I am sure The government has already notified them before now, so those who didn't hid to the warning would have themselves to blame.

Chief T. A Orji(Ochendo Global) has done credibly well in all sectors of the state economy and therefore we owe him our total Supports and Votes come March 28.
Vote Quality Representation,
Vote Chief T. A Orji(Ochendo Global)
Vote PDP ALL THE WAY!!!!!

dear chrisvicmall,
its been past three weeks i booked an order [ 2014102123264847 ]which should have arrived two weeks back.coz i paid for express shipping which should normally take 3days to arrive . its becoming annoying can some tell me what is still keeping my goods from reaching me

GOD bless you our amiable governor

dear chrisvicmall,
please i want to alert you concerning some shipping errors,when i booked my order {2014102123264847} i requested for express delivery and not the normal shipping, please i kindly ask for the error to be corrected
thanks

ATTENTION PLEASE
1.)If the purchase status still shows "Not Yet" and it is more than two days since you place the order, please do not hesitate even a second to contact us immediately for inquiry.
2.)If you are using Airport Pickup as your pickup destination, and it is more than four days since your product has been purchased and yet your shipping status still shows "Not Yet", please contact us immediately for inquiry.
ITS BEEN MORE THAN TWO DAYS SINE I PLACED MY ODER( 2014102123264847), I WONDER WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. LAST TIME I CHECKED EXPRESS DERIVERY TIME IS 3DAYS.

dear Chrisvicmall
this is my first time of using your service,but after reading most of the customers complains i was like i hope i have made the right choice,but i hope u guys are going to make me believe i made the right choice {first impression matters to me a lot}.
i placed an order on Tuesday Oct 21st 2014 with order no.2014102123264847 which is expected to arrive on the Sunday Oct 27th 2014,i hope it dose not get delayed co'z i paid for express delivery, how would i be notified when the goods get to Nigeria ?
i stay outside logas how do i get my items delivered to umuahia where i stay?how much would it cost? how long would it take to be delivered to umuahia.

at poster,i wonder who paid you to do these. please stop been unpatriotic buy posting untrue and fake news in order to deceive the masses,Abia is Gods own state with a God fearing and people oriented leader.don't tranish the image of our state with your fake news.

It was once said that "the evil that men do, lives after them," but in this our age, the evil that men do, not only lives after but also lives with them. I was reading an online news when I came across the EFCC/OUK case and I said to myself, the hour of reckoning is here.

OUK, the former governor of Abia State is on the red list of EFCC. Just recently OUK acquired a new gulfstream jet worth billions of dollars and the whole Nigeria was agog on how he raised the money. Some argued he is a businessman, while others insisted to know the kind of business he does. Incidentally, I was among the lot that want to know the kind of business he does, and up till now, no one has been able to convince me.

But wait a minute, if OUK is a businessman, what kind of business does he do? The Slok group, what are they into? If it is a business conglomerate like they claim, why don't they publish their business year turnover just like Dangote and others do? For all I care, the slok group is a cloak under which OUK hide to perpetrate his criminal activities of which he is known.

OUK's cronies claims he bought the alleged gulfstream jet to service a contract with oil majors, which oil majors? That was not what we were told ab-initio. They claimed the jet was bought for his private use, how come now it is for a contractual agreement? Another question is, on what basis did he purchase the jet? If the jet was bought for a contract service, it would have been purchased under a business name.

Abia is still suffering from his actions as a Governor, he looted Abia point blank, used it in building mansions overseas, and now bought a jet. Maybe he thought using the delay tactics will vindicate him from his evil deeds but he missed it all. EFCC has been on his trail since he left office as Governor and now, he has foolishly fallen into their net.

I wouldn't want to delve deeper into this case, but EFCC should please help me ask OUK some questions, questions like;
How much exactly was the jet bought?
Of what purpose was it purchased?
If it was for contract service with oil majors, which oil major?
where are the contract documents or MoU?
If the alleged jet was purchased for business, what was the business name under which it was purchased?
Where are the evidences of tax payments from his so called slok group for the past eight years?
What is the yearly turnover of his slok group to determine whether or not they are worth the jet?
please, ask him also what happened to the One trillion naira Abia got from the federal account during his tenure as Governor?

I rest my case for now, awaiting EFCC's prosecution of OUK.

Mr Duru

talk about Abia development,the youth lover in Abia state than talk about Ochendo the executive governor of abia state if other past governor performed just the same way as T.A Orji has done ,Abia would have got a bigger boost by now,but all the same there is progress being made.Keep it up Ochendo

a leader who should live an exemplary life,has done nothing than indulge in dubious activities,he has failed Abians , he has also failed in polities too,nothing good can ever come out of him.

thank God for using Ochendo and his legacy project to transform abia state.

In terms of rapid development in Abia state ,T.A Orji is the man behind the wheels of development .a visionary man with his legacy project has given Abian what the past government was not able to give us.

Orji receives Nigerian Army Chief, urges Nigerians to support security force

Nigerians have been called on to encourage the Nigerian Army in the face of current security challenges confronting the country instead of constant criticism.

Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, gave the advise at Government House in Umuahia, when he received the Chief of Army staff, Lieutenant Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who paid him a courtesy visit along with other senior officers.

He said that the Army has been doing “a very good job” in fighting the Boko Haram sect and must be supported if terrorism is to be successfully wiped out.

Orji opined that the Army has to take time to adapt to tackle terrorism, which according to him is totally new to Nigerians, noting that many soldiers have sacrificed their lives while fighting insurgency in the country.

He expressed confidence that the Army boss will perform creditably in office and assured him of the continued support and partnership of the Abia State government.

The governor further appreciated the Nigerian Army for the tremendous assistance it rendered to Abia State to end kidnapping and for the establishment of 14 brigade of the Army at Ohafia which, he noted, has enhanced security in the state.

He further appealed to the Chief of Army Staff to provide military equipment at the Army Camp at Aba, give preference to Abia during recruitment and also ensure that the Army in the state work in synergy with the police and other security agencies.

Earlier in his speech, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minima said he was in the state to visit military formations as part of his familiarization tour of the 82 Division, Enugu.

