Enugu's House of Drugs & Controversies

The recent incrimination of six members of Enugu State House of Assembly over drug peddling generates unease in the state, although the House is never new to controversies.

The leadership of Enugu State House of Assembly, on July 30, battled feverishly to exonerate its members linked to importation of 450.4 kilos. The cocaine amounted to about N4billion! (Picture shows Barrister Eugene Odoh, Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly Nigeria)

The Barrister Eugene Odoh-led House got enmeshed in the drug scandal when some of its members recently accompanied the state Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime, to an overseas trip. The hard drug was reportedly confiscated at the Lagos Tin Can Island from a syndicate by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Reports have it that it was, indeed, the Nigerian agent handling the clearing of the container in which the cocaine was discovered that blew the lid off the drug ring of Enugu state Honorable members. The clearing agent’s identity, ostensibly, remain undisclosed for now so as not to endanger investigations into the matter.

But further inquiries by Insider Weekly magazine into the messy development have thrown up the identities, albeit in descriptive terms, of the six ‘honorable’ drug pushers in the Assembly.

The six cocaine peddlers, from our investigations, include a two-term-serving female legislator (a widow) from Enugu West zone; one of the speakers emeritus of the House who is currently serving his third term, as well as a first term serving law maker, who was, at the inception of the House in this political dispensation, sacked as Deputy Speaker of the House under controversial circumstances.

The others include a legislator from Enugu East zone, famous for his electronic business; another female law maker (a Princess from Nsukka whose husband lives abroad) serving her second term in the house. The last but not the least of the incriminated legislators is a fat fair-skinned legislator, unarguably, the longest serving law maker in Enugu State House of Assembly. For those who know him, this particular legislator is noted for sleeping each time the house is on session.
Meanwhile, reactions have been trailing the ‘legislative’ drug burst.

To this effect, an on-line news website, www.Icheoku.com, demands ‘a full and complete investigation’ if the alleged involvement of the six Enugu law makers in drug-trafficking and importation of 450 kilos of cocaine into Nigeria is true.
Icheoku, similarly, demands ‘disclosure of the identities of the ‘dishonorable law makers, including their communities and political party affiliations’. The website wants that the full weight of the law to be brought upon the ‘drug baron legislators’.

‘It is regrettable the grave length some of these unscrupulous and supposed ‘honorable’ men and women will go just to remain in power. That these politicians need money to prosecute elections, does not grant them impunity to do just anything to get that money; and at all cost and any means whatsoever; including breaking the law on Nigeria's drug trafficking’, Icheoku laments, describing the action of the legislators as a bad example to generations yet unborn.

Stated Icheoku: ‘It is a shame! The EFCC and the Nigerian authorities must, therefore, make an example out of these six (dis)honorable individuals by punishing them sufficiently. Also their political party/ies should suspend and disqualify them from running for any future elective offices on their party platforms for showing a bad example of how not to be legislators. We note with regrets that this is the second time Enugu State lawmakers are making ignoble headlines and this particular illicit drug pushing by six of their lawmakers is not only criminal but unbecoming of any law makers anywhere, who by their present action, have now become law breakers instead’.

Some other commentators who spoke to the magazine have urged the NDLEA to quickly release the full identities of the 'six legislative drug traffickers' for suspension from the House immediately and subsequent prosecution for the heinous crime.
As it were, the only feeble reaction to be put up by Speaker Odoh whose House is, for the umpteenth time, attracting negative attention from the national and international communies over illegitimate activities, was to the effect that Enugu state’s NDLEA commandant, Reuben Apeh, had briefed the House, but was not forthcoming with the identities of the affected members of his House.

Odoh regretted that members of the House, since the publication, have been thrown into confusion, justifiably apprehensive that the development might lead to the house being perceived by Nigerians as harboring criminals in their midst.
Although efforts of Odoh’s leadership aimed at unmasking the legislator-turned drug barons yielded no result, he, nonetheless, quips: ‘We shall continue in our investigations and if at the end of it all it is found to be a hoax, we will take every step to get redress and if otherwise, the House will be the first to expose the culprits’.

On his own part, Hon. Marcel Njeze, Chairman of the House committee on communication said: ‘The image of the House is very important… We are as well not trying to protect any member that is involved in criminal acts. We will, however, go to the police to make available to us the names of those members alleged to be implicated’. Njeze dispelled the claim that three of the six said to be involved in the drug matter have been contacted and no arrest has far been made.

When contacted, Apeh, the NDLEA commandant in the state, explained that the House members merely invited him to furnish them with the details of the matter, but he told them that he was yet to get full briefing on the case from his Abuja headquartres. Apeh clarified that he was not aware of any clean bill of health given to the House on the matter, but assured that information would always be made public as soon as available.

As earlier stated, this is not the first time Enugu State House is slipping into controversies of this magnitude, in fact, to the utmost embarrassment of both the federal government and the government of Barrister Sullivan Chime.

The N200m London trip of controversy is still fresh in the minds of keen watchers of political events in Enugu state. The legislators traveled to London for a seminar on lawmaking, understandably, to sharpen their legislative abilities and, further, enhance their individual skills for the benefit of the state.

But the cost of the trip, put at about N200m, generated more controversies that it was meant to within and outside the state. Many, indeed, considered it a sheer waste of public fund!

For that two weeks in the London trip, there were said to be a 31-member delegation, including the 24 members of the assembly, the Clerk of the House, two assistants and other aides to the governor, who would have academic sessions with the British parliamentarians and experts on, in addition to a guided tour of the city.

The legislators, it was learnt, initially planned to visit the United States, but had to settle for the UK due to their inability to obtain visa to the US. But the sore and obfuscating point therein was that each member of the delegation reportedly got $5,200 (about N.7 million) as estacode at $400 daily for 13 days, besides air ticket, hotel accommodation and feeding allowances and transportation within London city. The charges of the resource persons and the consultants could not be ascertained, but it was expected to run into thousands of pounds.

In fact, Nigerian citizens of good conscience felt the money being so extra-expended could have been deployed for infrastructure development, condemned the trip and described it as sheer profligacy and argued that if such amount was spent on the provision of potable water, it would greatly ease the pains of residence who suffer to get the essential commodity.

Some Nigerians in the Diaspora took the issue seriously and made blistering comments against the lawmakers and the state government. They lampooned the government, alleging that the trip was a ploy by the state government to buy the loyalty of the legislators. Most Nigerians in the Diaspora described the trip as 'wasteful gallivanting'.

A news commentary Icheoku posted on its website on Saturday October 25, 2008, entitled: ‘Enugu State: This Is Crazy!’ said: "this aren’t right and smacks of a government which does not set its priorities right. What seminar is worth the peoples' N200m (about $1.2million dollars) in a state where the average Joe lives on less than $2 a day gross income?"

