APC to stage peaceful protest to INEC headquarters

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced it will stage a peaceful procession to INEC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday to register its disapproval of the Commission’s string of failures in conducting recent elections, including the Delta Central Senatorial District bye-election and the ‘inconclusive’ Anambra Governorship poll.

In a statement issued by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party vowed to proceed with the march, despite the illegal move by the police to stop it.

”We are doing this as a patriotic service to the nation because INEC as presently constituted is not capable of organizing a free and fair election again in Nigeria. If the Commission is not checked, its incompetence and conniving acts could plunge the country into chaos of unimaginable proportions,” it said.

Anambra supplementary Election: Count us out!

Three major parties which contested the November 16 gubernatorial election in Anambra State yesterday expressed disappoint-ment with the statement by the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega that the commission had no sufficient information of alleged malpractices that could led to the cancellation of the entire election.

The parties including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  All Progressive Congress, APC and Labour Party, LP, accused the commission of engaging in double speak over the issue, adding that Jega had earlier insisted that INEC lacked the power to cancel the election, wondering why he had turned round to say that the commission had no sufficient evidence to cancel an election he had acknowledged to have been flawed.

Nwoye, Uba and Ngige

Reacting to to Jega’s address, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said, ‘’the APC has rejected yesterday’s  announce-ment by INEC to hold supplementary election in Anambra State on November 30, 2013. We will not be a party to what is obviously a travesty of election by a self-discredited and conniving electoral umpire.

”This announcement has confirmed our worst fears that INEC is working in cahoots with the PDP and the presidency to ensure that no election ever counts in Nigeria.

Also, a Media Aide of Dr Chris Ngige, the APC candidate for the governorship election, Mr Tony Icheku denounced Jega’s position on the matter saying that the APC has no other option than to challenge INEC’s  fraudulent action in the state state.

On his own, the Media Aides to Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, the Labour Party candidate in the election and the Labour Party, Emma Ibeleme and Mr Afam Ilouno, Media Director for the party said, ‘’we stand by our position that the election must be cancelledAlso, the PDP candidate for the election, Mr Tony Nwonye rejected Jega’s re-scheduled election in the state saying that ‘’we stand by our earlier stand that the poll must be cancelled because it was characterised with fraud.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/anambra-well-part-apc-pdp-lp/#sthash.1hh6AAIu.dpuf

Nov 16th poll: i did not rig Election-Obi

Governor Peter Obi of  Anambra State has denied that neither himself nor his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), rigged the November 16 governorship election in the state, saying it’s actually those who rigged that are shouting the most.

Fielding questions from state House correspondents at the venue of the launch of the third phase of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN) at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Obi said that APGA as a popular and acceptable party in the state would floor any opposition party any day any time in any election.

He said: “Let me tell you, in the election in Anambra State, I can go to any where as a Christian and tell you there was no issue of rigging.

“Those who wanted to rig were prevented from rigging and they are crying,” he said.

The governor also faulted the calls for the cancellation of the entire elections by the opposition parties, saying, “go to the people of Anambra State, if you repeat that election 10 times, they will never win.

“What are they even talking about cancellation, the regulation, the rules or the law says that you have to win at least 25 per cent in two-third of the local governments.

“In Anambra’s case, it is 14 local governments that make up the two third and only APGA can boast of that because we won in 18 local governments.

“The nearest, which is PDP, won in nine local governments, APC is seven. And I can tell you that even those results they are shouting about, their own are those that are doubtful.

“Everything for APGA is real. I cannot be part of rigging, I don’t have money to pay for people. You know those who spend money and I am not one of them,” he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 30 for the conduct of supplementary election in the state.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega had openly admitted irregularities in the conduct of the polls and apologised on behalf of the commission.

The supplementary election is to hold this weekend Nov 30th. Lets watch and pray.  

Nov 16th supplementary election: Watch Ngige-Obi's aid

From EMMANUEL UZOR, OnitshaFresh fact has emerged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Anambra State, Comrade Tony Nwoye, may join the All Progressives Congress (APC), following some nocturnal meetings between him and the party.A source close to Nwoye’s campaign organisation, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that Nwoye is on the verge of dumping the PDP for APC where he is slated to contest for the House of Representatives election in 2015.

