Igbo Nation needs a political Leadership. Presently, there is a political leadership failures in the entire Region. Anambra State being the light of the Nation is expected to provide that Leadership come November this year. Our lives will depend on this election. If we get it right ,Igbo Nation is liberated.
We need a knowledgeable Governor that can organise both human and material resources to take Igbo nation out of Nigeria backwardness. That is PRM no 1 appraisal rating – Leadership !
The Northern States Governors Forum held an emergency virtual meeting on Monday 8th February 2021 to discuss issues affecting the region and the nation in general. The meeting was presided over by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong. The meeting resolved as follows:
1. That some of its Committee reports are at various stages of completion and resolved that all such reports should be turned in before the next meeting scheduled for the end of February in Kaduna where the reports will be deliberated upon.
2. On security of the region and the nation, the Forum noted with concern the growing wave of insecurity in the country particularly as it relates to circulation of unverified video clips on social media portraying violent attacks on persons in some parts of the country.
Therefore, Forum:
i. Called on political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals. The Forum reiterates that it condemns every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.
ii. Noted with concern the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country.
iii. Expressed concern that this is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals which the Northern Governors are working assiduously to contain.
iv. Stresses the urgent need for the Nigerian Governors Forum to meet and discuss the issue wholistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity.
v. Notes with concern that the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanization and population of the country. Consequently, Forum resolved to aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adapt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.
vi. Appeals to the Federal Government to support States with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production.
vii. Resolved to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion with a view to dousing the tensed security environment in the north. Accordingly, a four-man Committee was put in place to be headed by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.
viii. Called for restraint from leaders including those in the Southern parts of the country where passions are high. Similarly, they called on all the citizens of the north to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.
3. Forum congratulated the new Service Chiefs over their recent appointments and resolved to collaborate with them in enhancing the security of the region and the nation at large.
4. On its quest to acquire COVID-19 testing mobile vehicles, the Governors received briefing on the procurement of the vehicles which was still ongoing with the first batch about to be received. Accordingly, the Forum resolved to revalidate all requests made by member States in 2020.
Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong
Executive Governor of Plateau State &
Chairman, Northern States Governors Forum
8th February 2021
History is being made ! We are gradually fixing our politics. We are quietly restoring our trust system that was almost destroyed by our political players since after the civil war.
It takes a lot to gain peoples trust and confidence. You must have a history of consistency and ideological drive. We have our history in 2016/17 . We played ideological politics ,rejecting monetary offer to do away with our ideology. Politicians saw another breed of young people on rescue mission .
We hosted Ezeemo Team on today Radio program ! We proved to people that politics of ideas is better than politics of money . It is lack of trust that prompted short term benefit which is money and gift. While some people are busy moving from one church to the other with loads of money,hosting party meeting in different wards ,from one party godfather to the other with the same old rhetorics,wise ones are thinking messages that will win the hearts of party delegates.
Change is constant! This is one thing black men have refused to accept. In 2017,UPP imposed an unpopular Candidate on the party and that marked the end of Chekwas political sojourn. We warned him but he preferred short term and momentary benefit .Peter Obi and Victor Umeh disqualified many good Aspirants to impose the present Governor on APGA. Though ,he(Obi) succeeded but he never bargained what he went through at the hands of the same person he assisted to become Chief Executive of the State! Do we learn anything from the recent history ?
People are enjoying our stories at Odenigbo FM 99.1 every Monday.The followers are increasing by the day .Today ,it is about 150,000 across the country! The people are gathering under one canopy – the truth about good governance!
Mr Godwin Ezeemo Team did not disappoint anybody . They promoted Ezeemo brand ,it is left for the people to judge .Public opinion is being formed among PDP delegates. That is the idea of peoples Parliament. The journey has just started .
Chief Austin Chukwudi Oguejiofor, (Onwa Enugwu Ukwu n’Umunri, Okutalukwe Aguleri) is the CEO of FIRST ROTECH GROUP OF COMPANIES LTD, ROTECH ENERGY SERVICES LTD, ETC. He is a native of Enugwu Ukwu in Anambra State. Chief Oguejiofor is one of the big names in real estate business in the country. He spoke with our Reporters about his life, business and Anambra Real Estate Person of the Year Award which he won recently. Excerpts:
WHAT WERE THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT SHAPED YOUR THOUGHT INTO BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR?
