ANAMBRA ASSEMBLY OUTLAWS CAMPAIGN BY ASPIRANTS SCREENED OUT BY INEC

 

The Anambra State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed into law a bill prohibiting political aspirants whose names did not appear on the final list of candidates cleared by the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) to stand for elective posts in the coming general elections.

Titled “Breaches of the Peace and Unlawful Assemblies Law, the legislation which took immediate effect from January 20, 2015 stipulates in Section 3 (1) that: “A person shall not advertise, publish, and solicit for votes for or otherwise engage in any campaign for himself or for a person whose name was not duly published by INEC or ANSIEC or any other electoral body within Nigeria as a nominated person for any election within Anambra State.’

Section 3[2] also states that ‘Any person who acts in contravention of subsection [1] of this Section is hereby declared to have engaged or to be engaging in an unlawful assembly with intent to cause public disorder and breaches of public peace.’

Obiano’s Investment Drive Attracts Vehicle Assembly, Gas Distribution Plants to Anambra

Chief Joe Billy Ekwunife, Managing Director, Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Chief
Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State and Chief Cajetan Muonagolu, Managing Director of Richbon Nigeria Limited during the MoU signing between the government of Anambra State and Richbond Nigeria Limited in the Governor's Lodge, Amawbia...at the weekend

Returning from the Yuletide break, the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has resumed his effort to accomplish his administration’s vision of making Anambra State the first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialization and commercial activities with the recent attraction of an automobile assembly plant and a natural gas distribution plant to the state.

The two investors are Richbon Nigeria Limited which plans to establish a $40m vehicle assembly plant in the state and Falcon Corporation Limited which intends to set up a natural gas distribution project valued at $100m that will pipe natural gas to the many industrial clusters in the state.

The proposed Richbon assembly plant will be located in the industrial cluster at Oba, Idemili Local Government Area and will on completion assemble various types of automobiles including light and heavy duty trucks, buses, construction and agricultural equipment among others.

Thai Trade Mission Finally Here

A 28-Man Delegation from the business community in Thailand has finally arrived Awka, Anambra State capital on a week-long visit to explore the abundant business opportunities in the state.

The Trade Missioners are largely drawn from diverse sectors of the Thai economy cutting across sectors like Oil & Gas, Agriculture, power generation and distribution, waste and water management, Mining, Healthcare etc.

The delegation, led by Dr. Ratana Porn D arrived the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu via Addis Ababa having flown Ethiopian Airlines straight from Bangkok, Thailand.

Accompanied by the Nigerian Ambassador to Thailand, Amb. Chudi Okafor, the Trade Missioners were received at the Airport by the CEO of Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Mr. Joe Billy Ekwunife, his Executive Director and Senior Special Assistant on Investments, Mr. Mark Okoye and the protocol staff from the Office of the Governor of Anambra State.

Here are  the arrival photographs of the delegation.

Obiano’s Investment Drive Revs Up as Tai Business Delegation Storms Anambra

 

The intense investment drive of the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has had a flying start to the New Year as a strong team of international businessmen from Thailand arrives Awka, the Anambra State capital tomorrow to take advantage of the growing investment opportunities in the state.

The delegation is scheduled to arrive the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Ethiopian Airlines flight via Addis Ababa to be received by top functionaries of the Anambra State Government including the representatives of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) which facilitated the trade mission.

The delegation is made up of a formidable team of 13 Thai businesses with vast interests cutting across oil and gas, agriculture, electricity generation, waste and water management, mining as well as agricultural equipment manufacturing among other interests.

Rivers PDP & APC Declare War as Amaechi Denies Jonathan Use of Portharcourt Stadium

  

While the arrow heads embrace peace at federal level, their state representatives are spoiling for war.

Reports has it that the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has said President Goodluck Jonathan cannot make use of the 40,000 capacity Adokiye Amiesiemeka Stadium, located in the New Port Harcourt City, Igwuirita-Ali, for the January 28 commencement of his South-South presidential rally.

Read the response of the Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah, and the reply of his APC counter-part, Davis Ikanya.

Reacting to the disapproval Obuah said:

Ozoemezina – When a Leader Rises to the Call of History

On a balmy evening in late October last year, I ran into the former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke as he was stepping out of the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, Anambra State. He had just rounded off a meeting with his friend, Governor Willie Obiano and was heading to his car. A brief exchange ensued. I had been a huge fan for so long and it was a gift to finally meet him, I said. A sunny smile lit up his face as he said, “I have just told your principal what he must know. I told him that unless Anambra gets it right, the rest of your Igbo brothers will continue to search for a direction. I made him realize that this is his cross to bear.” After this comment, he quickly hopped into the open door of a black Toyota Jeep and slid noiselessly away into the gathering dusk, leaving me with a sinking awakening.