It was gathered that Nwoye’s move to APC is a result of overtures by Senator Chris Ngige, ahead of the 2015 presidential poll.

“Ngige had been able to convince Nwoye that he was not wanted in PDP by citing events before, during and after the November election,” he stated.

Ngige was reported to have reminded Nwoye how the president refused to raise his hand at the rally, shortly before the election and also how the PDP national leadership had maintained a different position from Nwoye’s on the outcome of the November 16 Anambra election.

OJUKWU UNIVERSITY; Obi's aid slams APC

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA — THE senior special assistant to Governor Peter Obi on Media & Publicity, Mr. Valentine Obienyem has decried what he called the All Progressives Congress, APC’s, penchant for opposing everything done by a non APC–led government, arguing that it is laughable that a political party should oppose the naming of a university after late Chief Chukwwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Reacting to a statement credited to the minority leader in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Tony Muonagor in which he was quoted as opposing the renaming of Anambra State University after Ojukwu, Obienyem said there should be limits to politicking, even in election season.

He said: “A tragedy happens in Anambra State and even before credible, first hand witnesses could come up with a rep ort, one Lai Mohammed from a Lagos or Abuja base was already pontificating and laying blames on a matter he knows nothing about. That is very indecent and unhealthy.”

According to Obienyem, APC cannot reject what Anambra citizens and Nigerians have hailed as a good gesture from Governor Peter Obi and lamented that the APC was introducing a dangerous species of opposition in Nigerian politics.

He said that when a political party forms the habit of opposing every policy because it emanated from a rival party in government, that opposition is clearly out for the destabilization of the state, recalling that every action taken by the governor to immortalize the late Ojukwu has continued to receive commendation from all quarters, except the APC.

He said further: “I have followed the APC, that is, the South-West ACN bloc of the APC, and noticed the way they revere Yoruba eminent persons, dead or alive. Even recently, late Lt Col Adekunle Fajuyi was honoured. You wonder then why moves by Igbo to honour their own should be opposed and politicized.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/obis-aide-slams-apc-ojukwu-varsity/#sthash.wmF5H7un.dpuf

Anambra: APC doubts INEC’s ability to hold fair poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed a serious doubt in the ability of INEC to organize a free and fair gubernatorial election in Anambra on Nov. 16th, going by recent developments.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the top officials whom INEC plans to send to oversee the election are card-carrying members of the PDP, which has compromised their role as unbiased umpires.

It named the Commissioners as Mr. Lawrence Nwuruku, the National Commissioner of INEC in charge of the South-East, and Mrs. Gladys Nwafor, the second INEC Commissioner from the South-East.

”Mr. Nwuruku was the Chairman of the PDP in Ebonyi State, while Mrs. Nwafor had worked closely with First Lady Patience Jonathan as a grassroots mobilizer. These officials cannot, in all honesty, be expected to be unbiased, because they have been compromised by their antecedents.

”If INEC indeed has any hope of organizing a free, fair and transparent election in Anambra on Nov. 16th, it must immediately shelve the plan to send these highly-partisan and heavily-compromised officials to supervise the election. Any action short of that will open INEC to accusations of bias – which is not what any

UNTH and its open heart surgery feat;

by Tony Edike, Enugu

The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku/Ozalla Enugu began in the early 20th century as a general Hospital for Africans built by the colonial administrators.  It later metamorphosed into a General Hospital on the attainment of Nigeria’s independence in the 1960s. However, at the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970, the then government of East Central State transformed it into a Specialist Hospital.

By Decree number 23 of 1974, the Federal Military Government took over the hospital, but left the management in the hands of the Council of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  The UNTH became independent in July 1976 with the appointment of autonomous Management Board and has remained in that capacity till date and operating under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health.

Permanent site

The physical constraints at the hospital’s old site in Enugu made it impossible for expansion. Hence, the then Federal Military Government gave approval for the construction of a new complex for the Teaching Hospital at Ituku/Ozalla. Today, the new site of the UNTH  is permanent and fully functional.

