Category: News

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has sworn-in the newly appointed Transition Committee Chairmen in the twenty one local government areas of the state.

Governor Soludo swore-in the Chairmen at the Government House, Awka.

The Governor congratulated the newly sworn-in Chairmen and commiserated with them largely because of paucity of funds and the humongous responsibilities they are expected to shoulder.

“You’ve now taken your oath of office and oath of allegiance, take the two oaths seriously.

“This is a call to service, a call to do something beyond yourself. Know that you are now being called upon to serve public purpose”; the Governor stated.

Governor Soludo wondered how people usually misinterpret what public office is all about, and expressed his administration’s determination to ensure that every penny will be deployed to serve ndị Anambra.

“Our mantra is doing more with less. You are called upon in very challenging times where you have humongous responsibility but with minimal resources, joined to the fact that the purchasing power has gone done.

“We are very deliberate to have a local government devoted to service delivery to the grassroot.

“Of course, there are legacy issues, including backlog of pension arrears. We have been systematically clearing all of these, and we will keep on clearing it.

“I must reiterate that everyone who has retired since I assumed office, have received their gratuities” he noted.

Governor Soludo pointed out that new teachers are coming onboard, etc, explaining the logic behind the pooling of resources and added that if it is not done that way, most local governments will not be able to pay salaries.

“Our major emphasis is on transparency and accountability. The whole purpose is for you to do something greater that self. This position is not about titles.

“Here at the state level, we play down on the titles because these titles can become quite distracting. I am not interested in phantom titles. If you tell me your title, I’ll ask about what you accomplished with your title.

“I’m glad that I took pains to interview each of you. Having done so, I’ve absolute confidence that you have what it takes to put your local government on the map. It is now for you to show it.

“There will be a retreat in the coming days. It’ll give you the opportunity to reflect on what the job is all about. For me and ndị Anambra, our expectations are very high.

“You may have heard about our Public-Private-Community-Partnership, PPCP model. We enjoin all of you to deploy it in your respective local government areas”; the Governor added.

Introducing the new Chairmen, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne extolled the Governor for his novel approach to running the local government system.

“Thank you for what you are doing in the local government system in Anambra state.

“Mr. Governor, the in-coming TC Chairmen have gone through thorough screening and have been found worthy!

“I see courageous chairmen, I see determined and bold Chairmen.

“They are ready to implement the manifesto, to deliver on the mandate.

In a vote of thanks, the TC Chairman, Aguata Council Area, Dr. Chibueze Oforbuike said that the process they passed through adhered to democratic principle and promised to make the Governor and ndị Anambra proud.

The Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, accompanied the Governor to the event which was attended by Secretary To the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi; Principal Secretary, Barr JPC Anetoh; Chief Protocol officer, Hon Chinedu Nwoye; SA on Political matters, Dr Alex Obiogbolu; State Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Barr. Ifeatu Obiokoye, among others.

Abia state Governor, His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti has commissioned the 100 beded Sustainable development Multi-purpose Hospital, Obeaja in Ugwunagbo LGA built by the federal government under the Sustainable development Goals (SDGs), according to a government issued statement.

Speaking while performing the ceremony, Governor Otti thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to the healthcare sector which saw to the completion of the project as well as the renaming the SDG Mother and Child Hospital to a Multipurpose Hospital to accommodate other members of the society.

Governor Otti while emphasizing the importance of healthcare in his administrations strategic agenda, highlighted the 2001 Abuja Declaration, in which other African countries pledged to allocate at least 15% of their budgets to healthcare, pointing out that Abia State’s 2024 budget has met the target.

According to the Governor “Healthcare occupies a major position in our strategy as a government.

“In 2001, the heads of government’s in Africa under what is now known as Abuja declaration met in Abuja and gave a directive that all the countries of the African union should allocate no less than 15% of their budget to healthcare.

“The jury is still out as to how many of those countries that adopted that resolution that has complied. I’m happy to report that current 2024 budget of the Abia state government which we are half way in implementing, allocated 15% of the budget to healthcare.

“So what you have done here is consistent with the objective of this government “, Gov Otti stated.

