… says march to promised land continues.
In a bid to strengthen the democratic culture and make Biafra government institutions people-driven, the Biafra parliament has elected a new Head of Government to steer the ship of the group for the first term of two years.
A statement issued by BDFCG Spokesperson, Prosper Odinga, explained that in a majority decision, Anselmo Onyebuchi Udowelle was elected the new Chancellor to replace Dr. Emeka Okeadu effective 16th March 2024.
The statement said Biafran public is expected to accord the new chancellor every needed support to succeed; as the march to the promised land continues.
It congratulated Comrade Udowelle for being the 4th Chancellor of the Biafra De Facto Customary Government, and urged all Biafrans to continue to show the rest of Nigerians how to serve the people and run democratic institutions devoid of personal interest.
Comrade Udowelle, according to the statement, will be assisted by other Executive Officers, as well as members of the Parliament.
Those who are on the eating table think that they will continue to on the table forever. They hardly remember tomorrow. They keep on enjoying forgetting that there is tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow is not far .
The President of Nigeria is the most powerful single individual in the world ,he does anything he likes with constitutional backing . He has access to all the money in world to bribe anybody .
In this short series identifying the problem with Nigeria and possible solution , I will educating the masses on the conspiracy of the ruling class to keep the working class in perpetual rat race, thereby stopping any form of uprising against the privileged few.
Nigeria borrowed system of Government from America – Federal System of Government. But ,I reality practice spoon feeding federalism.
In Federal system of Government, the federal government controls foreign affairs,defence and immigration. States or Regions control their natural resources and pay tax to the centre .
Federal government has no business with licensing of oil in Anambra State . The major role Federal government is to defend the Constitution.
Umuahia – Abia State Governor, His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has approved the appointments of the following persons into the various respective offices:
Dr. Kalu U. Kalu – Executive Secretary, Primary Healthcare
Dr. Chimezie Okwuonu – CMD, Specialist/Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia
Prof. Ijeoma Nduka – CMD, ABSUTH
Dr. N.O.E. Kamanu – CMD, General Hospital, Aba
Dr. Odochi Azubuike – CEO, Health Management Board
Agbonma Ukaobasi – SSA, Ease of Doing Business
Mrs. Victoria Onwubiko – MD/CEO, ABSSAA
Lydia E. Onuoha – Chairman, ASUBEB
Dr. Eno J. Eze – Chairman, Civil Service Commission
Engnr. Kachy Etolue – Special Adviser, Energy
Dr. Ngozi Azodoh – Special Adviser, Health
Mrs. Nkolika Cleopatra Ubani – SSA, Legal
GOVERNING COUNCIL, ABIA STATE POLYTECHNIC, ABA
Stanley Egege – Chairman
Dr. Okoro, Christopher Kalu – Rector
Uchechukwu Job Iweha – Member
Rose Mbara Nelson – Member
Mrs. Lawrencia Onyemachi – Member
*GOVERNING COUNCIL, ABIA STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION TECHNICAL, AROCHUKWU:
Prof. Mba O. Okoronkwo, OON – Chairman
Prof. Solomon Umeham – Member
Dr. Nduka O. Elendu – Member
Mazi Obasi Lawson – Member
ABIANS IN DIASPORA COMMISSION:
Alwell Okey Agbara – Chairman
Leonard Ibeka – Member
Rev. Annie Onwuchekwa – Member
Engnr. Bob Ibeneme – Member
Prof. Ndubuisi Ekekwe – Member
SIGNED:
Kazie Uko
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Abia State
Government House, Umuahia.
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit instituted by a Coalition of Northern Groups seeking the exit of Igbos in the South East out of Nigeria.
The suit by the group of elders and politicians from the North, led by Nastura Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’i, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam was thrown out by the Judge following the persistent absence of the plaintiffs in court to establish their case.
When the matter came up, none of the plaintiffs was in court and they were not represented by lawyers.
Justice Ekwo, after going through the case file, discovered that the Northern groups have not been coming to court since 2022 till date and had no legal representation.
In a brief ruling, the Judge held that from all indications, the plaintiffs have abandoned their own suit.
Justice Ekwo therefore struck out the case for want of diligent prosecution.
The Northern group had filed the case asking the court to compel the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives to hasten the exit of the southeastern region out of Nigeria.
They pleaded that this should be done before the conclusion of the amendment of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
The secession request was contained in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 instituted by the group of elders and politicians from the North.
In the suit, they said allowing the Igbo to exit Nigeria would end violence and destruction in the South-East.
They also explained that this would stop the repeat of the 1967-1970 Civil War in Nigeria that led to wanton destruction of lives and property.
The groups also said this would put an end to the agitations by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu.
They prayed for, among others, a declaration that combined effect of the provisions of Section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution and Articles 1, 2, and 20 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act 2004, “is empowered to set in motion a framework for a referendum to allow the south-eastern region of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to decide on their bid for self-determination.”
