The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, (ANPA), is to hold free medical outreach in Abia State to complement the efforts of the state Government towards improving the healthcare sector of the state.
During the 10-day medical mission, scheduled for April 4 – 10, 2024, free surgeries would be conducted on patients with different medical cases, while thousands of others would be given free treatment.
According to a statement jointly signed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo; and the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee-cum-Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, Professor Azubuike Onyebuchi; a team of over 60 physicians and experts in different branches of medicine from North and South America, would be involved in the exercise.
The statement said that surgeries would be conducted simultaneously at three designated centres that house the necessary facilities: namely – FMC Umuahia, Abia Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, and Abia Specialist Hospital, Amachara, Umuahia.
It, however, explained that beneficiaries must have been screened and approved before the arrival of the experts from the Americas.
The statement enjoined residents of the state with various health challenges to present themselves for screening at the designated desk offices in all 17 General Hospitals in the state, as well as designated health centers.
According to the statement, date for the commencement of the screening exercise will soon be made public, adding that the screening will be bankrolled by the State Government.
The statement also said that free transport, to and fro the three surgery centres, would be provided by the State Government for patients from distant locations to ease the burden cost on the beneficiaries.
It said various complicated cases including screening for cancer would be carried out during the mission, adding that the foreign doctors will be working with Nigerian-based medical personnel including House Officers, as part of the effort to build capacity and transfer knowledge to the locals.
The statement urged residents of Abia with various complicated health challenges to take advantage of the rare opportunity to receive quality medicare free of charge.
It, however, stressed that only patients who had been screened and booked for surgery during the free registration exercise that would soon commence in all 17 LGAs that would be attended to by the ANPA team.
The statement further explained that the gesture was in recognition of the commitment of the Dr. Alex Otti-led administration towards improving the health sector.
According to the statement, the deliberate allocation of 15% of Abia’s 2024 budget estimate to health, is a demonstration of both the commitment and passion of the Governor for a transformed health sector.
It further noted that ANPA’s choice of Abia for the medical mission, was an acknowledgement of Governor Otti’s special attention to the health sector, demonstrated by his decision to, within the first six months of his administration, renovate and upgrade the Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia; Amachara General Hospital, Amachara; and the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, which facilitated the restoration of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) accreditation of the Abia State University Medical College. The accreditation was lost under the immediate past administration in the State.
The Anambra State Road and Traffic Maintenance Agency, ARTMA, has visited the Onitsha-Owerri road by Upper Iweka to install road signs with the inscription, ‘NO LOADING, USE THE PARKS’.
This was contained in an official release tagged, ARTMA REPORT.
The Agency through the report lamented the continuous turning of the sides of the roads into parks while there were designated points created by the State for the purpose.
It states, “For a very long time, bus drivers have turned the stretch of the road into motor parks while assigned parks are left empty. This trend has to stop as the Agency is working round the clock to align with Mr. Governor’s dream for a livable, smart, and prosperous homeland.
“We took time to clearly inspect and properly mark the parks of transport companies that load in the axis”.
The report further stated that the team also thoroughly cleared the Eze-Iweka junction that leads into Awada Obosi where commercial tricycle operators, fondly called, ‘Keke’ riders often block the road even for pedestrians.
“All the keke riders are to henceforth load and offload in the park provided, away from the junction.
“Finally, we impounded the Agbor and Asaba buses that load by the Bridgehead after several warnings and numerous road signs.
According to the Managing Director of the Agency, Engr Emeka Okonkwo, “it is very important to note that after proper enlightenment, the agency would impound defaulters without an option of fine. Vehicles would be impounded for 7 days for first offenders and 14 days subsequently.”
Street traders were also warned “to immediately quit such activities on the road”.
… accused approached us with eight hundred and fifty thousand naira for settlement – Complainants
Anambra State Government has taken a mortuary attendant, one Mr. Ugochukwu Joseph Uchenna to court over missing corpse of a twenty-six-year-old female, Chinonso Okeke.
