Apriil 8, 2019

The death toll of Nigerians killed in South Africa has continued to rise with another two being the latest victims in ongoing xenophobic attacks on foreigners in that country.

The latest victims were stabbed to death during xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and Cape Town on April 5 and April 6, 2019, respectively.

The Assistant Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Union in South Africa (NUSA), Mr Odefa Ikele, confirmed the killings in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Johannesburg on Monday.

”The Nigerian community lost two citizens to gruesome murders over the weekend.

”Mr Bonny Iwuoha, 48, from Ihitte/Uboma in Imo state, was stabbed to death at about 11:45 p.m. on April 6, 2019 in Johannesburg South.

”We gathered that his assailants followed him from 152 Hay Street Turffontein, and thereafter, stabbed and killed him in front of his gate at Turf Road, Turffontein.

”The killing was witnessed by Mr Izochukwu Nwokocha, also known as, Nwa Father,” he said.

Ikele said the killing had been reported and a case of murder opened at Booysens Police Station in Johannesburg South.


He said that another Nigerian, Goziem Akpenyi, also lost his life in similar circumstance on April 5, 2019.

”Akpenyi was allegedly stabbed to death by three unknown coloured South African men after an argument with the deceased.

”The incident took place at in Cape Town at about 1 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019.

”These latest killings add to four other Nigerians who were shot dead in March. Three of the victims were murdered in Sunnyside, Pretoria and one in Balfour Park, Johannesburg,” he said.

Ikele said that NUSA was concerned over the incessant killings of Nigerians and worried that the perpetrators had not been brought to book.

According to him, the arrest and prosecution of the culprits by the South African Police would put to a stop the daily killings of Nigerians.

”We call on the Nigerian Government to impress on their South African counterpart that the killings have to be investigated and the culprits prosecuted,” he appealed.

CanadaOrBust:


An obviously juiced-up "they said" story has u re-affirming your belief in jazz.
Some limited form of "jazz" may exist. But not in the way u and most Nigerians think.

ogbonti:



Wow, that was indeed unfortunate... never disrespect a traditional ruler to his face, so sad...

signz:


I read that Awolowo was so angry that he not only dethrone Alafin, he raised the Ooni relevance ahead of the Alafin.

ogbonti:



Who saw him barkin like a dog before he died?

dson84:
This story is not true, he died in an accident while returning to Ibadan from Lagos. It was popurlaly believed that chief Obafemi Awolowo killed with jazz because there was a power tussle btw the two of them. Do your findings well

simple250:
So why did they name the major street in surulere,lagos after him?

Or we have another bode Thomas

ifex370:
How true

While the unprofessionalism of many of the boat drivers is a major factor contributing to the rising cases of tragedy on this water channel, the unwillingness of some of Bonny’s leaders to have modern and safer ferries replace the rickety boats dotting the landscape is another dimension to the problem, our correspondent discovered during the visit. Even though individual boat owners may not be able to afford the cost of a modern ferry, partnering with oil firms and other multinationals in the region, who have already shown interest in such collaborations, would have addressed the issue. The fear of losing their investments under this type of arrangement, is what has forced those in the business to maintain status quo, endangering lives in the process, Saturday PUNCH discovered.

“The biggest problem in Bonny transport system is the people,” Adibe Ekanga, one-time resident of the island said. “I remember in 2013 we staged a protest to the management of NLNG for them to provide modern ferries for the community after five of our colleagues died in two weeks.

“Instead of joining the agitation, we were resisted by the chiefs who own many of the commercial boats. I nearly lost my life in the process because I became a marked man for standing for what is right.

“Solving this problem is not difficult. If government and the oil firms operating in the area establish a framework that allows the boat operators to buy proper ferries under a partnership, what we see on the waterway to Bonny will be a thing of the past,” he added.

Worried by the situation, Commissioner for Transport in Rivers State, Akie Fubara, revealed that the state government has devised a new strategy to deal with the problem.

“We have concluded plans to retrain boat drivers,” he explained. “We have always cautioned drivers to read the weather before embarking on any journey.

“The Bonny waterway is not a mere sea, it is a high sea and when the weather is not clear, there is no reason why any boat driver should continue the journey.

“We have put all these into consideration and have decided to retrain boat drivers to enlighten them about certain tips on seafaring,” he added.