All services hitherto rendered at the old site were moved to the permanent site with effect from 8 January, 2007.

The UNTH has broad objectives of service, teaching and research. The hospital achieves these through provision of in – patient and out – patient services through highly trained staff, provision of clinical materials and training as well as equipment for research, provision of teaching facilities for training of students and other persons in the health delivery team and conduct and promotion of research on all matters pertaining to health.

There are nine training schools/programmes in the hospital viz: the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Medical Laboratory Science, Nurse Anesthetists, Community Health Officers programme, Post-Basic Ophthalmic Nursing. Others are Peri – Operative Nursing, Cardiothoracic Nursing and School of Health Information Management.

The movement  to the permanent site was carried out under Dr. Anthony Mbah, the Chief Medical Director (CMD). The hospital encountered many challenges at the permanent site; while some were surmounted, many continued until the incumbent CMD,  Dr. Christopher Amah, took over on May 17, 2011.

Before then, Amah, a pediatric surgeon, had served as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, CMAC, of the hospital. The CMD, who completed his second year in office in May this year, recently reviewed the progress so far made by UNTH under his regime.  “I met a hospital that was bankrupt with a huge debt burden bedeviling it due to poor funding, very wide income-expenditure imbalance”, he said.

“In terms of clinical services, delivery was very low both in volume and quality.  A lot of clinical departments had lost accreditation for training of specialists due to lack of essential equipment in those departments. Our radiotherapy equipment, the only one meant to serve the entire South-east and South-south geopolitical zones installed by the Federal Government through VAMED Project, was yet to work  since it was installed in 2006.

Again, an oxygen generating plant installed to make the hospital self sufficient in oxygen supply to the hospital was also not functional. There was nothing like Amenity/Private Ward in the hospital for patients that require such facilities. The hospital’s internal road network was in a state of  dilapidation and disrepair”.

The CMD further disclosed that at the time he took over the management of the hospital, many of the staff unions were on strike and the morale of workers was very low. “Above all, the signature project for which the UNTH was known and  designated a National Centre of Excellence – The Open Heart Surgery, and other sophisticated cardiothoracic surgeries, were abandoned for over 10 years.  In fact, before the hospital relocated to the permanent site at Ituku Ozalla, the Centre of Excellence had packed up.  The attitude of workers to their duties was very poor and this adversely affected the level of service delivery,” he added.

Assumption of office

Amah and his team reviewed the situation and resolved to embark on measures aimed at rebranding the hospital.

The management had to embark on a visit to all departments and units to make the workers buy into its vision of turning around the UNTH.

These efforts paid off as the management has achieved remarkable improvements in many areas even though, according to the CMD, “it is not yet uhuru”. The evidence is the increased turnout of patients in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, General Outpatient Department, Specialists Outpatient Clinics, among others.

The number of daily clinical attendance has more than doubled and the hospital now operates in full capacity and sometimes under pressure especially in the Accident and Emergency Department where there are inadequate bed spaces due to overflow of patients.

Most of the patients accessing services at the hospital come from its catchment areas including the south eastern states and neighbouring states of South-south zone and the Middle Belt. Patients mostly access critical services like cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, pediatric surgery and other rare areas not available in hospitals within the regions.

Amah and his team also rehabilitated most of the internal roads within the UNTH. The roads were asphalted through funds generated internally.

There are also projects funded through capital budgetary appropriation. According to the CMD, these include a two-storey administrative block, building for Open Heart Surgery and other sophisticated cardiothoracic surgeries and medicine. Others are building for Nuclear Medicine and other Ionized Radiation Therapy, building for Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, Post-Basic Nursing programmes among others.

The radiotherapy facility, installed in the hospital since 2007 but never put to use due to vandalisation and other reasons, has now been rehabilitated and put to use; it is the only one available in the South-east and South-south for the treatment of cancers.

The abandoned oxygen generating plant was modernized and put to use.