The Governor noted that the goal of his administration for the health sector is in alignment with the Federal Governments Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to reduce maternal mortality to 70 per 1000 live births by 2030.

He noted that Abia state has made significant progress in maternal health, with the state’s maternal mortality rate dropping from 1,047 per 1,000 in 2020 to 531 in 2022, and further to 136 in recent reports.

The Governor, however expressed optimism about future improvements assuring that with his administration’s deliberate focus on the healthcare sector, the state would witness a downturn in infant Maternal mortality rates.

“It is interesting to hear from her Excellency that our maternal mortality rate has reduced from a 1,047 that it used to be in 2020 to the 531 it was in 2022 and if i were to quote her, she says it has gone down to 136 presently that means we are doing well but we’re not there yet we still have a long way to go but we have moved.

“The numbers for Abia may not be very current but I’ve seen numbers like 171, as at 2021 but what is clear is that before this time, child or infant mortality actually increased from the numbers in 2016 & 2017 about 83 per 1000 to 2021 and the Numbers increased to 115 per 1000.

“The current numbers are not here yet but I can assure you that by the time the numbers would start coming out, we will be getting downward to actually less than 80 and why should it be that way, because this government is very deliberate and intentional and focused on healthcare delivery”, the Governor remarked.

He unveiled plans for a comprehensive medical village, designed to curb medical tourism, which costs Nigerians between $1.6 billion and $2 billion annually.

“Our goal is that by the time we finish with our medical village, at least 10 percent of $2 billion will be spent in our state,” he announced.

Governor Otti who assured that the state government would assume the management of the newly commissioned hospital, promised 24-hour security, additional land for the building of doctors’ quarters, and the establishment of a facility management team to maintain high standards.

In an address, the wife of the Governor,Mrs Priscilla Otti represented by the wife of the deputy Governor Mrs Adaeze Emetu said that the realization of the project is part of the unwavering commitment of government in providing quality and accessible healthcare for all.

In her remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable development Goals SDGs, Princess Adejoke Adefuliren noted that the project conceived in her first tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari has come to fulfil the dream of every mother for a safe delivery in a healthy and conducive environment.

She said that similar projects have been executed across the 36 States of the federation under the Sustainable development Goals to promote the standard of living ,adding that the project is in line with the renewed hope agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration with commitment to priotizing key interventions with multiplyer effects on multi- dimention Poverty.

In an address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu said the hospital was established to serve the community without limitations as women and children bear the brunt of failed systems.

She appreciated Governor Alex Otti for changing the narratives in the heathcare services and described the project as another milestone towards achieving a sustainable and efficient healthcare services in the healcare ecosystem of the state.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Hospital Management Board (HMB), Dr. Odochi Azubuike said that Governor Otti’s commitment to healthcare of the people led to the completion of the long abandoned project in partnership with the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals MDGs.

She said that the idea of establishing the facility is to achieve one of the Millennium Development Goals , which is ensuring healthcare for mother and child, adding that the facility is fully equipped to provide antenatal care, management of child diseases and general medical services.

Baring his mind on the project, the deputy Mayor, Ugwunagbo LGA, Mr Kelvin Chijioke who Expressed joy with the project which he described as first of its kind in Ugwunagbo, assured that stakeholders in Ugwunagbo will take ownership of the hospital and ensure that it serves optimally.

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has signed four bills into law, saying they were part of his administration’s effort to make the state the number one in Ease of Doing Business and preferred destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.

They are the Enugu State Properties Protection Law, to checkmate the activities of land grabbers; Enugu State Ranch Management Law to stem the tide of open grazing and attract both local and foreign investment in the livestock industry; the Enugu State Sports Development Fund Law to reposition the sports sector as a major source of economic growth and the Enugu State Environmental, and Climate Protection Law.

At the ceremony witnessed by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu and the Clerk of the State Assembly, Dr. Emma Udaya, among other senior government functionaries, Mbah said that with the laws, the days of land-grabbing and open-grazing were numbered.

