The Future foretold!...Ebele continues to make history…Kukah challenges Nigerians… PMB on the way out…plus South East Digest…

The Future foretold!

It won’t be long now!  Pictures like this would no longer look strange – more and more ladies occupying Executive positions in Government at the Federal, State, and Local Government levels. 

Ebele continues to make history

Engr. Ebele Okeke, the First female Civil Engineer in Nigeria and the First female Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, had the Federal Secretariat, Awka, named after her inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari, albeit, virtually.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, commissioned the Anambra secretariat complex on behalf of President Buhari while the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, represented Governor Chukwuma Soludo at the event.

Former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Prince Chukwudi Orizu, also represented Engineer Ebele Okeke at the event.

 

Kukah challenges Nigerians

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Rt. Reverend Mathew Hassan Kukah, on Saturday, declared that no country, business, family, or organization has a future if it doesn’t figure out how to manage diversity.

 

Speaking at the inaugural lecture on the topic, “Religious tolerance and inclusiveness”, the Catholic Bishop stated that “We are in a country that is malfunctioning… How to make that country work is the challenge...The challenge to the Vice President-elect and Nigerians is to make this country believable, livable, credible, so that all of together can serve in one tent  and build a great nation.”

PMB on the way out

President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the nation for the last time earlier today.  After reviewing the performance of the nation since he took over eight years ago, President Buhari concluded “As I retire home to Daura, Katsina State, I feel fulfilled that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking the initial critical steps and I am convinced the in-coming administration will quicken the pace of this walk to see a Nigeria that fulfills its destiny to be a great nation.

 

“I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.”

 

(A digest of latest reports on the Economy, Industry, Politics, Sports, and developments around the South East of Nigeria)

ABIA STATE

Otti’s inauguration to be funded by associates, supporters, says committee coordinator

Coordinator of Governorship Inauguration Planning Committee, in Abia State, Iheanacho Obioma, has said that inauguration of the governor-elect, Dr. Alex Otti, on May 29, would be largely funded by his friends, associates and supporters.

 

Obioma, a former member of the House of Representatives for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, told The Guardian, yesterday, that the committee designed two major events for the inauguration, which include: Otti’s formal swearing-in with his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, and luncheon with invited guests thereafter.

He said the theme of the inauguration is ‘Help Is Here,’ which, according to him, is a follow-up on ‘Weep Not, Help Is On The Way’ slogan of Otti’s Campaign Organisation. 

Obioma said: “Today, by the mercy of God, help, which we need to move Abia forward is here in the person of Otti, a man divinely endowed with enormous capacity, character, competence, content and, above all, the fear of God.” 

The committee coordinator confirmed that some of Nigeria’s globally acknowledged stars in music and comedy industry would perform at the event. They include: David Adeleke, alias Davido, Ruff Coin and Rugged Man. Others are Abia-born comedian, Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth, Nedu Wazobia, Diamond Ikechi and Funny Bone, making up the comedy cadre.

Stating that the events would hold at Umuahia Township Stadium and International Conference Centre, which have been renovated, he noted that in view of the expected influx of persons and vehicles, measures have been put in place for adequate control, especially with designated parks from where shuttle buses will convey visitors to and fro. 

Obioma added: “With arrangements being perfected, we would have a hitch-free inauguration by the grace of God.”

ANAMBRA STATE

Anambra revives school sports festival 10 years after

Anambra State government has revived the moribund primary and secondary school sports festival, which last held 10 years ago, for both public and private sectors in the State.

Speaking at a press briefing/official opening ceremony of the festival, in Awka, last weekend, the Chairman, Anambra State Sports Development Commission, Patrick Onyedum, disclosed that about 610 primary and secondary schools across the 21 councils of the state have enrolled to participate in the festival.

He commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for approving the first solution sports festival, which is organised by the Anambra State Sports Development Commission, in collaboration with the ministries of Education and Local Government Affairs.  He said the management team has enlisted 30 young athletes in different sporting events for monthly training, lamenting that paucity of funds forced it to place only six of them on monthly stipend of N20, 000, which is subject to review every year.

According to Onyedum, this grassroots sports development programme is borne out of the desire to take Anambra back to its days of glory in sports when it produced national champions in different sporting events, including Christ the King (CKC) 1977 team that won the world academicals in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

He said: “We are determined to make Anambra number one talent hunt destination for national and international scouts in different sporting events. I assure that in no distant time, Anambra children will find their way to studying abroad through sports scholarship. 

“We started preliminaries at the community level from May 17, while finals will hold between June 21 and 24 at different venues. 

“Within the eight months life of this management team, the state has taken part in a number of national sports competitions, including the national sports festival in Delta State last year where we won six gold, nine silver and 24 bronze medals.

“We are confident that at the end of this tournament, we would have raised a generation of young athletes that would surprise the country at the national youth games in September this year, as well as the national sports festival in Ogun State next year.”

ENUGU STATE

2023 Int’l Children’s Day:  Enugu Governor-elect pledges accelerated programmes for child’s growth, dev’t

The Enugu State governor-elect, Dr. Peter Mbah, has pledged programmes and policies that would accelerate the growth and development of children in the state by enabling them to enjoy the benefits of childhood and nurture them into responsible, advantaged and happy children for themselves and the society.

The governor-elect who made this known in a statement signed by the head of Peter Mbah Media Office, Dan Nwomeh, celebrated children as a gift and blessing from God while stressing that his administration would fast track all the necessary programmes that would enable them discover and explore their maximum potentials.

Mbah, who further noted that the theme of this year’s celebration in the country, “The state of Nigerian children today: Proper parenting for value orientation and national consciousness”, was apt and in sync with his manifesto, called on all hands to be on deck in order to give children in the country, particularly in Enugu State, a better and brighter future where they can feel fulfilled, emotionally, psychologically, physically and physiologically. 

He added that the state under his leadership would assume the position of a caring parent where basic education, vocational training and skills acquisition would be compulsory for every child in the state, saying that his Cut-off early child learning programme will expose Enugu children to quality education as well as vocational and mechanical skills.

While noting the urgent need to prioritize the needs of children in the state by investing in their welfare, education, and providing them with a friendly environment to thrive, Mbah vowed that he would tackle those impediments that are hindering them from enjoying their full rights as recognized by the 1959 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child; 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Child’s Rights and Responsibility Law of Enugu State which became operative in 2016.

He listed those challenges to include poverty, lack of parental care, drug abuse, family problems, child trafficking, failed educational system, social and religious conflicts, gross violation of the rights of the child, amongst others, stressing that his programmes would aim to eradicate poverty, eliminate the issue of school drop-out, and make education not only attractive to children but also quality, free and compulsory for all.

The governor-elect further frowned at the soaring rate of child abuse among parents and guardians, child labour and disdain for the welfare of children, warning that his administration would not tolerate anything that would deliberately deprive children of the opportunity to enjoy their rights to education, recreation and vocation.

He said he would seize the opportunity provided by the child’s rights law of the state to partner with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other international governmental and non-governmental organisations to raise healthy and happy children in the state that would appreciate societal values by being law-abiding and useful. 

According to him, his plans to catch them young through programmes like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, smart education, technology and innovation are non-negotiable even as he expressed optimism that his well marshaled plan to infuse ICT in the early childhood education would groom children that could compete globally in the ever changing global system.

He equally assured children that his mission is to create a tomorrow where they would be proud of, saying they are the hope of a better future and the new world which his manifesto envisages.

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