22032019- INEC holds make-up polls in 17 states, FCT tomorrow

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019—15
Madumere’s aide escapes assassination
By Chidi
Nkwopara
OWERRI—Imo State
Deputy Governor’s
aide, Mr. Alban Opara,
yesterday, allegedly
escaped an assassination
attempt on his life, by the
whiskers.
Commenting on the ugly
incident in a telephone chat,
the Deputy Governor’s
Chief Press Secretary, CPS,
Mr. Uche Onwuchekwa
said the man “narrowly
cheated death in the hands
of the rampaging
hoodlums.”
He also alleged that the
Deputy Governor, Prince
Eze Madumere, had called
on the security agencies to
unmask those behind the
attack.
“Opara was allegedly
attacked about 7.30pm by
the suspected kidnappers
or assassins, close to the
roundabout at Orji, Owerri
North Local Government
Area of the state”,
Onwuchekwa said.
According to the Deputy
Governor’s CPS, “the
information that reached us
had it that the hoodlums
blocked Mr. Opara, who
was driving a Toyota Hilux
and forced him out of the
vehicle at gunpoint”.
Continuing,
Onwuchekwa said that the
hoodlums hit Opara on his
head with an axe before
making good their escape
in the Hilux.
Asked if the missing
vehicle has been
recovered, Onwuchekwa
said he was not aware that
it has been recovered.
Speaking also on the
matter, a citizen who
claimed that he witnessed
the incident, but spoke on
strict grounds of anonymity,
said that “what attracted
people to the scene was the
alarm raised by the victim”.
Continuing, the man
explained that “the
assailants obviously laid
what we can now call an
ambush for the man, even
as none of us who were
around did not know what
they were up to”.
Answering a question,
the man said it was
people’s prompt reaction
that led to the hoodlums
fleeing and abandoning
Opara in a pool of his own
blood.
“The assailants broke his
head with an axe and left
him in a pool of his blood
before fleeing. The
hoodlums made away with
the Toyota Hilux, his phone
and everything in the
vehicle, including cash”,
the man recounted.
Vanguard also gathered
that Opara was taken to an
undisclosed hospital for
medical attention.
However, the police have
not confirmed the incident.
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY:
Experts call for inclusion of
persons with disability
AWKA—A case has
been made for
inclusion of persons with
disability among people
suffering from Down
Syndrome in order to send
strong message that they
can live normal life.
World Down Syndrome
Day is organised by the
United Nations to advocate
for Rights of people
suffering from ‘Down
Syndrome’.
It is an annual event,
celebrated on March 21 to
raise public awareness and
to provide educational,
psychological, medical or
emotional support to
sufferers.
Addressing newsmen in
Awka during this year’s
World Down Syndrome
Day, Director,
Rehabilitation, Ministry of
Social Welfare, Women and
Children Affairs, Mr Jude
Nwakaeme explained the
importance of the inclusion
and social participation of
persons with disabilities in
the society.
He said that vocational
trainings were ongoing at
state rehabilitation centres
for people living with
disabilities.
The director urged
parents of children with
Down Syndrome not to see
them as liabilities but liaise
with government and
relevant agencies to assist
them to live normal life.
Senior Special Assistant
(SSA) to the Governor on
Disability Matters, Mr
Chukwuka Ezewuzie said
persons living with
disabilities should be
included in all aspects of
socio-economic life by the
government.
He said: “Policy
formulation and
implementation can also
help persons with genetic
disorders to live a better
life.
“People living with Down
Syndrome must have
opportunity to live full and
equal life with others
without being forgotten.
“Ministry of Social
Welfare should institute
programmes that will help
the educational needs of
people living with the
disorder."
VISIT: From left—Mr. Kola Ajimoko, 1st Vice President, Risk Management Association of
Nigeria, RIMAN; Mr. Victor Olannye, Executive Secretary RIMAN; Mr. Abraham Amkpa,
Board Member RIMAN; Mr. Magnus Nnoka, CRM, President RIMAN; Mr. Ahmed Kuru, MD
Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON; and Mr. Olumide Olayinka, Board
Member RIMAN, during a courtesy visit by RIMAN executives to AMCON in Lagos.
Case on Imo indigene workers disengaged by
Abia govt adjourned till June 17
By Chinonso
Alozie
OWERRI—THE case of
workers who are Imo
State indigenes
disengaged by Abia State
government from it’s civil
service, yesterday was
adjourned till June 17,
2019.