Conceived over 40 years ago, the 40 kilometre Bodo/Bonny road project in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers that is supposed to connect the oil-rich island to the rest of the state has remained more of a dream than reality. Standing at N20bn in 2002, the project was reviewed and jerked up to N120bn in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration with the NLNG committing to bear half of the cost. Drenched by constant calls to deliver the project, the Federal Government in December 2018 promised to complete it. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed that efforts were ongoing to ensure it is delivered on time.

“The road is a 40 kilometre project from Bodo to Bonny Island. In between it are three bridges – a 1000 metre bridge across the Opobo creek, a 640 metre bridge against the Nanabie Creek and a 550 metre bridge against the Afa Creek.

“This will ultimately connect all of the communities and hopefully in a time not too far away, we can drive to Bonny island from Bodo,” he said.

According to the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State, Mr. Johnson Fadire, the issue of compensation for the host communities where the road passed through is among reasons for the delay of the project.

“Before you do anything in Bonny, you must demolish a lot of houses and that is why they need to be compensated because the farms that will be destroyed may be their only source of living.

“The people are very aggressive, when they want something, it is either you do it or you will not work, and this is affecting the progress of the work,” he said.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Tony Attah, believes that the completion of the project would ease the sufferings of the people of Bonny and environs.

“The success of this project, for all that it will cost the Federal Government and Nigeria LNG as co-financiers, will definitely be the highest and most remarkable accomplishment from a collaboration that is novel to our nation’s infrastructural development.


“Our greater joy is that the road will ease the plight of residents in Bonny island, the community that has hosted the Nigeria LNG Plant and other oil and gas operations for decades,” he said.

Expected to open a flood gate of opportunities for Bonny and its people upon completion, the 40 kilometre Bodo/Bonny road project is what many across the region are desperately waiting for. In its absence, the people of the oil-rich island have had their lives reduced to a living hell due to fury of the sea and ruthless pirates who prowl it constantly. For many of the residents, moving in and out of Bonny has now become a journey of death.

April 6, 2019

Blessed with an abundant reserve of natural gas and a water body replete with some of nature’s finest gifts, moving in and out of Bonny island, Rivers State, has become a journey of death for many of the area’s residents, writes Eric Dumo


Only few places on earth today can boast of the wealth Bonny possesses. A sprawling island tucked in the heart of Rivers State, the community is home to some of the world’s most sought-after resources. Oil, gas, chemicals – the area has them all in spilling quantity. It is not only the pride of the state but also among Nigeria’s ‘golden gooses’, whose ‘eggs’ feed most parts of the country. The Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas has made the place home since 1970, prospecting, refining and exporting all manners of gaseous products to other parts of the world from the island.

But despite its significant contribution to the national economy, most residents of Bonny have only little to show for the wealth their community is blessed with. Even though the town enjoys uninterrupted electricity supply – courtesy of the presence of NLNG in the area – the non-existence of other basic amenities like potable water, has ensured that the good life continues to elude most households and individuals on the island.


While the people of this town have found ways to surmount some of these challenges, it will take a long time, however, before they can overcome the evil they now contend with on Bonny’s vast waterway. Lacking a link road connecting it to other parts of the state, residents and visitors to the island are forced to rely on boats – most of them in rickety conditions – to get to their destinations. Apart from contending with the fury of the sea on such trips, the presence of ruthless and ‘blood sucking’ pirates along its water channel has made going in and out of Bonny now a journey of death for many living in the area.

During a visit to the community recently, our correspondent saw first-hand, how residents of the island risked their lives every day to connect to other parts of Rivers State especially Port Harcourt, the capital. Usually a journey lasting around 45 minutes depending on the size and condition of the boat’s engine, many individuals and families have had horrible experiences in the course of taking such rides. While dozens have lost their lives in the process after encountering storms or sea pirates in recent months, those lucky to be alive, live with the horror and memories of their close shaves with death.

Veronica Lucky, 32, falls in that category. On the morning of April 6, 2017 while travelling in a boat from Bonny to Port Harcourt for her grandmother’s burial at Akwa Ibom State, things took a different turn for her. Midway into their journey, a fiery storm hit the sea, changing the atmosphere and leaving their boat at the mercy of surging waves. In a matter of minutes, the vessel was flung into the water. By the time the fury of the storm simmered, all three of her children had drowned and washed away. Two years after their death, the wound remains as fresh as ever.

“That fateful morning, I prepared myself and the children for a trip to Akwa Ibom State where my grandmother was to be buried,” she began. “The eldest child named Rejoice was nine at the time, the second, Glory, was seven while the last named Victory was six months old then.