The commentary went further: "It is as pitiful as it is regrettable that all these charlatans in governments throughout Nigeria and now particularly in Enugu State are doing, is to exploit every opportunity to siphon the peoples' money and sometimes use it for frivolous ends. Irrespective of the subterfuge being given for this wasteful jamboree, Icheoku says it is uncalled for as it is an exercise in wasteful spending! And for a state like Enugu State where some people have no jobs, no drinking water, no electricity, no good roads, no medical care, no food and so on, it is atrocious to waste such enormous amount of resources for mere junketing. Admitted that N200m ordinarily may not sound too much for a state, but a more prudent government could have spent this money rather responsibly to create new jobs or fix one of the severally broken things within the infrastructure of the state".

The scathing criticism on the issue compelled the government to issue a statement denouncing the report as 'a smear campaign against the government.' In the statement, the government, through Professor Jude Akubuilo, Special Adviser on Special Projects and Diaspora Matters, denied that the lawmakers had applied for US visa, and insisted that they were not traveling to London, stressing that the government was transparent and open in its business and was more concerned with using its resources to develop the state.

Said Akubuilo: ‘As for the N200m being quoted by the media as the cost of the trip, the amount to be spent is not up to that. The figure is from the opposition who wants to embarrass the government’.

Many citizens of the state, nonetheless, queried the rationale behind the trip, wondering why the government which was laboring to be seen as an apostle of transparency and good governance would dole out a huge amount for what they called mere 'legislative sight-seeing'.
"I can't really see what Enugu lawmakers are going to London to learn; the excursion to London is just a waste of scarce resources’, an indigene, Chukwudi Johnson averred.
To Barrister Ray Nnaji then, the trip would deal a deadly blow on the economy of the state. Suspecting the motive behind the trip for the legislators at that point in time, Nnaji called for caution in the legislators’ trip.

For the 24 member Enugu State House of Assembly, controversy is their second names, and they crave for it with the eagerness of a newly married couple. To remove controversy from Enugu Assembly may amount to removing a shark from a sea. For the legislators, most of whom cannot, indeed, accurately define ‘legislation’, controversy walks on all fours, and they are happy for it.

For now, the whole world awaits the full identities of Enugu State House of Assembly ‘honorable’ drug barons, for there will be no hiding place for them. Or will there be any?

Culled from: Insider Weekly Magazine, No 31, August 16, 2010

Nigerian White Child: I Suspect Replacement (Chat)

Dr. Maxwell Udeh, retired Chief Medical Officer, Parklane Specialist Hospital, Enugu, as well as erstwhile Enugu state Police Doctor, reacted to the delivery of a white child by a complete black couple recently. He spoke to KlinReports.com. Photo left shows Dr. Maxwell Udeh)

There was this recent incident where a completely black couple was delivered of a white child. Could you react to it?

I read the story. The features of that child were pure white. Ok? You would think in terms of, maybe, the nurse changed the child after birth. Right? Because if it were to be a white man and a black lady, both the color of skin and the hair features would be quite different, would look like a mulatto. But the picture I saw showed exactly pure white baby. I am saying that from the picture I saw, what I saw, the photograph. And if it is all black, male and female, they should have been something fair, but not completely white. In fact, the child could be fair, but not completely white and even the hair features.

Some people suspect that the situation could have been brought about by adultery on the part of the lady. How do you look at this?

If it is adultery, it can only lead to the birth of a mulatto or mulatto like. But in this case, the child is completely white; it could not be the case of adultery.

But there are situations where completely black couples give birth to a complete white child?

In this case, you are talking about albinos. Delivery of albinos is common, and it could be due to chromosomal changes and all that.

Are you saying that it would have been that possible and easy to have replaced a supposedly black child with a white one just like that?

That is what I am suspecting. That seems to be what could happen, because it does not obtain in medicine that a complete black couple can have a pure white child.

The delivery of this white child by the black couple could still be miracle. Or don’t you believe in miracles?

Miracle? I don’t know. Well, I recognize that miracles can happen, but this particular situation, to me, is different.

To get to the root of this phenomenon, what do you suggest?

I shall suggest a DNA.

Will DNA resolve this?

Yes, DNA will resolve this, even the maternity and paternity of the child. DNA will surely resolve where the child comes from.

Soon, Nigeria will be 50 year old. What is your assessment of the country in the area of medical welfare?

We have dared better than before. You talk about the medical changes and the population. A lot of facilities are available, but I still wish the government to work harder in the provision of medical facilities so that we keep on improving. You know medicine is highly dynamic, it keeps on changing. We have a lot of medical personnel in this country, and some of them practice all over the world, including in Saudi Arabia. We should encourage our men to come over here and practice. Medicare here costly, but the government can bring it down for the well being of the people.

You retired from active service in March this year, what has it been like?

Yes, I have retired from public. In the service, there is a lot of stress. I wish government can, at least, encourage medical personnel in terms of their welfare and all that. Medical practice is like a humanitarian job. I want to advise my colleagues not to go entirely for money. It should not be money, money, money all the time. The saving of life should more important than money. But government should encourage medical practitioners, to ensure that their welfare is taken care of.
You were the police Doctor in Enugu state for a long time. What was the job like?
I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. It was quite an experience, and sometimes, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed because I faced my job with all the commitment and sincerely it deserved.

What legacy do you think you left behind in the service?

Well, I think I left a legacy of goodwill behind. I made sure I had no quarrels with anybody. I made I carried my co-workers along. I would say, I never stepped on toes.

Any regrets?

My only regret is that I ought to have compiled a compendium before leaving service. Because my job was so stressful and time-consuming, I should have compiled a compendium which would have helped medical practice.

White Child from Black Couple, Not a Miracle (Chat)

Arch-Bishop Alexander Nwodika, the primate and Founder of the Throne of Grace, Enugu, recently spoke to KlinReports on the issue of completely black couple begetting a white child.

Recently, a completely black couple gave birth to a white child. Some people think this could be miracle. Do you think it was miracle?

We have experts. Let our medical experts find out what happened.

Could be a miracle?

If it is a miracle, we thank God. And if it is manipulation, we shout. For me, there is nothing like miracle in this case. You know, we talk too much in this nation.

Then could it be a mystery?

One thing we can’t understand is that the child is white, and when you have a baby like that, there must be a black tendency somewhere. But nothing like that, so something is happening. If it were a white man that impregnated the woman, there must be mixture of some sort. The child must be a mixed breed. It can’t happen. We have not seen pure white or pure black in this type of circumstance. It is only God or medical science that would prove it.

Nigeria celebrates 50 years anniversary soon. How do you react to this?

We salute God for the stability we have, not full stability anyway. We have had a bit of stability as a nation, and we give God glory for that.

The 50 years of Nigeria will come and gone, what advise do you have for Nigerians thereafter?

There is one thing about a nation. A nation is not an empty thing. A nation is like the people there. The Bible says, ‘When the righteous is on the throne the people rejoice’. But believing that God keeps on giving us righteous men in this country, things will get better. But if we continue to have government of the bad eggs, the country will continue to suffer. So our prayer is that we have righteous men and leaders. It does appear there are few righteous men and leaders in this country.

