NIGERIAN NOTCH

 _As the 9th Assembly shuts down today with a valedictory session, Anambra South Senatorial District can stand tall, beat hands on the chest, and count their blessings, while looking forward to even greater days ahead, having re-elected their capacity-laden son in preparation for more dividends of democracy in the 10th assembly._  A cursory peep at the Google interpretation of the word "Astounding" shows it to mean something that is surprisingly impressive or notable. The above best describes the mega feat that Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah was able to achieve in the course of delivering on the mandate handed to him by the good people of Anambra South Senatorial District in 2019 under the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).  *Senator Ubah, immediately hit the ground running like a man on a mission despite being elected on the platform of a then-new political party whose very first stint at the National Assembly was courtesy of the mandate won by Senator Ubah during ...

  The All Progressive Congress (APC) Forum of Professionals has issued a stern message to Senator Osita Izunaso and other individuals who are contemplating on going against the party's interests and directives by vying for the position of the Senate President. The forum emphasizes the importance of unity and cohesion within the party and calls for adherence to the decisions made by the party’s leadership. The APC Forum of Professionals acknowledges that Senator Izunaso harbors ambitions of becoming the Senate President, despite the party's clear directive on leadership positions. While individual aspirations are important, it is crucial for party members to prioritize the collective interest of the APC and respect the decisions made by the party leadership. Reflecting on past experiences, the forum highlights the negative consequences that can arise from disregarding party directives. Senator Izunaso's previous role as the national Publicity Secretary during the 2015 electi...

Political analysts, Social observers, critical stakeholders as well as top media professionals have on different platforms described Tinubu's Inuagural speech as favourable to the aspirations of distinguished Senator Osita Izunaso as the next Senate President of the 10th National assembly. An APC member and political analyst, Hon. Nkem Anyata from Nasarawa State reviewing the text described Tinubu's Presidential maiden broadcast as a near perfect speech, he observed that, apart from the fact that, the speech captured and reflected major parts of the country's needs, Hon. Nkem emphasized that a critical look at the text clearly gave Senator Osita Izunaso an edge over all others contesting the position of the Senate President. Hon. Nkem pointed out that, when President Tinubu mentioned that he will fight corruption, the message was in favour of Senator Izunaso; when President Tinubu mentioned that "Nigerians should recommit themselves to placing the country in their hear...

  President Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu during his Inaugural speech did not mince word in disclosing that his government will not only fight corruption but confront it headlong, when he said "Fuel Subsidy is gone!"  That statement is a very clear signal to everybody that nobody will be spared in the war against curruption including the high and the mighty. Therefore, anyone aspiring for the seat of Senate President with lots of curruption baggages and facing various charges before antigraft agencies portends serious danger to the anti-corruption principles which the administration of President Bola Ahmed appears set to uphold. Our reporters who sort the views on the matter from Barrister Babatoye Oguntade, of Tade & Tade chambers in Osun State said, the Barrister revealed that Senator Akpabio from all indications cannot fit-in into the system of the anti-corruption policies of the new government of Jagaban, advising that the best thing for the former Akwa-Ibom Governor to do, is...

Less than two weeks after assuming office as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, from office with immediate effect. The suspension, according to a statement issued and signed by the Director of Information in the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Willie Bassey, on Friday night, said the suspension came into effect as part of investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy. The statement noted that Emefiele has been directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the Central Bank Governor pending the conclusion of investigation and the reforms. President Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, from office with immediate effect. This is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office an...

A vandal suspect identified as Samuel Ebuka Umenze, an indigene of Amesi, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State, was on Tuesday arrested for his role in vandalizing property of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) within the school premises. Samuel, a first-year student of Agric Extension with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), was arrested at the school premises by the institution’s security, while large quantities of peeled coated cables and sophisticated equipment used for vandalism were recovered from his room. This was made known in a statement issued by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, in Enugu on Friday. According to him, Samuel, while confessing to the crime, claimed he carries out the criminal act alone at night during classes and sells his loot to a buyer in Onitsha. Ezeh confirmed that investigation is already ongoing to arrest the receiver of these vandalized items. In a related development, on Monday, at Oshituma, Ohauk...

Groups, individuals, Politicians and Civil Society Organizations have continued to bare their minds on issues of forthcoming leadership of the 10th National Assembly, which all things being equal, is billed for inuaguration in less than 5days. A pro-democracy group, Coalition for Equitable Democratic Principles (CEDP), has asked former Governor of Akwa-Ibom State Godswill Akpabio to be bold enough to set aside his aspirations for the seat of the Senate President for his own good and in the interest of equity, fairness, justice, and more importantly for sanity and sanctity of the Red Chambers and stability of the country at large, as Nigerians are looking forward to a 10th National Assembly whose leadership is free from anti graft cases and curruption charges. The National Coordinator of the group Mallam Abdulrahman Bello made the call Thursday 8th of June 2023, during a press conference at the African Democratic centre, Central business District Abuja.  Mallam Bello said, Nigeria a...

  From Tita Abuja  A chieftain of the APC and the Publisher, APC NewsOnline, Dr Tom Ohikere has revealed that the support base of Godswill Akpabio has collapsed because of his failure to meet up with the integrity test. Assessing the three front runners for the post of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Orji Uzor Kalu and Osita Izunaso respectively, Dr Ohikere said both Akpabio and Orji failed the integrity test. According to Ohikere, the exposure of various court cases has made the shift in support of them to shift to Osita Izunaso who has no known baggage. The APC NewsOnline Publisher said most Senators-elect withdrew their support from both Akpabio and Orji because their baggages are too heavy to ignore. As for Akpabio, he said "Godswill Akpabio has not escaped the rigorous radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he was arrested and an investigation is ongoing into the alleged theft of N108.1 billion of Akwa Ibom funds." In March 2023, Akpabio was in...