“The weather was calm when we got to the jetty in Bonny that morning but after we boarded the boat and proceeded on the journey, we suddenly encountered storm on the sea, everywhere became dark all of a sudden.

“We advised the driver of the boat to steer it closer to the mangrove but he did not listen to us. He reluctantly told us that nothing was going to happen. He asked some of the passengers to move to the front of the boat so that it could gain some balance.

“Everybody was in panic and suddenly heavy wave hit our boat and it capsized. From there, the struggle to survive began.


“At the end of the day, my three children and some other passengers all lost their lives,” she said while recalling the tragic incident when our correspondent visited her home on the island.

Stranded in the sea for over two hours after that incident, the 32-year-old woman hovered between life and death as a heavy downpour descended on the vast waterway. As a result, the water levels rose astronomically, exposing her and the other survivors to grave danger. Lucky was at the mercy of the elements.

“Till this moment, I cannot explain how I managed to survive that accident,” the Akwa Ibom native, who now has a little baby, said. “Even though I was between life and death, I never allowed fear overtake me. I still believed strongly that I was going to make it out alive from the sea.

“I remember throwing myself inside the sea each time a wave approached and later coming out when it had passed. This happened several times until help came.

“The accident happened at about 7:00am that day but those of us who survived were rescued at about 11:00am. It was raining heavily at the time, making rescue very difficult,” she added.

Finally rescued by local fisherman at a nearby settlement, Lucky told Saturday PUNCH that the loss of her three children in that tragedy has changed her life forever. According to her, even though she now has another child after that incident, the death of the three in the accident would be hard for her to forget.

“The loss of my three children is something I don’t think I can ever get over,” she said as tears trickled down her cheeks. “They were lovely and brilliant but the tragedy took them away.

“The incident has changed my life in many ways. Apart from losing my business, I also lost many other things that words can’t even describe.

“In fact, a lot of our relations have advised me and my husband to move out of the island because of the danger associated with moving in and out of the place.

“Since that incident, I have been too scared to pass through the sea again as a result of that terrible experience.

“I am sure that if there was a road connecting Bonny to other parts of Rivers, this type of sad incident wouldn’t have happened,” she added, clutching on tightly to a photograph of the children she lost. It was a moving sight – the type capable of melting even a heart made of steel.

Anthony Pepple, a 37-year-old boat driver, is another victim of the monster that now prowls the massive water separating Bonny from mainland Rivers State. A veteran in the business of ferrying passengers along the water channel, his career came to an abrupt end in February 2014 when he ran into the hands of pirates on the sea. Chased by the hoodlums for several minutes before being fired at, Pepple lost his left leg after a bullet from the pirates hit him there. Five years after that period, the pains and agony lingers.

“I was going to Bonny from Port Harcourt that fateful day when the attack took place,” the young man, whose left leg had since been amputated, said. “It was a few minutes before 6:00pm and suddenly the pirates came out from one of the creeks along the waterway and attacked us from behind.

“They chased us very fast and shot at me. The bullet pierced through two of my legs before going to kill a male passenger in the boat.

“The boat eventually capsized, we were 14 inside it and we were all struggling in the sea after the attack.

“After some time, we were rescued and I was rushed to Port Harcourt for medical care. One of my legs had to be amputated after the incident. I stayed almost two months in the hospital after the attack.

“After the amputation, the leg was given five years to fully heal but that time has elapsed and the pain is yet to go. It is as if somebody is using knife to slice my flesh,” he added.

Now without a job as a result of the loss of one of his legs, Pepple told Saturday PUNCH that survival had become very critical with most of what he gets from kind-hearted individuals going into buying drugs to suppress the pains he experiences.

“Surviving and taking care of myself has been very difficult after that attack by pirates,” he revealed. “I live on the benevolence of kind-hearted persons who sometimes gift me money.

“When I had two legs, I was able to work and earn a living but now nobody wants to give a man with only one leg a boat to operate.

“I cannot estimate the money I spend on taking care of my leg every month. Despite not working for now, I spend a huge amount of money on drugs and treatment every year.

“Even though I have travelled through that route after that incident but each time I get to the particular spot where the attack occurred, I remind myself of how I could have been a dead man by now,” he said.

Yet to fully get over the shock brought by the loss of her only sister, Joyce Jombo in July 2018 at the hands of sea robbers, Mrs. Hannah Wariboko has become a pale shadow of what she used to look like. Months of grieving over the loss had taken its toll on her, threatening her health in no small measure.

