14092022

10—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
:Vanguard
News
Limited.
“Completion of new Port
Harcourt International Airport
Terminal. Brand new International
Airport Terminal in Rivers State,
completed and commissioned in
2018. Ground-breaking in 2021 for
reconstruction of Port Harcourt-
Maiduguri Rail Line.
“Completion of installation and
commissioning into service of a
brand new 300MVA 330/132/33kV
power transformer in the Alaoji
Transmission Substation,
increasing the station’s installed
capacity from 450MVA to 750MVA
and making it the biggest substation
in Southern Nigeria.
“The new transformer has
boosted supply to Enugu
Distribution Company, benefiting
Abia North (Ohafia, Arochukwu,
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
VISIT: Governor of Enugu State and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu North
senatorial district, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (3rd left) receiving ‘Ofo’ (traditional symbol of authority) from the
Grand Patron of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Igwe Simeon Osisi Itodo (4th right),
when all members of the Executive of the Enugu North Zonal Council of Traditional Rulers visited the
governor at the Government House, Enugu, to endorse his senatorial bid in 2023, yesterday.
Rivers APC blasts Wike over attack
on Amaechi •You hate Kalabari, Ijaw, Sara-Igbe tells Wike
By Emma Amaize
& Egufe
Yafugborhi
PORT
HARCOURT—
THE All Progressives
Congress, APC, in Rivers State,
yesterday, fired back at Governor
Nyesom Wike for labelling his
predecessor and former Minister of
Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, a
"total failure" for perceived inability
to attract development to Rivers in
over seven years as minister.
This came as prominent South-
South leader, His Highness, Anabs
Sara-Igbe, lashed out at Wike,
accusing him of hatred for the people
of Kalabari ethnic nationality and
Ijaw nation.
Wike had at a public function in
Port Harcourt on Monday fiercely
dressed down the Rivers APC
leader for expressing
disappointment at perceived
insensitivity of his administration
to the well-being of former minister,
Alabo T. O. Graham-Douglas
through the protracted illness
leading to his death as Wike was
also absent at the funeral on
Saturday.
Responding to the governor’s
tirade against Amaechi, spokesman
for Rivers APC, Darlington Nwauju,
said: “The APC is not a shallow
ground where people cannot keep
records or lacking institutional
memory. We are abreast of history
as we're all Rivers people. We know
who is who and what is what.
“Our response to Wike scathing
remarks against the minister and
our party is not to debunk claims,
but to rightly lay bare the truth. We
are interested in the insinuation
that our leader, Amaechi, is a failure
and could not attract anything as a
minister to Rivers.
“This (Amaechi) is a man that
has served Rivers passionately as
governor, served as speaker,
contributed immensely to success
of the APC in Nigeria. There are
satisfactory proof that the claim that
our leader never did anything to
better lives of Rivers people is totally
false, sheer blackmail and we as a
party will not allow his image to be
so smeared.
“Under him, the Afam Fast Power
Project: Construction of 186 million,
240MW expansion for the existing
Afam Power Plant, commenced in
2016, almost completed.
“Rehabilitation of Sections 1 to 4
of the Enugu-Port Harcourt
Expressway (ongoing).
Construction of ongoing N120
billion Bonny-Bodo Road in Rivers
State, jointly funded by the Federal
Government and the Nigeria
Liquified Natural Gas Company
Item, Abriba), Imo State (Okigwe,
Arondi-Izuogu), and parts of Ebonyi
and Rivers states.”
On claim by Wike that Rivers
APC has become empty with
defection of several members to the
PDP, Nwauju countered that
nothing could be farther from the
truth, saying ruling PDP in Rivers
has suffered more high profile
defections to the APC.
You hate Kalabari,
Ijaw, Sara-Igbe
blasts Wike Wike
Sara-Igbe, in a statement,
yesterday, said the governor’s claim
of spending N50 million on the
health of elder statesman, Alabo
Tonye Graham-Douglas, whose
burial, he shunned, last weekend,
was “political, insincere,
incongruous and diversionary.”