Open Heart Surgery

This super specialized art, which earned the UNTH the status of National Centre of Excellence in cardiothoracic surgery and medicine some years back, was abandoned for almost 10 years. The Amah administration has now provided a dedicated facility for resumption of open heart surgery.  This was done with internally generated revenue in collaboration with international partners, The VOOM Foundation USA, as well as equipment support from Education Trust Fund, ETF, from the parent University of Nigeria. The UNTH resumed the abandoned open heart surgery in March 2013.

About 25 patients were said to have benefited from open heart surgery conducted by a team of foreign and local health experts at UNTH. Open heart surgery was first conducted in UNTH in 1974 by a team of foreign and local experts led by the late Professor F.A. Udekwu and that was the first ever in Black Sub-Saharan Africa. Many more open heart surgery was done in UNTH including the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation of 2003.

Thereafter it was suspended due largely to the movement of the hospital to its permanent site which had no facility for it until Amah administration broke the jinx in March this year. This was done in line with the Jonathan administration’s quest to stem medical tourism overseas by Nigerians estimated to have gulped N250 billion annually.

The open heart surgery is highly subsidized. For instance, open heart surgery that costs over N2 million overseas, is performed by UNTH at less than N500,000. This has been made possible through the contributions of the hospital’s international collaborators and philanthropy of some well-meaning Nigerians.

An open heart medical mission has been slated for December. In addition to the team from VOOM Foundation, the International Children Heart Foundation is going to launch a Pediatric Open Heart Surgery programme at UNTH, the first of its kind in Nigeria,  Amah disclosed.

Already, VOOM Foundation has done three missions and they were rated as very successful and it has returned Nigeria once again on the list of countries in Africa and the world where open heart surgery  carried out and this is acknowledged as a major effort in curbing medical tourism out of the country.

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who commissioned the Open Heart Surgery/Intensive Care Unit facility at UNTH in March and witnessed one of the surgical operations, was appreciative of the efforts and had pledged government’s support to the hospital.

Testimonies

One of the beneficiaries of the open heart surgery conducted in March, a journalist, Mr. Ihemegbunem Okafor, showered praises on UNTH for the excellent medical services he received and declared that, with the modern sophisticated medical equipment acquired by the hospital, “UNTH is on track as the National Cardiothoracic Center of Excellence.” Okafor, diagnosed to have tumour called myxoma in one of his heart chambers, is one of the 25 patients that had been successfully operated by experts at the hospital.

“I was admitted on March 18, 2013, I had no choice of a ward of residence but I was allocated a suite at the private suites where I stayed till I was discharged on March 27, 2013. While on admission, I was in good hands to the extent that the dieticians took record of my choice of food.  My suite had everything to make me comfortable.  There was a refrigerator, a cable television, an air conditioner and a ceiling fan. The windows and doors had mosquito nettings while there was a standby electric generator that supplied light anytime there was public power failure.

“One week after I was admitted, the doctors confirmed me fit for the operation and, on March 20, 2013 I was wheeled into the ultra modern cardiothoracic theatre. The theatre has the state-of-the art equipment that can compare with the best anywhere in the world. The consultants, doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists and physiotherapists, true and dedicated professionals, successfully carried out an open heart surgery on me on March 20.  After the surgery, I was wheeled into the Thoracic Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Christopher Amah, personally congratulated me on my successful surgery.

“At the ICU, I was treated like a new born baby and all the medical personnel handled me with utmost care like a fragile object. The physiotherapists were on hand to teach me how to walk again.  With the help of God, the quality of care and medication I received at the ICU helped me to recover quickly and four days after the surgery, I was moved back to the private suite. The nurses at the private suites celebrated my return to the ward with shouts of Alleluia and praises to God.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/unth-open-heart-surgery-feat/#sthash.eC6AtYzJ.dpuf

BETWEEN PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE; Anambra decides 16th Nov. 2013.

Politics is a hard game, and its vagaries can swing any ambitious mortal from one pole to the other. As a result, politicians learn to ‘pitch tents’ rather than build permanent structures.