Returning to Bonny after attending a job interview that fateful July evening, Jombo had no inkling of the danger that laid in wait on this vast waterway as she boarded a boat at Creek Road waterside, Port Harcourt. It was a 20-seater boat fitted with a 75 horse power engine – a worthy machine to test the sea’s rage. After being filled to capacity, the journey began a few minutes after 5:00pm. Everything went well until they got to a section called Isaka along the way. A speeding boat from one of the creeks carrying four heavily-armed young men wearing mask cornered their vessel. After robbing passengers of their belongings, the pirates went away with the engine of the boat in addition to three female occupants. Jombo was one of them. After three days without any word of their whereabouts, her terribly ravaged body found floating on water, told of the horror that had taken place. It was a big blow for Wariboko and the rest of the family.

“Joyce’s death still feels like a nightmare to me and the rest of the family,” the mother of five said when our correspondent visited her home in the Woji area of Port Harcourt. “She was a brilliant young lady full of life.

“She was returning to Bonny where she lived after attending a job interview in Port Harcourt that day when she and two other ladies were abducted by pirates.

“We did not hear any news until after three days when her body was found on water in one of the creeks.

“My sister didn’t deserve to die in such a cruel manner. If there was a road connecting Bonny to Port Harcourt, I am sure this type of thing wouldn’t have occurred.

“Each time I think about what happened to her, I am afraid taking the journey home to Bonny because there is no guarantee that one would safely arrive at his or her destination.

“We are still very pained about our loss, there is no word to describe the way we feel. It is a big blow for us to lose her in such a cruel manner,” she said before breaking down in tears.

Sad as it sounds, the cases of Lucky, Pepple and Jombo are only a fraction of the tragedy that has occurred along Bonny’s waterways in recent times.

In fact to highlight the enormity of the problem, our correspondent also had a taste of this deadly experience on the day he visited the island. Returning to Port Harcourt on the evening of February 20, 2019 after concluding findings in Bonny, the boat the reporter boarded a few minutes past 6:00pm ran into a gang of pirates around 6:40pm at the Isaka end of the sea. Cornered by the bandits and with no chance of an escape, all occupants of the boat including the driver, resigned to fate. Two of the five men, who were wearing masks, jumped into our boat. It was a moment that filled the heart with thoughts of the end. After searching inside the boat and finding nothing attractive or enticing in it, the two gunmen looked furiously at our correspondent and another male passenger they suspected could be an oil worker. The two could be worthy captives to negotiate a handsome ransom, they must have thought in their heads. But while the guys were still thinking if to seize our phones and other personal items or to take the two of us away for more reward, their commander, a chubby and dark-complexioned man, called out to them to disembark from our vessel in a thick and dreadful voice that immediately sent a chill down the spine. In a matter of seconds, the gang sped off and cornered a smaller boat conveying household items and other consumable goods at the edge of the mangroove. And as our driver throttled away from the scene, the releif on the minds of all occupants could be felt with the palm. It was a walk through the valley of the shadow of death for our correspondent and the eight others in the vessel.

But in recent times, others have not been that lucky after encountering danger on the vast waterway seperating Bonny and Port Harcourt. Apart from several reported and unreported cases of boat mishaps in the region leading to loss of lives, attacks by pirates have compounded the misery of the people here.

For example, on November 19, 2018, three persons lost their lives when a boat they were travelling in capsized. The boat came up against the storm and high water current.

In April 2017, seven persons were killed when another boat capsized. Three years before then in August 2014, 15 people lost their lives while several remain missing when a boat heading to Port Harcourt from Bonny capsized.

While nature has played a role in some of these tragedies, it is the part contributed by humans that have worsened the problem the most. During the visit to the island, our correspondent observed how most of the boats ferrying passengers and goods in and out of Bonny were in terrible shape. Built locally with fibre material and fitted with an average engine capacity of 75 horse power, most of the commercial vessels have had their best years behind them. Many of them break down on the sea several times due to faulty engine and body no longer able to withstand the pressure of the wave. Most of the life vests seen by our correspondent at the take-off point in Port Harcourt and Bonny were in terrible state and unable to properly protect passengers in case of emergency. While adult passengers can at least manage one of these in the course of making this trip, there are no life vests for children, leaving them the most vulnerable in case an accident occurs.

