12072020 - Uzodinma, Ngige, Nnamani others meet, vow Igbo united front

2023: Uzodinma, Ngige, Nnamani, others
meet, vow Igbo united front
By Chris Onuoha
high-powered All Pro
A gressives Congress,
APC, South-East leadership,
comprising the five Ministers
from the region, a former
Senate President and member
of the National Caretaker
Committee of the party, Dr.
Ken Namanni, and Imo
State governor, Senator
Hope Uzodimma, rose from
a meeting at the Government
House, Owerri, yesterday,
and resolved to present an
impregnable and united
front ahead of 2023.
They also resolved to support
President Muhammadu
Buhari and collaborate with
the Federal Government to
ensure that the people of the
South-East derive maximum
benefits from the centre.
Uzodinma, who briefed
newsmen after the closeddoor
meeting, disclosed that
the leaders were more than
committed to work harmoniously
with the Federal Government
for the overall benefit
of Ndigbo.
The ministers at the meeting
were Minister of State for
Education, Hon. Emeka
Nwajiuba; Minister of Labour,
Dr Chris Ngige; Dr
Ogbonaya Onu, Minister of
Technology; Mr. Uche Uga,
Minister of State for Mines
and Steel, Development, and
Geoffery Onyeama, Minister
of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Imo governor,
the leaders were more
than committed towards
strengthening the APC in the
zone so as to make it a party
of choice for Ndigbo.
He disclosed that Imo is the
gateway of APC to the South-
East, adding that the ultimate
goal of the leaders was to ensure
that the people of the five
states of the region derive
maximum benefits from the
Federal Government.
“ We need to re-examine
our alliance strategies and
see for ourselves which alliance
trend has paid the South-
East more: The first and second
republics’ alliances we
had or the ones we are having
in this third republic”, the
governor said.
Nnamani, on his part, said
the choice of Owerri for the
meeting was strategic because,
as the only APC state
in the region, Imo provides
the launching pad for the APC
in the South-East.
According to him, the leaders
came to show solidarity
with the only governor the
party has in the region and to
congratulate him for making
the APC proud through his
laudable projects.
Ngige assured the people
of the South-East that those
of them in the federal cabinet
were alert to their duties and
that everything due to the people
of the region will get to
them. He announced that two
rail projects had been embarked
for the region and that
work would soon commence
on them
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State with former Interim National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande; when the governor visited Akande at his
country home in Ila Orangun.
NDDC: Akpabio told me to do his bidding
or be removed, ex-MD alleges
The immediate past acting
Managing Director of the
Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC), Dr.
Gbene Joi Nunieh, has denied
that the agency spent
N22.6billion under her stewardship,
just as she alleged
that the Niger Delta Minister,
Senator Godswill Akpabio,
threatened her to do his
bidding or be removed from
office..
Nunieh spoke to journalists,
on Friday, after the final
session of the Senate Ad hoc
Committee investigating alleged
financial recklessness
and misappropriation of
N40billion by the Interim
Management Committee
(IMC) of the NDDC, between
October 2019 and May this
year.
She said no payment was
made by the NDDC under her
watch without the knowledge
of Akpabio.
According to her, only
N8billion was expended by
the agency from October
29, 2019 to May 31, 2020,
when she held sway contrary
to the figure being bandied
around.
The Chairman of the Senate
Adhoc Committee, Senator
Olubunmi Adetunmbi,
had said that based on record
supplied to the panel by the
*Says agency spent N8bn under her leadership
IMC, the agency had so far
spent N81.5billion.
He added that of the
amount, the IMC, led by Nunieh,
between October 2019
to February 18, 2020, spent a
total of N22.5billion while the
current one, led by Professor
Kemebradikumo Pondei, has
so far spent N59.1billion.
But Nunieh denied spending
such huge sum.
The ex-Acting MD of the
NDDC further alleged that
the Minister of Niger Delta
s coronavirus rages
Aacross the world, Emirates
airline has introduced an
air disinfecting mechanism
to enable passengers breathe
in uncontaminated air while
on board.