Having done business in and around Anambra state for over one year, I have observed that the entire state is just one big market square. I say that in a positive way. There are those who manufacture or import some commodities which they sell to others who do secondary sales. The banks and bankers are there to regulate funds transfer and the police are there to appeal to the people to maintain some semblance of order. These traders do not care so much about politics because they know the politicians are just businessmen like everyone else. They are rather more interested in who will ensure they have a better environment within which to trade their wares, irrespective of the party platform.

Chris Nwabueze Ngige understood this when he was made Governor of the state in 2003 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Within a few years he had endeared himself to the people by embarking on major road construction projects across the state. He also built schools and health facilities and brought attention to the inhuman pillaging of the state’s resources by political godfathers. This was in spite of his political travails which culminated in his decamping from the PDP.

Politics is a hard game, and its vagaries can swing any ambitious mortal from one pole to the other. As a result, politicians learn to ‘pitch tents’ rather than build permanent structures. They maintain no permanent friends or foes, only permanent interests. Ngige’s cross-carpeting from the PDP, a party which gave him prominence, to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and, consequently, the All Progressives Congress, APC, therefore should not affect his chances in the November 16 elections but for a few factors.

Dr Chris Ngige is his own enemy. His campaign is totally built on the strength of his previous performance. This previous performance however was judged against his predecessor Chinwoke Mbadinuju’s performance. And Mbadinuju’s tenure is one which a lot of people would rather forget. Right now Governor Peter Obi has raised the bar much higher. Ngige is also not considering that there are so many who did not vote in 2003 due to being under-aged and who are of age now and there are many others who are presently resident in the state who were not there between 2003 and 2006 so have no idea of what Ngige did back then. This is not 2006. The voters are different. The voters are also more politically aware than they were between 2003 and 2006.

The deportation of Igbos from Lagos is another blight on the APC’s chances in Anambra. Ngige, being a ‘good party man’, supported Lagos governor, Babatunde Fashola, and the APC-led Lagos State government’s actions, forgetting that he will be seeking the votes of the same people on whom the internal deportees were dumped. The deportation saga only made the APC appear anti-Igbo, a fact not helped by the party’s relative unpopularity in Anambra state, Buhari’s seemingly unassailable hold on the party’s presidential ticket, Tinubu’s assumed desire to extend his empire and playground to Igboland, and APC chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode’s sustained insult of Igbos in general and former Anambra governor C.C Onoh’s daughter, Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, proud daughter of Anambra and wife of late Eze Igbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, in particular.

Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance’s triple ‘C’ campaign of Continuity of Governor Peter Obi’s projects, Completion and Commissioning of these projects may appear too simplistic but this communicates more to the people because they can all see what he is talking about. Obi has, among other things, through the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), completed hundreds of kilometres of roads, built and renovated hospitals all over the state and have had these accredited, invested over 14billion Naira in Orient Petroleum Refinery, revived dead industries, and improved the previously appalling security situation of the state. A continuation of all these and more is what Ndi Anambra have been promised if they vote Willie Obiano. And this is seriously working against the APC’s chances.

For emphasis, let it be stated again, the Anambra voter cares more about the candidate than the nomenclature of the political party. This is why people are talking more about Ifeanyi Ubah than they are about his Labour Party. This is why the PDP’s lot will improve better if the party can do something about its suicidal tendencies and just make a decision on who the party’s actual candidate for the election is. This is why Ngige and the APC should not be too confident yet. This is why Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, will most likely become Governor-elect of Anambra state as from November 16.

Collins Uma is a trained Sociologist with a bias for Developmental Sociology. He is a public affairs analyst and commentator.

Uke stampede: S’East CAN bans politicians from campaigning in churches

The South-East chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has banned politicians from carrying their campaigns to churches.

The South-East CAN Chairman, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, who placed the ban yesterday in Enugu directed all pastors and bishops in Anambra State and the entire South-East to henceforth disallow politicians from using the church as campaign arena.

The ban followed last weekend stampede at Uke Adoration praying ground in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State where no fewer than 20 worshipers lost their lives.

Chukwuma, who is also the Anglican bishop of Enugu, warned that people should come to the church to worship God and not to turn it to a campaign ground.

“No politician henceforth is allowed to carry his campaign train to the church and begin to make unnecessary promises or make donations that are frivolous to buy the conscience of the people.