President Jonathan Storms Onitsha, Thanks APGA for Support

President Good Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan has commended members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for their unflinching support and assurances in the coming presidential election.

Speaking at the Government Lodge in Onitsha during his weekend campaign tour of the city, President Jonathan recalled that the support he got from APGA helped seal the victory for him during his first term and thanked all members of the party for standing to be counted when it mattered most.

According to him, APGA’s continued support of his administration had not only made his first term highly eventful but it has also boosted his chances in the February 14, 2015 Presidential election.

Ex Governor Chris Ngige Reconciles With First Wife, Evlyn

 

Have you heard?

Five years after former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige and Evelyn, his wife and mother of his three kids, went their separate ways, the estranged couple is extending the olive branch to each other.

Reports suggest that they have found out that they are better off in joyful matrimony than the sad, bleak throes of divorce.

It could be recollected that the couple parted ways due to “irreconcilable” differences.

Their separation astounded their friends and family to the extent that people started to wonder if their marriage crashed over familiar brimstones in lives made too affluent and easy.

PICTURES: President GEJ's Historic Reception by Ndi Anambra led by Governor Obiano

President Goodluck Jonathan visited Onitsha, Anambra on Saturday, January 17,2015. He was received by the governor of the State, Chief Willie Obiano and a mammoth crowd of APGA faithful.

Here is the historic visit in pictures...

An Appeal for Peaceful Elections in Anambra State... A Special Broadcast by Gov Willie Obiano

A SPECIAL BROADCAST BY THE GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, CHIEF WILLIE OBIANO ON THE NEED TO MAINTAIN THE PEACE IN THE STATE DURING THE GENERAL ELECTIONS HOLDING IN FEBRUARY 2015.

Fellow citizens, it has become necessary to address you on the coming general elections. Since the past four years, we have all patiently waited for this moment. Now that it has finally come, we must handle it with care.

Ndi Anambra, as we begin the countdown to the coming elections; we must all remember to abide by the laws. Our Electoral Laws state very clearly that no political party is allowed to nominate MORE THAN ONE Candidate for any elective position. By implication, no political party is allowed to present 2 or 3 candidates for one elective position.

2015 Elections: Obiano Raises Alarm on Multiple Nominations

The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has raised an alarm over the worrisome incident of the emergence of multiple aspirants parading themselves as candidates vying for the same position on one political platform, warning that security agents in the state were fully ready to pick up anyone who violates the electoral laws.

In a Special Broadcast on the coming elections entitled – An Appeal for Peaceful Elections in Anambra State, Governor Obiano expressed concerns that some political aspirants who had not been cleared by INEC are still campaigning and parading themselves as candidates of different political parties.

Said he: “Since the publication of the final list of candidates that are duly approved by INEC to contest the coming elections, we have seen many aspirants whose names are not on the INEC list parading themselves as candidates and campaigning for election in Anambra State.”

According to him;

Unbelievable: Fashola Exposes Tinubu, Destabilises Buhari's Campaign

 

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Wednesday, tasked Lagos residents to resist the idea of voting for Mr. Jimi Agbaje the PDP governorship candidate for being too old to rule the state. Mr. Jimi Agbaje born March 2, 1957 is currently 57 years old.

Fashola’s utterance exposed the hidden agenda of Chief Bola Tinubu who has widely been accused of supporting Buhari with the intention of taking power through the back door.

Governor Fashola made his remarks at the Lagos West senatorial campaign of the APC governorship candidate, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, which took place at Sky Power Play Ground, Ikeja. that:

How Mrs. Obiano Spread Love at Christmas

 The art of giving and sharing of goodwill, captured in the Igbo saying that “nma nma n’ezu ora”- which literally means goodwill traverses the community - may have found good expression in the way the wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano, has carried on with sharing of the gift of love during the Christmas festivities and the 2015 New Year celebrations

The art of giving have been second nature of Mrs. Obiano long before she came into public office, and during the last Christmas through the New Year Ndi Anambra became fully aware of her undiluted passion for charity and large heartedness.

South-East Traders Join APGA to Queue behind Jonathan

 The decision of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to adopt President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the party’s candidate in the February 14, 2015 Presidential election, yesterday received a boost from the unanimous decision of traders in the South east geopolitical zone to adopt President Jonathan as their own candidate in the coming presidential election.

The traders who came together under the aegis of the South-East Amalgamated Market Traders Association (SEAMATA) also resolved to adopt all the candidates standing election on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as their candidates in the coming general elections.