Encourage Nigerian Army, Gov Orji Tells Nigerians

Nigerians have been urged to encourage the Nigerian Army in the face of
the current security challenges confronting the country instead of
constant criticism.
Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State gave the advise in Umuahia when he
received in audience the chief of Army staff, Lieutenant Gen. Kenneth
Minimah who paid him a courtesy visit with other senior Army officers.
He said that the Army has been doing a very good job in fighting the Boko
Haram which he said is new in the country.
Chief Orji was of the opinion that the Army has to take time to adapt to
fight terrorism which according to him is totally new to Nigerians, noting
that many soldiers have sacrificed their lives while fighting insurgency
in the country.
He expressed confidence that the new chief of Army staff will perform
creditably in office and assured him of the continued support and
partnership of the Abia State government to the Army.
The Governor appreciated the Nigerian Army for the tremendous assistance
it rendered to Abia State to end kidnapping as well as for the
establishment of the 14 brigade of the Army at Ohafia which has enhanced
security in the state and appealed to the Chief of Army staff to provide
military equipment at the Army camp at Aba, give preference to the state
during Army recruitment and to ensure that the Army in the state work in
synergy with the police and other security agencies in the state.
Earlier in his speech, the Chief of Army staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minima
said he was in the State to visit military formations as part of his
familiarization tour of the 82 Division, Enugu.
He appreciated Governor TA Orji for his assistance to the Nigerian Army
which he described as exemplary and requested him to do more as the Army
cannot do it alone.
END21/8/14
Pix 2576,Abia State Governor Theodore Orji receiving an award of
excellence from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah when
he led some top officers of the Nigerian Army on a courtesy visit to
the Governor in Umuahia.

Pix 2601, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah flanked on the
immediate left by Abia State Governor Theodore Orji, Speaker Abia
State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Udeh Okchukwu and on the right by the
State Deputy Governor Sir Emeka Ananaba, State PDP Chairman, Sen. Emma
Nwaka and some top officers of the Nigerian Army

Breaking news: five people were killed today at the camp neya home of Orji uzor kalu at Igbere, as the former gov declares his interest to run for the Abia north senatorial seat in 2015 on the platform of PPA . Our reporter who witnessed the incident said that hundreds of PPA supporters who came to welcome kalu were kept outside before the ex gov arrived. As soon as kalu arrived with his convoy some of his supporters who attempted to enter when the gate was openned were hit by kalus back ups that were on top speed. Apart from the five people 4 old women and a male teenager, several others were wounded. The deceased were later taken away by kalus aides. Kalu who was not perturbed by the event told his angry guests that he is in the race for senate on the platform of PPA. Kalu who noticed that his supporters were not happy as a result of the stampede that killed five people hurriedly left for his sitting room. Details later

Governor Orji Swears In New Commissioners And Transition ChairmenThe Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, has sworn in two new commissioners and seventeen transition chairmen for the Local Government Areasto join in the developmental intentions of the government.The ceremony took place at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia on Tuesday.The Governor urged the new transition chairmen to work in tandem with the aspirations of the administration,to impact the lives of citizens in the rural areas and ensure development in their communities.He hinted that this was the final set of transition chairmen to run the Local Government system because the next peopleto be sworn in would be the elected chairmen, stating that there would be a level playing ground for those intending to run for the position.The Michael Okpara Auditoriumwas filled to its capacity with friends, family, well-wishers, as well as supporters of the new commissioners and the seventeen local government transition chairmen as the appointees simultaneously tookthe oath of office which empowered them to gainfully build and develop the state.Bearing in mind that all eyes were focused on them to perform better, one of the newly appointed commissioners promised that they would do their best in ensuring that dividends of democracy reach the citizens.The transition chairmen were said to have been carefully considered in order not to create a vacuum in the local government system and because of their antecedents and ability to work assiduously in the improvement of the grassroots.They assume office with a guiding principle to perform excellently on their jobs and ensure that Abia citizens are carried along in the developmental process of the state.

Nigerians can be very unpartotice, why would you want to judge someone when you are not better off.rather than castigate Ochendo why not suport him.

1. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


2. UMUAHIA HIGH COURT, UNDER CONSTRUCTION.



3. RECONSTRUCTED HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY


4. 28 ROOMS CONSTITUENCY OFFICES @ABIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY UNDER CONS


5. HIGH COURT ABA UNDER CONSTRUCTION


6. RECONSTRUCTED OLD HIGH COURT UMUAHIA

7. OLD MAGISTRATE COURT, UNDER CONSTRUCTION

8. NEW MINISTRY OF JUSTICE COMPLEX.


9. ASEPA HEAD OFFICE COMPLEX UNDER CONSTRUCTION


10. DOCTOR’S RESIDENCE ABIA STATE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AMACHARA UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


11. CONSTRUCTION OF MAGISTRATE COURT, ABA


12. UMUAHIA NORTH COUNCIL HQS, UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


13. ABSUTH HALL ABA UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


14. DIALYSIS AND EYE CENTER COMPLETED.


15. ABIA SPECIALIST HOSPITALS / DIAGNOSTIC CENTER COMPLETED.


16. THE NEW WORKERS SECRETARIAT, UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


17. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT BEING RECONSTRUCTED BY ABIA STATE GOVERNMENT.


18. NEW BCA SECRETARIAT UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


19. NEW PLANING COMMISSION COMPLEX.


20. AMAOKWE HOUSING ESTATE.


21. UMUAHIA INDUSTRIAL MARKET UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


22. NEW UMUAHIA ULTRA MODERN MARKET UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


23. SENIOR POLICE OFFICER’S QUARTERS.


24. ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONERS QUARTERS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.


25. SKILL ACQUISITION CENTER UMUAHIA

26. PATROL VAN FOR SECURITY AGENCIES.

27. FED GOVT POWER PROJECT, EVACUATION OF POWER BY ABIA STATE

Abia state sets 8 convicts free in Christmas spirit print
Published on December 25, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Governor Theodore Orji of Nigeria’s eastern state of Abia has pardoned

Gov Theordor Orji, Abia State governor: pardons criminals in Xmas spirit
eight prisoners in commemoration of the Christmas celebration.

Orji’s gesture was announced in a statement issued in Umuahia by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ugochukwu Emezue.

The beneficiaries included Ngozi Simon, Ngozi Esina, Okwuonu Eme, Lawrence Egbu and Sunday Amala who were serving various jail terms for murder.

The rest were Chidiebere Jacob and Pius Anizo who were convicted of manslaughter, and Chibuzo Azuonwe who was convicted of robbery.

In a Christmas message also made available to newsmen, Orji urged Christians in the state to ‘’continue to exhibit those virtues Jesus Christ symbolises’’.

He charged them ‘’to use this period to pray for the peace and unity of Nigeria’’ in view of the current security challenges in the country.

The statement quoted the governor as saying that ‘’prayers can change situations for good.

‘’The governor said he is optimistic that the country will soon become the envy of other nations.’’