Then, how do increase the number of righteous men and leaders who preside over our affairs?

That is why we are preaching this gospel, because if you don’t repent you can’t be righteous. When you don’t repent you won’t be righteous. You need to repent and turn your life to Christ. And to us as Christians, if a righteous leader is in government, he will not embezzle God’s money. He will not embezzle money entrusted on his hands for the welfare of his the nation. So we are asking God to help us to vote in the right people that will govern us.

Some journalists were recently kidnapped by hoodlums. Does this still bother on righteousness?

Yes, it is still on righteousness. What you have to understand- we are living in this world; we have not seen this kind of thing. You know, they started with this pick-pocket thing; from there to high-way robbery, and from there to robbery, from there to pen robbery. Then we graduated to kidnapping. I think the worst than kidnapping will surely come if we don’t know repent. Because the Bible says: ‘Whatever will happen on this earth will cause heart-break for a lot of our people’. When people are frustrated they can start doing whatever they liked doing.

By implication what seems to be cause of all these problems?

There is a lot of frustration in this nation. That is why our boys are running away. Go to American Embassy. Think about what we spend, Nigerians spend money on daily basis at the Embassy. Think about N15, 000.00. Then if they are about 300 or 200 that go there for Visa, only ten or twenty succeed and then the remaining amount of money is not refunded to them. Look at frustration-how many of our young die to escape from this country while we have oil money in this nation.

Now that you talked about oil, having prospected oil for fifty years, where are we?

One thing that you might understand, oil will not dry up in Nigeria because there are a lot of places today we have oil untapped in this nation. For example, in Anambra state, there is oil; nobody is doing anything about it. There are other parts of this nation we have oil. Nobody is doing anything there. One reason may be political but this is unfortunate.

What other ills militate against this country?

There are other things we can do. Think about Agriculture. Think about mineral resources we have in this nation. We make a lot of noise. Look at Abakiliki, look at the mineral we have there. The same thing applies to some parts of northern Nigeria. The problem we have is who is going to sit down and solve these problems than living for people that will try to make money out of it and enrich themselves and, then, keep the country in perpetual penury.

Do we have enough religious leaders in Nigeria?

We have them in this country only that we are praying that God will raise more of us that keep on blowing this trumpet.

If we have enough religious leaders, knowing that the church is very important in nation building, how come crimes continue to increase?

The problem is that even in the church there is problem today. A very serious problem. There are people that are not after this gospel. They are interested in their bellies only. Some of these people are after their bellies, and they keep blessing all these thieves because they have brought money to the church. Sometimes, you got to ask your member where he gets all the money from. What are you doing with all this money? What are you doing? I do ask some of my members. And sometimes, some of them are afraid bringing to me such ill-gotten wealth for blessing. So it is good for preachers to start looking into all these things.

Could you cast a look into the future of Nigeria?

Well! I am not a seer. But one thing I know is that it is in two ways. If you have good leaders, Nigeria will be so good. If you have bad ones, that is destruction. At the same time, we should turn their lives to Christ and live for him. When you have good people in government you have future. It depends on the people. There are people that will come into government, they destroy this nation. When you read the bible, there are people that destroyed the world. But God said there are people that are destroying this world, and he is going to destroy them.

But many think that the church can actively take part in politics?

There are those who are called for that, not everyone. You don’t dabble into it, unto the Lord when he has not called you. There are many but only some are called. For example, if you get into South Africa, you will see Desmond Tutu. He is a religious man, he was called into that, not all the priest these days are doing what he was doing. If I am called as a politician, I will not go but there are people that God calls to do his work.

What have your experiences as a religious leader been like?

Well! I have been in the church leadership since after the Nigeria civil war. I have been a preacher for 40 years now. It was after the war that I got converted. I came out serving God. My call was to preach the gospel and lead people to Christ. That is what I am still doing.
Another set of elections will come in the next few months. What is your advice to Nigerians?
Every vote must count. We just pray that every vote will count. God will help us with this nation. At this time, you can’t rule out corruption in this nation; Iit is there but we only pray that God will give us righteous men to rule in Nigeria. That is our prayer.

Ekweremadu & Kidnapping in Southeast Nigeria?

Icheoku read with shock reports implicating and/or associating Nigeria's deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu with kidnapping in Enugu State? Icheoku also read another report of a denial of the alleged by the deputy senate president through his spokesperson. Whether Ike Ekweremadu is an innocent victim in the kidnapping saga or a godfather/benefactor of those kidnappers, providing them with necessary cover from his Abuja high office as deputy senate president, no one really knows; but sure, smoke usually follows a fire! (Pic shows Ike Ekweremadu, Nigeria's Deputy Senate President)

Some Nigerian politicians are so brutally selfish and self-centered that they are capable of just anything and everything under the sun including as in this case, kidnapping? For them as long as there is some political gain to be made and provided there is no adversarial impact on them and their families, the harmattan wind wild fire might as well assume a blaze of Hades velocity for all they care.

In this case of alleged Ekweremadu's involvement with kidnappers, there are so many 'known unknowns' and many things we think we know which we don't know; but the only certainty that presently exist is that there was an allegation and then a subsequent denial. As always, between the allegation and the denial lies the shed of grey, which usually houses the nest of the real story or put in another way, where the whole truth and nothing but the truth lies. Icheoku will however not second-guess anything at this time nor without any convincing evidence, wantonly brand anyone a suspect. We would air on the side of side of reasonable doubt and hope there is no smoking gun anywhere and elsewhere. But the scourge of kidnapping in the South East has become a terminal cancer and everyone with any Igbo blood flowing in his/her veins should see it as not deserving any flicker of life whatsoever. It is about time something drastic is collectively done to put these kidnappers out of business and for good! Enough of these ongoing blackmails and wanton shedding of blood of innocents in the South East and turning Igboland into inhabitable desolate 'wasteland?'

Now the question remains, what is the South East doing to curb and peter out the banditry of kidnapping which is turning the once proud land of our fathers into the new 'old Lebanon' of Nigeria? Where are the Igbo supposed leaders at this hour of great need to call these maga-dogs to order and at worst order their eradication from the land through self-help vigilantism, if that is what it takes to wrest our communities back from these band of marauding thugs. Icheoku asks, what is Ikemba Nnewi Odumegwu Ojukwu's position on this and whether he has spoken out condemning this malaise and ordering these beasts to beat it from his South East? What has Alex Ekwueme done or said about this hooliganism and has he reminded these animals the quantum of damage they are doing to the Igbo nation?