“Anambra people should be ready to vote according to their conscience and shun money-bags who come to entice them with money, the mandate of the people must be respected,” he said. He also called on church members and pastors not to be partisan in whatever they do.

“We are very much concerned about what happened, we commiserate with the families of the people who lost their lives, and we feel concerned about it. We, therefore, call for a neutral investigation in Anambra, not the investigation by the state government because the state governor was allegedly involved. So, the Federal Government should set up an investigation panel to find out the remote cause of this stampede that happened immediately after the departure of the governor.

“What we are seeing today in Anambra State is a desecration of the church, people should go to the church to pray and be saved and not to go to church to die, we are very much worried over what happened. I, therefore, call on politicians to stay clear of our churches with their campaign trains; they should only go there to pray and then leave to do their campaigns outside, in town, not in the churches again. They should also allow the people to vote according to their conscience because I believe that the peoples mandate will determine who will rule the state. Politicians do not need to induce the voters with money, they should allow the will of the people to determine who will rule them,” he advised.

Chukwuma said they are praying for Anambra State for a successful election even as he urged the South-East Christians to remain prayerful so that the political programmes in Anambra would work out to the glory of God.

My Wife has Health Challenges; Chime breaks silence

FROM CHIDI NANDI and VINCENT KALU 
Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, has broken his silence over allegations in online publications and some segments of the national dailies that he had incarcerated his wife, Clara, in a room in Government House.

He vowed to protect the integrity of his wife, who he said has some health challenges.

This is coming at a time when the Enugu First Lady has denied ever sending any petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging unlawful detention by her husband. She also denied contacting or engaging the services of Mr. Femi Falana or any other lawyer to seek her freedom from an alleged incarceration at Government House Enugu, as the latter claimed in his letter to media houses and the Inspector-General of Police.

The governor and Mrs. Chime spoke to journalists, on Tuesday night, at the Government Lodge, Enugu in the presence of Mrs. Chime’s elder brother, Mr. Tony Igwe, the governor’s siblings, Mrs. May Oji and Dr. Jide Chime as well as Mrs. Chime’s neuro-psychiatric doctor, Dr. Aham Agumuo, among few others.

Governor Chime noted it was quite heart-aching for him to speak out publicly about his wife’s health challenges, but insisted that he would do everything, no matter the personal pains to protect her from ridicule.

“Well, my wife has some medical challenges and it would be very unkind for me to talk about her condition on the pages of newspapers,” the governor said, adding: “I’ve done everything to protect her integrity and I’m not now going to expose her to ridicule because some people want to exploit her situation to drag me into a needless war of words.

“We have been battling this (Clara’s health challenges) prior to my inauguration in 2011. It was so bad at a time that she had to be taken out of here (Governor’s Lodge) for treatment. When she stabilised, I pleaded with her doctors if she could be brought back here to be receiving her treatment at home and they graciously accepted.

“There was a time she was confined indoors and that was strictly on her doctors’ advice. She’s here and she can confirm or deny it. Also, the doctors then advised against allowing her access to telephones and laptop.”

At this point, the governor paused, heaved a deep sigh and continued his emotional narration: “I cannot say or do anything to undermine her dignity. She is, first and foremost, my wife. The big blunder I committed was allowing her access to the telephone and her laptop, against the advice of her doctor. I’m paying dearly for that today, going by what is happening now.
“Her brother is here; her doctor is here with us too. You people (journalists) can confirm anything you want from them, either here or at your convenience. Would I have been a better husband if I asked her to leave the lodge because of her medical challenge? Would it not have been more convenient for me if I allowed her to stay and be treated in the hospital?

“But like I said earlier, I wanted the best for her and that’s why I pleaded with the doctors to have her treated at home. That’s also why I allowed her access to her telephone and laptop, which unfortunately led to the stage where I’m now being falsely accused of imprisoning or detaining my own wife.”

For quite a long time, Mrs. Chime could not speak, despite persuasions from her husband and brother. At a point, her brother, Tony Igwe, took her to an adjacent room, where they spent a few minutes before returning to join others.