The statement assured the people of adequate security of lives and property during and after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

come together under which umbrella? to discuss what? You Nigerians should open your eyes and stop deceiving yourselves, do you think there's gonna be end to all these? No way. Now u hv identified that spilled oil cannot not be gathered... use your tongue to count your teeth

1202F02.Theodore-Orgi.jpg - 1202F02.Theodore-Orgi.jpg

Theodore orji


Emmanuel Ugwu, in Umuahia, examines the issues behind the open objection to the return of former PDP members by key stakeholders of the party in Abia State

Chairman of the Abia State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Emma Nwaka, was on cloud nine as he addressed the expanded caucus meeting of the party held at the Women Development Centre, Umuahia, on November 11. “There was never a time in the past a state chairman invited people to a meeting and got so many dignitaries in attendance,” he enthused.

Who’s Who of Abia PDP
Indeed, the attendance list at the meeting was like the Who’s Who of Abia PDP stakeholders. They included the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, leading members of his cabinet and personal aides; the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu, and his 23 colleagues; all the members of the National Assembly from the state – the three senators and eight members of the House of Representatives – and indigenes of the state in appointive positions at both the federal and state levels.

The elders of Abia PDP, including Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, and Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, were not left out. The expanded caucus meeting was so important to Abia politicians in the ruling PDP that those who could not make it sent their regrets, like the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who was outside the country on official duty, and Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who asked to be excused due to exigency of duty. Ugochukwu, who was the PDP governorship flag bearer in 2007, described the turnout of stakeholders at the meeting as “very impressive” going by what obtained in the past.

Newfound Unity
The expanded caucus meeting also turned out to be a celebration of newfound peace and unity in Abia PDP, as speaker after speaker spoke glowingly of the harmony in the party. Considering the years of internal divisions that the state’s chapter of PDP had lived through, there was excitement among the party faithful over the coming together of former sworn enemies to discuss a common interest.
“This is a meeting of brothers and sisters who have come together for the purpose of proposing and evaluating the ways and means to move our state forward for the general good of our people,” said the state party chairman.

It was not so in the past, even at the initial period of PDP’s control of Abia, between 1999 and 2006, as the party was factionalised by centripetal and centrifugal forces. Even when the former governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, eventually left the party with his followers and formed the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PDP was still enmeshed in internal divisions. The party’s loss of the governorship election in 2007 was largely attributed to internal wrangling, which the PPA exploited to take control of Government House, Umuahia.

Recalling the party’s unsavoury past, Nwachukwu, who delivered the keynote address at the meeting, said PDP went into a tailspin in 1999 after winning the polls. The party, according to him, plunged into authoritarianism, as the executive arm of government at the national and state levels became hegemonic and took over the functions of party executives.

But with the return of Orji to PDP in August 2010 Abia PDP appeared to discover a rallying point for unity, Nwachukwu said. He said some party elders took the initiative to bring the governor back to the party and it has paid off. With the return of Orji and his followers, who dumped PPA, he stressed, Abia State was brought back to the mainstream of national politics.
Nwaka said, “Under Governor T.A. Orji as the leader of our party, robust and inclusive politics have returned to Abia State. Politics of polarity, divide and rule for personal aggrandisement have suffered a set back in our state, thanks to our reinvigorated PDP. We treat everybody with respect consistent with a refined sense of justice and fair play.”

Apprehension
However, the sense of wellbeing in Abia PDP is being blighted by apprehension about a possible return to crisis following indications that some separated members of the party were about to come back. At the caucus meeting there were constant references to the need to block the readmission of those referred to as potential troublemakers.

The state chairman had said, “We have not relented in our membership drive,” adding that with its new status of the “beautiful bride of Abia politics,” PDP has been flooded with numerous applications from those wishing to join.

From the body language of the PDP leaders who spoke at the meeting it was evident that a good number of the said applications were coming by former members of the party who had left to join other parties, especially PPA. But the dilemma facing Abia PDP leaders is that the national leadership of the ruling party had directed that the door should be thrown open to prospective members.
“Be that as it may, every well-brought up pretty lady knows that she should not be available to all comers,” Nwaka cautioned, adding, “We have been very careful in our assessment of those we open our doors to.”

While they acknowledge that reconciliation is good, Nwaka and his executive harbour the feeling that it could be a double-edged sword, hence “we should not for that reason open our doors to snakes and other scurrilous reptiles.” Even at that, the Abia PDP chairman was not oblivious of the fact that their stance on blocking some people from coming into the party may run afoul of the directive of the national leadership of the party on the contentious issue.

Nwaka said: “We will, therefore, always insist that the higher authorities of our party should allow us at all times to make the decision as to who to admit into our fold. To do otherwise may rupture the peace we enjoy and by extension, jeopardise our ability to deliver.”

A chieftain of PDP, Chief Henry Ikoh, shared this view when he noted that though a political party, like a church, is open to everybody, yet “if a mad man is trying to enter a church people will definitely stop him.” The former governorship aspirant of said anyone with good intentions would be received by the party, adding, “We know the spoilers, those who will come and destroy the party.”

An Eye to Kalu’s Exclusion
Although the identities of the unwanted elements were not made known by any of the speakers at the expanded caucus meeting, there was no doubt on anyone’s mind that Kalu was the target. It was Nwachukwu who hinted that when he said, “The former governor was the architect of all the woes that befell our party.” Nwachukwu had taken his listeners through memory lane, narrating the tortuous path Abia PDP had passed through to the present era, which, according to him, was capped with Orji’s liberation of the state from the divisive politics of the past. He warned, “Except we keep our house in order and truly entrench internal democracy,” the party should not expect to sustain its electoral success.

On November 14, at a stakeholders meeting of PDP members in Bende local government, the agenda was the news that Kalu was making moves to come back to PDP, and members talked about how to stop him. Kalu became Abia governor on the PDP ticket in 1999 and it was not until the middle of his second tenure that he left the party at the height of the internal crisis that engulfed PDP. He subsequently formed PPA barely 10 months before the 2007 general elections with his followers and still used the baby party to humiliate PDP, as the PPA candidate won the governorship election.

The PDP in Abia was never the same again following the electoral blow by Kalu. It was not until August 2010 when Orji rejoined PDP with his followers that the party recovered from the Kalu uppercut, hence it has become a difficult proposition for those he had wounded to welcome him back with open arms. Even when PDP was in opposition and launching malicious attacks against Orji, then of PPA, the PDP leader then, Ugochukwu, said that Kalu was the ultimate target of the attack. The ill feelings against Kalu have persisted. Thus, the present PDP leadership in Abia has embarked on a mission to ensure that Kalu does not gain entry into PDP again. To this end, the party’s stakeholders in Bende, Kalu’s local government, took a resolution not to readmit him. Party chairmen in all the 11 wards were strictly warned against any attempt to register Kalu and his followers.

