....A blog that informs....
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State on Saturday said he never ordered the disruption of a solidarity rally by supporters of Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, in Abakaliki, the state capital, in South-East Nigeria.
Umahi’s Special Assistant on Media and Strategy to the Governor, Chooks Oko, made this known in a statement hours after policemen tear-gassed Obi’s supporters at a rally in the state.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will represent Nigeria on Monday at the State funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth ll of the United Kingdom, his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said in a statement on Saturday.
“Prof. Osinbajo departs Abuja today and will join members of the Royal Family, world leaders – including members of the Commonwealth, Heads of State, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, and foreign royal families – at the ceremonies, including the funeral service scheduled to hold at Westminster Abbey on Monday,” the statement partly read.
The Nigerian Vice President will be received by King Charles lll and Queen Consort Camilla, at a reception in Buckingham Palace on Sunday. Osinbajo, who will also hold a bilateral meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, is scheduled to return to Nigeria on Monday.
Queen Elizabeth ll who was the Head of the Commonwealth and the longest serving British monarch, passed on at 96 on September 8, 2022 at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, will depart Abuja on Sunday, September 18, for New York in the United States to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this known in a statement on Saturday.
This year’s UNGA with the theme, ‘A watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges’ will feature discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war, energy crisis, climate action, ending the COVID-19 pandemic, and a special Transforming Education Summit. Buhari will take his turn to deliver the National Statement on the second day of the General Debates on Wednesday, September 21.
“Aside his Statement, the President will also participate in High Level meetings and side events including the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum (NIEPF), convened by Nigeria in partnership with the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU); Strengthening Coordination through National Humanitarian Development Peace (NHDP) Framework: A practical approach to sustainable durable solutions to ensure no one is left behind, organised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; and the EFCC-NEPAD Programme on combating Illicit Financial Flows.
“President Buhari will also hold strategic bilateral meetings with World Leaders, renowned investors and heads of multinational organisations while in New York,” Adesina said. On the entourage of the President, who is expected back in the country on September 26, are some governors, ministers and top government officials.
- say, ' you all will retain your positions in my cabinet if elected as governor'
.... appoints Bon Unachukwu to lead campaign
Former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha has pleaded with his appointees who served in his short-lived seven months administration as governor of Imo State to support him realise his 'lifetime ambition' of becoming governor in 2024.
Ihedioha made the plea during a consultative meeting with his aides.
He asked his aides to back his ambition since he won't be running for the party's governorship ticket as a sole candidate.
" The party's governorship primaries is coming. Our party's Ad-hoc delegates election is near. I need the guber ticket of our party.
I can't achieve it by sitting at home. I believe, jointly, we can do it. I can't achieve this alone with the support of the state working committee of our party.
I hope you can back me successfully for the aspiration of my lifetime ambition," he said. "Going by the counsel of the wise that says, "If you want to go fast, do it alone.
If you want to go faster, go together.' You all benefitted during my short-lived administration and eventually when I emerge, you will all retain your same positions in my cabinet, he said. Ihedioha went further to appoint Sir Bon Unachukwu who served as Commissioner for Lands in his cabinet to lead the campaign.
It was learnt that the appointees of Ihedioha through its leader Sir Bon Unachukwu adopted a name ' Ihedioha Reelection Movement (IRM) as a platform in realisation of the governorship ambition of Chief Emeka Ihedioha.
Report has it that the pro- Ihedioha volunteer political group kick started it's LGA tour on Wednesday with Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA at the residence of Chief Magnus Chilaka where they inaugurated it's team both in the polling units, wards and LGA. Same was replicated in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA at the residence of Chief Ugwuibe in Ogbe Ahiara, Chief Mike Ahamba's home in Lorji for Aboh Mbaise and Chief Emma Nwaoegu's residence in Amafor Imerienwe for Ngor Okpala LGA.
It also was gathered that the leader of the political group, Unachukwu disclosed that the Ihedioha Reelection Movement is a self funded body by aides of the former deputy speaker who benefitted from his short-lived seven months administration.