Where is Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu on this or is he waiting for another pitiful Vincent Ogbulafor's corruption scandal to erupt eliciting his removal from office for him to start running around and pontificating about a non existent "Igbo-ness"? Is Ebitu Ukiwe, Uche Chukwumerije, Jim Nwobodo, Ndubuisi Kalu, Allison Madueke, Ike Nwachukwu etc keeping silence and waiting for who to bell the cat? Why are all these Emperors Nero of Igbo-land singing, playing the fiddle and making merry while Rome of Igboland burns in an inferno of unprecedented ferocity? A time for providing real leadership in and for Igboland never called until this moment, and any supposed Igbo leader who fails to answer the call of fatherland should forever hold his peace and never once again, so parade him/herself. How could mother-hen be watching while the hawks continue to make a mince meat of her chicks, with unabashed sky-bombardments?

Recently, Edo (Benin) Kingdom got tired of such too many incidents of armed robbery and kidnapping and took the matter into their hands to solve it. They invoked a traditional panacea over their land, putting a diabolical curse on anyone directly or indirectly connected with the social malady. Low and behold, Benin Kingdom have enjoyed relative peace ever since and it was at the instance of their King, Omo N'Oba Erediuwa 1 that the Chief Priest Nosakhare Isekhure administered the curse. This forces Icheoku to ask, are there still 'Kings and/or Chiefs' left in Igbo land and what are they doing to help their subjects who are under an enveloping siege by a band of kidnappers? If Icheoku remembers correctly, there is this one all-over-the-place supposed Igbo Royal Highness and chairman/leader of all Igbo traditional rulers, HRH Eze Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya, who sometime ago was engaged in a visceral battle with all the "Ezes of Ndi Igbo" of this world? It was then his self-assumed battle to stop anyone anywhere from assuming the ceremonious title of "Eze Igbo" be it in the north, west, south and even in the Diaspora?

This particular ruler was travelling to every kingdom, emirate and chiefdoms in Nigeria from the Emir of Kano to the Sultan of Sokoto to the Oba of Lagos to the Oba of Benin, practically begging them not to recognize any 'Eze Igbo' in their domain and to withdraw any such existing recognition from any Igbo man residing therein. Icheoku wrote an oped then, denouncing his effort as a waste of time and an evidence of a man with so much selfish ego and a desire to be the one and only 'Eze Igbo' in Nigeria? It is also important to point out that it did not matter then to this chief that these other 'Eze Igbo' in foreign lands have no real nexus to the Igbo South East and are not in any competition with him and his ilks; or in any other way a threat to their respective stools and/or kingdoms. But now that a real task militating against 'Ndi Igbo' has arisen, needing a real Igbo ruler/chief to rise up and go to war as in good old days, no one has seen the brake-lights of this traditional ruler nor heard his comment. Icheoku asks Chief Ilomuanya where are you and what is going on in Igboland; or are you afraid of also being kidnapped?

What use are these Igbo rulers/leaders when their women and children are living in bondage of the fear of kidnappers in their homeland if they cannot provide necessary leadership needed to run these bastards out of town? Where are the Igbo governors of the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo or are they like Ike Ekweremadu, also sleeping with the enemy and sympathetic to their cause; in order to later use them to scare away any possible opposition come 2011? Icheoku is ashamed that these urchins have been allowed for too long to turn Igboland, the once proud home of such greats as Zik, KO Mbadiwe, Dee Sam Mbakwe, Pius Okigbo etc into a practically no go area or at best a 'visit at your own risk' enclave and with such a great trepidation. When will this fog of darkness ever lift from dear motherland.
It is about time this menace is put to an end and we hereby unequivocally condemn kidnappings in the South East as it is not only criminal but also giving all Igbo man and woman one heck of a bad name. These imbeciles who have turned Igbo nation into an unlivable hell-hole should really be ashamed of themselves for being the lilly-livered cowards they are, who are only strong at home. What happened to the standard test of bravado of the yore when real men go to foreign lands to plunder and bring home their loot? What happened to taking bravery abroad to go wrest back from the 'Whiteman' what they took from the continent centuries ago and are still taking? What happened to taking mercenary jobs in Afghanistan, Iraq and other such hot-spots of the world where brave men go to prove their mettle? Why become mere frustrated 'kitchen-brave' scumbags throwing their birds-muscles at motherland, robbing and kidnapping hapless Igbo men and women who still hold forte and call Igboland home; when many with means have simply deserted the region, fled to other regions for safety. But who are these faceless urchins that cannot be stopped or is there no willingness on the part of the Igbo people to have this come to an end?

Finally, talking directly to these bandits, Icheoku says please for God's sake call off this madness before you cost IGP Ogbonna Onovo, the first Igbo Inspector General of Police, his job. As you may be aware, Nigerians are becoming very restive and are questioning if IGP Onovo is up to the task of policing Nigeria since he cannot even police his own South East region by getting rid of these kidnappers. So South East kidnappers, if you have any common sense, you should help IGP Onovo to succeed in his job and enable him serve out his term before he is prematurely removed for perceived 'incompetence' in failing to reign in kidnapping, a problem wrought by you, his kinsmen and women. Icheoku is also calling on every Igbo man and woman to rise up against this army of invaders and fight them off the land and with their last blood if necessary.

This metastasised cancer of kidnapping in the South East demands that all Igbo hands be turned into surgical-hands, united to excise it; with the governors providing the leadership effort before marshal law is declared, replacing them with milads, who could then take these states back from those lowlife kidnappers. Worst case scenario, give the Bakassi boys back their machetes and cutlasses and let the real brave man be left standing. Also whatever is left of the fractured MASSOB should consider this kidnapping as an affront on their fledgling 'statehood' or how else can they assure Igbo people that they will be capable of providing good governance when they cannot rout out these shitless kidnappers from their territory? The governors of the South East are hereby warned and put on notice, either they urgently lead the effort at purging the South East of these kidnappers or President Jonathan should declare a state of emergency and let military administrators put a stop to this arrant nonsense and give the Igbo people back their homeland, freed of kidnappers!

Culled from: www.icheoku.com

Who Owns Baby Nimachi?

His name is Nimachi Ihegboro ( a typical name answered by the Igbo speaking people of Nigeria) This baby's parents (complete black couple) are seen posing with the entire family left. While Nimachi (right) has an Igbo name, everything about him is white, pure white!

Baby Nimachi has two other black siblings who, in no any way, bear resemblance with him.

So, who is the father of the baby? Almost all say Umegboro, who lives in London with his family, couldn't have (ever) been the father.

And our sister Icheoku is not buying the crap that this white kid is a biological child of two black Nigerian parents. Icheoku's contention is is that it is either the mother is not coming forth with the true identity of the baby daddy or there was a callous baby-swap or mix-up at the hospital. Look at her pale-skin, blue eyes and blonde hair and albinos do not possess of this whiteman's characteristics? Also any story of genetics mutation will not sell as buyers do not exist. For now, we wait for a DNA. It seems the only solution to this seeming mystery of our time.

Ekweremadu Under Probe

Apart from a third term ‘ban’, constituents of Enugu West Senatorial District demand an account of stewardship from the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu.