Mr. Uchenna is said to be the owner of New Centuary Medical Complex Mortuary Isuaniocha, Awka North Council Area, where he also works.
Complainants in the matter, Mrs. Rejoice Odogwu, sister to the deceased, and Mr. Sopuruchukwu Okeke, husband to the deceased, told the Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo, that the late Chinonso’s body was deposited at New Centuary Medical Complex Mortuary Isuaniocha on the fourth of August, 2023, and when they were ready to bury their dead, they were given a different corpse.
Upon inquiry, they said Mr. Uchenna insisted that the corpse they were given was the one they brought, which according to them is not true.
They further alleged that the corpse handed over to them was that of an older woman, whereas theirs was a twenty-six-year-old female, and that the body deposited was on low cut before and after death, but the body given to them had her hair weaved, and has been operated upon, whereas theirs has never undergone any form of surgery, among other things.
Mr. Okeke notified the Commissioner that after they refused to take the corpse, Mr. Uchenna started threatening them.
When asked why they never visited the mortuary, Mrs. Odogwu said that her in-laws’ elder sister was denied access to the place because the mortuary attendant told her that they don’t give pregnant women access to the facility.
She also hinted that all the while the sister in-law was going to see the corpse, the mortician kept denying her access and asking of the date of the burial, which they didn’t take as anything, but rather trusted their services; only to get defrauded in October when they went to carry the remains of the late Chinonso.
The complainants further stated that Mr. Uchenna later approached them with the sum of eight hundred and fifty thousand naira for settlement after the matter has been reported to people.
After listening to the complainants and asking necessary questions, the Women Affairs Commissioner assured them of justice, and further handed the case over to the legal unit of the ministry.
It was gathered that the case has been filed and called up at Magistrate Court Achalla for hearing.
Four people, including two soldiers have been reportedly killed by gunmen who invaded some communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Friday.
The armed men were said to have attacked some communities in the local government leading to the death of two people . Some of the villages attacked include Abugbe, Okokolo, Ugboju, Odugbeho and Olegobidu
Two of the soldiers stationed at the council area on peacekeeping were said to have been shot dead when the armed men ambushed them while on patrol of the areas.
Some natives told our correspondent that the attack had started for a few days until it became worse when the armed men moved to Okokolo and attacked the people.
Confirming the attacks on Agatu communities, the lawmaker representing the Agatu state constituency in the state House of Assembly, Godwin Edo said two villagers were killed.
Edo said, “Yes, the attack was from herdsmen, It happened yesterday, (Thursday).
The 6 Division, Nigerian Army, has uncovered a bunkering site with 14 reservoirs used to stock over 3 million litres of crude oil meant for illegal refining activities in Odagwa community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This was discovered on Wednesday, when the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army/ Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force, South South, Operation DELTA SAFE, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, led an operation to the site.
Speaking with journalists, the GOC said the operators of the illegal reservoirs had about 49 crude oil boilers where they refined crude and moved it out through various channels.
Abdussalam noted that even with helicopter or drones, it would be difficult to discover the level of illegality existing in that forest. He disclosed that the discovery was made possible based on discreet intelligence, which led to locating over 14 reservoirs containing over 200,000 liters of crude oil each. He said “The idea of this movement is to let Nigeria and Nigerians know exactly what is happening.
This place is totally forested, even from the air using helicopter and drones, you will not be able to see what we actually saw on the ground.
“Based on credible intelligence which led us to this location, we have discovered so many illegalities taking place here. We have seen over 14 reservoirs which can contain upward of 200,000 litres of crude, in this bush.
“We also discovered about 49 boilers which are capable of processing crude oil, all located inside this forest. And you have seen the network of pipes and cables and other tools connected around the whole area.”
He further explained that “The crude we discovered in this site is in excess of daily crude export of Nigeria, which is very pathetic and very sad.