Meanwhile, political pundits in the state have opined Ihedioha's Reelection Movement as 'dead on arrival' some are of the view that he should pursue entirely a different political ambition and not governorship since the elective position has eluded him for two consecutive periods after clinching the party's governorship ticket both in 2014 and 2018, the party will be viewed as his personal business or enterprise, they said.
Today in Abuja, the Ugwumba Center for Leadership Development in Africa received a pat on the back from the Canadian High Commissioner, Mr. James Christoff, ably represented by the Political Counsellor, Mr. Andrew Webb in a meeting it had at the High Commission.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Andrew Webb commended the Center for its contributions to economic development in Nigeria, through its enterprise development programs that are aimed at creating jobs for the unemployed youths and empowering women with financial support.
Also speaking, Grace Mieszkalski, the Second Secretary (Political Affairs) at the High Commission applauded the Center for its gender sensitive programs. She equally advised the Center to apply for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives in support of its economic development programs.
In his address, the President of the Ugwumba Leadership Center, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu informed that he founded the Center in 2018 to be able to support the Government of Nigeria and those of other African nations in reducing the rate of unemployment among the youths, which is the reason for the many social vices we have in the society today.
He thereafter used the opportunity to invite His Excellency, James Christoff, the High Commissioner to the grand finale of the 5th edition of the Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge, scheduled to hold at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja on December 13, 2022.
Earlier in his opening speech, Mr. Remy Chukwunyere, the Executive Director of the Center announced that the mandate of the Center is to raise a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs for Africa. He thereafter informed that the center has supported the birth of over 5,000 small and medium enterprises in Nigeria and is currently serving a community of over 10,000 youths and women, who are daily benefiting from its leadership and enterprise development programs.
Mr. Remy Chukwunyere concluded by saying that a partnership with the Canadian High Commission would enable the Center expand the scope of its programs as well as impacts in the lives of youths and women in Africa.
It is believed that this meeting will birth a partnership that would better the lots of young people in Nigeria, soon.
Meanwhile, to apply for the 5th edition of the Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge and stand a chance to win any of our grant prizes: N1m, N700K, N500K, etc, please, visit https://bit.ly/applyuec2022 now.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
#UgwumbaLeadershipCenter #UgwumbaEnterpriseChallenge #Canada #CanadianHighCommission #UEC2022 #Startups #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Entrepreneurs #Financing #Nigeria #Youths #Women
Supporters and kinsmen of Chief Emeka Ihedioha, under the umbrella of Owerri Youth Council, have made it clear that the people of Owerri Zone can no longer support his governorship ambition.
The group, which claimed to have worked for the former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives guber candidacy over eight years, asked him to take a break and drop his governorship ambition.
Leader of the group, Hon Ekperechi Nnamdi Jacob, with hundreds of youths and women, addressed a rally along the Egbu road, Owerri on Saturday, insisting that Owerri zone is against the former Deputy Speaker of becoming the next Governor of Imo state.
He stressed that Ihedioha can no longer continue to hold onto the party's Guber ticket by displacing other governorship hopeful from the zone, expressing worry that PDP may be defeated with such idea.
Ekperechi, while addressing placard-carrying youths, also said that the leaders from Owerri Zone should summon Ihedioha and ask him to drop his ambition to allow other aspirants in the remaining blocs of the Zone to represent the party.
On the other hand, a release signed by the Owerri Leaders of Conscience noted that there would be dire consequences for the zone's failure to allow other political blocs in the zone to produce the next Governor.
He said, “Imo state is confronted by a cocktail of destabilising forces that threaten her continued existence as a united entity and we must find a way to equitably give every blocs in the zone a sense of belonging.”
"We must give all parts of Owerri zone a chance to contest the party's uber ticket, or we might slide dangerously into the narratives of enemies of the state who will have a ready recruitment pool from among disgruntled groups. The party's Governorship ticket cannot afford to go for a man who had held sway to the party's ticket for two consecutive periods considering equity and fairness.”
"We, for our part, have promoted the candidature of Chief Emeka Ihedioha for years, but we humbly call on the former Deputy Speaker to do us a good turn in return for the many good turns we have done for him"