9javariety

By Wilfred Eya Chief Willy Ezugwu is the Secretary General of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) as well as the President and National Coordinator of the South East Revival Group (SERG). The activist who is also the National Coordinator of the Save Enugu Group (SEG) in this interview, spoke on the state of affairs in Enugu State and sundry national issues. As a CNPP leader, the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, your state governor, played a key role as the sub-committee chairman on zoning. How do you rate the outcome, especially with the   role played by Governor Ugwuanyi? First of all, the PDP convention took many by surprise as the outcome shocked many. From the now fruitless Uche Secondus’ legal battle to the zoning maneuverings, many Nigerians believed that the PDP convention was to be a bitter event if it was not stopped by the courts. But it turned out to be one of the best conventions ever hel...

From Paul Osuyi, Asaba There was marriage of culture between the Itsekiri ethnic nationality and Ika nation at the palace of the Obi of Owa Kingdom, Ika North-East Local Government, Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Efeizomor II, when the Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III came calling. It was one of the first outings of the Olu, crowned on August 21, 2021. He was at the palace of the octogenarian Owa king, who doubles as the chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers to show appreciation for his successful ascension to the throne. The visit came on the heels of purported classification of two traditional institutions – Olu of Warri and Dein of Agbor – as the only first class monarchs in Delta State. The classification, which emanated from the Dein, was faulted by the council of traditional rulers, who cautioned the Agbor monarch to desist from causing division. In a communiqué jointly signed by the chairman of the council and Obi of Owa; the vice chairman and Orodje of ...

Commissioner of Police, Cross River State, Mr AIhassan Aminu, has warned criminals to leave the state, or be ready to receive baptism of fire. He said the command nabbed over 15 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and recovered arms and ammunitions from them. He said the command has mapped out strategies on how to chase out the hoodlums, adding, “I have ordered my officers to comply with the IGP Usman Baba Aikali’s directive to carry out stop-and-search and restore peace to the state. “I have warned all my officers to shun corruption and stop extorting money from the public. They need to imbibe community policing and apply professionalism when carrying out their duties. We are ready to raid all the hideouts of the criminals.” He added that police operatives arrested 15 suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in their hideouts at different locations and recovered AK-47 rifles and pump action cartridges. He also sought the support of other security agencies. He said: “I operate an ...

By Job Osazuwa As published on its website, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) puts youth unemployment rate in Nigeria at 42.5 per cent, while youth underemployment rate stands at 21 per cent. Pundits have described these figures as worrisome even as some others argue that the unemployment situation is more pathetic and worse than what is captured by the NBS. According to a public affairs analyst, Mr. Kenneth Okechukwu, massive youth employment, is what Nigeria needs at this moment to cause a sharp turnaround in the economy. “We have wasted many decades and allowed this unemployment rate to keep soaring. I don’t believe that our youths are lazy. It is evident that many Nigerians are willing to work but there is no opportunity for them to display this willingness. It is not surprising seeing Nigerians doing excellently well abroad. “We have the human capital in abundance but governments at all levels need to take the bull by the horns in this campaign and economic reawakening...

From Aloysius Attah , Onitsha Divine Wounds Schools, Enugu-Ezike, Enugu State is a unique school in all ramifications.   Tucked away in Ogbodu, a remote community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, the school caters for the educational needs of orphans, motherless and abandoned children some of who were picked by the road by a mystic nun, Rev. Sister Martina Oforka. Oforka, a stigmatic nun from Anambra State, who bleeds mysteriously on both palms and forehead during the Lenten period like the wounds of Jesus Christ during crucifixion on the cross of Calvary, had chosen a strange path of her religious profession when she relocated to the remote community in Nsukka area years back. In 2012, she started a school where those vulnerable children could attain education. From Nursery and primary education, Divine Wounds School now runs a secondary school while other members of the host and neighbouring communities have registered their wards in the school. Durin...

From Johnson Adebowale The members of the Senior Citizens Association of Nigeria (SCAN) have been educated on the secrets to achieving active aging devoid of crisis. This revelation was made at their 23rd Annual General Meeting and election held at Yaba Baptist Church on November 23. This year’s AGM was restricted to a handful of representatives, in compliance with the physical distancing guidelines put in place due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and was moderated by the National Secretary of the association, Elder Joseph Kayode Taiwo. Taiwo, with a few members from various branches in attendance. The Chairman, Organising Committee, Elder Abayomi Adeyeye, welcomed the members to the 2021 AGM, themed: ‘The importance of ageing gracefully. He promised a lecture shall be delivered to educate them on how to age beautifully. He, however, announced that an election shall hold to choose a new national executive. He said: “During today’s meeting, we shall be having our election to elect ...