Emirates released an infographic
that explains how the
newly introduced High-Efficiency
Particulate Air Filters
(HEPA) works. The airline
introduced this as part of its
health and safety measures
enhanced to protect and
Affairs frustrated her efforts
during her tenure before she
was finally removed from office.
She alleged that Akpabio
told her on the day that her
committee was inaugurated
that she must always do his
bidding.
“Madam MD, if you don’t
do what l say, the same one
that l used in signing your letter
is the same one l will use
to remove you, “ she quoted
Akpabio as saying.
Nunieh also alleged that
she was instructed to write an
official report to implicate the
Chairman, Senate Committee
on Niger Delta Affairs,
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi,
over alleged fraudulent contract
awards and executions.
The offence of Nwaoboshi
was that he was opposed to
the NDDC being run by an
interim committee, but she
said she rebuffed all such entreaties
.
Nunieh said: “They did all
manner of things to forcefully
remove me from office”.
She said they finally succeeded
in getting her out of
NDDC for the sole purpose
of having their way, which ,
according to her, “ is to run
the place the way they like
under the present team of
IMC.”
Emirates installs HEPA filters in places to curb
Covid-19
By Chioma Obinna
boost the confidence of travellers
in the post-Covid-19
era.
While travellers are on
board, the cabin air is extracted
into the air conditioning
unit through HEPA. It removes
99.9 per cent of microscopic
particles like bacteria,
viruses and fungi viruses from
the cabin air.
The air is fully renewed every
two to three minutes. This
is as effective as the filters used
in hospital theatres.
All installed HEPA filters
are used during flight. For
instance, in the B777 aircraft,
8 filters are installed, while in
the A380 aircraft, about 18
or 19 filters (based on configuration)
are installed.
The cleaned and filtered
cabin air is mixed with fresh
air drawn in from outside.
The mixed air is circulated
back into the cabin at the
right pressure and temperature
for passengers’ comfort.
Air circulates downwards
from the ceiling to the floor
to minimize the movement of
particles along the cabin. The
air is completely changed
every two to three minutes,
even more frequently than in
a hospital.
With this development,
travellers can fly with peace
of mind that they are breathing
fresh, clean and filtered
air on their flight with Emirates.
Emirates operates a double-daily
flight from Dubai to
Lagos and a single daily flight
from Dubai to Abuja. The airline
will resume travels as
soon as the Nigerian government
gives International airlines
a go-ahead.
Paul Adefarasin, T.
D. Jakes, Creflo
Dollar, others for
Word Conference
he House On The Rock
T(HOTR) Church will be
hosting the seventh edition of
its annual Word Conference
from July 15- 19.
A statement by the organiser
of the event said: “Due to
the restrictions imposed by
the global Covid19 pandemic,
all five dates of this highly
anticipated conference will
hold, for the first time, exclusively
online.
“Participants can join the
conference on the church
website,youtube.com/hotrlagos
and Facebook. The audio-only
stream of the services
will also be available on
the Church website. “This
year’s conference is themed
‘Exceeding Grace In Uncertain
Times”.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 12, 2020, PAGE 3
Cerullo, man who ‘ministered to one
billion people’, dies at 88
*Oritsejafor, Okonkwo, others mourn
By Sam Eyoboka
IGERIAN clergymen
Nhave taken to social
media to pay their tributes to
the late televangelist, Morris
Cerullo, who died, yesterday,
in San Diego, California,
United States at 88.
Senior pastor and General
Overseer of Omega Fire
Ministries International,
Apostle Johnson Suleman
took to the social media to
pay his tribute to the late
preacher.
“He started ministering as
a child but ministered to over
1billion people around the
world..made such huge and
undeniable impact..redefined
evangelism with great
passion..death is not a
tragedy,an unfulfilled life
is..goodnite DR MORRIS
CERULLO..rest in peace
sir..”, Suleman wrote.
Presiding Bishop of The
Redeemed Evangelical Mission
(TREM), Bishop Mike
Okonkwo, also paid his tribute
via a twitter post:
“My father – Dr. Morris
Cerullo!
“Like a good soldier of
Christ, you fought a good
fight, finished your course and
kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7).
“Our consolation is that you
lived an impactful life, raising
men across the globe for
Jesus.