Fresh trouble precariously hangs on the beefy neck of the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, in his home state of Enugu like the sword of Damocles.

Apart from a resolution ‘banning’ second-term-serving Mpu-born Senator from further returning to the senate, a section of Ekweremadu’s constituents in Enugu West District have ‘summoned’ him to come forward to render his account of stewardship for his over six years of serving in the senate on their behalf. First elected senator representing Enugu West in 2003, Ekweremadu would be serving out his second-term by the 2011 general elections. (Picture up left is Senator Ekweremadu; immediate right is Sir OAU Onyema, possible replacement to Ekweremadu)

Evidently, the majority of Ekweremadu’s constituents (mainly from Ezeagu and Udi council areas of the state) have, of late, stoutly risen in opposition against his touted third-term ambition in the senate. Awgu, Oji River and Ekweremadu’s Aninri, also, make up the senatorial zone.

In a resolution, dated February 9, 2011, the Ezeagu General Assembly resolved against supporting Ekweremadu for a third term outing in the senate. The resolution, signed by Prince Richard Obiora Ozobu and Chief Charles Nwokike, President and Secretary respectively, among other things, affirms thus: ‘The current senatorial seat for Enugu West senatorial zone which shall fall vacant in 2011 is considered zoned to Ezeagu and Udi for representation in keeping with the known and age-long method of rotation of political offices for the area’.

Ezeagu General Assembly adds that endorsement for second term appointment or election for political office holders representing them should not be automatic, but ‘shall, hence-forth, be based on record of credible performance of the office holder during his first tenure’.

To underscore their seriousness, the Assembly, recently, in a letter signed by Prince Ozobu, dated July 7, 2010, invited Senator Ekweremadu to appear for an interactive session before her on August 7 in Enugu. The interactive session, according to the letter, is meant to offer the senator the opportunity to address his constituents on how he has managed their affairs at upper legislative chambers of this nation.

Specifically, Ekweremadu’s constituents want him to account for his management of all the constituency allowances to the constituents within his period in office. The embattled senator is, also, expected to address the constituents on constituency projects he executed in the council, as well as across the entire senatorial district.

It is worthy of mention, at this junction that this letter for scrutiny was, also, sent out to other elected politicians from the area, including Paul Anikwe, loquacious legislator representing Ezeagu constituency in the state Assembly and Chief Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, representing Ezeagu/ Udi Federal Constituency.

Prince Ozobu laments the alleged insensitivity of some political office holders to the plights of their people, stressing that none of the national assembly members from Enugu West District has ever taken time out to render account of their services to their people over the years.

“We only hear of constituency allowances in the media. We do not feel the impact of these constituency allowances in the zone. We need to know what they (our representatives) are doing at Abuja. It is our constitutional rights to know what our representatives are doing for us”, Ozobu submits.

Ezeagu General Assembly is not alone in her equivocation that there is no third term tenure for any of its elected representatives, Senator Ekweremadu inclusive.
To this effect, the Assembly, in a joint resolution with Udi People’s Assembly, foreclosed any third term outing in the zone for any of their elective officials.

Of course, the position of the Udis is not, in the least, new, as they have been in the vanguard of the struggle for a more competent and humane candidate to take over from Ike Ekweremadu as soon as his second tenure expires 2011.

Apart from his alleged woeful failure in positively impacting on the lives of the constituents of Enugu West, irrespective of the huge constituency allowances at his disposal, Ekweremadu’s constituents continue to accuse him of crash insensitivity to their general wellbeing. It is part of the complaints of the constituents that, rather than deploy the constituency allowances in bettering the lot, he endlessly acquires property running into billions of naira to their detriment.

For instance, the senator stands accused of shunning the Udi Day Celebration which was held at the council’s headquarters on June 5 this year. During the event, all the traditional rulers in Udi land handed over an ‘ofor’ (traditional authority) to Governor Sullivan Chime for his excellent performances in office so far. The monarchs and, indeed, the Udis, similarly, used the opportunity to endorse Chime for a second term in office. But this occasion, as well attended as it was, was snubbed by the invited Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

But will Senator Ekweremadu honor this particular ‘all important’ invitation to appear before his constituents to tell them how he has managed their affairs at the national assembly in these past years?

Although nobody can lay claim to knowing the Mpu-born senator’s mind-set for now, his high-pitched utterances and defiant body language tend to suggest that he is likely to ignore the invitations extended to him from both the Ezeagu General Assembly and Udi People’s Assembly, an organization of his constituents.

This is more so as Ekweremadu, while speaking to journalists in his Enugu palatial home on Saturday July 18, literarily threw due process and courtesy over-board, and declared his intention to run for Enugu West senate slot for a third term. And while countering some of the earlier reports on him by Insider Weekly magazine, Ekweremadu, taking a voyage in self-conceit, dared anyone who thinks he can challenge him at the polls in 2011 to come forward for a political duel.

‘I will run for the senate for the third term in my zone in 2011. Anyone who thinks he can match up with me should pick form let us try’, the Ikeoha reportedly boasted.

As it were, many political analysts have continued to wonder why Ekweremadu, even if he would remain in the senate ‘for ever’, should not have the courtesy to consult with the Governor Chime who is the party’s leader in the state, as well as the entire party leadership before making his intentions known to members of the public.

‘Could this action of his be interpreted to mean that Senator Ekweremadu is bigger than Governor Sullivan Chime, and Enugu state chapter of the PDP as a whole?’ said an agitated constituent.

Yet another constituent opines: ‘The foregoing shows to what extent Senator Ekweremadu insults us as his constituents. Apart from not having any regard and respect for His Excellency, Governor Sullivan Chime, this Deputy Senate President thing has entered Ekweremadu’s head so much that he has no regard for us as a people. How does he think he can just secure another ticket without inputs from us, his constituents? Let’s watch and see!’

Ekweremadu’s constituents simply believe that he is not in the senate to better their lot. Outside the constituency allowances, Ekweremadu, on record, receives a total of N41.581 million (N41.6 million) as salary from the national assembly. His constituents affirm that the senator has never used his elevated position to, even, change the miserable lives of indigenes of his Mpu community, let alone impacting on the lives of constituents from the other parts of the senatorial district.

Little surprise, therefore, that the powerful committee of ‘Friends of Sir OAU Onyema’ have been ceaselessly campaigning for him to come up to challenge the now third-term-seeking Ekweremadu.

‘Friends of Sir OAU Onyema’ describes Ekweremadu as a man with an unquenchable thirst for political power which he ultimately converts to his personal benefits. The group has been campaigning for ‘Onyema for Senate’ since February this year, and has vowed to stop at nothing to get OAU Onyema, a Knight of St. John International (KSJ) installed senate in place of the lack-lustre Senator Ekweremadu.