  The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has commended pro-Biafra groups, Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, for their stance over the Monday sit-at-home in Enugu State.  It could be recalled that the various groups had on Monday backed Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah, over his order to end sit-at-home in the State.  In a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike lauded the pro-Biafra groups for standing with the masses. Okwu noted the sit-at-home had become counterproductive owing to its far reaching effects on the economy.  He said, “that everyone spoke with one voice, including religious and traditional leaders, means that we have all come to realise that the regular Monday sit-at-home is destroying our land. It has not in any way helped ou...

  THE Organised Labour made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, yesterday agreed to suspend its planned strike scheduled to begin tomorrow to enable further negotiations with the Federal Government. This was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting late yesterday evening. Monday’s meeting and resolution were attended and signed by Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President; Festus Osifo, President, TUC; Nuhu Torò, Secretary General, TUC; Joseph Ajaero, President, NLC; Emmanuel Ugboaja mni, General Secretary, NLC and Ms Kachollom S. Daju, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. Other resolutions arrived at the meeting include: “Continued engagements by the TUC and the NLC with the Federal Government and secure closure on the resolutions above. “The Labour Centres and the Federal Government are to meet on June 19, 2023, to agree on an implementation framework. According to the Negoti...

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) has described as cheap blackmail, a viral video where Chief Uwazurike, leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), alleged that his staff were abducted by the company. Uwazurike also alleged that EEDC was being used by the state to get at him. In a reaction, the EEDC said it was a private, non-political, and non-partisan business enterprise, saddled with the responsibility of distributing electricity across the five South East states. EEDC said it had suffered high prevalence of energy theft, meter bypass and other electricity infractions within the network and that the ugly trend had consistently and negatively impacted its output and revenue. This according to the company, prompted the Federal Government to set up a task force known as Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offenders (SIPTEO). "The responsibility of this task force which comprises the Federa...

Nigeria’s Trade Union Congress (TUC) and officials of the Nigerian Government agreed to continue talks on fuel subsidy this week, after a closed-door meeting on Sunday. The Federal Government team and that of TUC led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo met on Sunday in a meeting that started at about 4 pm and ended by 7.30 pm. The Secretary to the government of the federation, George Akume attended the meeting alongside the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, former governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole, and others. According to the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre, both sides broke the deadlock on fuel subsidies, to reconvene Tuesday. The Federal Government and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have made progress on the negotiations toward resolving the dispute over the removal of fuel subsidies, adding: “The Federal Government team and that of TUC led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo met on Sunday in a meeting that s...

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has thrown its weight behind the efforts of the Enugu State Government to end the Sit-at-home in Enugu effective from Monday 5th June. The group has equally appealed to all Biafra agitators to live true to their stand that the sit-at-home hitherto imposed on the South-East region had been cancelled.  Ohanaeze’s call is sequel to the directive by the Enugu State Government that all government, business, and educational activities should resume this Monday across the State.  In a statement made available to journalists Sunday night, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the group condemned the attempts by people it described as infiltrators into the Biafra agitation to destroy Igbo land.  He said that it was sad that months after the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, cancelled the Monday sit-at-home after discovering its devastating effects on th...

  In a significant political development, leaders from the Okigwe Zone in Imo State have come together to endorse the re-election bid of Governor Hope Uzodimma. The endorsement was made under the umbrella of the Okigwe Political Consultative Assembly (OPOCA), a prominent political body representing the interests of the zone. The leaders expressed their admiration and gratitude to Governor Uzodimma for his unwavering commitment and love towards the Okigwe Zone. They commended him for his numerous appointments that have benefited the people of the zone, recognizing his efforts in ensuring fair representation and inclusivity. Furthermore, the Okigwe Political Consultative Assembly congratulated Governor Uzodimma on his well-deserved national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). They also acknowledged his emergence as the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), a position that highlights his influence and leadership within the party. The leaders of the Okigw...

The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Chris Isiguzo has described Senator Osita Izunaso, representing (Imo West) in the 10th National Assembly as an outstanding journalist, brilliant lawyer and a man of integrity who have high capacity to rebrand the National Assembly and give the Legislature and the country a better image. The NUJ National President who disclosed this while receiving Senator Izunaso on a courtesy call to the NUJ National Secretariat in Abuja on Saturday thrown its weight behind the aspiration of Senator Osita Izunaso for Senate Presidency race. Isiguzo affirmed that Senator Izunaso is the best among all the senators vying for the position, confirming that after careful analysis of all the contenders, Izunaso was found the best in competence, experience, capacity and integrity. Emphasizing on integrity, the NUJ President informed that what the National Assembly requires at this moment is a clean break from its odious past, reputed for corruptio...

  Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has warned against what it called hatched plot to discredit the immediate past administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in Enugu State It cautioned those behind the said plan to have a rethink or regret the action. The Igbo group said Ugwuanyi bequeathed to the Coal City a secured and peaceful State when some other states were battling one security challenge or the other. In a statement by the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said the former governor would not be forgotten in a hurry. Okwu said in a society where the youths have become so restive owing to years of neglect, Ugwuanyi adopted an approach which ensured that Enugu remained calm. "On behalf of the entire Igbo youths, we salute His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the immediate past Governor of Enugu State, for giving the people an atmosphere of peace and security. "We have it in good authority that so...