“The Enugu State Properties Protection Law is in line with our promise to enhance the ease of doing business in Enugu State. People, who come to Enugu State to invest in property, must do so in sure knowledge that the title document that is issued to them is worth much more than the paper that it is written on.

“That is why we frown at land grabbers, people who go out there to grab land even when they do not have any title to that land. Essentially, this law is designed to penalyse such acts. This is a big warning to those people who engage in going to empty plots of land to grab them. Under the new law, there are severe and strict punishments that await people who get themselves involved in such acts”, he said.

He also regretted the total misunderstanding of the Ranch Management Agency Law, saying that with the law now in place, people were now expected to rear cows in a civilised manner.

“This law, I believe, has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. We had sometime been accused of surreptitiously trying to introduce something beyond just ranching. However, we have to put an end to the idea of having cattle graze openly and then creating friction between our farmers and herders. Our objective here is to ensure that it ends.

“In the 21st Century, there is no reason why we should encourage the open grazing of cattle. So, this law is essentially designed to ensure that people act in a civilised manner. We are going to ensure that we have enough services, create abattoir and proper cattle market, not where people will come and live.”

On the Environmental and Climate Protection Law, he said, “Again, we understand the importance of just going beyond mere lip service in protecting our environment. So, what we have done here today is to set out clear policies and plans for us to protect our environment. We all know the danger that the depletion of the ozone layer poses to us as a people.”

Governor Mbah further explained that the Enugu State Sports Development Fund Law would assist the state to “build capacity, nurture talents from the grassroots, encourage school sports, and essentially develop our sports sector.“

“We see sports not just as recreation. We see it as a veritable sector by means of which we can encourage business. And the bill that is signed into law today is going to help us accomplish it,” the governor concluded.

He commended the State Assembly for expeditiously passing the various executive bills initiated by his administration, saying such partnership was the beauty of democracy.

In his remarks earlier, the Speaker, Hon. Ugwu, expressed happiness that the bills signed into law would better the lives of the people of Enugu State, saying the House would continue to partner with the executive for the common good.

…Warns Funded, Non-Performing Contracts Will Be Terminated

The Federal Ministry of Works has terminated contract numbers 6136, 6137 and 6138 with Mothercat Ltd, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Ltd and RCC Ltd respectively.

The projects affected by this termination are the dualization of Obajana – Benin road, section II (Okene – Auchi) in Kogi/Edo State; the dualization of Obajana – Benin road, section III (Auchi – Ehor) in Edo State and the dualization of Obajana – Benin road section IV (Ehor – Benin) in Edo State.

According to a statement made available to Pacesetter by Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works, the termination “became neccessary in view of the inordinate delay of the affected companies in job performance and their failure, neglect and or refusal to fulfill their contractual obligations as required by the Standard Conditions of Contract and this has affected the timely completion of the projects and thus resulted in the expiration of the contracts by effluxion of time”.

Continuing, the statement read: “The projects which were awarded on 3rd December 2012 were advertently abandoned by the contractors and no genuine commitment or good faith was shown towards executing the projects after accepting the considerations offered by the Federal Government and thereby exposing the road users to untold hardship due to the deplorable condition of the projects.

“The Honourable Minister has therefore directed the engineers in charge to take necessary steps to enter upon both the site and the works and take the same over from the affected companies. He further directs the engineers concerned to, upon doing the needful, arrange with the affected companies for a joint measurement of work so far done by the said companies preparatory to taking over the sites from the said companies, and this directive is without prejudice to the exercise of other rights of Federal Government under the contract.

“He warns that the Federal Ministry of Works under his watch will not condone acts of unseriousnes and sabotage by contractors whose plan is to become a clog in the wheel of progress of the Renewed Hope administration which is determined to change the ugly narrative of Nigeria’s road infrastructure. He further warns that going forward, the government will not hesitate in terminating all projects that are funded but are non-performing”.

Pacesetter reports that the statement did not clearly state what will happen to the contract sum already paid to the affected companies by the federal government following the award of the contracts since 2012.

Professor Jacinta Opara has been appointed as second substantive Vice Chancellor of Dominican University, Ibadan-Nigeria. The appointment followed a stringent recruitment exercise carried out by a professional recruiting firm and topnotch academics, in line with best global practices in headhunting for strategic positions in higher education institutions.