He said: “It is appalling and most
regrettable that Wike, rather than
exhibiting a high level of maturity,
responsibility, responsiveness and
provide good leadership, anchored
on equity fairness and justice, has
politically and economically
emasculated and enslaved the
people of Kalabari ethnic nationality
and Ijaw nation by extension since
assuming of office as governor.
“It is also unfortunate that rather
than evolve measures that would
foster cohesion and peaceful coexistence
among the people, and
give all ethnic nationalities in Rivers
State a sense of belonging,
Governor Wike has openly shown
his disdain, absolute hatred and
nepotism against the people of
Kalabari Kingdom and the Ijaw
nation at large.
Fuel scarcity hits P-Harcourt, environs
as product sells for N300 per litre
By Egufe
Yafugborhi &
Davies
Iheamnachor
PORT
HARCOURT:
Scarcity of the Premium Motor
Spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol
has hit Port Harcourt and its
environs.
This has caused untold hardship
for businesses, which depend on
PMS as marketers and Nigeria
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers, NUPENG, shut
distribution of fuel in the state.
The situation since Monday has
resulted in uncontrolled hike in petrol
pump price, even as petrol consumers
lament staying on stressful queues
at the few dispensing filling stations
for in most cases, the entire day and
•IPMAN, NUPENG shut operations
over face-off with security operatives
not being able to buy even at as
high as N250 per liter pump price.
NUPENG President, Williams
Akporeha, confirmed, yesterday, to
Vanguard that the hardship the fuel
in the state has caused, which is
spilling over to neighbouring states
was induced by the resolve to shut
operations as the Rivers State
government failed to respond to the
union’s petition to within seven days
intervene over alleged extortion and
impounding of fuel tankers by
security operatives in the state.
The situation is further worsened
as Independent Petroleum
Marketers Association of Nigeria,
IPMAN, in the state also joined the
disruption of fuel distribution as two
factions of the association engaged
in face-off over differences in the
resolution of the ordeal tanker drivers
suffer in the hands of multiple anti
illegal fuel security teams chasing
tankers loaded with fuel across the
state.
As at yesterday, most NNPC filling
stations and its franchise firms on
the East West Road and some other
areas, Total and other stations had
no product to dispense even with
huge price hike.
Some stations that have PMS to
sell have pegged their prices at N240
and N300 per litre above the N162
pump price.
Nigeria’s insecurity, indebtedness painful
—Anglican Bishop
By Festus Ahon
ASABA—ANGLICAN Bishop
of Western Izon Diocese of
Ecclesiastical Province of Bendel, Rt
Rev Victor Okporu, has lamented
the current state of insecurity in the
country, describing it as painful and
crushing.
He also decried the country’s
huge debt burden.
Speaking at St Barnabas Anglican
Church, Sagbama, Bayelsa State,
during the second session of the fifth
synod of the Diocese, Okporu noted
that the government had failed in
its constitutional and fundamental
responsibilities of protecting lives and
property of its citizens.
The cleric said: “The state of our
dear country, Nigeria, is critically
worrisome. What shall we say of the
escalation of violence in the country
and the gradual decent of our
hitherto peaceful and progressives
society into near anarchy.
“The mindless and vicious killings
of innocent Nigerians by the killer
herdsmen, bandit, Boko-Haram,
terrorists of all kinds including, known
and unknown gunmen.
“From the North to the South,
East to the West, the story is the
same sad lamentation of insecurity,
economic woes, decadence in
education, corruption that is
unequalled anywhere, nepotism,
inequity at all level, sign posting bad
governance and or failed state.
“Insecurity was a notable problem
to the previous administrations in
Nigeria, but the Buhari-led
administration in 2015 promised
Nigerians that it would be
terminated. But with barely nine
months to the end of his eight years
of two terms on the saddle, insecurity
has sadly assumed a phenomenal
dimension.
“It is quite alarming today that it
has become a nightmare to travel by
road in Nigeria as such travels are at
the risk of the undertaker."
Ogbe-Ijoh warns govt to halt
forceful demarcation of
boundary
By Jimitota
Onoyume
WARRI — OGBE-IJOH
community, Warri South
West Local Government Area,
Delta State, has warned the state
government to drop the alleged
concession of a portion of the
community as boundary
between the area and Aladja
community in Udu LGA of the
state.
