nwineke, Richman Obasi, Wisdom Richard and Emmanuel Agi.
Others are 18 year-old Francis Godstime, Richard Akajiaku, Edward Ogbunike and ThankGod Okpara.
He listed items recovered from the suspects as a bag containing seven locally-made dynamite, six dynamite fuses and 14 dynamite wires.
The police commissioner, however, assured the people of the state of the command’s commitment towards stamping out crimes in the state, even as he solicited for their co-operation.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said providence saved him from the fire which recently burnt a part of his Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
If the fire which consumed his secretary’s office had occurred during the night, the former President said he would have been suffocated by fumes from the inferno.
He spoke when the executive members of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party visited him in Abeokuta.
According to him, the smoke from the fire, which enveloped his bedroom, was enough to kill any living being.
He said, “The fire, which occurred in the office of my private secretary, resulted in thick smoke which pervaded my bedroom. If it had happened at night, I would have been a dead person.â€
Obasanjo, who thanked God for sparing his life to witness the New Year, said since the incident, he had continued to receive calls from within and outside the country.
He said, “I want to thank you all who called me on the telephone, both within and outside the country. Let us appreciate the mercy and kindness of God. There were many of us who started last year, but are no more today. We are not mocking them but extolling God.
“In fact, that I am able to stand erect is God’s blessings. Many in my age group cannot stand well anymore. I am not mocking them, but I am thanking God. My hope and prayer are that this year will be a glorious year.â€
Earlier, the Chairman of the Lagos State PDP, Tunji Shelle, told Obasanjo that the visit was to sympathise with him over the incident, and to celebrate the New Year with him.
He said it was also to receive his blessings ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Shelle added, “Our Baba, our leader and our former President, we are here for three reasons: to symphatise with you over the incident; to celebrate new year with you and to get your blessings for the 2015 elections.
“Thank God, the fire was curtailed. Whether small or big, we don’t pray for such incident to happen again. In everything, we have to give thanks to God.â€
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
My affection for, and bond with, Imo State and its people run deep. As written by Bayo Olupohunda. In providing the background to my fated encounter and love for a state which I consider the pride of the Igbo nation and the country in general, permit me to make a useful digression. This aside will provide the context to why the people who are among the best educated, open-minded and sophisticated people I have ever met deserve the best than the present crop of leaders that have governed the state since the pioneering and visionary leadership of the Second Republic governor, the late Sam Mbakwe. Mbakwe, for me, is unarguably the father of modern Imo.
In the 1990s, after graduation, I had received my mandatory National Youth Service Corps call-up letter with apprehension. I had been posted to Imo State. I stood rooted on the spot in my university’s Students’ Affairs office in Lagos, confused, sad and dejected. Here was I, born and bred in the South-West with a call to serve my country in the South-East. My situation was not even helped that prior to that time, I had not ventured out of the South-West. So most of what I knew about the history and idiosyncrasies of the Igbos were from the history books.
Nonetheless, I headed for Owerri, the capital city in one of the longest road trips of my life. But the rest is history. My one year sojourn in Imo and the adventurous foray into the vast heartland remain the best moments of my life. My primary assignment with a local newspaper in Owerri afforded me the rare opportunity of visiting virtually all the local government areas and other states. The fond memories still endure and are deeply etched in my subconscious. Today, I still reminisce on the good old days in the Land of Hope now called the Eastern Heartland. The hospitality, tolerance, openness and worldview of the average Imo indigene distinguish them from others. Since then, Imo has become my adopted home.
Owerri bears all the imprints of a modern state capital. The inner city roads that connect the streets built by Sam Mbakwe are asphalted and clean. The interstate roads that link Owerri with major towns and neighbouring states are well-networked. The houses are planned. I remember strolling with fellow corps members on broad roads such as Amakohia, Douglas, Wetheral, Royce and Okigwe. The residential estates such as Aladinma, one of the many in the town, are also well-planned.
An average Imo is crazy about education. This explains why Owerri alone boasts a dozen higher institutions of learning. We walked freely in and out of the Government House without molestation (even under the military!). The serene areas around Alvan Ikoku, Shell Camp, Police Headquarters and Government House and the massive Catholic Cathedral were tourist attractions. Though I had arrived in the thick of military dictatorship, the enduring traces of good leadership which Mbakwe provided long after the thieving buccaneers came to wreck the state still endured. Like many other states in the federation, Imo, also bore the brunt of the long years of military brigandage. The military years are best forgotten. Those were the years when civil servants in the state were owed for months. All the good works done by the Mbakwe regime were left to rot. Concord Hotel, the Aluminium Smelter Plant Inyishi, the Paint factory in Abor-Mbaise, Avutu Poultry Farm and the Amaraku Power plant all became moribund.