Also, the near non-existence of security patrol boats along the waterway has contributed in making the section a hotbed for pirates. Throughout the journey to Bonny island and back to Port Harcourt on the day our correspondent visited the area, only one gunboat by the Navy was seen on the water. Apart from being grossly inadequate considering the size and length of the water channel, it further exposes the danger those, who ply the root are made to contend with on a daily basis.

According to boat drivers and passengers, who travel the route frequently, patrol gunboats mostly escort vessels belonging to oil firms operating in the region while neglecting those travelling in commercial boats. During the visit, our correspondent confirmed this after seeing two gun boats with heavily-armed security personnel providing cover for a ferry belonging to one of the multinationals situated in Bonny. Even smaller boats carrying oil workers that arrived at the Bonny jetty while our correspondent was still moving around the place, had at least one gun boat escort that provided security for them. But for those travelling in commercial boats, it is a different story. For them, prayers and luck are their only armour.

“The police, navy or army don’t care about the safety of those in commercial boats,” Beach Master of Bonny jetty, Paul John-Jombo, told our correspondent. “The only time you see them on the water is when they are escorting boats belonging to oil firms and other multinationals. They hardly protect commercial boats and their passengers from pirate attacks,” he added.

Even though there is an umbrella body for boat operators in the region, safe practices and professionalism is far from being on the agenda of the association. During the visit, our correspondent saw how most of their boat drivers operated without caution and recourse to the safety of human lives. Stubborn and aggressive, they go by whatever they think is right regardless of its propriety.

“Most of the drivers operating the boats are unprofessional and stubborn,” Edward Baisoma, a social worker in the area told Saturday PUNCH. “When you try to advise them to do the right thing, they either ignore or fight you. They feel they know everything because they move around the way most of the time.

“There are no regulations and policies guiding them and this is part of the problem,” he said.

...........

majamajic:
hmmm

the guy really went through hell and back.

Is04970:
Isn't Ikere in Ekiti state?

nwanyionitsha:
People from other regions especially SE live in the SW. A large number of votes came from non indigenes.

globemoney:

Maybe people like tsinzu, BrokenTv think otherwise. lol

nwanyionitsha:
What of in Ekiti, where muric has been weeping and lamenting?

By Daud Olatunji

What was seen alongside the Imo State governorship contest as one of the most open governorship contests in the country within 24 hours to D-Day turned into a two horse race.

The main gladiators became the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.

As far as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC was concerned, 41 political parties were in the contest.

APM was the offshoot of the APC due to the controversies that trailed the APC primary which did not favour Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s favoured candidate, Adekunle Akinlade.

Amosun had publicly declared support for the APM candidate at the expense of his party’s candidate, Dapo Abiodun and he had vowed to ensure the victory for his adopted party.

Amosun hails from Ogun Central, the Senatorial district with the largest number of voters and had capitalised on his popularity and acceptance.

The permutation had been that, while Amosun would secure victory for APM in all the six local governments in the Senatorial district, Akinlade who comes from Ogun West with five local governments and others were reportedly expected to deliver the district.

In the view of stakeholders in Amosun’s camp, Ogun East was the only popular district for the APC candidate, Chief Dapo Abiodun.

But, the game, however, changed, as the APC engaged in massive alignments from all the districts. These new entrants did the damage for Amosun’s plan. Apart from these new entrants who included, former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel with his structure, Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, multibillionaire businessman, Chief Kessington Adebutu among others pushed the case for Abiodun.

However, from the beginning, the Abiodun project had been seen as a project for the former governor of the state, Aremo Segun Osoba who had lent his structure to Abiodun.

As the final counts came last night, the APM rejected the result bringing frustration to the plans of the outgoing governor to ensure continuity of his political legacy.

While the APM rejected the results, the APC, however, lauded the results and pledged to respect the mandate given to it.

The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of APC in the state, Yemi Sanusi said the results showed that APC had been accepted.

Few hours after the election was ended on Saturday, there was tension in the state over alleged plans by the two parties to play fast on each other.

While Amosun was being accused of attempting to alter the results through the instrument of compromised INEC officials and some security men, APC was also alleged of using the Federal might to upturn the people’s will.

Security agents were drafted to all the collation centres to protect breakdown of law and order.

The outcome of the Saturday’s election has brought to fore the cyclical alteration of the alliances between the political kingmakers in Ogun State.