A letter addressed to Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa under the aegis
of Ogbe-Ijoh Leaders of Thought
by Denbo-Denbo Oweikpodor,
Chiefs Samson Oyimi, Lucky
Oromoni, Gordon Donye,
Afedolor Isaiah and Roland
Takembo said the move was
unacceptable to the community.
The letter, Vanguard, obtained,
yesterday, said the community
was not opposed to resolution of
the crisis between the two
communities, adding that any
step by the government should,
however, involve the community
and should be in conformity with
a recommendation of a
government committee on
resolving the crisis.
“We are compelled to write this
open letter to draw your attention
to the growing tension arising
from the forceful sharing of Ogbe-
Ijoh land as boundary between
Aladja community in Udu
council area and Ogbe-Ijoh
community in Warri South West
LGA.
“Your Excellency will recall
that the Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja
Boundary Committee, which
had representatives from
government and the two
communities recommended a
boundary line between Ogbe-
Ijoh and Aladja communities,
which was accepted by
government.”
The community said a recent
alleged demarcation of the area
done resulted in destruction of
some houses and several
valuables running into huge
sums, stressing that the state
government should immediately
halt the exercise.
How Oshiomhole saved
S-South APC meeting from
collapse
By Ozioruva Aliu
BENIN
CITY—
INDICATIONS emerged,
yesterday, that for the
intervention and appeals by
former National Chairman of
the All Progressives Congress,
APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole,
the peace meeting called by the
National Vice Chairman,
South-South, Victory Giadom,
on Monday on how the party
would perform well in the 2023
elections would have been
boycotted.
Giadom called the meeting
where he publicly apologised to
Oshiomhole over the roles he
played that led to his ouster as
the national chairman of the
party.
A member of the party told
Vanguard, yesterday: “Many of
us were not ready to attend the
meeting called by Giadom
because he was the one that was
used to remove Oshiomhole but
it was the same Oshiomhole who
was busy reaching out even till
late Sunday to the early hours
of Monday. That is a real party
man.”
At the meeting, Giadom
appealed to the leaders and
members of the party to forget
the issues that arose during the
primary elections that brought
various candidates for various
positions and the presidential
candidate of the party, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu urging them to
work together for victory.
Giadom said he got the
highest vote from Edo State
during the party’s national
convention in Abuja, where he
emerged as the National Vice
Chairman of the zone.
On his part, Oshiomhole
hailed Giadom on the initiative
of the stakeholders’ meeting,
boasting that APC and its
presidential candidate, Ahmed
Tinubu, would win the 2023
presidential election.
2023: A-Ibom dep gov urges
PDP stakeholders to deliver
Ikot Ekpene senatorial district
By Harris
Emanuel
UYO—As the build-up to
the 2023 general
elections enters a significant
phase, stakeholders of the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, in Ikot Ekpene senatorial
district, have been urged to be
committed to the delivery of
their units for the party in the
forthcoming elections.
The Deputy Governor of
Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses
Ekpo, gave the charge at the
stakeholders meeting of the
senatorial district in Ikot
Ekpene.
He noted that the senatorial
district was a strong bastion
of the party and explained that
the meeting was aimed at
fostering interaction in
preparation for the
forthcoming elections,
adding that all the
stakeholders have the
responsibility of delivering all
PDP candidates vying for state
and National Assembly seats,
governorship
presidential positions.
and
He described Ikot Ekpene
senatorial district as a major
stakeholder and stabiliser of
the party in the state and,
therefore, encouraged the
party chieftains to continue to
provide the desired support
and direction to enable the
party to record a resounding
success in the elections in line
with the succession plan of
Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Ekpo said he was impressed
that those who run the political
affairs in Ukanafun/Oruk
Anam, Ikono/Ini, Abak /Etim
Ekpo/ Ika and Ikot Ekpene/
Essien Udim/Obot Akara
federal constituencies were
intact in the party and at the
meeting, adding that this was
a clear signal that the district
was ready for the
forthcoming elections.
Earlier, the state chairman
of the party, Aniekan Akpan,
said he was happy that Ikot
Ekpene senatorial district was
the first to bring stakeholders
together in a forum of that
magnitude, and further
solicited continuous support
from the stakeholders.