A. Generally, I came from a Community you had big names like Chief R.O Nkwocha, Ide Enugwu Ukwu n’Umunri, and so many of them. I knew that entering into the business world would give me the latitude to help my family, myself and humanity at Large, because I love philanthropy. I enjoy investment and I love to give as God provides, and by the Grace of God, I have tried in that area.
Share with us your initial experience in Business
A. I was born into a very humble family. I did all manner of odd jobs to survive as a youth after my school, because as I said earlier, I was not born with silver spoon. My entry into the business world was marred with a lot of challenges. I started off as an electronic repair mechanic. I have always wanted my independence. I have never liked to work for anybody.
But my relocation to Abuja in 2008 or thereabout made me to discover new line of business in Real Estate which was booming in those days in Abuja. Abuja at that time was a developing City, and a lot of people were coming in to settle in Africa’s fastest growing city. So I took advantage of it. It was quite a challenging experience at the initial stage, but by dint of hard work and God’s Grace, we pulled through, and today we are one of the biggest players in the Real Estate business in Abuja, and now Anambra State, where we have answered the Clarion call of His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, (Akpokuedike) to come home and invest. His Akuluo Uno message captivated us, and we are here today.
HOW DID YOU GO INTO CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE?
A. As I said, when you come into an area, you need to discover the real needs and wants of the people. You tackle it. When I entered Abuja, it was a big problem for government to house and accommodate hundreds of thousands of people; as well as provide office spaces for new entrepreneurs entering the city. We thought of a way we could be of help and we took a dive into the business of real estate. As you know, when you are developing estates, you must provide infrastructures, like roads, drainages, etc. It happened that we came into the construction industry to provide services to our real estate company, and then later expand to work for other interest groups like Government, etc who will need our services.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH NKWELLE LUXURY ESTATE (THE FIRST ANAMBRA SMART CITY)?
A. We want to provide a safe, luxury, comfortable living arena for ndi Anambra, and Ndi Igbo in general where they can work, play and live with their families. It is modelled after government residential area, but in a bid to compliment Onitsha GRA that is already filled up. The target is to provide the basic necessities of life so that anybody coming into the Estate will have value for his or her money.
TELL US THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS OF YOURS IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD?
A. Well, I am proud of many accomplishments we have recorded in the Real Estate business. We have satisfied a lot of our customers by ensuring that we give them value for their money. But my investment in Anambra State today gives me a lot of joy as I have answered the Akuluo Uno call of His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano (Akpokuedike). The Anambra Place Luxury Estate, Nkwelle GRA gives me a lot of joy, and I am very happy as well as proud that a lot of our people are diligently investing there and acquiring properties that will give them peace of mind.
Q. RECENTLY YOU WON THE ANAMBRA REAL ESTATE PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE RECOGNISED IN YOUR HOME STATE?
A. Well, when you are celebrated for what you have done as a businessman or philanthropist, it should be considered as a challenge to do more. So, while appreciating the organizations that nominated me for this award, I am only going to strive to do more, thank you.
In my own opinion, the enemy of Ndigbo is Ndigbo itself. I remember a time in this country when all d 6 ministers in Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet were all Igbo’s. Ayim Pius Ayim was SGF, Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla was in charge finance, Emeka Wogu was in Labour and productivity, Berth Nnaji was in Power and Energy, Dieziani Madueke was d powerful minister for oil. The 6 of them outside d Federal Executive Council would meet and decide what and what not to be discussed at d larger FEC. Whatever they decided would eventually be d position of government. In 6 years, this was d situation. Okiro and Onovo had d police under their control. Ihejerika and later Minimah controlled d Army. These powerful Igbo’s could do and undo. Nigeria was in their pockets.
Rather than care about d poor Igbo chaps scattered all over d country, they were busy diverting billions of naira into their accounts at home and abroad. D 2nd Niger Bridge, they didn’t do. They shared d money. The Lagos/Calabar rail lines passing through 9 States, 3 of them in d SE, they were not bothered. They refused to pay d Chinese d Counter part fund. They shared d money. Enugu/Onitsha, Aba/PH and other roads of economic importance to their fellow Igbo’s, they abandoned.
Who is to blame? Who is marginalising d Igbo’s?
You had your chance, you bungled it. There was only 1 Yoruba minister worth mentioning at d time, Akinwunmi Adesina. He was in Agric. His budget was less than 1% while Emeka Wogu in Labor had over 10% for his ministry, Ayim had unlimited access to d treasury for d benefit of himself and family members. The poor Igbo guys meant nothing to him. If an Igbo becomes President tomorrow after Jonathan, will there be any difference? The Igbo man will marginalise his fellow Igbo people….. What’s your take ??