The PDP constitution requires that prospective members should first get admission at the ward level.
Chairman of PDP in Bende local government, Chief Ihendu Boniface Eke, told THISDAY that he had heard rumours that Kalu had been readmitted into the party at the national headquarters. But he said, “We will not accept anybody who goes to Abuja or Umuahia to be registered as a member of PDP in Bende local government.”

Eke had told the stakeholders that the meeting was convened “to discuss about those who had left our party and sabotaged the party but now want to come back with the same diseases they left with.” He said that it would be inimical to the wellbeing of the party to take back the estranged members already infected with the virus of disunity. “We don’t want them to come back with those diseases and it has become necessary for us to screen them to verify if they still carry the diseases to ensure that our members are not infected,” he said. The Bende local government PDP chairman said that the stakeholders merely ratified a resolution already taken by party members in Kalu’s Igbere ward. The former PPA presidential candidate was said to have been declared unfit to come back to PDP by his own kinsmen.

Taking the Battle to Abuja
On November 20, Orji led a high powered delegation of Abia PDP stakeholders to the national secretariat of PDP in Abuja to tell the national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, that Kalu was not wanted in the party. But Kalu has, reportedly, told the Hausa Service of the BBC that he is not seeking to rejoin PDP or join any other party, insisting that nobody could stop him when he eventually decides to. But Nwaka said the mission to Abuja was very necessary because “strong intelligence” report had revealed that the founder of PPA had approached the national secretariat of PDP for talks on his readmission from Abuja. The Abia stakeholders knew that Kalu was capable of outsmarting them if they rested on their oars.

Rising to Kalu’s Defence
PPA has fired back at the Abia PDP on what the party leaders considered unbridled attacks on their mentor. Abia State PPA chairman, Chief Emeka Okafor, said the state PDP leaders were afraid of the rising political profile of Kalu, hence the gang up against him. The Abia PDP chairman faulted his PPA counterpart, saying that Kalu’s political status could not have been anything to reckon with given that he was floored in his bid to go to the Senate during the 2011 general election. He further questioned Kalu’s political strength when he could not lead the PPA to win even a single seat in both the state and the National Assembly.

Though, PDP in Abia State seems determined to block Kalu, regardless of the consequences, many believe the chapter risks a major negative consequence from the party’s powerful national leadership if Kalu successfully warms to the national body. Tukur has declared that the former governor should go and reconcile with his state’s chapter. But that does not seem to spell the end of the Kalu readmission debate.

Posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2012

By Dan Amor , 0802 359 7734 (sms only pls)danamor67@yahoo.com

Events lead a double life, and the appearance of events in politics is as important as their reality – Theodore H. White

In the recent past, that is, during the first eight years of our current democratic experiment, many states in the unitary system wrongly tagged federation were more or less empires of fraud and rapacious inclinations accentuated by the worst form of plebendal manipulations. Some of the states including Abia were run like family estates or kingdoms of the age of antiquity where the subjects had virtually no say in the way they were being governed. Consequently, even as the Presidency was submerged in a stinking flood of corruption with a putrid stench as obnoxious as that of a rotten egg, some of the states were monopolized by business men who saw governance as a huge investment. Yet, in the uncanny dialectics of politics of corruption and the contagious corruption of politics, the old order somehow managed to throw up a new order of decency and accommodation in the manner of divine intervention.

In spite of whatever quake of apprehension that was bound to erupt as the aftermath of the infamous 2007 general elections, Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief when the late Umaru Yar’Adua emerged as President with also some educated and conscionable young men becoming governors in certain states across the country. This marked the beginning of the reversal of the fatalistic hopelessness that marred the confidence Nigerian reposed in the democratic process. Theodore A. Orji incidentally was one of the apostles of the new socio-political order. He sits atop a state that is commonly referred to as an agrarian, civil service state. Like the Biblical Joseph who became Prime Minister of Egypt from prison, Orji, popularly known as Ochendo, won his election while he was being incarcerated by political enemies.

He inherited a State that was hitherto the hotbed of kidnapping activities in the South East and a home to lawless traders that made people to sell their property at rock-bottom prices in order for them to leave Aba its commercial hub for safety. It was as bad as that, truly. Now, everyone can appreciate how he wooed the restive “area boys”, confused the pundits and salvaged the once volatile state from anarchy. To middlemen of ideas, after more than four years in the saddle, Ochendo remains an utter riddle – a study in ironic metaphor. Hence, the local and international media have given him the most sweeping commendations ever accorded a public officer in recent times. In more than five years in office, Orji has not known personal unpopularity, nor has his administration seen anything but success.

He stands above all political fray despite occasional hysteria about politics of local government allegedly sponsored by his adversaries and the seeming simple political catches being dropped by those who desperately want his job. Although we cannot disparage the value of general notions about the climate of opinion in a given period and the unsavory inquisitions of political enemies, we cannot as well deny the fact the Orji has infused the hitherto turbulent and crime-infested Aba City with some sweet benevolent antidotes. For those who had the misfortune of visiting Aba at the apogee of kidnapping, Abia State now presents the apotheosis of peaceful co-existence in the entire South East geo-political region. This did not come by a sudden flight. It happened as a result of strategic planning and diligent application of tact and tenacity.

Whereas several politicians in positions of authority don’t see themselves as managers but believe that their job is “to do the right things” while others are responsible for “doing things right”, Governor Orji belongs to the negligible clan of politicians who see themselves first and foremost as managers. They make things happen and get result. They don’t wait for the future; they create it. If you want to know how effective a leader is, read the direct interviews he grants to the press and do some textual analysis of those interviews. Here, I am not talking about stage-managed official propaganda. I have never met Theodore Orji one-on- one neither have I spoken with him on the telephone. But I have taken time to follow up developments around him and also studied some of the interviews he has granted the popular media. I have discovered that, perhaps due to his civil service background, Orji organizes people, allocates resources, manages time, implements strategies – whatever it takes to get things done.

In fact, an Abuja-based friend of mine from Abia State, who is certainly not one of Orji’s boys, told me something recently: “Dan, I am definitely not one of T.A Orji’s fans. But it is good to say the truth since it is the only thing that can set you free. If Orji were not working, I would not have been frequenting Umuahia as I have been doing in recent times trying to put up a bungalow for my children. I would probably have ended up in the den of kidnappers. Another thing is, in Umuahia electricity is 24 hours. I don’t know how he did it”. According to many citizens of Abia State, some of whom have had cause to confront him due to party differences, one thing that marks Ochendo out as a man of the people, is his brand of politics. He is a tolerant politician who eschews bitterness, animosity and rancour.

