Search Results

By Madu Obi The Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon.Somtochukwu Udeze has said that the relevant committees of the house would embark on sensitization programme to educate the people on the importance and benefits of the newly passed Anambra State Homeland and Security Law. According to the Speaker, members of the Assembly's standing and adhoc committees on security, as well as committee on local governments, will embark on massive sensitization of the public to acquaint them with the new law. He commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo's security initiatives, assuring that the state legislature will continue to contribute meaningfully towards the security of lives and property of the people. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Madu, Udeze added that it was due to the importance the state legislature attached to security that informed speedy passage of the Anambra State Homeland and Security Bill presented by Governor Soludo to provide a legal framework for the establishment and operations of the security Outfit. He enjoined the officials of the outfit to comply with the principles of the law and ensure strict collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders in the state for the total security of lives and property of the citizenry. He described security as a collective responsibility and called on well- meaning Anambra people to contribute their quota through to support the governor's fight against insecurity. This, he said, they could do by funding security operatives, both in the state and in their various communities.

By Madu Obi The wife of the former governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Margaret Peter-Obi, has empowered 300 women from her home town, Agulu, Anaocha local government area as part of her contributions to alleviate the hardship in the country. Fifteen women selected from each of the 20 villages in the community received cheques of ₦100,000 each. Mrs. Obi, who expressed hope that the beneficiaries were truly those in need, described the initiative as her modest way of identifying with the people and assuring them of her solidarity during this critical period in the nation’s history, marked by extreme poverty. She urged the recipients to add the money to their capital for petty trading, assuring them that with hard work and faith in God, they would overcome the hard times. Speaking during the event, the chairperson of Udoka Micro Finance Bank, Emily Enemuoh who accompanied Mrs. Obi to the ceremony, advised the beneficiaries to use the money wisely and carry out their businesses with honesty, assuring them of better days ahead. The President-General of Agulu, Mr. Oliver Afamefuna, praised the Obi family for its continued commitment to the people of Agulu, adding that although they are national and international figures, they have never stopped identifying with their community, especially during trying times. Also speaking, the traditional prime minister of the town, Chief Paulinus Anagboso, who recalled the massive empowerment initiatives by Mr. Peter Obi for the town, which involved distribution of vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles, also thanked Mrs. Obi for her gesture. He noted how the Obi family have consistently supported the people of Agulu, adding that over 70% of what the Obis do for the community, such as providing scholarships for indigent students over the past 40 years, is done privately. The Woman Leader, Mrs. Magaret Ejike, thanked Her Excellency, Mrs. Magaret Peter-Obi, and her husband, His Excellency, for their kind gestures and urged the women to make effective use of the money. One of the beneficiaries from Obe Village, Mrs. Ann Agwubike, expressed immense gratitude to Mrs Obi, noting that the financial support had “literally resurrected” some people. “After depleting our trading capital during the Christmas season, this timely gesture will save many businesses from collapse", she stated.

By Madu Obi The newly appointed chairman of the Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Chidubem Iweka of Obosi( Eze Iweka 111) has swung into action, saying his first move is to bring the Royal Fathers together to plan how to positively impact on their subjects. Igwe Iweka became the chairman following the removal of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe from the position by the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo at the weekend. Igwe Iweka, a renowned author said: "The first thing we will do is to come together as traditional rulers and dialogue on how to help our various communities in solving the problem that is currently facing everybody". Governor Soludo had announced the change in the leadership of the traditional institution in the state on Saturday at the International Convention Centre Awka, during the launch of the "Operation udo ga-achi" security initiative. According to the governor, Igwe Iweka's appointment aligns with the newly amended State Traditional Rulers law, which provides for the rotation of the chairman among the three senatorial zones. The change of guards, however, did not come as a surprise following the feud that had existed between the governor and the Obi of Onitsha for some time. Recall that Igwe Achebe had faulted the governor's suspension of Igwe Damian Ezeani, the traditional ruler of Neni community, over a chieftaincy title conferred on the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. The Obi of Onitsha had accused the state government of disrespecting traditional rulers and violating their rights, describing the government's actions as the apogee of the progressive dehumanisation and dismantling of the traditional institution under Soludo's administration. In an open letter to Gov. Soludo in the heat of their misunderstanding, Igwe Achebe alleged that the Anambra State government had been treating the traditional rulers in the state shabbily. Achebe, who was apparently angered by the way the governor handled the issue involving the traditional ruler of Neni, who was suspended by the state government for conferring chieftaincy title on the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, said the government ought to respect the traditional institution. The Obi of Onitsha, in a letter to the governor said: ”Without providing evidence for your sweeping statement about trading chieftaincy titles for money, you also, wittingly 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. 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". Since that altercation, the traditional rulers council in the state had remained inactive and work on the new council chamber for the Royal Fathers inside the Government House, has since been abandoned.