“Outside this bridge, we have a lot of well heads, most of them are not in use. It is from these well heads that these our people (bunkerers) put pipes and siphon this crude oil.”
The GOC also revealed that the discovery was part of their efforts to ensure that the federal government gets what is due to it, adding that the budget has been passed by the National Assembly and assented to by Mr. President which has become law.
He stressed that the budget is based on some parameters, “and one of those parameters is the crude oil production that we churn out everyday. So, any drop in that crude oil production will affect everybody in this country. But, our people are not aware of that and that is why they engage in this criminal and dirty business”.
Abdussalam, however, vowed that the military would sustain the fight against economic sabotage, assuring that the key players in the illegalities would be tracked.
“Few arrests have been made; but, those arrested are not the key players in this business. They are basically labourers.
“The main players have not been caught; but, now that we have discovered this place, with proper intelligence and investigation, we are going to apprehend them”, the GOC assured.
The traditional rulers, in a letter signed by Igwe Alfred Achebe, the chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council (ASTRC), said the way and manner the government maltreated and suspended members were disrespectful.
Igwe Achebe said Mr Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, the Commissioner in the Ministry, disrespected the traditional institution by taking unilateral action against traditional rulers and communicating with them through the social media.
He condemned the suspension of Igwe Damian Ezeani, the traditional ruler of Neni in Anaocha Local Government, for conferring chieftaincy title for alleged “non compliance with the Code of Conduct” as dehumanising and selective.
“Assuming that lgwe of Neni did not strictly comply with the Code of Conduct, would the foregoing factors not be sufficiently extenuating to warrant a far less sanction on him as was meted to some other tiny few that also failed to comply?
“The severity of suspension and threat of withdrawal of Certificate of Recognition suggests that there may be other issues with either lgwe of Neni or Distinguished Senator Ubah which are being stealthily ventilated in this circumstance.
“Your letter to lgwe Damian Ezeani was copied to the Commissioner of Police and Director of DSS, Anambra State, but not to the chairman of the ASTRC.
“This act, amongst many others, was seen by the traditional rulers of Anambra State as a measure of the worth of the traditional institution to the present administration.
“You publicly visited the sins of an unrecognized self-acclaimed traditional ruler on the entire State traditional institution, to which he does not belong,” he said.
Igwe Achebe said the traditional institution in Anambra comprised some of the finest sons of the State who achieved sterling academic heights and professional/vocational attainments.
He said the claim of the Commissioner that traditional rulers had demonstrated a penchant for trading chieftaincy titles for money was not supported by any evidence, adding that their stool was not sustained by it or government stipend.
He described the handling of the matter of conferment of honorary chieftaincy titles as the apogee of the progressive dehumanisation and dismantling of the traditional institution of Anambra by the present administration.
“The livelihood of the traditional rulers does not depend on selling chieftaincy titles or the N175,000 monthly stipend from the State government, but on their own hard-earned modest personal resources.
“By their office, age, attainment and standing in society, they deserve far better respect and dignity, than being publicly bullied and unfairly shamed at every opportunity by people in the State Government.
“The Federal and other State Governments hold the traditional institutions in high esteem. What then has gone wrong in Anambra State?
“The traditional institution of Anambra feels strongly that the present administration is progressively dehumanising and deprecating the institution against the trend in the rest of the country.
“The traditional institution is mindful of the awesomeness of the executive power and authority in our democratic dispensation but prays fervently that such power and authority, which come from God through the governed, should be exercised with due sensitivity and humaneness over the governed,” he said.
Achebe said contrary to the impression that the issue of honorary chieftaincy title was on the foremost front burner for the Anambra people, the communities were still faced with many development challenges.
According to him, key community challenges are the lack of basic amenities, including electricity, potable water, healthcare, good access roads, youth unemployment leading to other delinquencies and the inability of the communities to fund their contingents of the Anambra State Vigilante Group.