Ozoemezina – Day Obiano Held Rite of Passage for Igbo War Dead

At the end of the Nigeria – Biafra war, folks on the eastern divide greeted each other with the prayer – salutation, ‘happy survival!’ It was a natural impulse that surged on meeting with a relative, friend or associate whose fate in the harrowing events had remained unknown to you. The  scary signatures of the conflict were everywhere; intruding into your psyche even if you wanted to avoid them – malnourishment all around, blown up bridges,  buildings pock marked with bullet holes,  abandoned artillery pieces and cases of spent cartridges,  queues for essential commodities and so on. It was merciful providence to be alive.   A short while into the new season, prolific writer Cyprian Ekwensi published the novel, Survive the Peace. It was an artistic recreation of the transition from the trauma of war to the sobriety of peace. From the life of the characters, the post – conflict stage could be daunting without the right attitudinal responses. As it were, a key demand of pacification of a brutal past is coming to terms with its memory.

An Open Letter to Buhari's Daughter, Zahra... A MUST READ!

 

An Open Letter to Zahra Buhari

Dear Zahra,

It is my great delight to share with you anything I know (I hardly know anything) which would help you to become what God wants you to be. God has a wonderful plan for your life and I hope that reading this letter would reveal just that. Of course, you might not get to receive this letter, and by a stir of fate, you might also receive this letter. Until recently (precisely, a week ago), I’ve never been aware that the amiable General even had a daughter, talkmore of knowing he had one named Zahra. I don’t know you, and perhaps, I might never know you. Why not? Nigeria is such a plundered country that big men’s children like you hardly find Nigeria comfortable for your oyinbo-ish skins (the harsh harmattan; the oven-hot heat; the irritating dust and the erratic rain). You also don’t see suitable schools here to go to. When we were done with Okpoko Community Development Primary School back then, which was approximately 10km from home (we trekked to and fro the distance), we gained admission into Okpoko Boys Community High School (which was even farther; we still trekked the distance), and after that, by God’s grace, we are trying and managing at Moshood Abiola University. Then after that, we would troop out en masse into an over-crowded labor market, carrying about our files, waka-ing till our shoes no longer have soles and receiving insults upon injuries in offices we are searching for jobs.

Mazi Chikelue Omesuh, Chinelo Ofoche's Father Passes On

A sad moment...

Arc Chinelo Ofoche, who was an APGA aspirant in the Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency primary election in Anambra State lost her dad to the cold hands of death.

Chinelo popularly called Idikacho announced the demise of her father, Ozo Nkpu Chikelue yesterday.

Read her message below...

See Candidates With "Funny Certificates" in INEC's Final List for Senate Elections

 

Find below the Final List of Candidates for the 2015 Senatorial Elections in Nigeria as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Don't laugh at those with only Secondary School Certificates...

Anambra Bids Fallen War Heroes, Civilian Victims Farewell, 45 years After Biafra... "Ndigbo do not have a single story" – Obiano declares

Following the clamour for a formal burial for millions of Anambra indigenes who lost their lives in the Nigerian Civil War, the World War II and pockets of sporadic violence in the country, the Government of Anambra State today performed a formal rite of passage for the fallen heroes and heroines as well as the civilian victims of the Nigerian Civil War, the World War II, the pogroms and other ethnic and religious violence in the country.

The very elaborate but solemn ceremony which took place at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, attracted distinguished Igbo sons and daughters from the entire South Eastern geopolitical zone including the former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme and the maverick billionaire businessman, Prince Engineer Arthur Eze, Chief Victor Umeh, APGA National Chairman and Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, APGA gubernatorial candidate in Imo State among many others.

"Ozoemezina, Memory and the Quest for Igbo Renaissance" Full Transcript of Obiano's Address at the Symbolic Memorial Ceremony for Ndi-Igbo that Paid the Supreme Sacrifice

AN ADDRESS BY THE GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR WILLIE OBIANO ON THE OCCASION OF THE SYMBOLIC MEMORIAL CEREMONY FOR NDIGBO THAT PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR NATIONAL UNITY, JANUARY 12, 2015

Protocol

Ndi Anambra ekenem unu!

Nke onye chilli ya zelu o!

My brothers and sisters, today is a great day in our collective memory. Today, we begin the symbolic effort of casting a long look backwards, beyond the immediate horizon of our national experience, to honour the memories of our loved ones who lost their lives to the various dark chapters of our national history. In doing this, we are guided by our belief that life itself is an unbroken stream of experiences stitched together by memory. Without memory, life assumes the attributes of a futile gaze into the void of time! Now before I go any further, let us observe a moment of silence in honour of our brothers and sisters in whose shadows we stand here today.