Category: News

…set to begin enforcement, confiscation of erring tankers

…reads riot act to vandals of pipelines, other public facilities’ sabotage

The Enugu State government has issued the last warning to tanker drivers operating across the state over their failure to colour-coat their water tankers to indicate if they are carrying clean, safe-drinking water or industrial water in line with the Enugu State Water Sector Law of 2023, saying the timeline and extension date set for the implementation of the law had since elapsed in March.

At a meeting with the leadership of tanker drivers in Enugu over the weekend, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the government was committed to protecting members of the public against exploitation by some dubious tanker drivers who fetch unclean water from unhealthy environment and sell to residents as safe-drinking water, adding that the state had already constituted a taskforce that would from time-to-time stop and inspect water being conveyed by the tanker drivers.

While reading the riot act to the association of tanker drivers in the state against the backdrop of consistent damage and sabotage of water facilities in the state and the severe punishment awaiting erring drivers, the SSG said despite efforts by the Governor Peter Mbah administration to make water available to the capital city which is already successful with its extension capacity cutting across sub-urban areas, the government had no intention of running tanker drivers out of their livelihoods as they could still be creative in their approach.

According to him, the water law prescribes that every water tanker must bear either sky-blue colour to reflect clean drinking water or yellow colour to reflect industrial water.

He described as unacceptable a situation where drivers sell industrial water fetched from stream as borehole water from the Ninth Mile, warning that drivers not only risked having their tankers confiscated but also the arrest and prosecution of offenders.

“One of the provisions of the water law has to do with the colour-coating of your tankers to reflect who’s carrying drinking water and who’s carrying industrial water. It is important because some tanker drivers fetch water from anywhere and sell to people as drinking water and these are families and people’s children drinking the water.

“The governor will not condone that anymore. We will not. We know how to check for this. There’s going to be an enforcement team that has the backing of the Ministry of Water Resources that will randomly stop tankers after you must have colour-coated the tanks in line with the law to check the quality of the water. So, the sky-blue colour for drinking water with a bold inscription, “Drinking Water Supply” written on it. And the yellow colour for industrial water with a bold inscription showing it’s industrial water,” he added.

Prof Onyia, who was flanked by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Felix Nnamani, noted that enough time had been given to tanker drivers to repaint their tankers, explaining that the policy was to protect members of the public against gross exploitation and unsafe water capable of causing water-borne disease.

Reacting to the frequent destruction of water facilities and other public utilities, the SSG said that a joint taskforce had already been set up to deal with those perpetrating acts of economic sabotage against the state, urging people involved in the dastardly acts to desist as those caught would have themselves to blame.

The Enugu State Monitoring Team on Work Attendance and Productivity has paid an unscheduled visit to the Ezeagu Local Government headquarters at Aguobu-Owa where they issued queries to absentee council workers and also read the riot act to civil servants in the state.

The team was received by the Chief Executive Officer, Administration, at the council, Mrs. Lorita Akwuchie.

The unscheduled visit followed a video, which went viral on the social media, recently, showing the local government headquarters deserted on Friday, April 5, contrary to the directive by the Dr. Peter Mbah Administration to civil servants in the state to revive productivity by working five days in a week.

It is recalled that the Mbah Administration is currently undertaking a staff audit of local government councils as it emerged that many of the people on the payroll, who also transit to the state’s pension payroll, do not come to work at all, while many others live outside the state and the country even as they draw salaries and other benefits from the local government system.

However, the voice-over in the viral video narrated that no single staff was found on duty, a development that has drawn the wrath of the government and the general public.

Taking a tour of all the offices and departments in the council headquarters, the team, which comprised the Head of Service, Mr. Kenneth Ugwu; Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ken Chukwuegbo; Chairman, Enugu State Chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Ben Asogwa; and the Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Ezekiel Omeh, among others, met only 36 out of the over 200 council workers.

The team vowed that the acts of negligence and absence from duty without permission by the council workers would not go unpunished and reminded civil servants across the state that productivity remained the watchword in the Governor Peter Mbah Administration.

The Head of Service, Mr. Ugwu, who led the Monitoring Team directed that queries be issued to all the council workers not found on duty.

“As you are aware, the administration is carrying out a diligent audit of local government workforce in the state. The standard is that you must not only come to work, you must also have assigned responsibilities and proof of fulfilling them. We are also introducing electronic clock-in. The watchword is productivity because that is the only way to build our economy from $4.4bn to $30bn because every segment of the society and every arm and every organ of government must contribute its quota for that growth to be possible,” Ugwu said.

President Bola Tinubu has extended his condolences to the Onu family over the passing of Former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, CON.

This is also as the Igbo apex socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has described his death as a rude shock.

