19042019 - CCT axes Onnoghen, to forfeit money, barred for 10 years

Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019—15
58 road projects ongoing in S-East —FG
…says lack of fund hindering road construction
By Ediri Ejoh
A BUJA—THE
FEDERAL Government
yesterday said it was
committed to reviving
depleted infrastructure in
the South-East, noting that
to this end, it had
embarked on construction
of 58 road projects,
including highways and
bridges.
This was disclosed during
a visit of the Igbo World
Union, IWU, to the Ministry
of Power, Works and
Housing in Abuja.
The Minister of State for
Power, Works and
Housing, Mr. Mustapha
Shehuri, who received
IWU delegates, stated that
“in the southeast alone, we
have ongoing construction
of 58 highways and
bridges. We also have the
Ihedioha seeks Commonwealth cooperation
By Chidi
Nkwopara
OWERRI—Imo State
governor-elect,
Emeka Ihedioha, has
solicited the support and
cooperation of the
Commonwealth Enterprise
and Investment Council,
CEIC, in uplifting the
state’s economic climate
and welfare of the citizenry.
Ihedioha, who was a
guest at the CEIC Office in
the United Kingdom,
reportedly had a high level
strategic business meeting
with the Council's officials.
The governor-elect
explained that he was there
to “discuss areas of
cooperation and assistance
to Imo State by the member
states when he assumes
office.”
He described the
meeting as, “fruitful and
forward-looking, with
expected strategic
cooperation in key areas of
wealth creation,
agriculture, investment
second Niger Bridge
ongoing. Others are the
Enugu- Port-Harcourt road;
Umuahia- Aba road and
the Second Niger Bridge
which I personally went to
inspect.
“I never thought of the
progress achieved in the
project. The contractors had
in one year done almost 40
percent. That means they
can deliver the project in
less than the projected three
years given.
“I want to assure
Nigerians that we are all
partners and we can work
together to deliver the
projects as we all need to
put our heads together and
ensure that government
realizes and delivers on its
wishes and projects.
However, that cannot be
possible unless there is
peace.”
and other critical areas
geared towards enhancing
and developing our
potentials for the economic
development of the state.”
Vanguard equally
gathered that the Council,
which is an investment arm
of the Commonwealth
nations, expressed
commitment to supporting
the state in the areas of
Small and Medium
Enterprises, SMEs,
investment promotion,
agricultural potentials,
e n c o u r a g i n g
commonwealth investors to
the state, and making Imo
an Investment hub, among
others.
CIEC officials at the
meeting were the Chief
Executive, Allan Gemmell;
Director of Operations,
Sean Leno; and Director of
Business Development, AQ
Hamza.
Meanwhile, Ihedioha
has tasked the incoming
members of Imo State
House of Assembly to
He explained that
President Muhammadu
Buhari strongly believed in
investment in infrastructure
to grow the country’s
economy.
He said: “Despite the
crash in oil price when we
came in, the budget for
infrastructure (road alone)
was over N280 billion."
He however, hinted that
the lingering abandoned
projects in the country “can
be attributed to little or no
fund disbursement to foster
projects. Some of the
contractors for some of the
huge projects cannot begin
with N1 billion over N100
billion earmarked
contracts.
“In the past, there are
contractors that have not
been paid for over two
years. We decided not to
“acquaint themselves
appropriately with the real
process of legislative duties
and responsibilities of the
state legislature”.
Ihedioha gave the charge
in London, while
addressing Imo people
resident in the United
Kingdom, who gathered at
Aldridge Academy, Turlock
Road, Tottenham, London.
His words: “I urge
members-elect of the Imo
State House of Assembly to
quickly acquaint
toy with that part and
continue paying while
other sources of fund are
explored".
Speaking earlier,
President, IWU, Dr.
Mishak Nnata, decried the
huge gap in infrastructure
development in the
Southeast.
According to him, “It is
known and established that
the southeast lacks most in
federal infrastructures.
Wayfarers plying federal
roads of that region sing
different songs compared to
the other regions that
enjoyed modern up-todate
highways.
“Observers are worried
that this particular region
may have been tactically
schemed out/excluded
from the current transregional
rail construction
and rehabilitation."
MEETING: From left— Enugu State Deputy Gov, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo; Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi;
SA to the Governor on Water Resources, Mrs. Felicia Ikpeama; SSA to the Governor, Chijioke
Agu; PDP State Chairman, Augustine Nnamani; Frank Asogwa of Enugu State Water
Corporation; Managing Director, Ovamann Pump Ltd, Mr. Kevin Ifegbuike; and MD of the
Corporation, Chidozie Eze, during a town hall meeting on adequate water supply/inspection
of rehabilitated facilities at Ajalli Water Scheme, Ezeagu Local Government Area, yesterday.
themselves with the
existing rules of the House.