“We also demand respectable stipends from the five percent of the statutory allocation to the Local Government Councils as is applicable in other States of the Federation,” he said.
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF IGWE ALFRED ACHEBE’S OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR SOLUDO
ANAMBRA STATE Traditional Rulers Council
Office of the Chairman
Government House Awka.
Hon. Tony Collins Nwabunwanne,
Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Government of Anambra State, Awka.
NOTIFICATION FOR THE SUSPENSION OF HRH LGWE DAMIAN O. EZEANI, THE TRADITIONAL RULER OF NENI
I am writing in response to your letter, Ref: MLGCCA/HC/2022/T/025/001/103, of the above caption to me dated 8th January, 2024. This response also provides a fuller context of other events relating to the suspension of H.R.H lgwe Damian O Ezeani, the traditional ruler of Neni. Your letter was hand-delivered to me at Onitsha at 6:55pm on Tuesday, 09 January, 2024. I was curious about the timing of the delivery considering that I had presided at the meeting of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council (ASTRC) at Awka earlier in the day, where such a letter would normally be presented to me by the ASTRC secretariat. The letter was a justification for the Government’s suspension of lgwe Damian Ezeani as traditional ruler of his domain.
2. My suspicion that your letter was an after-thought was buttressed by the fact that your letter of suspension to lgwe Damian Ezeani of the same date, 8th January 2024, was already trending virally on social media for well over twenty four hours prior to my receipt of your letter. I was embarrassingly inundated with phone calls and messages from traditional rulers and other persons seeking clarification from me as chairman of ASTRC regarding a situation to which I was not privy. Your letter to lgwe Damian Ezeani was copied to the Commissioner of Police and Director of DSS, Anambra State, but not to the chairman of the ASTRC.
This act, amongst many others, was seen by the traditional rulers of Anambra State as a measure of the worth of the traditional institution to the present administration.
3. You were right in your letter that the Code of Conduct for traditional rulers in Anambra State is the creation of the traditional institution. It became effective as a self-regulating code following the 2013 Annual Seminar of Anambra State Traditional Rulers where it was presented and adopted. It was subsequently published in the book, “The Traditional Institution in a Modern Society” being the proceedings of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Seminars held in 2011, 2013, and 2014. The Code of Conduct was also re-issued in March 2020 under my signature as Chairman of the ASTRC. The ASTRC worked harmoniously on most occasions with previous administrations in the application of the Code, such that the ASTRC monitored compliance and recommended sanctions for non-compliance to the Government for necessary action. Now, it would appear that the present administration has completely appropriated the entire application of the Code of Conduct without the involvement of or reference to the ASTRC.
4. You may recall, Hon. Commissioner, that on 04 October 2023, Mr. Governor had called to tell me in a late-night telephone conversation that the Government was considering establishing rules to govern the actions of traditional rulers. The conversation was sequel to a chieftaincy conferment ceremony by a traditional ruler that was deemed inappropriate by the Government. I promptly drew the attention of Mr. Governor to the subsisting Code of Conduct which had served previous administrations and the traditional institution well and suggested that the present administration may need to review the Code for its current efficacy. I thereafter called the same night to brief you on my conversation with Mr. Governor. I also directed that copies of the above-mentioned book be made available to you and Mr. Governor the following morning before a meeting where the matter will be discussed. Having since not received any feedback from you or Mr. Governor, I assumed that the same order with previous administrations would continue to prevail.
5. In my said conversation with Mr. Governor on 04 October, 2023, I had also reminded him of the WhatsApp message he forwarded to me on 09 November, 2022 in which graphic allegations were made against a traditional ruler of Anambra State. I further reminded Mr. Governor that he never responded to my prompt advise by WhatsApp on the options for dealing with the allegations expeditiously. I also re-sent our WhatsApp exchange on the matter to Mr. Governor, but still did not get any reaction.