In an official statement by the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the University, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), the Board, in the exercise of its powers conferred by Federal Government of Nigeria and the Universities Act at its meeting on Wednesday, March 7, 2024 considered the submission of the Joint Governing Council, Senate, Search/Selection Team and approved the appointment of Prof Opara as Vice Chancellor of the institution.

The Dominican University Ibadan (DUI) formerly known as Dominican Institute is the first university of the Order of Preachers on the African continent. Popularly called the Dominican Order, the Order of Preachers was founded by Spanish priest Dominic de Guzman in 1216 with the approval of Pope Innocent III. In her more than 800 years of existence, the Order has been actively involved in university education around the world. With the meeting of Vincent de Couesnongle, then Master of the Order of Preachers at the time and African Dominican friars in Ibadan., an umbrella body of Dominicans in Africa was established. Known as the Inter-African Order of Preachers (IAOP), it decided to establish the Dominican Institute in Ibadan as centre of philosophical studies for Dominicans in Africa. In 1993. the Dominican Institute became an affiliate school of the University of Ibadan. The DUI was granted license by Federal Government of Nigeria on November 22, 2016. That date marked the birth of the first university of the Order of Preachers in Africa. The university is accredited and recognized by National Universities Commission.

By her appointment, Prof Opara is the first female Vice Chancellor of the institution for a term of 5 years.

Prof. Jacinta Opara will be inaugurated as Vice Chancellor on Monday, July 1, 2024 at the Tom & Carolyn Walker Hall of the Dominican University, Ibadan.

In a statement she sent in to Pacesetter, Prof Opara vowed to bring a holistic perspective to university governance with emphasis on the importance of fostering a dynamic learning environment and community engagement.

She stressed that her vision for Dominican University “is to promote a vibrant educational community where staff and students and other stakeholders are supported to serve God to achieve academic excellence”.

Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1976, Prof Jacinta A. Opara is President, African Association for Teaching and Learning and Chairman, Governing Council of the Institute of Policy Management Development. Prof Opara is a graduate of University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She received postgraduate degrees from University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, University of Granada, Central University of Nicaragua, Akerhsus University (now Olso Metropolitan University). Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia(UCAM) and University of Chalco-Mexico.

Since the last 25 years, she has held teaching, research and consulting experiences across Africa, America, Europe and Asia. She rose through the ranks and was promoted to full Professor in 2016 at Kampala International University (KIU). She has held appointments at a number of private and public universities where she showcased excellence in her dedication to teaching, research and strong passion for educational development.

She has served as Visiting Scholar of Gender, Peace and Security at IISJ(Universidad de Basque County-UPV/EHU), Gipuzkoa-Spain; Visiting Professor a Kigali Independent University; Metropolitan International University; Mount Kenya University; Laikipia University; University of The Gambia; Nexus International University; Commonwealth University; Athens Institute of Education and Research; National University of Science and Technology(NUST), Bulawayo- Zimbabwe amongst others.

Prof Opara is founding Co-Executive Director, Center for Environment and Community Development and serves on the Board/Governing Council of Metropolitan International University, Mediterranean Center for Social and Educational Research, Rome-Italy; African Institute of Management, Technology and Development Studies, Kigali-Rwanda; Association of Women Educationists; African Society for Scientific Research, Development Africa Consortium amongst other institutions including non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

She is a Fellow of Institute of Management Consultants, Fellow of African Scientific Institute; Fellow of the Board of Quality Standards, Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professionals; Fellow of West African Postgraduate College of Environmental Health and Fellow of Chartered Institute of Administration.

Prof Opara has worked on a number of projects, partnership initiatives and human capacity-building initiatives with a wide range of stakeholders. She has organized several international conferences, seminars and workshops across the globe. She coordinated the Publication Project of the Nigeria’s 50 Years Anniversary. She is Editor in Chief of Journal of Health and Environmental Studies; African Journal of Women Studies and Research: International Journal of Scientific Research in Education; Metropolitan Journal of Science and Technology and serves on the editorial board of over 40 international joumals. She has received 23 awards, fellowships and grants including the Erasmus Mundus of the European Commission, Brussels-Belgium, the prestigious IATEL Award for Academic Excellence in 2015 and 2024 Distinguished Leadership Achievement Award.