The presiding judge,
Justice Ibrahim. S.
Galadima, at the National
Industrial Court in Owerri,
urged the affected workers
to take a practical step by
meeting with the
government on the
settlement or definite
hearing on the adjourned
date.
Speaking after the court
session,counsel to the
disengaged workers,
Cajetan Okere, said: “We
adjourned for report of
settlement or hearing.
Although we have written
to Abia State government,
the defendant, the
government said that it
was going to reach out to
us for a meeting and that
once the date is fixed , they
would inform us but they
did not do that.
“We have come to the
court and that issue was
raised in the court but their
counsel said their inability
to call for the meeting was
occasioned by the elections
that were just concluded.”
On the statement by the
judge that the affected
workers should put more
effort to meet the
government on their
predicament, he said:
“That is the opinion of the
judge and we respect his
opinion. We will see what
we can do about it."
He added that it will
help. "I think the governor
has a listening ear.
Thankfully, he won his reelection
and he would be
more settled and focused to
look into issues like this.
“To me, the terms of
settlement should reflect
what we submitted to them.
They know ultimately what
we are demanding from
the court. However, we
respect the opinion of my
Lord.
“When you talk of terms
of settlement, it
presupposes that you have
met and your grievances
have been discussed and
then, you now come up with
terms of references.”
He recounted that, “this
particular case was filed
last year and when this
issue happened, it was
struck out. We refiled it
here and by God’s grace,
we are proceeding.”
On the reasons why it
was earlier struck out, Okere
recalled that, “At that time,
the people who took the
matter to court filed it on
behalf of the plaintiff but
they used the name of their
non governmental
organisation. The court was
of the opinion that it does
not have the locus to file that
action.
“In the changes we made
now, we picked four or five
names of the plaintiff and
sued it on representative
capacity. But they are those
affected by the policy of the
government to the
disengaged workers.”
He also said that the
disengaged drama
happened under the
regime of T A. Orji and not
the present government led
by Governor Okezie
Ikpeazu.
However, when the
counsel to the government
was approached for his
reaction, he said that he
was in court on
representative capacity and
would not want to speak to
the press on the matter.
UNEMPLOYMENT: ITF steps up
skills acquisition programme
By Chinedu
Adonu
E
N U G U —
INDUSTRAL
Training Fund, ITF, said it
has expanded its skills
acquisition and
entrepreneur’s training
programme to stem spiral
unemployment in the
country.
The Director General and
Chief Executive of ITF,
Joseph Ari who made this
known to journalists in
Enugu, disclosed that the
agency has pursued its
realisation by training over
20 million Nigerians that
are today manning key
sectors of national
economy.
Ari, represented by Head
of ITF, Enugu State Area
office, Mrs Ijeoma Yahaya
expressed delight over the
achievement of ITF within
two years of the new
initiative programme.
He explained that the
agency decided to provide
start-up packs to all their
participants based on
success during the
monitoring and evaluation
conducted in the area
where start-up kits were
given to participants.
earned.
SDP gov candidate, 27 others accept
results of election, congratulate Umahi
By Peter Okutu
A BAKALIKI—THE
Governorship
candidate of the Social
Democratic Party, SDP, in
Ebonyi State, Chibueze
Agbo, yesterday accepted
the results of the last
governorship election in
the state.
Umahi had defeated the
candidate of the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, Sonni Ogbuoji and
Agbo who came second and
third respectively.
Agbo in a letter to Umahi
said he accepted the result
as declared by the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, in the spirit of
sportsmanship.
Agbo urged the governor
to carry everyone along in
his policies and
programmes.
“One thing is instructive,
you are the Governor of
Ebonyi State, de facto and
de jure. You are the
governor of everybody in
the state irrespective of
party, religion, color, tribe,
creed and status. I therefore
appeal that you strive to
keep that in mind in all
your policies as you lead us
in the next four years," he
said.
Meanwhile, no fewer
than 27 gubernatorial
candidates in the last
governorship election in
the state have
congratulated Umahi for his
victory at the polls.
In a communique signed
by the governorship
candidates of AA, Orie Fred
Chukwu; ADC, Udume
Samuel; APP, Elechi O
Elechi among others, the
group said: “We will like to
commend the efforts of our
respective party chieftains
and supporters who worked
diligently for the success of
their candidates."