6. On the events over the last eight days or so, you will also recall that you called me severally on Saturday, 06 January, 2024 between 15:34 and 22:31 hours without reaching me. At 08:06 hours on Sunday morning, I called you and explained the circumstances that made me unreachable on the previous day. In our long conversation, you said that you were seeking to bring to my attention a press release that you were under pressure to issue. This was in connection with traditional rulers conferring honorary chieftaincy titles in violation of the Code of Conduct for Traditional Rulers and the Government directives. You specifically mentioned two cases only, namely, Igwe Ojoto, who conferred an honorary chieftaincy title on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah on 30 December, 2023, and the self-acclaimed traditional ruler of Nawfia, who conferred honorary chieftaincy titles on forty (40) persons on 04 January, 2024. You further confirmed that the press release had been issued, which I later found to be on 04 January, 2024, that is, the day prior to your unsuccessful attempt to reach me. In the conversation, you categorically did not mention, in any regard whatsoever, lgwe Neni who celebrated his Ofala on 29 December, 2023
7. In our above conversation, I made the following points:
A. Your desire to reach me on Saturday night seemed merely to justify a fait accompli, considering that you had already issued the press release two days earlier “under pressure”, as you said.
B. I noted that the self-acclaimed lgwe Nawfia, whose recognition was withheld by the Government due to pending matters in court, was consequently not considered a member of the State traditional institution. His activities should therefore not be associated with the State traditional institution in any manner. C. I distinctly pointed out that picking on the above two cases (Ojoto and Nawfia) by your office was selective and appeared to be a deliberate favoritism towards other cases which you were well aware of.
D. I reminded you that there had not been any reaction from you or Mr. Governor to our conversations of 04 October 2023 on the Code of Conduct for Traditional Rulers. You apologized for the failure to revert.
8. Fast forward to the meeting of the ASTRC on 09 January, 2024. The normal practice of the ASTRC secretariat is to immediately send electronic copies of important correspondence to me as they are received in the course of the month. On the day of the monthly meeting, a folder is presented to me with all correspondence for my attention, including the last-minute arrivals that were not forwarded electronically.
9. The folder presented to me on 09 January, 2024 included a press release and a letter to the Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council. Both documents were under your signature and were the same in caption, “Directives on Conferment of Chieftaincy Titles by Traditional Rulers”, date of 5th October, 2023, content and reference number. The twin documents raised further curiosity in me as follows.
A. A document from your office dated 05 October, 2023 for the attention of ASTRC should normally have been presented at its October monthly meeting on 10 October, 2023. Why, therefore, did three monthly meetings elapse before the above documents were presented at the 09 January 2024 monthly meeting? Categorically, this was the first time that either document had come to the attention of myself or the ASTRC.
B. There is an uncanny sequence of events whereby the two documents, presumably issued on 05 October 2023, the day following my late-night discussions with you and Mr. Governor on 04 October 2023, were not delivered until the ASTRC meeting of 09 January 2024, thus contradicting your apology to me on 07 January for lack of action since 04 October 2023. Is it, therefore, possible that both documents were after-thoughts which were created after the suspension of lgwe Neni on 08 January, 2024 and back-dated as a coverup and rationale for the suspension?
10. Back to your reference letter of 08 January, 2024 to me, you stated on the first paragraph that “a minority of traditional rulers have demonstrated a penchantfor trading chieftaincy titles for money thereby bringing the traditional institution to ridicule and disrepute”. Further, in the second paragraph, you stated that “A vast majority of traditional rulers conduct their exalted office with dignity and integrity and stick to the Code of Conduct. . . However, a tiny few still act reckless”‘. These statements were repeated in your letter of suspension to lgwe Neni as published on the social media. The effects of both letters are:
A. You publicly visited the sins of an unrecognized self-acclaimed traditional ruler on the entire State traditional institution, to which he does not belong.
B. Without providing evidence for your sweeping statement about trading chieftaincy titles for money you also, wittingly or not, thereby indicted the entire traditional institution of the State. Your press release to a global audience put the institution into disrepute when a direct circular letter to all traditional rulers as the parties of interest would have sufficed.