Of course, it is true that Governor Theodore Orji is far from being a saint. No man is infallible or perfect. But how he came to be so in tune with the dauntless optimism and carriage of an international statesman is a true mystery left to be unraveled by historians. Yet, what could possibly have been responsible for his magic wand? As a village boy who lived all his life in Abia State, except, perhaps, when he went to higher school in Owerri, University in Ibadan, and NYSC in the North, Orji’s transparent husbandry in allocation of scarce resources to productive ends can be sighted as a case in point.

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A word to a wise is enough
By: Dr. Dotse, Germany
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About 12,603 Human Infected Virus (HIV) persons in Abia state are to receive government minimal support services as part of commitment towards the reducing the rate of infection and eradication of HIV/AIDS in the state.

The wife of the governor, Lady Mercy Odochi Orji dropped this hint on Monday in Umuahia after leading a road and awareness walk on HIV/AIDS in the state stated that 7,351 carriers of the virus will equally receive treatment in various outlets in the state.

Lady Orji further said that 33 counseling and testing outlets and seven comprehensive Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres in the three senatorial zones of the state have been established all geared towards reducing the rate of new infections.

She called on pregnant women and all health workers in the state to access the services of prevention of mother to child transmission by going to the nearest centres to them for counseling, testing and treatment in order to deliver a HIV negative baby, and free the next generation from HIV.

The wife of the governor described this year's celebration theme-“ Getting to Zero death level” as aptly stating that ensuring national ownership and financial sustainability which involves mobilizing in-country resources to full in the huge gaps in the response with a major emphasis on greater access to treatment would go a long way to control the virus.

She therefore cautioned against stigmatization of the carriers and stressed the need for total abstinence and mutual fidelity as the best options to curb the spread of the epidemic.

In his address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Okechukwu Ogar said that in line with this year's global theme, the state has been working towards getting to zero level on the HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state through distribution testing kits to all facilities in the state, scaled up prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) to 25 more sites to reduce new infections, distribution of HIV/AIDS guidelines/protocols, capacity building of health workers, training of 60 health workers on PMTCT.

Dr. Ogar also said that 50 health workers on TB/HIV collaboration have been trained while 12 health facilities for HIV activities have been scaled up and 2012 National HIV/AIDS and reproductive survey conducted.

The Commissioner commended the wife of the governor for her special interest support and provision of a suitable environment for these interventions to be achieved.

Earlier in his speech, the Project Manager agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, Dr Sam Ohaeri commended the wife of the governor for her support to the agency's programmes and in all HIV/AIDS related programme and restated their commitment in the fight against the epidemic.

The event featured road walk around major roads and streets of the state capital by stakeholders and students in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Abia State government and four United Nations Health agencies (UNH4) have pledged to deepen their areas of partnership in their commitment to further promote maternal and infant mortality rate, exclusive breastfeeding, safe pregnancy delivery and optimal care for the new born baby in the state.

Restating this commitment during a courtesy call on the wife of the governor, Lady Mercy Odochi Orji by the UNH4 team comprising UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and World Bank, they pledged to sustain all manners that would facilitate optimal healthcare for women and children.

Welcoming the team, Lady Orji said that the present state government accords healthcare a top priority and has therefore left no stone unturned in its commitment to give quality health services to the people.


Lady Orji stated that the construction of 200 new primary healthcare centres across the 17 Local Government, the establishment of the state primary healthcare development agency in line with the National policy, the executive support and personal involvement in all rounds of Immunization and de-worming of school children, war against measles sensitization on Cancer, hypertension and diabetes, exclusive breastfeeding and attracting medical teams for free medicare services to the people were all geared towards ensuring not only a sound health for women and children but the entire populace.

The wife of the governor stated that the above activities in the area of health support to people living with HIV/AIDS, empowerment through donation of food items to less privileged and indigent women fall in line with the UNH4 objectives of ensuring optimal health for women and children.

She assured the team of further collaborations of other donor agencies of government commitment in the health sector especially in primary healthcare to achieve optimal health for the people.

The leader of the delegation, Dr. (Mrs) Esther Obinya said that they were on advocacy visit to the state as one of states benefiting from Canadian Aid Group and to assess performance of the states in areas of primary healthcare.

Mrs. Obinya disclosed of special focus on community based new born baby care aimed at ensure that special care/attention are given to new born baby to ensure their survival and meet their needs.

She appealed to the wife of the governor for support the new initiative by ensuring adequate sensitization of women to deliver at hospitals and health centres were trained attendants are in place to minimize the state's rate of maternal mortality.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Okechukkwu Ogar said that the advocacy visit to states in South-East state were aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality rate and that the state has made presentations of what she has been doing especially in areas of maternal and child health and in all aspect of health as well as on how to deepen the co-operation with the UNH4.

A non-governmental organization – Follow Better Organization says its collaboration with the Abia State government has helped in the reduction of consumption of illicit and hard drugs among youths in the State.

The founder of the organization, Hon. Mao Ohuabunwa disclosed this at a special Prayer summit organized by the NGO with the Abia Prayer Network in Umuahia stated that they aimed at value to life through building and enhancing the quality of the intellectual capacity of the people.

Hon. Ohuabunwa stated that the collaboration with the state government with special focus on illicit and hard drugs among youths in the state has culminated in drastic reduction the number of addicts hooked to drugs as well as donation of teaching and learning aids to school in partnership with an European Organization.

He said that FBO are equally engaged in orientating the youths, ethics of fundamental behaviour, political education and sensitization programme with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other electoral organizations and commended Her Excellency, the wife of the governor, Lady Mercy Odochi Orji for initiating the Abia Prayer Network through which the affairs of the government and the staff are lifted to God.

The former House leader of the Federal House of Representatives said that they partner with the Prayer Network to pray for Gos's hand in the development agenda of the government, security and peace of the state stressing that idolatry should not be associated with a state christened God's Own State.

In her speech, Lady Orji urged all NGOs and Political Organizations in the State to make God the foundation of their operations. Stating that the Abia Prayer Network was designed to seek God's grace and divine intervention for peace, good governance, protection of lives and property and stability of the present government.

She described prayers as a veritable tool for unlocking God's divine blessings for mankind adding that prayers are penitent in the life of all mortals, communities and nations.

The wife of the governor enjoined all Abians to join hands with the Prayer Network to prey for those in authority and the state in general in order to ensure peace and rapid development.

Earlier in a sermon, an Abuja based Clergy, Pastor Mike Daniels Urged those placed in positions of authority to implement policies that would positively affect the lives of the downtrodden in the society and warded that judgment of God would descent upon that wicked that devices all wickedness that attract curse on the land and subjects and urged all to repent for God's mercies to cleanse the land and uplift the people.

Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has a dream. He has a dream that one day Aba, the great Enyimba City, the Japan of Africa, would take its pride of place among the great industrialised cities of the world. Like Joseph of old, I can interpret the dream of the king. And today, Orji has stepped into Aba in a grand style, to stamp his feet and to leave his footprint in the sands of time.

A fortnight ago, he flagged off the construction of 16 new roads in the city. This is a fulfilment of his promise to launch a massive infrastructural renewal of the city immediately after the rain. The governor recognises the crucial place of Aba in the economy of the state. He recognises the rare creative talent which germinates in Aba. He recognises that no exploration on the history of the great entrepreneurs of the world can be complete without the mention of the giant minds of Aba. And true to his promise, he has re-entered Aba with a Midas touch and his dream is to leave a legacy.

Perhaps Orji, being a literary scholar, must have stumbled on Longman's immortal lines: "The heights by great men all remind us, we must make our lives sublime and, in parting, leave behind us footprints in the sands of time." He has an inspiring predilection for footprints – legacies, both tangible and intangible, the indelible memories that transcend life and time. This can be accentuated by the new four-storey secretariat complex, the ultra-modern conference hall, the new Government House complex, and a host of other projects in the state. He has a passion for monuments and for the good that is not interred with our bones. In Abia, the story is about the legacy projects and the current dream is to make Aba a living legacy.

Aba has been the centre of criticism against the Ochendo government. But the critics did not seem to understand the history of the cumulative decay of the city which started with the previous administrations of the state. They did not also factor the fact that Orji has only a paltry N3.5 billion monthly federal allocation to cater for the entire state. But today, Orji has marched into Aba to match action with words and his vision is to create an enabling environment for the reemergence of the small and medium scale enterprises and for the growth of the informal sector in Aba. He wants to restore the lost glory of Aba.
Indeed, Aba is rich in history. The city is key not only to the Igbos but to the entire people of Nigeria and Africa. Apart from its political history with the Aba Women Riot of 1929, there is a rare ingenuity and dexterity for creativity and innovation which germinate in Aba. In little corners of the ancient city, little men of giant minds replicate the kind of creative imagination for which the three Japanese cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are known. Today, the new political will of Ochendo is to rebuild and transform the city, and the determination to re-invent the Japan of Africa.
Aba is also the commercial hub of Abia State and the business epicentre of the South-East. A greater percentage of the state's internally-generated revenue (IGR) comes from Aba. It is a city of commerce and enterprise and a place where men sit back in their backyards and try to design, create or develop a product. By the time Aba was in its glory, it was a great centre of business. People came in hordes from all areas of the West African sub-region to buy the Aba-made goods. The city made a great contribution to the Nigerian economy, contributing both to the industrial growth and tourism.

Besides the people's creativity, Aba also played host as zonal headquarters of many multi-nationals. During the civil war, the area sustained the secessionist Biafra in the area of local food production. But suddenly, Aba fell from the pinnacle of its glory to the backwaters. Without any measure of control, the once beautiful city built by the colonial government became a mad house. The situation was worsened by the menace of flood and filth. Makeshift kiosks sprung up everywhere and people built on top of drainages. Without an enabling environment, the small and medium scale enterprises began to die. The final death knell was the spate of insecurity witnessed in the area in recent times.
Aba also has a recent history of insecurity that came to its peak with the crime of kidnapping. Realising that law and order are the conditions for all other socio-economic activities of man, the governor waged a war against insecurity by confronting and combating the menace of kidnapping and other violent crimes that gripped the area. In collaboration with the Federal Government on a three-pronged strategy that involved the Army leading an expedition in Abia, Orji stabilised the state and ensured that peace returned to the once volatile areas. He has continued to sustain this atmosphere by retaining the services of the Army in the area.
With security in place, the governor has gone ahead to woo foreign investors to the state. All the companies that once relocated from the city have returned to Aba. The strategy is to revamp the industrial base that existed in the area. This would assist in creating job opportunities for the teeming youths and boost the governor's youth empowerment programme.

There is a new picture of Aba, a mental prototype of what Aba should be, in the mind of Ochendo. Thank God, he is today in Aba with full force working towards the actualisation of the Aba of our dreams. The transformation is starting with the construction of 16 roads. The caterpillars are at work. Through Azikiwe, Asa road, Brass, etc, it is a new face for a once fallen city. By the time Ochendo is done, Aba residents will sing a new song. The critics will swallow their words. They will sing eulogies to a man whose entire trajectory in power has been a rescue mission for the people of God's Own State.

FOR MORE NEWS ON SOUTHEAST NIGERIA VISIT: Southeast Newsonline

• Tells mother, “the party is over”
• Berates Nnanna for his docility
• Begs to return to PDP
• Plans to install Mascot, Abia Gov 2015
Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu can no longer contend with the overbearing and nagging attitude of his mother, Elder Mrs Eunice Uzor Kalu who he has described as unwanted distraction and annoying spendthrift. OUK has severally fingered her and Nnanna, his younger sibling; the former sleeping member of the House of Representatives as being responsible for his many woes.
The self – styled Odiuko, who is down with a chronic disease has had to complain to virtually all friends of OUK of her son’s attitude. Odiuko laments that she is left to her fate in their Abuja house alone while OUK and his siblings continue with their wild goose chase of taking over Abia politics.
OUK feels his mother is a victim of nemesis as the very many women she enslaved may be hunting her. Odiuko was known to have caused women to abandon their husbands to uproot yams for her; which they never tasted. The same women kept vigil for months processing melon which they ironically could not take even the smallest quantities to their families. Her inability to realize that the party is over for the Uzor kalus, according to OUK would remain her albatross.
Her many problems may also not be unconnected with her life of waste. OUK recollects that her mother pocketed Abia State while his tenure lasted and is having difficulty adjusting to normal life. Her very many properties in high brow areas of Abuja, according to OUK should be enough to take care of her.
A source disclosed that Odiuko spends huge amount of money daily on drugs and suffers untold grudges as her children have all deserted her. Nnanna appears the worst as he continues his sleeping attitude and not caring a bit how to salvage the mother’s challenges.
OUK is having the battle of his life as the door seems to have been closed perpetually on his renewed quest to return to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). His businesses are at the risk of danger of precipice, with SLOK in Gambia feared shut down. OUK has gone into Gambia with his fraudulent nature, evading Tax for as long as four years and his inability to service his loans. OUK had hoped to service that debt until the bubble bust. The rest is now history!
OUK however continues with his wild goose chase of presenting Mascot Orji Uzor Kalu as Governor to Abians in 2015. How he hopes to achieve this impossible feat would be as strange as contending with his nagging mother who is fast going bankrupt.
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— with Ngozi Obi-Chukwuma, Chijindu Ukachukwu Bethel, IgbereTv CandyVille and 47 others.