They also urged the court to order the second, third and fourth defendants (the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly) “to provide a framework that will pave way for the self-determination of the south-eastern states so as to leave the geographical entity called Nigeria before any further step is taken to further amend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can be further amended at any time after the question of self-determination must have been resolved by Nigerians,” the plaintiffs said.
THE Federal Government, yesterday, issued a marching order, asking the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to withdraw licenses of non-performing electricity distribution companies, DISCOs.
This is as power generation dropped year-on-year, YoY, by 21 per cent to 3,475MW in March 2024, from 4,404MW in the corresponding period of 2023, due to many problems, especially low investment and inadequate gas supply.
But, on month-on-month, MoM to 3,475 megawatts, MW in March 2024, from 4,043MW in February 2024, thus causing many Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, to embark on loading.
Data obtained from the National System Operator, a unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, indicates that supply remains low, thus impacting negatively households and businesses nationwide.
The government accused the DisCos of not doing enough to improve supply despite the availability of power on the national grid.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu who stated this during a meeting with the head of it’s agencies in Abuja said the distribution segment remains the weakest link in the electricity supply value chain.
Adelabu stressed that NERC must look for creative ways of getting the DISCOs to improve supply including the imposition of stiff sanctions on utilities which fail to pick their allocations and outright cancellation of lincences.
He insisted that the franchise areas covered by the DISCOs were too large, adding the government would pursue a restructuring that would create smaller DISCOs with companies restricted to one state each.
“Distribution is our weakest point and it is the closest to the consumers. If we don’t get distribution right, to Nigerians, we’re not doing anything. So, efforts need to be put on this. In fact, we must intensify our efforts in ensuring that we address all issues relating to distribution.
“It is true that the distribution companies are in the hands of the private sector. We don’t have direct control. But we need to compel them for performance. They must perform. If they do not perform, all our effort in generation, in transmission is zero. I’ve also had a meeting with the Chairman of NERC on how we’re going to address these performance issues of the electricity distribution companies across the nation.
“Why we have new policies in our power sector policy framework, which we’re going to finalize to address long-term issues in distribution, we must proffer short-term solutions to the lingering crisis.
“Before we get to that, we’re talking about the issue of the capitalization of the discourse, for them to inject funds, to improve infrastructure.”
“We are talking about issues of restructuring the DISCOs along state lines, to make them manageable in size. Also, issuing new franchises to smaller DisCos to take over areas not being served by the existing ones or that have been underserved by the existing ones.
“I’ve said it before now that non performance of DISCOs in terms of epileptic power supply qualifies as a basis for revocation of license. Any DISCO that is found-wanting will be severely dealt with because their actions or inactions directly affect the performance of the sector”.
The Minister pointed out that willful refusal by any DISCO to take up available power “is a qualified basis for the revocation of licenses too”, adding that the distribution companies must be ready to pick up 90-99 percent of load allocated to them.
He described the ongoing electricity rationing across the country as unacceptable, disclosing the government plans to improve power generation from the present 4,000MW to 6,000MW in the next six months.
This, he said, would be achieved by paying off substantial debts owed to power generation companies and gas suppliers.
“So what we are looking at is to have an agreement to ramp up to a minimum of 6,000 megawatts within the next three to six months. I know that the highest we ever generated was 5,700, about three years ago. That was specifically November, 2021.
“And this 5,700 was also distributed. If we could achieve 5,700 at that time, I believe we still have infrastructure to generate between 6,000 and 6,500. In terms of the generating companies, I have no doubt in my mind that the existing capacity can give us 6,500 once there is stability in supply of gas.
“I’ve been to a number of the generating companies and I confirmed that they have this installed capacity. And a large percentage of this installed capacity is operational, but they are not available because of low or shortage in gas supply. Once there is gas supply, we want to ramp up generation to a minimum 6,000MW”.
He noted that while the Federal Government would continue to pay electricity subsidies in the short-term, it plans to gradually phase it out in the next three years and return the sector to a commercially driven tariff.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz explained that the fire that engulfed its substation in Kano happened while its engineers were trying to fix a leakage from one of its transformers.
Life is a mystery. We have no idea when we will appear in our mother’s womb ! When to be born . Neither do we know when we will leave the stage to join the supreme being!
We are all mortals . No matter how powerful , how connected and rich we may look in the eyes of men , someday ,we will definitely die.
The most powerful men in our villages have all died and forgotten. The Children and the communities have all moved on.Nations have lost their Presidents and they have moved on.
Dr Herbert Wigwe died in a helicopter crash in far away California,United States of America alongside 5 others , the wife – Chizoba, the first Son – Chizzi,
the former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group- Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo and two crew members . They died on February 9, 2024 and buried on March 09,2024( the Wigwes).