Igwe now assured the rest people that she was willing to talk, but it was another round of silence.
At last, the First Lady said: “You (referring to the governor) and my doctor can speak on my behalf.”

The governor politely replied: “Yes, I’m your husband and should ordinarily do so, but you know I’m the one being accused of detaining you. This way, I’ve lost that privilege to speak for you, at least on this case. The story out there also is that your doctor is probably scared of me and gives you all kinds of drugs, sometimes against your wish.”

Clara said: “My doctor and I don’t have any problem.”  On the petition to the National Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Chime corroborated an earlier text message she had sent to her husband that she had not met Falana or engaged him to seek her release from a purported unlawful custody. Rather, she admitted that she wrote a letter to her doctor, Dr. Agumuo and another doctor overseas whom she was introduced to and wondered how the letter leaked to the public

Mrs. Chime also admitted that she was once confined to a room without access to her telephone and laptop. “That was when I had a serious crisis,” she said.

She also confirmed that she had the key to her room and controlled her entry and exit, contrary to the claim in the petition that she had been locked up for asking to be allowed to leave. Her grouse was that she had not been allowed to leave the premises, though she attended mass even last Sunday.

Governor Chime chipped in: “All I want to reassure you is that she is safe here. Her confinement within the premises for now is at the instance of her doctor who is here.

“Why would I want my wife locked up? If it had been that I had issues with her, there are many ways to resolve them. But that’s not the case. She is not well and I’m willing to do anything to support and protect her.

“It was always more convenient for me to have taken the easier route, but that would have been very callous and ungodly. When I had my own health challenge, I was receiving treatment in London and thinking about her, making sure she received the right treatment.

I’m forever grateful to her doctors who have done a great job. Both families are billed to meet very soon and after that, I’ll take a decision which will be in the interest of both parties.”

On his reaction to the petition to the IGP by Falana, the governor said: “He’s my professional colleague but sometimes you leave people to their conscience. I won’t join words with him.

Has he met this client of his, as he claimed, to assess her state of mind and determine if she can give him the right brief to guide his case? Did he ask for access to her or to me and was denied? I leave it at that.

“That’s the penalty you face as a public officer. When I was receiving treatment in London, some of the newspapers reported that I had died in India.

I’ve never been to India and had never applied for an Indian visa. Today, the story is that I’ve imprisoned my own wife in my residence. I know their motives but I wish those behind such wicked tales well.”

We wish her quick recovery your excellency.

ANAMBRA in the EYEs of posterity; Who will take it all?

On Saturday, November 16, 2013, the electorate in Anambra State will go to the polls to elect a new governor to succeed Mr. Peter Obi, whose tenure will officially come to an end in March 2014. For Anambra, this election offers an opportunity to begin to correct past wrongs and impressions.

For one, that Anambra is holding its governorship election at this odd time in our national election calendar is a sad reminder of its checkered history and unsavoury experience with elections since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation.

It is a result of the many setbacks the state has suffered. At least on two occasions, the wheels of democracy had been bogged down in Anambra – once, for three years, when the mandate which the electorate had freely given to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was hijacked by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and again, for 16 days, when the national electoral commission, through an illicit gubernatorial election, foisted another PDP governor, midway into the tenure of a serving governor.

Not too long after, an ill-constituted state assembly would again throw out the state governor, and hoist up his deputy in his stead, in a rather curious impeachment. That impeachment too would later be voided by the courts.

Before all these, Anambra also made history in infamy as the first and only state where a political godfather – backed and cheered on by the police and an acquiescing central government – orchestrated the arrest, kidnap, illegal detention and purported resignation of his ‘errant’ governor-godson.

Now, with the governorship election less than two weeks away, Anambra is on the march again. Of course, in true Anambra tradition, the atmosphere is charged, with virtually every registered party fielding one candidate or the other.

Of course, everything has been thrown into the fray: issues, personalities, blackmail, intimidation, mudslinging, name-dropping, plenty of money, religion, and just about everything else, as each candidate seeks to have an edge over the others in the battle for the voter’s mind.  Thankfully, no direct incidence of violence has been recorded, but the possibilities remain very high.