Good morning and happy Sunday everyone. I wish to remind you that we are not backing down on our mission. Good governance must be restored in Anambra, Alaigbo and beyond. Let’s not fold our hands and expect manna to fall from heaven .The least is to mobilize the people around you. Talk to them about our mission and the methodology that we intend to use to achieve it, which is political process. Convince your family members, close friends and neighbors on the importance of fixing our politics.
Everyone that loves and believes in PRM is expected to mobilize at least 20 persons. The people you mobilize will mobilize others and in a short time the whole state is covered.
Before the Anambra state election on 6th November, 2021 , PRM is targeting at least a hundred members in each and every polling stations in Anambra state. We expect to have PRM excos in all the polling units. If we are fifty percent successful, then it will be very difficult for anyone to impose a governor on us. We intend to use Anambra coming election to make a statement in Alaigbo that it shall no longer be business as usual.
My people, you can see that there are so much work to be done and ghost will not do them but you and I. Let’s stand up now before is too late. Wherever you are now please start the sensitization and mobilization. We must free and restore our land. If we don’t do that, nobody will do it for us. Stop waiting for a messiah that will never come to liberate us. The messiah is already here, you and I. If majority of us do what we suppose to do, we shall obtain our freedom. The only thing we need is the Truth which you have heard and is only the Truth that will set us free.
PRM!
FREEDOM AND JUSTICE!
Ahead of preparations for the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is pushing for the creation of additional 57,023 polling units.
The initiation is to enable more Nigerians to vote.
The agency has called a meeting for on Friday with the political parties in Abuja to table its proposals.
The INEC will also hold talks with Afenifere, Ohanaeze, Arewa Consultative Forum, PANDEF, the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs( NSCIA) and civil society groups, to secure their support for the plan.
If all the stakeholders endorse INEC’s plans, it will be the first time since 1996 that additional polling units, will be created.
Despite its surging population, the nation’s Polling Units in the last 25 years have remained at 119,973.
INEC will also no longer allow the setting up of Polling Units in private compounds, royal palaces, government houses, political party buildings, or facilities that are in dispute.
The proposals are contained in an INEC document titled “The State of Voter Access to Polling Units in Nigeria”.
Section 42 of the Electoral Act empowers INEC to create Polling Units.
Although INEC has not succeeded in the last 25 years to create more Polling Units because of suspicion, it explained that the time is ripe now.
In the document, the INEC said it is weighing three options.
These are:
Conversion of the existing 57,023 Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements to Polling Units
Application by residents of new area/settlement for Polling Units
Creation of Polling Areas in line with Section 13(3) of the Electoral Act 2010(as amended).
Although INEC said it has received 5,747 requests from communities and groups across the country, the electoral agency said it prefers to convert the existing 57,023 to Polling Units (PUs).
It claimed that such conversion will be less controversial.
It added: “The current configuration of 119,973 Polling Units was established by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1996.
“In the nearly 25-year period since then, every attempt to review or reconfigure the Polling Unit structure has been unsuccessful for sundry reasons. Consequently, the 1996 Polling Unit configuration was used for the 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 General Elections.
“When the Polling Unit structure was established in 1996, it was projected to serve about 50 million registered voters. However, the number of registered voters for the 1999 General Election was 57.93 million.
“This rose to 60.82 million in 2003, 61.56 million in 2007 and 73.52 million in 2011. Although the number declined to 68.83 million for the 2015 General Election following the cleaning up of the register through the use of Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) to eliminate double registrants, it rose to 84.04 million in 2019 as a result of the Commission embarking on a robust continuous voter registration exercise, as prescribed by law.
“The import of this development is that while the number of registered voters increased from 57.93 million in 1999 to 84.04 million in 2019, which is an increase of 45 percent, the number of Polling Units remained the same. This lack of correlation between the number of registered voters and the number of Polling Units since 1999 has resulted in congested Polling Units on Election Day and lack of Polling Units in many developing suburban and newly established settlements.
“The effects have been low voter turnout and voter apathy, insecurity at the Polling Units, disruption of elections and, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, unsafe voting environments.
“Indeed, presently, the average number of voters per Polling Unit in Nigeria, which stands at 700, is 37% more than the situation in Ghana.