The President in a statement signed by his Spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, condoled with the friends and associates of Chief Onu, Ebonyi and Abia State Governments, and all Nigerians grieving loss.

Affirming the late statesman as a defender of Nigeria’s unity and advocate of peace, and promoting fellowship across the Niger, President said Chief Oni epitomizes Nigeria in concord and wholeness.

The Nigerian Leader then celebrates the life of Chief Onu, describing him as an accomplished scholar, first-class engineer, a man of proven integrity; defiant to indiscipline and ever yielding to the highest standards of rectitude

President Tinubu prays to God Almighty to grant repose to the soul of the elder statesman, Chief Onu.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Mourns Onu

In a press release made available to Pacesetter and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, the body described Onu as a moral edifice.

The full statement reads: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has received with a rude shock the news of the passing on of yet another Igbo Titan; a path finder, visionary, erudite scholar, astute politician, the first governor of the Old Abia State, former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a gentleman per excellence, His Excellency, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, CON at 72.

“The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR; OFR; CFR; FNICE; FNSE; KSC (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) was heart-broken on hearing the sad news. The Igbo Leader lamented the death of high profile Igbo dignitaries in a close sequence: Prof George Obiozor, Prof Joe Irukwu, Elder Dr. U. K. Kalu, Prof Ben Nwabueze, Dr. Sylvanus Ebigwei, Prof Chike Edozien, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife and today, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; most of who were members of the Presidential Advisory Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

“The Igbo Leader recalled with freshness how Dr.Ogbonnaya Onu displayed an awesome and remarkable magnanimity when in 1999, he surrendered his presidential ticket in the All Peoples Party (APP) to the Presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy AD, Chief Olu Falae.

“Above all, Ogbonnaya Onu was one of the most principled Nigerian; he was a rare Nigerian who resisted all the entreaties and tantalizing perquisites of the ruling party, but chose to remain in the opposition throughout the 16 years of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

“Ogbonnaya Onu was an Igbo quintessence who contested the 2023 presidential election on the basis of his impressive credentials, disruptive intellect, visionary acumen, track record of accomplishments, transformative philosophy, equity and unalloyed patriotism.

“He was a moral edifice who rendered sterling services to the country in several capacities and left with neither tarnish nor blemish. Onu was indeed exemplary.

“While we pray to the Almighty to grant the soul of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu an eternal rest in his bosom, we urge the immediate family and indeed the government and the good people of Ebonyi State to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude”.

Chief Onu passed away on Thursday at the age of 72.

Chief Ogbonnaya Onu was born on 1st December 1951, he was a Nigerian politician, author, and engineer until his death in April 2024.

He was the first civilian governor of Abia State and was the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Nigeria from November 2015 until his resignation in 2022. He was also an All Progressives Congress party Chieftain.

…CP commends Gov. Mbah’s determination to rid the state of criminal elements

Chetanne Chinelo, Enugu 

Following published reports by Sahara Reporters, an online newspaper, of killings in Adani, Uzo-Uwani LGA in Enugu State, by suspected fulani herdsmen, X (formerly Twitter) users have taken to the microblogging platform to express varying reactions to the reported killings. 

This is even as the Enugu State Commissioner for Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu has issued an immediate quit order to remnant criminal elements in the state, saying they either leave town or meet their Waterloo.

Demanding that local vigilantes be empowered, an X user, Enugu Loudspeaker, in a post, wrote: “Everytime these Fulani terrorists strikes we keep crying and begging the governor to act, why can’t the governor’s empower local vigilante?

“Went to the north and saw local vigilante usijg [using] Ak instead of the popular pump action been used in the east. 

“The earlier we empower our local vigilante to fend off these criminals the better for us because we cannot keep complaining every four market days”, he wrote. 

Another user, Coal City Connect, sharing a video of women wailing wrote: “We brought you a report that Fulani Herders allegedly attacked Adani in Uzo Uwani LGA, which resulted in the loss of lives and leaving so many injured.

“The mothers in the community were protesting with their eyes full of tears, begging the government of Enugu state and all security agencies to help in securing the lives and properties of Adani people from all the atrocities committed by these herders in their community”.

Responding to the post by Coal City Connect, a verified X handle belonging to Mrs. Ngozi Adeleke, Wife of Osun State Governor, in a post, urged security agencies to take swift action in ensuring the safety of lives. 

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic attack on the community of Adani in Uzo Uwani LGA. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones and to those who have been injured. It is imperative that the government of Enugu State @PNMbah and all security agencies take swift action to ensure the safety and security of the people of Adani. No community should live in fear, and it is our collective responsibility to protect the lives and properties of all citizens. My thoughts are with the affected families, and I urge for peace and justice to prevail in this difficult time”, she wrote.