Leading  video entertainment company, MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a discount bundle offer ahead of the festive season for new customers to get access to its wide range of entertainment on their DStv and GOtvplatforms.  The company said it will be offering the DStv HD decoder for a discount fee of N13,900 with a dish kit and a one-month DStv Compact package, while the GOtv decoder will go for N7,900 with a GOtenna and a one-month GOtv Max package. This festive offer will be available from Monday, 29 November 2021 for a limited time only. Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, commenting on the discount offer revealed that the goal was to ensure many Nigerians have access to the rich variety of local and international entertainment lined up for DStv and GOtv customer...

Seplat Energy Plc has confirmed that it is in ‘’competitive discussions’’ with a partner to acquire ExxonMobil’s Nigerian shallow water business.  The firm disclosed this via a filing with the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Monday, adding that it is aware of rumours and confirmed that it is indeed looking at acquire ExxonMobil’s shallow water business. The company then cautioned the investing public that although deliberations are ongoing, the outcome is not certain. “Deliberations are ongoing and accordingly, there can be no certainty as to the outcome. A further announcement will be made as and when appropriate in line with regulatory requirements. The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on behalf of Seplat Energy is Emeka Onwuka, CFO Seplat Energy”, the company said. While the cost and other details of this transaction remain unclear, analysts say that they understand that ExxonMobil is actively divesting in Nigeria.  The energy gia...

It  is interesting to see how a leader behaves when he’s seeking our mandate and what he does after he has been elected, gets enough power, and doesn’t need anybody anymore. It’s about what power does: Power is like a bikini: It reveals more than it can hide. I am talking about President Muhammadu Buhari and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). The proposed plan by the Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy early next year, and replace subsidy with a token N5,000 monthly transport fare grant for “40 million vulnerable citizens”, could prove to be one of the most   ill-conceived, insensitive, untimely, wicked and inconsequential of choices ever made by an incumbent president serving his last tenure in office.                                                                         ...

By  Carl Umegboro Ideally, the response to HIV/AIDS is one that demands concerted drives across vertical and horizontal angles; involving all segments of the society from governments at all levels to civil society organizations (CSOs), professional bodies particularly the media, religious, traditional, community leaders, individual supports down to market leaders. The reason is that HIV/AIDS still exists, and could be contracted by persons of all ages including infants, and with no cure. It entails that a person that is diagnosed of HIV will live with it except to manage it with medications if detected at an early stage. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HIV/AIDS is a major cause of infant and childhood mortality and morbidity in Africa. This is why sensitization down to rural areas is requisite. In particular, the roles of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is critical and cannot be overemphasized as the fight against HIV and AIDS shifts from an e...

The recent report that Nigeria and the rest of Africa account for only two per cent of global trade is disturbing. It is a reflection of the consumption nature of African economy and our seeming inability to expand our export trade. Specifically for Nigeria, the report is even more depressing because of her infrastructure deficit estimated at $100 billion annually. This represents 189.77 per cent more than the current 2021 budget, and it may take three decades to close the gap. Meaningful development and sustainable trade growth will be hard to achieve until Nigeria and other African countries shift from import-dependence to manufacturing of goods for export. There is also need to focus on non-oil sectors for export. It is laudable that these concerns dominated discussions at the recent Intra-Africa Trade Fair, in Durban, South Africa, where the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACfTA), Mr. Wamkele Mene, lamented that Africa’s over-dependence on export of ...

From Fred Ezeh , Abuja Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said that beginning from 2022, it will collect fees for the Computer Based Test (CBT) centres involved in the conduct of the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and remit same to them. This, it said, was necessitated by the need to curb unethical and unacceptable activities that are being perpetrated by some of the CBT operators who often take advantage of the ignorance of the candidates to extort and cheat the candidates. JAMB, in its weekly news bulletin, disclosed that N700 CBT fee will be added to the cost of the 2022 UTME, and remit to the CBT operators weekly, monthly or as agreed with the operators. JAMB explained that the CBT centre operators were, hitherto, given the opportunity to collect the N700 fee from the candidates, but they later observed that many of the operators used the opportunity to extort candidates and also engage in other corrupt activities during the UTME exercise. ...

President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, and Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, have commiserated with the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coscharis Group, Cosmas Maduka, over the passing of his wife, Charity. Charity, vice chairman of the Coscharis Group, died at about 8.pm on Saturday, November 29 in Umudim-Nkwa, Nnewi, Anambra State. Family sources disclosed that Mrs. Maduka had earlier in the day accompanied her husband to the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, where he received an honorary degree, but started ‘feeling uncomfortable’ shortly after arriving their country home in Nnewi. Contrary to report, she did not die of stroke. Mrs Maduka (nee Ikedife of Umuenem, Otolo, Nnewi) played a vital role in the growth of Coscharis – a name coined from her husband’s firs name, ‘Cosmas’, and hers, ‘Charity’. President Buhari, in a condolence message released by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said the deceased,...