She maintains consulting status with several agencies in the areas of environment, health, gender, human rights, peace and security, sexuality, education, human capacity building and community development. Prof Opara is a member of African Universities’ Research Group on Health and Environment; IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL); Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN); Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD); International Association for Scientific Knowledge (IASK); African Network on Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements (ANEW); International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC).

She is a Fellow of the African Sexuality Leadership Development funded by Ford Foundation and was a Delegate/Resource Person/Consultant of the 2008 UN World Women’s Day of the Women International League on Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Geneva-Switzerland; United Nations PANAFCON Summit on Water, Sanitation and Human Settlement, Addis Ababa-Ethiopia; 2004 UN World Habitat Day (UNHABITAT), Nairobi-Kenya; UNU-EHS Project on Environment, Forced Migration and Social Vulnerability, Bonn-Germany; UNU-WIDER Project on Country Role Models, Helsinki-Finland and the 2008 Women’s World in Madrid-Spain.

Prof Opara, a devout Christian of Catholic faith speaks two international languages (English and Spanish) and has visited over 30 countries. She has more than 200 publications (including over 130 academic journal articles and 15 books) and is married with children.

…call for more support as committee rates quality of road construction high

Enugu State House of Assembly members have commended the commitment of the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah Mbah, over his infrastructural initiatives and good governance spread across the state.

Members of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure led by Hon. Clifford Obe, representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency II, made the commendation over the weekend during the inspecting of some of the ongoing projects in the state as part of their oversight functions.

According to a government issued statement, shortly after the inspection of the ongoing road construction at the Golf Estate/Trade Fair Dual-Carriageway, Obe called for more support for the Mbah administration, saying they were impressed with the quality of job going on in the state.

Obe, who passed a vote of confidence on the contractors engaged by the state government, noted that Ferotex Construction Ltd had distinguished itself with the quality and speed at which it was delivering the various projects awarded to it by the Mbah administration.

“When you see a good job you will know. We have not seen any problem with the works so far. We are impressed with the standard of work we saw today,” he added.

The committee chairman further described the governor as a blessing to the people of the state for ensuring continuity of good governance through project execution and capacity building.

According to him, members of the house would no longer carry out their oversight functions in the office, saying that inspection of projects on the field would help them hold any contractor performing below standard accountable.

He stressed that the governor’s one year in office witnessed massive improvement through the commissioning of multiple projects, further assuring that more projects would soon be commissioned by the administration before its second anniversary.

On his part, a member of the committee representing Igbo-Etiti constituency, Hon Williams Amuka, expressed satisfaction with the rating of the government in the past one year, maintaining that projects were going almost simultaneously across all the electoral wards in the state.

“Everybody is rejoicing because in every ward there are projects of smart schools and healthcare facilities going on. Most of us have been going to our various constituencies to make sure that these contractors deliver the projects in record time.

“The idea behind the smart schools is innovative and ingenuous. You are also aware that the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) is recruiting smart teachers which is going to transform our system of education. Also, the 33% budget allocation to education in the state’s 2024 budget by the governor is commendable and this deserves our support as a committee and as a legislative organ,” the lawmaker noted.

Extolling the governor for his integrated development agenda, a member of the committee representing Aninri constituency, Hon Magnus Edeh, said he had understudied the policies and programmes of the governor and would describe him as a “millennium, digital and tech-compliance governor”.

He observed that Aninri is experiencing agro-industrial revolution under the administration through deliberate mechanized inputs and investments in the agricultural sector which would soon guarantee food security and made-in-Enugu products for export.

“The governor has committed huge investment in the agricultural sector, and my constituency in Aninri local government is a reflection of that. Thousands of hectares have been cultivated with cassava to encourage bio-ethanol production by the government.

“I believe that the governor has come to change the narrative with a new leadership trajectory. So, we will continue to support his government to deliver dividends of democracy,” he said.