Issuing an immediate quit order to remnant criminal elements in the state, CP Uzuegbu stressed that there would be no relenting in the effort to totally flush them out of the state.

He stated this on Monday when he led a team of battle tested police operatives to Adani in Uzo-Uwani LGA where two brothers, Mr. Ogbonna Fidelis Anene, aged 33, and Ogbonna John Onyeka, aged 25, were gruesomely murdered on their way going from the farm on Sunday.

CP Kanayo, while expressing sadness over the ugly incident, assured the people of Adani that a crack squad had been sent after the perpetrators to  ring them under the full weight of the law, while also reinforcing security in the border local government area.

He commended Governor Peter Mbah for his determination to rid the state of all criminal elements, noting that the governor’s support and investment in security was responsible for the state’s status as one of the safest federating units in the country.

The CP asked the natives to go about their lawful businesses, assuring of the resolve and cooperation of the security agencies to secure them both at home and in their farmlands.

He, however, appealed to the people to be vigilant and assist security agents with relevant information of any suspicious persons or criminal activities in their environment.

“The Enugu State under the watchful eyes of the administration of Peter Mbah and the Nigeria Police can never allow the perpetrators of this evil act to go scot free.  The government is displeased with this ugly report and we shall ensure justice for the Ogbonna brothers. That is the governor’s demand and that is the Inspector General of Police’s order.

“You can’t stop going to farm because it is your means of livelihood, but  we are guaranteeing your safety. We shall clamp down on these criminals. Enugu is already too hot for them, but we shall make it even hotter for them going forward. So, I urge you all to take heart and count on us for your ceaseless protections,”  the CP said.

Confirming the governor’s order to the CP, the Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Media, Dan Nwomeh, posting a video on his verified X handle, reiterated Gov. Mbah’s resolve to hunt down criminals who killed 2 brothers in the farm. 

“As directed by Governor Peter Mbah @PNMbah, Enugu State Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu on Monday led a team of detectives and police special squads to Adani in Uzo Uwani LGA where 2 brothers were killed in the farm the previous day, vowing to hunt down the perpetrators”.

Recall that Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State, had, during a Town Hall meeting organised by the state government with the people of Enugu State on the theme: “Issues of Governance: The Journey So Far”,  on Saturday, March 23, 2024, reiterated his resolve to secure the lives and properties of the people of the state. 

He went on to list some landmark innovations in the state with regard to security, including the establishment of a Distress Response Squad, DRS, and the installation of CCTV cameras all through, with a command centre, among others.

Uzo Uwani local government area in Enugu State has suffered attacks from alleged fulani herdsmen in the past.

In April 2016, it was reported that about 500 suspected herdsmen attacked Nimbo in Uzo Uwani, killing about 40 people.

…As overjoyed parents name baby after Mrs. Mbah

The Custos Care Foundation, a Foundation founded by the wife of the governor of Enugu State, Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, has given a new lease of life to a baby, Nkechi.

To Mrs. Rapuluchukwu Mmedo of Obune Inyi, Oji River LGA, and her baby, it was a new lease of life as they were finally discharged from newborn Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, after 42 days of life-saving medical admission in the hospital.

This was even as the parents of the baby named her Nkechi, after the governor’s wife, Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, following her life-saving intervention.

Born premature to an indigent family at a gestational age of 31 weeks and three days due to cervical incompetence and without the huge resources to dream of saving the baby, they had already given up on the baby’s survival unless by sheer miracle.

The miracle came the way of baby Nkechi, as Mrs. Mbah came for the launch of the Enugu West Senatorial edition of her Mother and Child Healthcare and Welfare Project at Primary Healthcare Centre, Oji River where she went around to see patients and babies and also interacted with two-day old newborns and their nursing mothers mobilised to the event.

It was during that event at the Health Centre that the governor’s wife took notice of the baby and swung into action, riding with the baby and the mother straight to Enugu to try to salvage the situation through her Custos Care Foundation.

The governor’s wife, who kept checking on the baby also left an instruction to both the hospital and the medical team of her Foundation to leave no stone unturned and at whatever financial cost, to save the baby’s life

For the overjoyed mother, the hospital, and the wife of the governor and her Foundation, it was therefore a prayer answered as mother and child were discharged on March 29, instructively on a Good Friday.

Mrs. Rapuluchukwu Mmedo, who could not hide her emotions, described Mrs. Mbah’s intervention as a miracle, as they had already given up hope.

“For us, we knew the kind of money required to keep our baby in a newborn ICU was certainly out of our reach and something we could not dream of in the first place. But this miracle happened for us through this compassionate and humble woman. She treated us like royalties.

“I’m overjoyed. I’m so grateful to God and our governor’s wife. I thank the hospital and Custos Care Foundation. I’m overjoyed,” she said.