Of course, the campaigns have also not lacked controversies and confusion. If it is not about a controversial zoning arrangement, then, it is about the confusion over the authentic candidate of one of the parties. It is so bad that as at last Saturday, which was exactly two weeks to the election, it was still not clear who would fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In all, there is every promise of a testy contest in Anambra come Saturday, November 16, 2013.

But, this election is not just about Anambra alone. It is also about Nigeria and the way forward for democracy in the country. Whatever the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes of the November 16 poll in Anambra will probably be a foretaste of what to expect in the 2015 general elections in the country. If INEC fails to get it right in Anambra, it means the 2015 polls could be in trouble. INEC must, therefore, put up a good showing in Anambra. Not only must the electoral umpire be prepared, it must eschew bias and ensure a level playing field for all parties and contestants.

Most of all, INEC must ensure that voting and collation of votes take place only at accredited polling booths and centres. The practice of polling booths suddenly springing up in some evil forests must never repeat itself. INEC must also get its logistics right this time by ensuring that all election materials get to the polling centres on time. We must put a stop to the idea of materials arriving some centres just a few minutes to the end of voting. However, while INEC is working at delivering a foolproof process, the candidates must desist from overheating the polity with spurious and unsubstantiated allegations, which only serve to incite supporters and pave way for violence.

On the part of the police, there must be adequate security for both election officials and the voting public. Although it is common knowledge that every major politician, business person and moneybag in Anambra moves about with his own army of policemen, the authorities must ensure that these private armies are not used to abuse the process on election day. All stakeholders must endeavour to conduct themselves with decorum and respect for order. It is reassuring that President Jonathan has promised that the Anambra election will be freer and fairer than what was witnessed in the Edo and Ondo governorship polls.

We, therefore, enjoin the candidates, the electoral umpire and the electorate, whose actions and inaction will determine the course of this election, to play by the rules. This is another litmus test for INEC, the police and the Jonathan administration to prove that we can get our elections right. For Anambra, this is another chance to prove to the whole world that democracy has finally taken root in the state. May the candidate with the most valid votes be declared winner.

NDI IGBO; The True History.

IGBO kwenu! muo nu! zuo nu!meka nu!
ndi banyi, Igbo si na nwanta atuoro ilu, kowara, imara n'ego ijiri luo nne ya lara n'iyi....
HOW MUCH DO YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT NDI IGBO?
The Igbo people (sometimes spelled Ibo) are an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languagesand dialects; a majority of them also speak Nigerian English. Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.

In rural areas of Nigeria, Igbo people are mostly craftsmen, farmers and traders. The most important crop is the yam; celebrations are held annually to celebrate its harvesting. Other staple crops include cassava and taro.

Before British colonialism, the Igbo were a politically fragmented group. There were variations in culture such as in art styles, attire and religious practices. Various subgroups were organized by clan, lineage, village affiliation, and dialect. There were not many centralized chiefdoms, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs except in kingdoms such as those of the Nri, Arochukwu, Agbor and Onitsha. This political system changed significantly under British colonialism in the 19th century; Eze (kings) were introduced into most local communities by Frederick Lugard as "Warrant Chiefs". The Igbo became overwhelmingly Christian under colonization. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is one of the most popular novels to depict Igbo culture and changes under colonialism.

By the mid-20th century, the Igbo people developed a strong sense of ethnic identity. Certain conflicts with other Nigerian ethnicities led to the Igbo-dominant Eastern Nigeria seceding from Nigeria to create the independent state of Biafra. The Nigerian-Biafran war (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970) broke out shortly after. With their defeat, the Republic of Biafra was reabsorbed into Nigeria. MASSOB, a sectarian organization formed in 1999, continues a non-violent struggle for an independent Igbo state.

Due to the effects of migration and the Atlantic slave trade, there are descendant ethnic Igbo populations in countries such as Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, as well as outside Africa. Their exact population outside Africa is unknown, but today many African Americans and Afro Caribbeans are of Igbo descent. According to Liberian historians, the fifth president of that country was of "pure" Igbo descent, Edward James Roye.

THE IDENTITY