Dr Herbert Wigwe has fought like lion being a graduate of UNN . He has made a mark in the Nigeria Money Market . He died when his aged parents ,his family and his friends needed him most. Thousands of people depend on him for survival but as mortal , he left the stage unannounced.
There is a lesson to be learnt by all. According to Gov Sim Fubara , ” why all this struggle,to acquire wealth ,to acquire power and to even kill ,….. We should all aspire to have positive impact on humanity ”
Economic inequality has been a serious challenge in Africa. Most African Leaders send their children in organized system to study while creating income inequality at home.
Dr Herbert Wigwe played in the private sector and may not have power to provide basic needs of average Nigerians like affordable housing, living wage , surplus food , functional and qualitative education,quality health services , resources control ,good Governance etc. Wigwe and his colleagues in banking industry exploited Nigeria fraudulent system and made fortunes for themselves while the rest of Nigerians cry and commit suicide on daily basis. During the night of Tribute of Wigwe ,we all saw how the most powerful Nigerians cried like babies . These are captains of industries! These are CBN Governors ,These are top political figures in Nigeria ! Dr Herbert Wigwe must be a financial magician! Maybe the President did not take his advice on how to build modern Nigeria like he and his partner built Access Bank to global financial Institution.
But , back to humanity, I was in Intercontinental Bank when the former CBN Governor – Sanusi like a military commander removed Dr Erasmus Akimgbola management team and facilitated the take over of the big bank – Intercontinental Bank by Access Bank. But , that is not the direction I am going!
Access Bank was known in the banking industry as a Bank with least numbers of permanent employees. In an average branch of Access Bank of 15 staffers , only about 4 staffers were on permanent employment while the remaining 11 staffers were on contract . When the reality dawn on us that Access Bank would finally swallow the big intercontinental bank that hardly ‘joke’ with Staff welfare ( intercontinental bank does not use contract staff to do core banking work), most of us started looking elsewhere than to work in Access Bank. After the acquisition of Intercontinental Bank in most inhuman manners , many lost their lives to frustration,those who have no other alternative remained in Access Bank as slaves.
Access Bank has been posting billions of naira as profit after tax .Under the Leadership of Late Wigwe , for the sake of humanity,why should we allow graduation to work as contract staff even though they have access to banking softwares . This is modern slavery ! Today , most Banks like Access Bank are using contract staff as Tellers , Customer service Officers , Marketing Officers etc yet posting billions of naira as profit after tax! Is this how to make Africa great ? Is this how to build a modern society! Where is the traditional role of banking to intermediate between surplus and deficit sectors of the economy! Alas , Late Harbert and colleagues in the Banking Industry have politicians in their pockets- they are above the law of the land!
Life is nothing but vanity ! The death of Dr Herbert Wigwe come with great sorrow and pains but for the living ,there is a lesson for all of us . We must try as much as possible to narrow economic inequalities in our country. We must always pursue public interest that will benefit all not just few our friends.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is Ambassador of Good Governance Ministry
Operatives of State Intelligence Department (SID) in Bauchi Police Command have arrested Mustapha Tahiti, 35, a medical recorder with a maternity clinic at Kofar Ran for allegedly plotting to kill his cousin and the wife.
Police spokesman in Bauchi, Ahmed Wakil, said this in a statement yesterday. Wakil said investigation showed the suspect had grudges with his cousin for marrying his late elder brother’s wife, who he loved and wanted to marry.
Unfortunately, the widow did not want to marry him. The suspect, confessing, said he warned the victim not to marry the widow but he ignored.”
Wakil added the suspect was arrested on March 6, following intelligence at the disposal of the department.
“The suspect confessed to the alleged crime. He said he filled a syringe with insecticide chemical to be administered to the victims,” said Wakil.
Forty year-old Usman Mohammed has confessed to having impregnated a 15-year-old girl in Minna after having s3xual intercourse with her.
Mohammed said that each time the girl was returning from her Islamiya school, he spoke and cajoled her to an uncompleted building in Tayi village in Bosso where he had s3xual intercourse with her.
The suspect said that he usually gives the girl N100 or N200 each time he sleeps with her and tells her not to tell anyone about it, adding that he had lost count over the number of times he had unprotected s3x with her in the uncompleted building.
Trouble broke when the parents of the girl who is a JSS student at a secondary school in Minna took her to the hospital when she fell sick and it was discovered after several tests that she was pregnant with complications. During interrogation, the victim confessed to her parents that Usman Mohammed was the one who impregnated her while exposing all the things they had been doing together.
The Niger Station Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Wasiu Abiodun who confirmed the incident said that the suspect had confessed to the crime and has been arrested, adding that a preliminary investigation is ongoing at the Bosso Police Division.
Abiodun said that the suspect would be transferred to the state criminal investigation department in Minna for further investigation and diligent prosecution.