But unlike Ekweremadu, Onyema, Co-ordinator of Industrial Parks Development in the office of the Governor, is a stickler to due process. Thus Sir Onyema maintains that he is waiting for the nod of his boss, Governor Chime, as well as the endorsement of the PDP leadership in Enugu state to go into the race for the titanic political battle with the largely ‘Abuja’ based Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Findings show that Sir OAU has been subjected to incessant threatening messages since his political friends started mounting pressures for him to run for Enugu West senate seat. Perhaps, to justify the direction such threatening messages have been coming from, Ekweremadu, during his recent media chat, alluded to the fact that most of the campaigns of calumny and publications by Insider Weekly (which, of course, critical on his person) were sponsored by one of his neighbors. But Ekweremadu stopped short of mentioning the name of Sir OAU Onyema as his possible assailant.

On his own part, Onyema denies sponsoring any publication or campaigns of calumny against the Deputy Senate President, even when he (Onyema) advises him (Ekweremadu) to climb down from his Olympian Height and play the game of politics according to its rules, instead of groping in the dark, looking for escape goats.

However, Insider Weekly magazine authoritatively gathered that Ekweremadu’s boasts are traced to his suspected infiltration of Chime government. What this infiltration is aimed at achieving is that some commissioners and political appointees of the Governor were, hitherto, working in concert with him (Ekweremadu) to achieve his third term desire. The magazine learnt that Governor Chime had got a wind of this, and, as a result, carried out a minor cabinet shake-up which sidelined the suspected (bad legs) officials in the scheme of things in his government.

For now, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has a date with history and his constituents come August 7. Will he answer to their calls? Or will he call their bluff? Is it really difficult to render an account of steward for constituents who, actually, have the right to know? Will the Enugu West constituents fold their arms and allow Ekweremadu slight all of them, and eventually move to walk back to the senate unchallenged? Answers to these posers, certainly, lie in the womb of time!

Culled from: Insider Weekly Magazine, Nigeria

Enugu's Hotel of Death

Workers of Hotel Presidential, Enugu, owed several months of salaries and other entitlements, continue to die out of frustration, hunger and starvation.


‘There is no doubt that the Hotel Presidential, Enugu has run out of business and competition in the hospitality industry for a very long time’

The above is an outcry by the impoverished workforce of the hitherto thriving Hotel Presidential, Enugu to Governor Sullivan Iheanacho Chime. The workers, operating on the platform of ‘All Staff of Hotel Presidential, Enugu’, in a letter to the Governor, dated March 21, 2010, disclosed that they are, at the moment, owed over twelve months salary arrears by Godwin Nomeh management of the hotel. (Picture left shows a Hotel Presidential suite; Right is Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State)

Signatories to the workers’ petition entitled: ‘Save Our Souls’, include Enebechi Jonas, Augustine Obiekwe and Richard Eze. The trio, understandably, signed for and on behalf of other workers of the hotel outfit.

The petition which the suffering workers, equally, addressed to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Barrister Eugene Odo and Chairman of the hotel’s Board of Directors, Sam Onyisi, complains that the management of the hotel has, in the past four years, refused to pay them promotions, leave allowances and service charge, as contained in the company’s conditions of service.

Worst of the situation, according to the working people, is that the hotel management has willfully refused to implement the new salary structure introduced by Chime’s government at his assumption of office way back in 2007. What this means is that while other civil and public servants in the state have been enjoying the minimum wage of N7,000.00 since the Chime era, their Hotel Presidential counterparts go home virtually empty-handed at the end of the month, a situation considered to be sub-human and anti-workers.

‘The core reason for writing this letter titled, ‘Save Our Souls’ is to implore you, Your Excellency, to use your good offices and pressurize the authorities concerned to release and ensure that our arrears of salaries are paid without further delay’, the hungry workers enjoined Governor Chime.

It seems that the greatest casualty being suffered by the workers include intimidation and harassment by the management. Most pathetic of all, many of them have been disengaged without the due process of law because such workers dared demand for their wages. The implication of the foregoing is that, as far as the Hotel’s Board of Directors, led by Sam Onyisi, and the management, headed by Nomeh, is concerned, the universally acclaimed dictum that laborers deserve their wages should go to ‘hell and burn to ashes’.

‘We seize this opportunity to inform you that majority of our staff in the hotel have been retired or forced out of office unjustly for daring to ask for our salaries and allowances. To this effect, so many workers have been forced out of the establishment unjustly without paying them their entitlements’, the aggrieved workers lamented in their petition.

But many indigenes and visitors to Enugu are not new to the pathetic story of Hotel Presidential, Enugu which was established by the Eastern Nigerian government of Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara in the 1960s alongside that of Port-Harcourt, Rivers state. But while the Presidential Hotel, Port-Harcourt makes ‘big’ business and thrives for the comfort of both the staff and people of the state, the proceeds from the-day-to-day running of Hotel Presidential, Enugu continue to swell the personal pockets of few of its management staff.

Part of the information at the disposal of the magazine is that the Hotel recently generated N3.5million from a function held in one of its halls, but this ‘clique’ of managers that runs the outfit sat down in a room and shared out the money to themselves.

And this was in spite of the fact that workers of Hotel have been owed twelve months salary allowances and other entitlements. Is it not intriguing that, despite the efforts of Chime government to pay up salaries of workers of Enugu state before the 25th of every month, workers of Hotel Presidential, Enugu languish in abject poverty and frustration? It is believed that some of the workers have, following the inhuman treatment and degradations, borne out sheer refusal of the hotel’s authorities to pay them their entitlements, died. And the number of these casualties continues to swell by the day.

The remaining workers of the hitherto burbling hotel outfit brimmed with hope when, sometime last year, Chime government appointed the Onyisi Board of Directors to look into its management, but it is yet to be seen what inputs the new management has made to revive the moribund edifice.

The level to which Hotel Presidential, Enugu had, over the years, degenerated is not only embarrassing but tear-evoking. The edifice which, also, used to be a major center of attraction east of the Niger and beyond, is now basically a home for rodents and reptiles, as well as a laughing stock.

Rather than making efforts to make the hotel more profit-oriented so as to pay the workers their entitlements, the management of the hotel appears to be in a fix on how best to run the edifice. While most rooms of the five storey hotel no longer have electricity, the few lighted rooms are, often times, given out to political appointees as guest rooms, a situation which was so common during the past administration in the state. And over the years, there have been serial looting of the hotel’s furniture and other important items under the very eyes of the hotel’s management.

Funny enough, the very few patrons who pay to use any of any of the halls or restaurants of the hotel are, in addition to such payments, always asked to pay for the gas or diesel being used in the hotel’s generating sets. Even at that, some of the functions get interrupted half-way following the dilapidated nature of the generating sets.

Information at the disposal of this magazine shows the disgusting use which the Hotel Presidential, Enugu has been turned into in the recent times. One of such uses is known as ‘short time’ business. This is said to involve some fraudulent staff of the hotel charging non-lodgers certain amounts of money for a short stay inside the hotel rooms with their sex mates. And this practice is said to have become more rampant than it was in the past.