From Gyang Bere , Jos No fewer than 11 people were reportedly killed and 262 inmates escaped following the attack on Nigeria Correctional Service, Jos Custodial Centre, by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen. The Controller, Jos Correctional Service Centre, Samuel Agunda, confirmed that nine fleeing inmates, their Armed Guard and one of the attackers lost their lives during the bloody operation. He said the attackers were suspected to be Fulani herdsmen from Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, who attempted to free some of their men who were jailed some years ago. “Some of the inmates who did not escape confirmed that the attackers were from Barkin-Ladi. The police succeeded in rearresting 10 of the escapees and two others were brought back by their parents, bringing to 12 the total number of those recaptured.” The Controller General of Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, in a statement signed by Francis Enobore, confirmed that nine persons were shot dead during the h...

By Chinwendu Obienyi The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned quoted companies and capital market registrars to desist from selective payments and distribution of dividends. Its Director-General, Mr Lamido Yuguda, stated this at the 10th annual conference of the Institute of Capital Market Registrar’s (ICMR) with the theme ‘Reinventing the Nigerian Capital Market for Growth: The Digital Technology Approach, held in Lagos Saturday. Yuguda, who said that some registrars are unwilling to release the unclaimed dividends in their custody and have employed several antics to frustrate shareholders from enjoying the benefits of the E-DMMS platform, urged the ICMR to encourage its members to uphold the Code of Ethics of the profession as contained in the Rules and regulations of the Commission. He said: “Capital market operators have a duty to uphold the integrity of the capital market to foster investor confidence as investors are the greatest assets any capital market has...

By Steve Agbota The Maritime Anti-corruption Network (MACN) and the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) said a total of 455 corruption incidents were recorded at Nigerian seaports between 2019 and 2021. Highlighting the details of the corruption incidents, 266 incidents of demands for large cash unreceipted payments were recorded in 2019, 128 in 2020 and 51 incidents have so far been recorded in 2021.  Speaking with newsmen at the end of its meeting in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of CBI, Olasoji Apampa, with the introduction of Help Desk, reports of corrupt demands by government officials from foreign ship captains dropped from 268 complaints in 2019 to 126 for the year 2020 and further dropped to only 51 incidents in 2021. According to him, the impact of the Help Desk has created the assurances and improved perception among foreign ships calling at the nation’s seaports. He said that tremendous achievements have been recorded for vessels at berth at the port termi...

By Chinelo Obogo The World Bank has commended the government of Kogi State on its 2020 audited financial statement, describing the financial report as a standard for transparency and accountability in the public sector. The bank made the commendation in a letter to the Accountant General of Kogi State, dated November 21, 2021. The letter, received by the state Accountant General on November 25, was signed by the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme (SFTAS) Task Team Leader, Nigeria Country Office, Western and Central African Region, Deborah Hannah Isser. The letter was titled, “Nigeria: Review of Kogi State Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 for State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability.” SFTAS is a $750 million programme to reward states for meeting any or all of nine indicators that demonstrate improvements in fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability.  The nine indicators ar...

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, was yet to be detected in Nigeria as at Sunday, November 28, 2021. However, the centre said it will continue to coordinate genomic surveillance and other activities required for the detection of variants through its National Reference Laboratory. It also assumed that the global spread of the variant has occurred, hence it’s prioritising sequencing of recently accrued samples from SARS-COV-2 positive travellers from all countries, especially those from countries that have reported the Omicron variant already. NCDC Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa, in a statement, yesterday, said: “While Omicron variant has so far not been detected in Nigeria, a number of cases have now been reported in the UK, Israel, Botswana, Hong Kong, Germany, Belgium, Italy and counting. “No death has been attributed to this new variant yet but 126 genomes of this variant have been detected ...

Governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu, has reassured traders of continued government support and reiterated his commitment to ensuring the welfare of traders in the state. The governor said his government is poised to provide the needed infrastructure as part of his plans towards ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to thrive in the state. He stated this when he met and interacted with Ariaria traders and other market leaders during a town hall meeting organised by the ministry of trade and investment at the Hotel Du Golf, Aba. Governor Ikpeazu used the occasion to remind the traders of the need to partner the government in its efforts to achieve all-round development, especially with the remodelling of the Ariaria International Market and urged them to bear with the government as it strives to fix Faulks road – a major access road to the market, emphasising that work will recommence as soon as the dry season kicks in with rigid pavement technology to be applied at the proble...

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye , Abuja The Federal Government has warned Nigerians that the new COVID-19 variant, called, Omicron, as announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), is potentially dangerous, and has urged residents to exercise extra caution and vigilance in practice and enforcement of preventive measures. It said the vaccine mandate would come into effect fully on December 1 and urged every Federal Government worker and all Nigerians and residents to get vaccinated. Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19,   Boss Mustapha, made the appealed while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday. He also urged Nigerians to get fully vaccinated, frequently tested, and continue to strictly adhere to the non-pharmaceutical intervention measures, including physical distancing, properly wearing of face masks, ensure proper ventilation and hand hygiene. Mustapha described as alarming statistics of the lev...