C. The tone and language of your letter were, by any measure, a public riot act and pontification to the same majority of traditional rulers that you extolled as acting with dignity and integrity. The letter lacked respect and sensitivity in addressing the traditional rulers of Anambra State who, by any standard, are held in very high esteem in the comity of the traditional institutions of Nigeria and beyond.
D. Your letter also stated that “lgwe Damian Ezeani, as traditional ruler of Neni, conferred such a phantom chieftaincy title on one Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in violation of the Code of Conduct and without clearance from the Ministry.” The ASTRC cannot yet take a view on the violation of the Code of Conduct until it receives a report from the ad-hoc committee it set up to meet with lgwe Neni. Nevertheless, it is very manifestly presented above that no written directives from your Ministry on conferment of chieftaincy titles existed before 08 January 2024 when lgwe Neni was suspended.
E. Your reference to a second-term Right Honorable Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as “one Senator Ifeanyi Ubah” is most disrespectful, offensive, and unbecoming of one holding a political office as Commissioner. It is noteworthy that a person can only qualify to contest elections after scaling through the highest level of security checks at the federal level. Furthermore, Distinguished Senator Ubah holds a chieftaincy title of his hometown, Nnewi, conferred on him by his monarch and Grand Patron of the Anambra State Traditional Institution, His Majesty, lgwe Kenneth O. Orizu. He is also a well-known business investor in Anambra State and a generous philanthropist.
F. Thus, assuming that lgwe Neni did not strictly comply with Code of Conduct, would the foregoing factors not be sufficiently extenuating to warrant a far less sanction on him as was meted to some other “tiny fen/’ that also failed to comply? The severity of suspension and threat of withdrawal of Certificate of Recognition suggests that there may be other issues with either lgwe Neni or Distinguished Senator Ubah which are being stealthily ventilated in this circumstance.
11. In conclusion, I would like to state very clearly that your handling of this matter of conferment of honorary chieftaincy titles is the apogee of the progressive dehumanization and dismantling of the traditional institution of Anambra State by the present administration. The institution comprises of some of the finest sons of Anambra State who achieved sterling academic heights and professional/vocational attainments. At the behest of their communities, they took up the role of traditional rulers as shining examples for selflessly giving back to their communities in particular, and society at large. They are the custodians of the culture and traditions of their people and lead on peace building, security, development issues, etc. Their livelihood does not depend on selling chieftaincy titles or the N175,000 monthly stipend from the State Government, but on their own hard-earned modest personal resources. By their office, age, attainment and standing in society, they deserve far better respect and dignity, than being publicly bullied and unfairly shamed at every opportunity by people in the State Government. The Federal and other State Governments hold the traditional institutions in high esteem. What then has gone wrong in Anambra State?
12. The current impression to the general public is that the issue of honorary chieftaincy title is on the foremost front burner for the Ndi Anambra. On the contrary, the traditional rulers would state for the umpteenth time that their key community challenges include lack of basic amenities (electricity, potable water, healthcare, good access roads, etc), youth unemployment leading to other delinquencies, security and the inability of the communities to fund their contingents of the Anambra State Vigilante Group (AVG), massive urban renewal for our sprawling cities, respectable stipends from the 5% of the statutory allocation to the Local Government Councils as is applicable in other States of the Federation, membership and structure of the ASTRC, etc. To sum up:
A. There were no formal or written directives from your Ministry on chieftaincy titles prior to the suspension of lgwe Neni by your letter of 08 January, 2024.
B. The Government’s suspension of lgwe Neni was selective and consciously ignored other recent cases of violation of the Code of Conduct which have been brought to your attention.
C. Your claim that traditional rulers have ‘{demonstrated a penchantfor trading chieftaincy titles for money/’ was not supported by any evidence.
D. Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is not an unknown entity in Anambra State or Nigeria, including to the present administration. Thus, the suspension of lgwe Neni and threat to withdraw his Certificate of Recognition for apparently violating the Code of Conduct by giving him a chieftaincy title was extreme in comparison with other recent cases.
E. The traditional institution of Anambra State feels strongly that the present administration is progressively dehumanizing and deprecating the institution against the trend in the rest of the country where the Federal and State Governments accord dignity and respect to the institution.
F. The traditional institution is mindful of the awesomeness of executive power and authority in our democratic dispensation but prays fervently that such power and authority, which derive from God through the governed, should be exercised with due sensitivity and humaneness over the governed.
13. Dear Hon Commissioner, I thank you for your attention and express my whole-hearted willingness to engage further with you on all the points in this letter in the hope of restoring the dignity of the traditional institution of Anambra State. Please, also, bear in mind that Mr. Governor has made two promises that remain outstanding, namely, to meet with a small number of traditional rulers on issues of concern to the traditional institution, and to address all traditional rulers once more. Kindly make these two commitments happen soon, as well as at regular intervals.
14. Finally, since your communication to the traditional rulers of the State on this matter has mainly been through press releases and interviews, it would be fair and proper that this response is also made available to the media for the purpose of balance.
For and on behalf of the Anambra State traditional rulers,
Yours sincerely,
Nnaemeka A. Achebe, CFR, mni
Obi of Onitsha
Chairman, ASTRC
In furtherance of Public, Private, Community Partnership of the Soludo administration, a German based clinic has volunteered to fix the dilapidations noticed in some rural schools.
The Chief Executive Officer and Manager of the clinic, Mr Ekene Henry Arize, disclosed this during a courtesy call to the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh.
Mr Arize states that he was deeply touched by dilapidation in some schools when he visited the rural communities. “I have come to receive government’s authorisation to rebuild them”
Responding, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh said that the thinking of Mr Arize was in line with Gov. Soludo’s program of turning our public schools to smart schools and Public Private Community Partnership.
She applauded the benefactor for coming to the assistance of the State and promised to provide the needed support.
Credit: Nnaemeka Egwuonwu
Those who have skeleton in the cupboard cannot fight for the people . Unfortunately,98% of Nigeria politicians occupying public spaces have something to hide and cannot speak for the common man on the street. GGM is here to change the narrative. We are the only political Ministry in Nigeria . Ndubusi,GGM
Once regarded as the ‘home of peace and tourism,’ Plateau State in Nigeria’s Northcentral has degenerated into a killing field of sorts. Security of lives and property is no longer guaranteed, as blood-cuddling tales of killings of innocent and hapless residents by suspected bandits and ethnic militia abound. The situation has kept the state government and security agencies on their toes in a bid to fish out the perpetrators. KOLADE ADEYEMI reports
The unscheduled visit of the Plateau State Governor, Barr Caleb Mutfwang, to the Chief of Defense Staff, Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, this week, in Abuja, showed that all is not well in the state.
The visit also confirmed fears that the state governor may be hamstrung in finding a solution to the wanton killings he inherited when he took over governance on May 29. Plateau State, once regarded as the ‘home of peace and tourism,’ in the North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, has been the theatre of wanton killings, presumably by bandits and ethnic militia. As of July 7, 2023, no fewer than 204 persons were said to have been killed by gunmen.
Barely a week after that, the casualty figure rose to 346. And at the last count, over 20,000 survivors are said to have been displaced and taking refuge in camps across the state. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, too has grown to 14 at the time of compiling this report.
A human rights organization known as Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, which dished out the figures, said they were recorded within the last three months of mayhem (April-July) across the eight Local Government Areas in Plateau State.
The BBC reveals how the late megachurch leader TB Joshua, who is accused of committing sexual crimes on a mass scale, locked up his own daughter and tortured her for years before leaving her homeless on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.