Last week, Chief Justice of Nigeria Aloma Mariam Mukhtar declined to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor, one of 12 newly appointed Justices, as a Justice of Appeal Court. The apparent basis was that Justice Jumbo-Ofor could not represent Abia State as she hails from Anambra State. Her husband however hails from Abia State and she has served in the Abia State Judiciary for 14 years. In addition Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, made spirited efforts to save her nomination as his State’s representative for the Court of Appeal.

The decision has once again raised the vexed issue of the right to freedom from discrimination as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. It has also once again, redirected focus on the plight of married women in public service whose spouses hail from a state other than theirs. It has also reignited debate on whether federal character or state of origin are still relevant for our times.

As the controversy raged, Tobi Soniyi reached out to Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Umeh Kalu, who expressed confidence in the ability of the CJN to resolve the issue even as he defended the much-criticised deportation of none indigenes of the state…

Can you explain the issues surrounding the refusal of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mukhtar, to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor a Justice of the Court of Appeal?

The facts surrounding the decision of the Chief Justice of Nigeria not to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo with other Judges appointed to the Court of Appeal on Monday, November 5, 2012 remain sketchy. Facts available to us on the matter have mainly been drawn from the realm of public discourse but I can confirm to you that Justice Jombo-Ofo was invited to the Supreme Court the Friday preceding the Monday of the swearing-in, where issues on her state status vis-à-vis her appointment were raised.

The Government and people of Abia State are yet to get the full facts leading to her swearing-in being truncated. Let me quickly add here too that the issue of appointment of Judges basically reside with the various constitutional bodies created by the Constitution to handle such appointments and matters related thereto. The Governor of Abia State has no constitutional role whatsoever, moreso when this is a Federal Judicial appointment.
Having said this, I would advise that you approach either the Federal Judicial Service Commission or the National Judicial Council for the exact answer to your question.

Prior to the swearing-in day, was there any communication between the state and the CJN on the issue?
Correspondence and communication on appointment of Judges as it concerns States is normally handled by the Chief Judge who is the head of the Judiciary in the State. The Executive arm of Government does not interfere or interface with Federal Judicial bodies on appointment of Judges. To that effect, if there was communication between the State and the CJN it would have been handled by the Chief Judge of the State. I can however further add here that when the issue of the controversy over the State status of Justice Jombo-Ofo came to the knowledge of the Governor, he wrote confirming the fact that Justice Jombo-Ofo is a citizen of Abia State by marriage, has worked in Abia State as a Judge for about fourteen years and enjoys all rights and benefits of Abia citizenship. It was a confirmatory letter stating the above facts, made in good faith for the purpose of protecting the interest of a citizen of Abia State in the due discharge of his duty as Governor of the State.

What effort did the state make to resolve the issue before it became a national embarrassment?
From my experience as a member of my State Judicial Service Commission that handles the issue of nomination of Judges for appointment, I am aware that when vacancies are declared it is the duty of the Chief Judge to seek for recommendations from sitting Judges for persons to be appointed Judges. At the close of recommendations from Judges, the Chief Judge shortlists persons based on the recommendations, seeks opinion from the Bar branches and security agencies on the shortlisted candidates and forwards those recommendations with the views expressed on them to the Judicial Service Commission which would then review the shortlisted persons, vote on them on the basis of facts available to them on the suitability of those persons for purposes of their nomination to the National Judicial Council for final consideration and approval.

For Federal Judicial appointments, like that of Court of Appeal which is in issue, it is the Chief Judge that forwards a list to the President of the Court of Appeal and it proceeds from there to the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial Council. The State Government, strictly speaking in terms of the Executive, has no input whatsoever and neither is the Judicial Service Commission of the State involved.

The State Government had no knowledge of the list sent by the Chief Judge neither were we aware of the names of Judges of Abia State that were being considered for elevation. The only time we got knowledge was when news filtered out about three weeks ago that the National Judicial Council had approved the elevation of two Judges from Abia State in the persons of Justice Onyekachi Otisi and Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor to the Court of Appeal.

I must confess to you that our joy knew no bounds on the receipt of this cheering news as Abia State has for long been short changed in the appointment of Federal Judicial officers. It might interest you to know that prior to this appointment Abia remained the only state with only one Justice sitting at the Court of Appeal in the person of Justice Chidi Nwaoma Uwa while some states have as many as four and even five Justices.

So talking about efforts made by the State to resolve the issue before it turned into a national embarrassment, the State only got knowledge of the controversy as stated earlier two days to the scheduled date for the swearing-in and like I equally said earlier, the sketchy information we had was that clarification was needed on her status as an Abia citizen. This clarification the Governor availed without hesitation. The reason and wisdom underlying the Governor’s prompt action can be deduced from the many years of marginalising Abia State in Judicial appointments and we obviously did not want this opportunity to elude us.

How does the Abia State Government feel when the Chief Justice of Nigeria declined to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor as a Justice of the Court of Appeal?

What happened on Monday during the swearing-in does not call for clinking of glasses for the Government of Abia State having come to Abuja to collect two trophies and ending up collecting one. In any event we are happy with the swearing-in of Justice Onyekachi Otisi and still hopeful that the remaining one slot which the appointing authorities in their wisdom and sense of justice, which I must say is commendable, gave to Abia State is still open to us and would come our way in no distant time.

Our feeling for the CJN remains that of utmost respect, unquantifiable love and prayers for her success in her job. The CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, is a great jurist, a woman of acclaimed integrity and a respecter of rules. We trust in her sense of judgment and that of the revered members of the National Judicial Council. As a lawyer, I know it is not proper to jump to conclusions on issues especially when you do not have the full details and have not heard from all parties. As we speak, I am sure you will agree with me that the National Judicial Council of which the honourable CJN is the chairman and even the Federal Judicial Service Commission have not spoken.
The interest of our Government in all this remains that of the protection of all that is rightly due to the State and its citizens and nothing more.

Apparently, the CJN is not the appointing authority; does she have the power to refuse to allow Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor to take her judicial oath when all formalities regarding her appointment have been formalised?

The appointment of a Judge whether at the High Court, the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court is a process that commences with recommendations, shortlisting, nomination, appointment, swearing-in and assumption of office. There are bodies and individuals entrusted with constitutional roles in all this. The office of the CJN is a highly revered one all over the world, Nigeria inclusive. I am equally an adherent to the tenets of maintaining the independence of the Judiciary and will not lend voice to any attempt in whatever guise to desecrate the Judiciary, its institutions and officials.