I have visited the state in the last few years of democracy and recently during the incumbent, Rochas Okorocha’s leadership. In 2011, I was shocked that the two terms of former governor Achike Udenwa could not restore even Owerri to its former glory. The state of infrastructure was in a sorry state. Roads within the metropolis and those connecting the hinterland were impassable. The waterworks had dried up. I was especially scandalised by the state of inner city roads especially Okigwe Road and the agonising hours it took to navigate the Nkworji-Mbieri enroute Mbaitoli, my host’s village. The Ihedi Ohakim years did not fare any better. Apart from the much-vaunted beautification project, his tenure was largely defined by its many controversies.
Thus my joy knew no bounds when the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, was sworn in May 2011. His emergence was particularly inspiring, given his projected national image as a man that cares for the plight of the common man through the charity he founded. I tuned in to the TV to listen to Okorocha’s agenda to transform the state. His many speeches on national platforms portrayed him as a leader who will make a difference having been established in business and public altruism. Sadly, my joy has turned from disappointment to despair. I had dismissed the criticisms of the incumbent as one of the many antics of disgruntled political opponents until my recent visit. I had expected the city to be turned into a huge construction site. But nothing has changed. It appears the situation has even gone worse.
To me, Imo is a classic example of expectations gone awry. What struck me during my last visit about Owerri is the filthy environment. Mountains of refuse dot the landscape. What does it take to remove garbage in a compact city like Owerri? The roads in the capital and its environs are in a state of disrepair. Apart from the Government House, other parts of the city cut a picture of neglect. Okigwe Road leading to Orji is in a parlous state. Roads leading out of the state are either neglected or haphazardly done.
Now my joy of a new Imo has been dashed. Governance in the state has degenerated into chaos. Executive recklessness that defined the Ohakim years has found its way into Okorocha’s government. Hardly a day goes by without news of abuse or the other involving the governor and his aides. If they are not allegedly beating up an opponent, the convoy is ramming lesser mortals off the road. For me, it does not matter who is in the right or wrong. The governor has built a name over the years that should not be associated with any form of impunity or rascality whatsoever. He should be a peacemaker, bridge-builder and rallying point for leaders in the South-East.
A worrisome trend is his quixotic ideas and approach to governance. In Imo, the lines between philanthropy and governance are blurred. Why, for example, will the governor declare a two-week holiday thereby shutting government business down? Even Barack Obama had to interrupt his holiday to attend to the ‘Fiscal cliff’ imbroglio in the United States. The state needs every second of serious governance to revive moribund industries, address distressing poverty, infrastructural decay and the growing crime rate. Why, for instance, would the governor descend so low on national TV sharing rice, money and Indomie personally? Why waste state money so frivolously in the name of bonus? The governor’s so-called Imo Rescue Agenda is at best Utopian. Instead of the white elephant agenda, Okorocha should address concrete issues such as education, roads, urban renewal, potable water and health care. Job creation strategy must include efforts to revive moribund industries, attract new investors and encourage local production. The people of Imo did not vote for the governor to be more of the same. They voted for him to make a difference in their lives.
•Ms. Adamolekun is the National Coordinator of Enough-is-Enough, Nigeria
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Rivers State Governor; Chibuike Amaechi has sworn in six new female Permanent Secretaries and warned the new officials not to be involved in any corrupt practice.
Swearing-in the six female Permanent Secretaries at a special occasion at the Council Chamber of Government House in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Wednesday, Governor Amaechi while congratulating the new Permanent Secretaries, said they were appointed on merit and urged them to be fair and just as they contribute to the growth of the state’s sub-national economy.
Those newly sworn-in permanent secretaries are Dr Offor Nnesochi, Mrs Iragunima Comfort and Mrs Clara Gogo Princewill.
Others are; Mrs Amie Nemi Iwo, Mrs Wihioka Comfort and Dr Justina Jumbo.
The governor explained that the appointment of the six female permanent secretaries will increase the number of female permanent secretaries in the state civil service.
He also directed the Chairman of the State Civil Service and the Head of Service to put measures in place to promote civil servants who perform well and punish those who don’t, stressing that only civil servants deserving promotion should be promoted.
Meanwhile, at the state’s New Year banquet in Government House in Port Harcourt, Mr Amaechi Amaechi relieved the Commissioner for Special Duties; Mr Emeka Wogu of his appointment and replaced him with Mr Omunakwe Dickson, whose name will be sent to the Rivers State House of Assembly for confirmation.
The governor also used the party to take stock of fulfilled government promises to the people of the state on roads and other infrastructures in the past year, noting that his administration faced some challenges during the past year.
He reassured the people of improved power supply in the state in the New Year, commencement of work at the Greater Port Harcourt City, Port Harcourt water supply and the repair and completion of roads in various parts of the state amongst others.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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