In 2003 Senator Ibikunle Amosun worked with Otunba Gbenga Daniel to sabotage the return of Aremo Segun Osoba as governor that year.

Eight years later it was Aremo Osoba working with Amosun to stop Otunba Daniel from pushing forward his political legacy.

In 2019, Daniel returned to Osoba to stop Amosun from pushing forward his political heritage.

MARCH 11, 2019

Nigerian leading carrier, Air Peace says there is no plan to cancel its order for 10 Boeing 737-MAX 800 aeroplanes following worldwide concerns about the aircraft safety.

Air Peace The airline spokesman said any decision about cancelling the order is premature. Mr Chris Iwarah, Corporate Communications Manager, Air Peace, spoke with Newsmen on Monday in Lagos.

He said the airline will continue to act in the interest of the safety of the flying public. Newsmen report that Ethiopian Airlines had grounded all B-737-800MAX aircraft in its fleet till further notice following Sunday’s crash of its fight ET302 which killed all 157 persons on board.

The aircraft en route Nairobi from Addis Ababa, crashed six minutes after takeoff around Bishoftu, 40 miles south-east of the Ethiopian capital. The crash was the second involving the B737 MAX 800 aircraft in the past four months following October 2018 crash involving a Lion Air plane which went crashing into the sea off Jakarta, in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.

Other carriers in China and elsewhere have grounded the B737 MAX 800 aircraft in their fleets due to safety concerns. Iwarah told Newsmen that the multi-million dollar deal signed between Air Peace and the American aircraft manufacturer, The Boeing Company, on Sept. 13, 2018, for the delivery of 10 brand new B737 MAX 800 aircraft was still on.

“At this moment, it is premature to begin to talk about things and conclusions that have not been put in the public domain. “Investigations into the crashes involving B737Max 800 are ongoing so it will not be fair at this time to begin to make definite comments on those issues.

“We are still in the domain of investigation but we want to assure the public that we are following the development very closely,” he said. The Air Peace spokesperson said the airline had not yet taken delivery of the ordered aircraft, adding that before that time issues surrounding its safety must have been identified by global aviation experts.

Iwarah said: “We also trust that Boeing is capable of responding to the issues technically. They have the capacity to respond to that.

“I want to say clearly that we will not engage in anything that will jeopardise the lives and safety of our passengers. There is no basis for talking about cancelling the order.

“Any step we take now will be premature until investigations are concluded. So, we are following the investigations very closely to ensure that at the end of the day only the right thing is done.

“Whatever steps we take will be in line with what favours safety and what is in the interest of our passengers.”

He further explained that the B737 Max Air was “suspended” by those already operating the equipment to enable investigation to run its course.

“If investigation runs its course and they feel that there is nothing to be worried about, they will lift that suspension and continue to operate the aircraft but on our part, we have not even taken delivery.

“We are currently working with Boeing, we are also asking questions and following all developments because we are a safety conscious airline,” Iwarah added. (NAN)

Awka – Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being responsible for the destruction that rocked the state in 2002 where he alleged that the party burnt down public utilities in the state.

The governor, who spoke on Tuesday at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka while addressing APGA faithful ahead of Saturday’s House of Assembly elections, recalled that the PDP plunged Anambra State into confusion and rancour due to its desperation for power, which, according to him, led to the destruction of government establishments in the state.


Obiano, however, maintained that it was the timely intervention of the APGA government that restored all that were demolished and destroyed by the PDP in the state.

He said that the APGA-led state government, beginning from ex-governor Peter Obi and his own administration, transformed Anambra State such that the state slogan was changed from ‘Home for All to ‘Light Of The Nation’.

The governor also disclosed that his regime had paid attention to grassroots development as evidently manifested in the N20 million Community Choose Your Project Initiative, which he said had institutionalized community-driven projects across the 179 communities in Anambra.


He, therefore, urged all APGA faithful and the entire citizenry to support his government by voting massively for all APGA candidates in the forthcoming state House of Assembly elections to enable him to continue to deliver good governance and democracy dividends to the people of Anambra State.

Obiano was equally emphatic that Saturday’s election was of paramount importance to him because he preferred a legislature dominated by APGA members rather than opposition members as majority, stressing that such scenario would truncate his development agenda as well as reduce the velocity y of his project execution across the state.

He, however, made a passionate appeal to party members to shun anti-party activities to enable APGA win all the 30 state assembly seats as such development would help sustain and strengthen the harmonious working relationship between the executive and legislative arm of government in Anambra.