Like I said earlier, the facts leading to what happened on November 5, 2012 have not been fully made available to us and would therefore not want to join in the ongoing discourse in the public domain till we get the full facts.

It is common knowledge that Justice Mary Peter Odili used the South East to get appointed to the Supreme Court even though she had been using the South South before this. Nobody asked her to step down. Are there different rules for different people?

I do not have Justice Mary Peter Odili’s records and therefore am not in a position to know under which slot she got appointed either to the Court of Appeal or to the Supreme Court. I would advise you approach the National Judicial Council or the Federal Judicial Service Commission if you consider that useful. The issue of one’s official records are solid facts which can be gotten from relevant institutions. I do not want to indulge in unnecessary speculation.

Is there any justification, legally and morally, for the action of the CJN?
As earlier stated, I do not have facts leading to the CJN’s action and as such cannot comment on the justification or otherwise of her said action. I am equally not in a position to demand reasons from the CJN but I am sure in the course of time the CJN and the other institutions that she represents involved in the referenced appointment will avail the public the reasons for their action from where I will benefit.

Specifically, what does the Constitution say regarding the appointment of a person as a Justice of the Court of Appeal?
The relevant sections of our Constitution on the appointment of a person as a Justice of the Court of Appeal are Section 238(2) and 238(3). Section 238(2) places the burden of appointment on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which appointment must be made on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. Section 238(3) talks about qualification to hold the office and gives twelve years post call experience as a qualified legal practitioner as the minimum qualification.

As things stand now, it appears women's progress is being retarded because they marry outside their states. Should women be allowed to suffer on this basis?

In trying to answer this question, one may place reliance on the comments credited to Justice Adekeye JSC (rtd) made at her valedictory court session widely reported in the media where she alluded to the difficulties women judicial officers encounter in promotions as a result of a policy in the Judiciary where married women are considered for elevation through their state of ancestry or birth as opposed to their state of marriage. This appears equally to be playing out in the emerging scenario in the present case under consideration. Since Justice Adekeye from facts available to me was a Magistrate and rose from the lower bench up to the highest Court in the land - the Supreme Court, I believe she is most competent to comment on the said policy and possibly proffer advice on the review.

On a personal view, a policy that will ascribe a lady’s state of origin to her place of birth in considering her for elevation in fulfilment of our federal character equation policy against her state of marriage would likely work hardship on the lady. This is because at the point of marriage, the lady departs her state of birth for all times and purposes, except in the event of divorce, for her husband’s place and stays there till death and even thereafter as most if not all get buried there. It is equally easier to assess such ladies for capability for such offices from the states where they have spent all their adult life, which often times is their husband’s state.

Without prejudice to the foregoing, there are rules and regulations guiding institutions and bodies and persons who subscribe to such institutions and bodies must subscribe to those set rules and regulations. This however does not foreclose the need for a review of those rules and regulations where there is need to do so. I know that there are so many female organisations championing the interest of women even in the legal profession. They are better placed to appraise this policy and even others that are of interest to the women folk in the Judiciary and other arms of Government.

In your own view what is the best way out of this situation?
The Federal Judicial Service Commission and more especially, the National Judicial Council will address satisfactorily all the issues emanating out of the situation. It is entirely within their domain and they have the capacity to handle it. For us in Abia, our prayer remains that Abia be not denied that Court of Appeal slot in the interest of justice and in order to get us closer to those states that have four and even five.

Do you foresee the issue being resolved in favour of Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo?
We remain prayerful on this and have committed our fate into God’s hands and the decision of the wise men of the National Judicial Council. Our interest remains irrevocably Abia State.

Could the refusal to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo be seen as a fallout of the Abia State Government's policy of sending people back to their state of origin?

I am unable to find a nexus between the refusal to swear in Justice Jombo-Ofo and the State Government’s policy on state of origin. The appointment to the Court of Appeal which is a Federal Court is in the realm of federal appointments and has nothing to do with the State Government.

Maybe this question would afford me an opportunity to clear certain issues once more on the Abia State Government’s policy of trans-loading certain calibre of civil servants to their states of origin. Firstly, that policy was intended to reciprocate past policies of other states within the South East geo-political region to transfer Abia State indigenes working in those States back to Abia State. Enugu State was the first to send back Abia citizens, followed by Anambra and then Imo and Ebonyi. Imo State which is our sister State even sent back files of pensioners. Cross River State equally sent back Abia citizens. All these are verifiable.

Reciprocity is acceptable in international relations and even relations amongst States especially when one realises that Nigeria remains a federation with each State having some modicum of independence as permitted by the Constitution. This explains the federal character clauses in our Constitution and even the recognition of the geo-political zones. Federal allocations and even appointments at the federal level are based on states and zones. While the transfer of Abia citizens in other states to Abia was holistic ours was with a human face and born out of our desire at self preservation. Abia daughters married to non-indigenes were excluded, the disabled were excluded, wives of clergymen were excluded and other special cases. The said transfer equally was only in the civil service of the state and no more and the idea was to enable us reduce the workforce which was over-bloated as a result of returnees from other states into our service in order to have funds to pay the N19,000 minimum wage in Abia State.

The truth remains that the reciprocal action of sending back civil servants from Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi would have long been done when these states sent back our indigenes to us but for the inordinate and obviously unachievable ambition of our immediate past Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, to rule Nigeria thereby fallaciously masquerading as an Igbo leader and nationalist.

Will the state stand by Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor or will another nomination be made to replace her?
It is not for the state Government to make nominations. It is entirely a matter for the Judiciary and by that I mean from the desk of the Chief Judge of the state through the President of the Court of Appeal, through the National Judicial Council and up to the appointing authority. Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofor is married to a prominent Abia son, has lived most of her adult life here and worked here as a Judge in the Abia State Judiciary for about fourteen years now. She is one of us.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/justice-jombo-ofo-8217-s-one-of-us/130509/

This is the only governor of Abia state governor that is really restoring the city of Eyimba to a more conducive environment and peacefull place .i think he should be praised .

SOME OF THE COMPLETED PROJECTS IN ABIA STATE

1.THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED WORKERS SECRETARIATE,
2.HOSPITAL EUIPMENT IN THE ABIA STATE DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE
3.THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTION OF TIMBER MARKET IN UMUAHIA AND THE ACCESS ROAD
4.COMPLETION OF SOME OF THE BAD ROADS IN ABA . you visit us on http://www.abiastate.gov.ng/ or from the State blog http://abiastatenews..com/

Thank you