“Adieu Papa Cerullo! We
will miss you dearly.”
Senior Pastor of Word of
Life Bible Church, and immediate
past CAN and PFN President,
Papa Ayo Oritsejafor,
had this to say about the late
man of God:
“My Father, mentor and
friend Dr Morris Cerrullo
has ascended to heaven.
My heart goes out to the
entire Cerrullo family.
Your legacy will forever be
remembered.
Rest on God’s General.
You will be greatly missed.
RipMorrisCerullo.”
Herdsmen-natives clash: Abdulrazaq
averts bloodshed in Kwara as farmer is
killed
By Demola Akinyemi
overnor Abdulrahman
GAndulrahzaq of Kwara
State, last week, nipped in the
bud a looming security crisis
between suspected herdsmen
and people of Baruten
when he ordered security
agencies, including the military
and police, to dislodge
emerging volatile camps
found in Baruten in Baruten
local government area.
Sunday Vanguard gathered
that some suspected
herdsmen from Zamfara and
Katsina states, aimed at taking
over the areas, built
camps at the farmlands. They
were with their cows, in large
numbers.
It was further gathered that
the Baruten indigenes were
already complaining about
herdsmen activities on their
farmlands which they found
destructive. They suddenly
found camps erected on their
farmlands with large number
of cows.
The farmers, according to
investigation, challenged the
herdsmen, following which a
scuffle ensued and a farmer
was allegedly stabbed to
death.
Another neighbouring
farmer, who reportedly
watched the incident from
afar, was said to have quickly
drawn the attention of the
larger members of Baruten
community to the development.
Trouble loomed before
the state government swung
into action to avert bloodshed.
The Speaker of the state
House of Assembly and
member representing
Baruten in the house , Rt.Hon
Yakubu Danladi Salihu, reacted
to the incident.
Dare-devil shooters storm Ekiti,
abduct three
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
Dnumbering are-devil
10, gunmen
on Friday
evening, reportedly invaded
Isinbode-Ekiti in Ekiti
East Local Government Area
of Ekiti State, and abducted
three persons.
It was gathered that the assailants
attacked a sawmill
located along Isinbode-Ode
road and dispossessed the
workers of their personal belongings
and abducted two at
the scene.
Eyewitness account revealed
that after they left the
sawmill, the kidnappers waylaid
a van conveying a top
government official and
rained bullets on the vehicle
and one of the occupants was
kidnapped.
Confirming the incident,
the state Police Public Relations
Officer, ASP Sunday
Abutu, disclosed that one out
of the victims had escaped
from captivity.
Abutu said the kidnappers
were now left with two persons
, including the senior civil
servant but he refused to
disclosed the identity of the
one that escaped.
The police spoke person
added that the police were on
the trail of the criminals,
promising that the captives
shall be freed unhurt.
He disclosed that the shot
driver had been taken to hospital
where he was receiving
treatment.
Three killed in their sleep as building
collapses in Lagos
By Bose Adelaja and
Olasunkanmi Akoni
wo persons and a yet-to-
police-
Tbe-identified
woman attached to the Ikoyi
Police Division lost their lives
yesterday when a three-storey
building collapsed on
Freeman Street, in the Lagos
Island area of Lagos State.
The state Police Public Relations
Officer, Bala Elkana,
made the confirmation after
emergency responders combing
the scene of the collapsed
building recovered three bodies
and rescued about nine
persons alife from the rubble.
While commiserating with
the bereaved family, Elkana
said, “A constable was part of
the people that died when the
building collapsed at Freeman
Street in Lagos Island.
The constable works with the
Ikoyi Police Division but lives
in the building. The building
collapsed around 3am.”
Our correspondent had reported
that the Director-General,
Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency,
Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu,
said the bodies were taken to
the mortuary, adding that the
tragedy struck while the victims
were asleep inside the
building.
He said, “The Agency responded
to emergency calls
on the collapsed building at
Freeman Street, in the Lagos
Island area of Lagos State.
Upon arrival at the incident
scene around 4am, a threestorey
building was discovered
to have totally collapsed
on people asleep inside.
“Nine victims have been
extricated from the rubble
alive while three bodies were
recovered dead”.