As it were, the workforce of the Hotel seems hopeless over their pitiable situation. Even the appointment of Onyisi-led Board of Directors does not seem to hold any special promises for the staff, as there are no visible signs of things turning around for the better, at least, in few months ahead.

Another nagging problem still being suffered by the Hotel Presidential, Enugu is encroachment into its expansive premises. Over the years, some outfits listed as Niger Foundation Hospital, Rock Family Church and some car servicing and repair firms have dangerously encroached on the premises of the Hotel. Although the state government has made one or two attempts aimed at recovering the lost plots of land, not much seems to have been achieved in this direction.

However, efforts by Insider Weekly Magazine to get the Hotel management to react to the issues making the rounds concerning the Hotel were fruitless. A proposed interview with Godwin Nomeh, General Manager, did not, eventually, hold, as the GM was, on Friday July 9 while Insider Correspondent waited in his office reception, holed up in his office for a certain seeming endless meeting. The magazine remains in possession of more revelations concerning the can of worms in Hotel Presidential, Enugu, and this will be given future treatment.

Oh, can GOD (through Governor Chime) come down to Enugu State to touch the stony hearts of Hotel Presidential management to address the plights of the working people?

Ekweremadu's Home Trouble

Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, is in political quandary in his Enugu state home front, as both his third term senatorial and governorship ambitions crumble.


These are, particularly, trying times for Chief Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President and Senator representing Enugu West District. (Pictures left show Ekweremadu, outgoing senator representing Enugu West District; right down is Sir OAU Onyema, hopeful replacement of Ekweremadu)

Ekweremadu is, at the moment, visibly torn between the Devil and deep blue sea, uncertain of his political future which, to all intents and purposes, is irretrievably hitting the political rock of Enugu state under the firm administration of Barrister Sullivan Iheanacho Chime.

Just last Monday, July 4, the Deputy Senate President received the rudest shock of his life. The occasion was a gala-night organized in honor of the newly elected National Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, by the government of Chime at the Old Governor’s Lodge, located on Abakiliki Road, Enugu.

It is worthy to recall that during the struggle for the post of the PDP national chairmanship position, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu visibly threw his support behind the candidacy of Chief Ozichukwu Chukwu against that Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, his fellow Enugu man. Chief Ozichukwu Chukwu, one-time Vice Chairman of PDP, in the South-East zone, is an an indigene of Imo state.

Ekweremadu’s clear support of Ozichukwu, actually, ran counter to the wishes and aspirations of his Enugu state people who had been lobbying, over the years, for the position to be zoned to them. And it was in response to the outcries of the citizenry that Chime’s government, alongside a few other Wawa irredentists, spent restless days and sleepless nights in Abuja to install Nwodo as National Chairman of PDP. Apart from being the first Executive Governor of Enugu State, Nwodo was, also, the pioneer Secretary of the PDP.

Now that the Deputy Senate President’s candidate (Ozichukwu) did not emerge victorious, political analysts had expected him (Senator Ekweremadu) to retrace his steps and transfer his full support and solidarity to Nwodo, but that did not seem to be the case, at least, during the church reception organized in Nwodo’s honor at the Holy Ghost of Cathedral, Enugu last Sunday, July 3.

Senator Ekweremadu conspicuously shunned the church service, and many read politics into his behavior. It was learnt that his absence at the church service could have been his own way of still protesting the loss of Ozichukwu, his candidate, and the emergence of Nwodo as National boss of his party (PDP).

To some others, Ekweremadu’s later visit to Nwodo’s GRA residence following the deluge of blames and persuasions from his dwindling followership, was nothing but a face-saving devise, and the same impression dogged his subsequent appearance at Nwodo’s grand reception ceremony held at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu. Nwodo’s grand reception, of course, attracted eminent personalities, including Governors across the southeast geopolitical zone.
Perhaps, the snub he (EKweremadu) earlier received from Governor Chime at the Old Government House Lodge venue of the gala-night in honor of Nwodo would have jolted him (Ekweremadu) to the reality of the fact that the political situation of things in Enugu state no longer favor him. Put differently, the Deputy Senate President now seems like a political leper, with the very few that still interact with him doing so from a reasonable distance.

Governor Chime, particularly, at the gala-night, shunned Senator Ekweremadu when he (Ekweremadu) stood up from his seat, moved closer to the Governor and invited him (Chime) to join him in an on-going victory dance at the floor. Other personalities including former governors and senators had, at this point, joined in the merry dance.

Like an episode in an outdated love film, Ekweremadu stretched out his hands for over five minutes, beckoning on Governor Chime to join him in the dance floor, saying: ‘Your Excellency, come now, let’s dance now. Come now, let’s dance’.

The Mpu-born senator even moved closer to pull the Governor by the hands, but Chime neatly folded his hands across his chest while watching the dance of joy which he, alongside other committed few other compatriots, fought out their hearts to ignite for Enugu people, of course, in exclusion of this Deputy Senate President.

The dazed Senator Ekweremadu, who can presently best be described as a political orphan in his home Enugu state, later, (out of his own shame?) moved over to the floor to join in the dance. Of course, his own dance steps became highly feverish and discordant, having been treated with such level of ‘irrelevance’ by the very people he ‘lies’ in Abuja to represent.

Ekweremadu’s argument in supporting Ozichukwu against Nwodo, his Enugu kinsman, appeared to have been born out of his touted claim that the duo were both ‘Ndi Igbo’ who he argued he is entrusted with equal responsibility to protect.

But this reason, as far as the majority is concerned, is as baseless as ever. The truth, some insist, is that Senator Ekweremadu, whose new craze is primitive accumulation of property across Nigeria and beyond, opted to support Ozichukwu because both have worked together for a long time and have developed a lot of ‘winning rapports’.

Thus Ozichukwu, being his man-Friday, would easily create a platform which could offer him his much-sought-after Enugu state governorship ticket in a couple of months to come. And there is no gainsaying the fact that Ozichukwu was willing to be the Deputy Senate President’s tool which he could use to exploit political opportunities in Enugu state to his (Ekweremadu)’s advantages.
Of course, Ekweremadu rightly reckoned that Nwodo would not be such a willing tool to ‘manipulate’ to achieve his political whims and caprices, as Nwodo is, unarguably, noted for his calm, firm and procedural dispositions in handling political matters as they arise. At least, many expect that his political antecedents stand as a testimony to this. Nwodo is largely perceived as a man who sticks to due process, and he is not noted for allowing himself to be coaxed, under any guise, into taking any decision to the detriment of the party in the state and beyond.

It must be pointed out, for the umpteenth time, that the current intractable problem and dilemma of the second-term serving Senator Ike Ekweremadu (popularly known as Ikeoha), actually, started with his ambition to run for the governorship of Enugu state, even when he was yet to make any visible positive impact on the lives of tens of thousands of his constituents in Enugu West Senatorial Zone.