I will inundate them with
executive bills once the
House is inauguarated.
“Right from day one,
upon their inauguaration,
I will challenge them with
certain executive bills to
keep them cracking. It’s
sad that our legislature in
Imo State had been
practically dead in the past
eight years because of the
out-going governor’s
approach that frustrated
separation of powers.”
Why we sacked 5 IMT
labour leaders —RECTOR
By Dennis Agbo
E NUGU—INSTITUTE
of Management and
Technology, IMT, Enugu
has disclosed that the five
executive members of
Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics, ASUP, in the
institution were recently
disengaged from service
because of the bad records
they accumulated as staff of
the institution.
Apart from that, the labour
leaders were equally
accused of gross
insubordination,
confrontation with
authorities and attempts to
pull down the institution.
Rector of the institute,
Prof. Austin Nweze, who
briefed newsmen
yesterday on the
development, said that
affected labour leaders had
committed academic
offences.
Nweze narrated the
activities that culminated to
their sack to include
rebellions, such as
dragging management of
the institution to anti-graft
agencies, Department of
State Services, the Attorney
General’s Office, Industrial
Court and National Board
for Technical Education,
NBTE.
He said: “The last straw
that broke the camel’s back
was a petition to NBTE, our
supervisory body, alleging
that we have been over
admitting students. It was
written by ASUP through
one lawyer. In the body of
the letter, they said all sorts
of things: that the Rector
has been diverting Tetfund
money, they even wrote
against the chairman of the
council and even the
governor."
Ugwuanyi engages community
leaders on adequate water
supply
E
N
U G U —
GOVERNOR
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of
Enugu State and governorelect,
yesterday held a town
hall meeting with relevant
stakeholders aimed at
finding lasting solutions to
the problems hindering the
regular supply of water to
the homes and
establishments in the state.
The “all important”
meeting, which was
summoned at the instance
of the governor, in keeping
with his administration’s
renewed vigor to enhance
the wellbeing of the people
of the state through the
sustenance of peace and
good governance,
extracted firm commitment
from the players in the
industry on better ways to
improve adequate water
supply in the state.
Addressing the
participants at the meeting,
held at Ajali Water Scheme,
Ezeagu Local Government
Area, Ugwuanyi said: “The
water sector in the state has
over the years encountered
and is still being hampered
by a number of factors
especially, the fragile
conditions of some of the
existing water projects and
installations as well as
Again, tanker laden with fuel falls in Imo
By Chinonso
Alozie
OWERRI—A tanker
ladened with fuel
yesterday, fell at Methodist
junction, along MCC Road
in Owerri.
This is coming days after
Vanguard reported that
another tanker loaded with
kerosene fell at Hospital
Junction, along
Portharcourt road, where
hundreds of people
scooped the product.
However, Vanguard
gathered that the falling of
the tanker was the second
incident since this month.
An eyewitness told
Vanguard that it happened
about 02:45pm as the tanker
driver struggled to escape
from the damaged side of
the road.
“We thank God that the
owners of the two fuel
stations at the Methodist
junction, especially the
Cocean oil and gas
responded immediately by
calling police officers who
came and took over the
control of traffic along the
road.
“If not, a lot of people
would have started coming
close to see how they can
daunting environmental
and human factors. This is
in spite of several attempts
my administration has
made to revamp the sector."
He added that his
administration recently
invested in the upgrade of
existing infrastructure for
enhanced water production
and distribution across the
state, stressing that the state
government was desirous
of finding immediate stopgap
solutions to the
challenges the sector is
facing currently for
residents to enjoy adequate
and satisfactory water
supply.
Ugwuanyi disclosed that
the stop-gap solutions will
provide water service to the
state until the fifty million
US Dollars loan the state
government signed up
with French Development
Agency, AFD, for
3rdNational Urban Water
Sector Reform Project for
total transformation of the
state’s water infrastructure
is accessed.
The governor further
disclosed that his
administration is on the
threshold of the first drawdown
of the loan for an endto-end
transformation of the
water infrastructure.
steal fuel from the tanker.
I commend the effort of
the police in controlling
the traffic since
afternoon.”
He appealed to the state
government to fix the road,
saying: "You can see the
two sides of the road are
very bad.It is not tarred. Let
the contractor handling this
road come back and
commence work
immediately for the good of
the people."