Nigerian Newspapers
Governorship of Anambra State: The Ifeanyi Uba factor
By PRINCE OLIVER OKPALA
Recently, A Nationalist, Patriot, Philanthropist and Astute Politician took time to invite Traditional Rulers and President-Generals of Town Unions in Anambra State to Lagos for a one on one political chart over his Gubernatorial ambition.
He decided to host his people from Anambra State to a Grand Reception in Lagos. He chartered Buses and Planes for the Good People of Anambra State to move over to Lagos for this all important purpose and also to be treated to his familiar and usual culture of good neighborliness and sharing what he has with others.
We are talking of no other person than Dr. Ifeanyi Uba the man who sits atop the Board of many business organizations, business empires and now turned fire brand politician eyeing the Governorship of Anambra State. In the course of the visit, Dr. Uba took his Guests made up of a wide spectrum of Anambrarians from all walks of life, Traditional Rulers, Presidents-General of Town Unions, Journalists, Opinions baders and moulders and the ordinary people on a facility tour of his companies and business offices.
The good people of Anambra State were able to see the solid and transcendental investments of Uba in Lagos. He showcased his investments and proved that he was an excellent businessman with unsurpassed acumen, intelligence, expertise, enterprise and industry.
The facility tour revealed so much about Dr. Uba. It proved beyond any doubt that he was on ground in business. He is a man who knows his onions in his chosen field of endeavour and business.
Who is also a good material for the Governance of Anambra State. Dr. Uba allowed his people to have a holistic eye-view and make a total appraisal of him as a businessman and a major player in the downstream sector of the Oil economy.
He was not afraid to let his people know him inside out. He has nothing to hide. He has no skeletons in his cup board. He laid all the cards on the table. He is not a pretender. He showed the good people of Anambra State what he is doing in Lagos and the enormity of his means of livelihood.
It should be mentioned here that this is the first time a business mogul from Anambra State who is interested in the Governorship of the State has conducted his people round his business facilities, investments and activities. There is no doubt that Dr. Uba did this with confidence and panache because he has no cause to look behind his shoulders. He does clean business and he lives by his business.
He does not have double identity. He is what he is and what he says he is. Nigeria will be a Great Nation the day when those who aspire to control the reins of power have the confidence and grace to take their constituents to their places of business and offices for an on the-spot assessment of who and what they are. The Nigeria political landscape is littered with jobless, unemployed and hungry men and women who are in politics simply as a means of livelihood.
Some politicians engage in politics not because they love their people and seek to advance their welfare. On the contrary, these politicians is only seeking the means to ek out a living, to survive and to make ends meet.
No wonder, then, that as soon as such people secure power, they embark upon monumental looting and plunder of the coffers of Government Allocation for the provision of Democratic Dividends and Infrastructural Facilities are pocketed and embezzled with impunity. White elephant projects are kick-started here and thereby as a ploy to siphon public funds.
To a large extent, the crippling corruption, fraud, embezzlement and widespread pilfering prevalent in Nigeria today is from hungry men who suffered great poverty, want and deprivation and who view public office as an opportunity to recoup what had been eaten by the locust.
There are politicians who cannot fight elections on their own either because of lack of influence or resources or absolute poverty of ideas. This, they rely on godless god father who help and assist them to given power on the understanding that they will use public funds to settle them.
This is the bane of Nigerian politics. We need a statesman, outspoken, confident, able and ready men who have no psychological problems and other debility inadequacies to join the political train to turn around the economy of this country.
We do not need people who are looking for employment in power. We need men and women of reason who have made it in their chosen fields of endeavor and who cannot be swayed by financial considerations if they find themselves in the corridors of power.
We need men little Dr. Uba who are richer than the Government they want to control and who will not misappropriate public funds but will augment the same with their own money. We need patriots in power. We need statesmen. We need goodmen. The eve of godfatherism should be over.
The godsons have ruined many States and Governments. A Distinguished Personality and Wealthy Businessman like Uba will not dip hands into the coffers of Government to help himself because he is richer than the Government he will control Dr. Uba is not coming to Government to make money. He is not seeking political office to acquire wealth or buy private jet which he already has. and wealthy State. Dr. Uba is coming to create wealth in Anambra reinvigorate the economy resuscitate ailing infrastructures, provide employment and give hope to the people.
The Leaders in Anambra State have seen it all. They are in a position to assess Uba and his pedigree. For long, Anambra State has been held by the jugular by a group of never-do-wells and political tin-gods. Anambra State has been in neo-colonial bondage of sorts. The State has been in ruins. It has been unable to rise above mediocrity. The State lies comatose.
It is a State where god-fathers arrested a sitting Governor and detained him. It is the State where ascendancy to Governorship is a function of who you know and how connected you are and not what you know and what you can offer. Dr. Uba is a Daniel come to judgment. He is coming to wipe out the tears of helpless and hapless Anambrarians who have been suffering in silence and praying that a Messiah will come to save them from their bondage and incapacitation. The facility tour of Dr. Uba’s facilities has another thing to commend it for.