Apart from what his critics describe as vaulting ambition of campaigning for the guber position without recourse to the PDP high command in the state, others insist that Ekweremadu, about to serve out two (fruitless) terms in the senate, should step aside for a more competent constituent to mount the saddle.

Sequel to this, Udi people, insisting on equity and fair-play, have called on the other council areas that make up Enugu West Senatorial zone, including Ekwereamdu’s tersely populated and developed Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu and Oji River respectively to allow them to produce the Senator this time around.

Already, a constituent from Udi Local Government Area, Ogochukwu Agapitus Umunnakwe (OAU), Knight of St. John International (KSJ), is presently under persistent pressures by a circle of his friends cum supporters to run for the senate seat in place of Ekweremadu.
Incidentally, OAU Onyema (Akpaagu Ikenga), Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Enugu Chapter) and a tested politician, is yet to throw his hats into the political ring for the senatorial job because he is yet to get required endorsement of his immediate boss, Governor Chime and, of course, that of the PDP high command in the state.

To demonstrate their resolve in ensuring a stop to the perceived ‘lack-lustre’ representation which incumbent Senator Ekweremadu has subjected them to all these years, Sir Onyema’s friends, in a widely circulated booklet in February of this year, vehemently insisted that ‘it is the turn of an Udi man to be given a chance in the senate this time around’.

Of course, the iron cast logic of the Udis, as earlier reported by this magazine, is hinged on the fact that the people have not produced a senator (for Enugu West Senatorial District) for the past 30 years while all their neighboring constituent councils have, either produced twice or thrice. Examples abound.

And although Onyema, a would-be-lawyer, has tried to avoid situations of being thought over ambitious, the calls on him to stand out ‘to be counted’ remain strident.

Having on two occasions now prevented two other groups who came to ‘conscript’ him into the senate race, Onyema, a holder of two masters degrees, one in ‘Corporate Marketing’ and the other in ‘Industrial and Labor Relations’, says he would, in respect of his running for the senate, abide by the dictates of his boss (Governor Chime) and authorities of his party, the PDP.
Onyema, born on September 11, 1967, is presently, the Coordinator, Industrial Parks Development, Office of the Governor, Enugu state. A man of many honors and reputation, Onyema was, formerly, the General Manager of Enugu state owned Ikenga Hotel, Nsukka.
Intriguingly, ‘Friends of Sir OAU Onyema’ has, without recourse to him, continued with the campaign to install him the Senator representing Enugu West District come 2011.

Feelers show that the senate slot of Enugu West District is, for now, vacant, as Ekweremadu seems to have lost the opportunity to return to the seat for a third term. And the same scenario, also, applies to his earlier ambition to challenge the second-term running achievement-loaded Governor Chime. Nobody requires the services of a prophet to decipher that both opportunities have, in broad daylight, slipped off the hands of the Ebony black Deputy Senate President with the current political dispensation.

The reason is not far to fetch. Senator Ekweremadu will simply be unable to contend with the practical legacies the Chime administration is bequeathing to the people of Enugu state in all areas of development, including pipe-borne water, housing and electricity, roads, transport, agriculture and workers’ welfare among others.

Apart from the booklet authored by ‘Friends of Sir OAU Onyema’ which, also, supports Chime for second term in office, there are other eminent personalities who feel that the Governor has ‘surpassed what his predecessor tried to achieve in eight years’.

For instance, to Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, former Governor of old Anambra state: ‘Governor Sullivan Chime has changed the face of Enugu state. People have told me even as I move on, ‘Please whatever you are doing, allow this Governor to stay because we like him, and this is not based on nothing. It is based on the fact that he has performed. Roads are being built, there is calmness, and people can sleep with their eyes closed unlike before. It is no longer fight, fight and violence’.

Even before his death last year, Chief C.C Onoh, another former Governor of old Anambra state, had this to say of Governor Chime: ‘At my old age, Chime has wiped away my tears. Go to Enugu and see what is happening to our roads…’

Even the opposing Senator Ekweremadu cannot afford to sing any discordant tune on Chime’s project driven government. Thus says the Deputy Senate President: ‘The government has done extremely very well. A lot has happened in terms of infrastructure, but I think the greatest achievement for this state is the issue of peace, because there is nothing you can achieve without peace’.

For now, Senator Ekweremadu, although he remains number two man in the nation’s national assembly, continues to swim in the slippery and murky waters of Enugu state politics. Will he swim out of this fast flowing ‘political beach’ safely? Or will he be drowned, nay, submerged in it? Only time will tell.

Culled from Insider

PPA Cries Foul over Ebonyi LG Poll

The Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA in Ebonyi state has cried foul over the just concluded local government election in the 13 local government councils, 215 wards and 1784 polling units in the state where Peoples Democratic Party, PDP swept all the votes cast. (Pix shows Governor Martin Elechi)

Speaking to newsmen shortly after Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission Chairman, Mrs. Adline Idike announced the results and declared PDP winner of the election, the PPA Chairman, Mr. Cyril Obazi said that the election was marred by massive irregularities and violence ranging from kidnapping and other sundry acts against the wishes of the electorate.

Mr. Obazi went ahead to say as against the results earlier announced by EBSIEC that PDP won all the 215 wards that his party, PPA won the councillorship position in Ishimgbo ward 11, adding that despite the kidnap of their candidate by PDP supporters, the party still went ahead to win the ward.

The chairman of the most dreaded opposition party in the state went ahead to accuse EBSIEC of rigging the election in favour of the ruling party, PDP pointing accusing fingers on the commission for manufacturing the results to favour PDP.

“EBSIEC should tell us where they got the results because there was no election in any ward or booth throughout the state, many of our supporters were bundled up and beat up by PDP agents and we took one of the victims to NTA and made official reports to the police”

He also accused the ruling party of catalyzing trouble in Ezza North local government area where he said some of his supporters were infringed series of injuries ranging from matchete cuts and other degrees of injuries.

The party chairman also said that the party recorded another casualty in Ezza South as one woman who according to him is the party faithful was reported kidnapped by unknown gunmen who were reported to be working for PDP.

He accused the ruling party of beating up one woman to coma and went ahead to collect her cell phone on the same day that the election was conducted by the commission.

Meanwhile, apart from PPA that participated in the election, nothing has been heared of the Action Congress AC as the party fielded only two councillorship candidates in one of the local government areas in the state.

Some other prominent opposition political parties in the state like All Progressive Peoples Alliance, APGA and All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP had earlier before the election declared their intention for boycotting the election.

According to the chairman of APGA, Mr. Jerry Obasi, the EBSIEC has lost the trust and integrity to conduct free and fair election in the state, adding that since the commission is biased, the major option left for the party was to boycott the polls.
Also, the Secretary of ANPP had earlier briefed the press and accused the commission of siding PDP and went ahead to announce their withdrawal from participating in the poll.

Culled from: UkpakaReports