Sani Abdullahi a teacher at Government Secondary School Kuriga, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state has disclosed that one person was killed while about 280 pupils including teachers were abducted by bandits who invaded the secondary and primary schools in the community. The bandits were said to have invaded the schools located in the same proximity on Thursday at about 8am.
The teacher gave the figure that when the Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, along side government officials visited the area on Thursday evening. Abdullahi said a member of the Kaduna state Vigilante Service (KADVS) was killed by the bandits while 187 students and 125 pupils were missing. He added however that 25 pupils from the primary school later escaped and returned home.
“At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and retired home,” Abdullahi told the governor.
Narrating how the incident happened, he said he resumed work by 7:47am and entered the Acting Principal’s office to signed the staff register.
He said, “All of a sudden, the Acting Principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused, we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits ordered us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them because they were many.
So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people.
“I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community.
“Immediately our vigilante and personnel of Kaduna Vigilante Service (KADVS) followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed.
“The bandits killed one of the vigilante, we just buried him a short while ago.
“It was when we came back that we briefed the Village Head and we started making efforts to find out the actual number of pupils and teachers taken by the bandits.”
Speaking during the visit, the governor said he was saddened by news of the incident. The governor said, “Since I received the sad news of this incident, I have not had rest of mind because every child in Kaduna State is my child.
“So, I don’t want to you people to be disturbed.
“Let’s us pray to God to help and on our part as a government, we will not rest until these children return home”, the governor told the community.”
Sani promised to establish a Police Station and build a permanent camp for the military in the community.
He said he had briefed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, about the incident, adding that efforts were being made to deploy security forces to rescue the children.
“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you”, the governor assured .
Residents of the community who trooped out to the palace of the Village Head commended Sani for personally coming to identify with them in their trying moment.
Nwachukwu also revealed that scores of members of the IPOB/ESN members were killed in the operation that started on February 11, 2024, while a large cache of weapons, ammunition, bombs other items was recovered.
The Nigerian Army has announced the destruction of the alleged ‘Supreme Headquarters’ of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) at Mother Valley in Anambra State.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the feat was achieved through the combined security clearance operations led by Joint Task Force South East Operation.
Nwachukwu also revealed that scores of members of the IPOB/ESN members were killed in the operation that started on February 11, 2024, while a large cache of weapons, ammunition, bombs other items was recovered.
“… the combined JTF troops of NA, NN and NAF as well as personnel of NPF, DSS and NSCDC had cleared and liberated ORSU, EKE-UTUTU, TANGO ONE ORSUMORGHU, IHITEUKWA IHITTENANSA and LILU over the last 3 weeks.
“In continuation of the sustained operations, the JTF OPUK troops has today 7 March 2024 cleared and destroyed the notorious Supreme Headquarters of the terrorists Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN).
“The headquarters that serves as the last IPOB/ESN stronghold is located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra States respectively is about 5,000 feet below sea level. The well concealed and forested location affords the terrorists good cover from air surveillance.
“It also serves as their command and control centre and military council headquarters,” the statement said.
It, however, noted that during the operation, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many command Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops.
“The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralized while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush. Thus, all Ndi-Imo and Ndi-Anambra are requested to report any strange face in their communities to OPUK by dialing Emergency Line 193 and Press 2 from their phones.
“In addition to many weapons, equipment, IEDs and stolen vehicles recovered over the last 3 weeks, items recovered in the Mother Valley today include; 3 x G3 rifles, 9 x Automatic Pump Action Rifles, 7 x Double Barrel Guns, 2 x Locally Made Pistols, 2 x Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 2 x AK 47 Magazine and 1 x G3 Magazine. Others are 26 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 16 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 72 Pump Action Cartridges, 1 x Chainsaw, 1 x Laptop, 1 x CCTV DVR, 26 x CCTV Cameras.
“17x Baofeng Radios with Batteries and 10 without batteries including their chargers. Also recovered are, 6 x Handheld IEDs, 26 x android phones, 25 x normal phones, 1 x inverter, 1 x SIM Card Registration Machine, 4 x POS machines, 3 x Motorcycle batteries for igniting IEDs, 2 x Trumpets, 2 x Biafra flags, 20 x ESN certificates, 2 x Dairies containing details of ammunition and food supplies and 2 pairs of Biafra Liberation Army uniforms.
“The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the Valley housing the Supreme Headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control center, Buteuzor’s hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples and shrines used for occultic practices among many other items.
“The Force Commander Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, Major General Hassan Taiwo Dada wishes to appreciate the incredible cooperation of sister Services and other security agencies for the success achieved so far.”
The statement, however, noted that the Force Commander had advised the leaders of all liberated communities to return to their ancestral homes and emplace community efforts to ensure that all criminal elements not from their communities were allowed to return to desecrate their homelands.