Warning: Contains details some readers may find distressing
“My dad had fear, constant fear. He was very afraid that someone would speak up,” says one of the pastor’s daughters, Ajoke – one of the first whistle-blowers to reach out to the BBC about the abuse she witnessed at her father’s church, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan).
TB Joshua, who died in 2021 at the age of 57, is accused of widespread abuse and torture spanning almost 20 years.
Now aged 27, Ajoke lives in hiding and has dropped her surname “Joshua” – the BBC is not publishing her new name. Little is known about Ajoke’s birth mother, who was believed to be one of TB Joshua’s congregants. Ajoke says she was raised by Evelyn, Joshua’s widow, from as early as she can remember.
Until the age of seven, Ajoke says she had a very happy childhood, going on holiday with the Joshua family to places like Dubai. But one day everything changed. She was suspended from school for a misdemeanor, and a local journalist wrote an article referring to her as the illegitimate child of TB Joshua. She was pulled out of school and taken to the Scoan compound in Lagos.
“I was made to move to the disciples’ room. I didn’t volunteer to be a disciple. I was made to join,” she says.
The disciples were an elite group of dedicated followers who served TB Joshua and lived with him inside the maze-like structure of the church. They came from all over the world, many staying at the compound for decades.
They lived under a strict set of rules: forbidden to sleep for more than a few hours at a time, prohibited from using their own phones or having access to their personal emails, and forced to call TB Joshua “Daddy”.
“The disciples were both brainwashed and enablers. Everybody was just acting based on command – like zombies. Nobody was questioning anything,” she says.
Just a child, Ajoke would not follow the rules like the other disciples: she refused to stand up when the pastor came into the room and rebelled against the severe sleeping orders. The abuse started soon after. Not long after arriving, aged seven, she remembers being beaten for wetting the bed and then being forced to walk around the compound with a sign around her neck saying “I am a bedwetter.”
“The message about Ajoke was that she had terrible evil spirits that needed to be driven out,” says one former female disciple.
“There was a time in the disciple meetings – he [Joshua] said people could beat her. Anyone in the female dormitory could just hit her and I remember just seeing people slapping her as they walked past,” she says.
From the moment Ajoke moved to the church in the Ikotun neighborhood of Lagos, she was treated like an outcast.
“She was, like, kind of labelled the black sheep of the family,” says Rae, from the UK, who spent 12 years living in the church as a disciple. Like most of the former disciples interviewed by the BBC, she opted to only use her first name.
Rae remembers a time when Ajoke slept for too long, and Joshua shouted at her to get up.
Another disciple took her to the shower and “whipped her with an electrical cord and then turned the hot water on”, she says. Recalling the incident, Ajoke says: “I was screaming at the top of my voice, and they just let the water run on my head for a very long time.”
Such abuse was never-ending, she says.
“We’re talking about years and years of abuse. Consistent abuse. My existence as a child from another mother undermined everything he [TB Joshua] claimed to stand for.”
The abuse escalated to a different scale when she was aged 17 and confronted her dad about “accounts, first hand, of people who had experienced sexual abuse”.
“I saw female disciples go up to his room. They were going away for hours. I was hearing things: ‘Oh this happened to me. He tried sleeping with me.’ Too many people were saying the same thing,” she says.
The BBC spoke to more than 25 former disciples – from the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany – who gave powerful corroborating testimony of experiencing or witnessing sexual abuse.
“I couldn’t take it any more. I walked directly into his office on that very day. I shouted at the top of my voice: ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you hurting all these women?’
“I had lost every iota of fear for this man. He tried to stare me down, but I was looking in his eyes,” she says.
Emmanuel, who was part of the church for 21 years and spent more than a decade living in the compound as a disciple, remembers that day clearly.
“He [TB Joshua] was the first person that started hitting her… then other people joined,” he says.
“He was saying: ‘Can you imagine what she’s saying about me?’ Even as much as they were hitting her, beating her, she was still saying the same thing.”