It is a testimony to Dr. Uba’s willingness to sacrifice all he has just to come and liberate Anambra from the shackles of poverty, penury and deprivation. A lot of people from Anambra State and some NUPENG officials were also there. The tour encompassed all the facilities owned by Dr. Uba. The good people of Anambra State are now convinced that Dr. Uba is a fit and proper person to be the Governor of Anambra State. The good people of Anambra State who honoured Uba’s invitation were hosted at the prestigious Golden Tulip Hotel in Lagos.
As a lover of the people, the occasion afforded Uba the opportunity to discuss one on one with the stakeholders in Anambra State. In the process, he was apprised of the problems in the State and the aspirations of the people of the State.
He asked questions. He received answers. The people also asked him questions and he was meek and humbly in his answers to the questions. And this is the way it should be, for after all, democracy is government of the people by the people for the people. It was a pretty long town hall meeting of sorts which lasted from 8pm till 7am the following day.
This shows that Uba is a man who listens and likes to receive ideas from the people. This cross fertilization of ideas is what drives democracy and leads to good governance. Anambrarians were opportuned to come close to Uba, to study and understudy him, appreciate his sport of enterprise and his burning patriotism and love for his people.
Uba’s style is definitely revolutionary, it is the first time a public office seeker has arranged to meet the people at close quarters to interact with them and share ideas on how to move the State forward. After the interaction, the people were not only impressed but they were of the firm view that Uba is the man whom God has prepared and positioned to save Anambra State from the ruin and maladministration of yester-years.
The good people of Anambra State do not need to search further or any longer for the Messiah is here. The people of Anambra State found out from the tour that Dr. Uba’s investment is huge massive and outstanding.
The facilities included ships, jetties, depots, filling stations, tankers, and a host of other high-tech facilities on ground. It became apparent from findings from the tour that Dr. Uba’s Capital and Gas Oil Limited is one of the biggest distributors of petroleum products in Nigeria. Of great importance is the fact that Capital Oil and Gas has been a major player in the downstream sector ever before the subsidy regime. The company has tankers which supply fuel all over the country.
In fact, the activities of the company in the area of supply of petroleum products is one of the reasons why fuel is available everywhere today. This is because while other companies horde fuel in order to make huge profit, Dr. Uba’s companies are only interested in making the products available to all and sundry. Profit is not the driving force for the company.
Uba’s companies are known for giving back to the society what it got from the society in terms of social responsibility.
At least Capital Oil and Gas Co is known to provide employment to more than four thousand persons in Nigeria. On a personal level, Uba awards scholarships to indigent students. There are students who attend various schools in Nigeria, courtesy of Uba’s sponsorship.
He tars roads everywhere. His filling stations supply fuel free of charge to motorcyclists in Nnewi every Monday. He intervenes in all cases where poor people are being discriminated against or marginalized.
He donates money throughout the federation in pursuant of worthy causes. This may be the reason why his detractors wanted to rubbish him recently by framing him up. To God be the glory that he was vindicated everywhere-by the court, the court of public opinions and by the National Assembly.
It became apparent that his adversaries in business were afraid of his rising profile and success story and they tried to pull him down by tarnishing his image and panting him in black colours as a man who could not settle his debts. The truth has now revealed and Uba’s hands have been adjudged everywhere. Anambrarians should search no more for a Messiah.
We have one already in Uba. All the good people of Anambra State should now take a decision to crown and elect Uba as the next Governor of the State. Uba is a great Igbo man who loves his people and Nigeria alike with great passion and dedication. His love for the Igbos became even more manifest when he committed a huge sum of money towards giving the deceased Igbo sage and leader, Chief Emeka Odmegwu Ojukwu, a decent National and Befitting Burial.
Now that the Traditional Ruler, Leaders of Through, Presidents of Town Unions and other Stakeholders have had an insight into the pedigree and worth of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Uba, it behooves them to take the Good News of Uba’s interest in Anambra State Governorship to all the nook and crannies of the State, to sensitize Anambrarians and to prepare the ground for his emergence to bring a new down in Anambra.
There is no doubt that Uba is God-sent to clean the Augean stable of Anambra’s politics of ineptitude, incompetence, bickering, brigandage, nepotism and financial rascality.
The stakeholders have seen, assessed and weighed Uba and they have no doubt that Uba is a man Anambra needs at a time like this. Uba has come to judgment in Anambra. He is the True Messiah. As Jesus was proclaimed by the Almighty God as his beloved son in whom he is well pleased, Anambrarians say with one voice and in unison that Dr. Uba is our beloved son in whom we are not only pleased but in whom we repose great hope and confidence to lead us to the land of promise. Surely, the cap of governorship of Anambra fits Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Uba. Let him wear it.
•Prince Oliver Okpala is a political analyst
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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