The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: abia

  • Otti Seeks Stronger Partnerships to Improve Abia Healthcare

    Otti Seeks Stronger Partnerships to Improve Abia Healthcare

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called for stronger collaboration between the state government, federal tertiary hospitals and other medical institutions to improve healthcare delivery and advance the proposed Abia Medical City.

    Otti made the call while addressing the 115th quarterly meeting of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, described healthcare as a key driver of human development and economic growth.

    He said his administration had demonstrated its commitment to the sector by allocating 15 per cent of the state’s 2026 budget to healthcare.

    According to him, the government has also recruited hundreds of healthcare professionals and commenced the rehabilitation of primary healthcare centres across the state through Project EQUIP and other interventions.

    Otti said the proposed Abia Medical City was designed to go beyond conventional hospital services, describing it as an integrated healthcare ecosystem that would bring together specialised medical services, research, diagnostics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical technology and other related services.

    He therefore urged medical institutions and other stakeholders to partner with the state government to turn the vision into reality.

    The governor said such partnerships would help strengthen the state’s healthcare system while creating opportunities for innovation, investment and improved access to specialised medical services.

    Also speaking, the Secretary to the Abia State Government, Dr Emmanuel Meribole, commended the administration for what he described as progress in the health sector.

    Meribole also highlighted the increasing collaboration between the state government and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

    The Chairman of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria and Chief Medical Director of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Prof. Sa’ad Ahmed, expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the state government and the health institutions in Abia.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Prof. Azubuike Onyebuchi, disclosed that the state government was constructing a 20-room VIP ward at the medical centre.

    The development is part of the ongoing efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure and strengthen medical services in the state.

  • Otti Assures 300 Beneficiaries of State Sponsored Agricultural Training Programme of Support to Set Up Immediately

    Otti Assures 300 Beneficiaries of State Sponsored Agricultural Training Programme of Support to Set Up Immediately

    The Executive Governor of Abia State Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has assured the 300 beneficiaries of the State-sponsored Modern Agricultural Skills and Practices Training Programme at CSS Integrated Farms, Nasarawa State, of the State Government’s support to enable them hit the ground running immediately.

    Dr. Otti gave the assurance during the graduation and passing out ceremony of the Trainees which the Governor personally attended, underscoring the strategic importance of the Agric sector to his Administration.

    “For us as a government, we will do everything possible to support you to set up. Just a moment ago, I was asking Prof. (John-Kennedy Opara) what will be the best way to support you so that you will hit the ground running immediately and he shared a few ideas with me and I told him that we will work together to ensure you lack nothing to be able to set-up”.

    In his address, the Governor reiterated the importance of food security.

    “Like I said before, when Prof. visited us and many of you were in the room that day, this is the most important sector of our economy. Talking about food security, everything you do is around being alive and the only way you will be alive is if you are able to eat. If you don’t have anything to eat, it’s a matter of time before you die, so we take it very, very seriously”, the Governor said.

    Dr. Otti congratulated the 300 beneficiaries and expressed optimism that they will put into practice, the things they have learnt and also help in training others as they return home.

    The Executive Governor urged the beneficiaries to pass down the knowledge and skills acquired to others on their return to Abia State, ‘I have no doubt that as you go back, you will put into practice all the things you have learnt, most importantly, you will also be able to train others in Abia State’

    Dr. Otti commended the beneficiaries for being good ambassadors of Abia State and expressed deep appreciation to the management and staff of CSS Global Integrated Farms for the job well done in training the beneficiaries. The member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa was in the Governor’s team to the farm.

    Earlier in his speech, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of CSS Global Integrated farms, Prof. John-Kennedy Opara gave a run-down of the training highlights. The event also featured the presentation of gifts and Certificates to the beneficiaries. Each of the beneficiary was given an electronic tablet (Gadget) containing everything they have learnt for easy reference and revision.

    The beneficiaries expressed their profound gratitude to the Governor for the life-changing opportunity and thanked the management and staff of CSS Global Integrated Farms for exposing them to modern Agricultural skills and techniques. They promised to put into practice what they have learnt and also train others.

    Ctz. Ukoha Njoku Ukoha
    Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.

  • BREAKING: Police take over PDP office in Abia

    Heavily armed police personnel, Thursday morning, took over the state secretariat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia located at Finbars Road Umuahia.

    The stern-looking security agents prevented staff and visitors from accessing the premises.

    One of them, on inquiries, said it was “an order from above”.

    When contacted, the Publicity Secretary of PDP, Hon. Fabian Nwankwo, said there was no cause for alarm.

    He said the party was observing one day of rest and asked party officials as well as workers to stay at home and rest.

    According to him the party officials and staff needed to rest because of accumulated stress arising from weeks of heavy activities.

    He said that activities would resume at the secretariat the next day, insisting that the presence of security personnel at the premises is not new.

    There have been protests and counter-protests at the secretariat since Tuesday following disagreements among party members over the three-man delegates congress.

    Some persons have accused the Dr Asiforo Okere-led State leadership of the party of compromise and plots to manipulate the process in favour of a certain anointed governorship aspirant.

    They demanded his immediate resignation or sack to enable the party to have leadership that would provide a level playground for all aspirants.

    But there was a counter-protest on Wednesday as a mammoth crowd besieged the office in solidarity with Okere-led leadership.

    They urged him not to be intimidated by those attempting to hijack power.

    The 47-member State Working Committee, SWC, had also dismissed those protesting and petitioning against the Chairman as ” faceless”.

    (Sun)

  • Bomb Scare in Abia, School Shut down

     

    Following the discovery of an explosive device at Union Primary School at Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State Government has ordered the temporary closure of the school.

     

    Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi-Kalu, in a statement, yesterday, said the closure was part of necessary safety measures to protect pupils and staff of the school.

     

     

     

    He said Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had directed security agencies to embark on proactive checks in other vulnerable locations.

     

    Okiyi-Kalu said: “Abia State government is currently working with relevant security agencies in the state to unravel the source and nature of the suspected explosive devices found at Union Primary School, Afaraukwu in Umuahia North council. While initial examination of the devices show evidence of corrosion leading to suspicion of the materials being relics of the civil war era, we are awaiting definite official report from the EOD squad of the Nigerian Police, currently investigating the incident.

     

    Meanwhile, necessary measures have been taken to protect the pupils and staff of the school with security sweeps ongoing while the school is temporarily closed. While we are grateful to God that there is no harm to life or property, we urge citizens and residents to maintain vigilance and report suspicious situations to security agents.”

     

     

     

    It was gathered that some of the students who were in school yesterday’s morning, and had gone to the school garden for normal school activities, saw a strange item. The students were said to have reported what they saw to their teachers, who on getting to the scene, reasoned the object must be an explosive.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Hoodlums loot firearms, kill 4 Policemen and set Station Ablaze

     

    No fewer than four policemen were killed yesterday and offices set ablaze as gunmen attacked the Abayi Osisioma Ngwa divisional police station and two other formations in Abia State.

    The bandits said to be numbering over 50, also carted away arms and ammunition from the station located along Umuojima/MCC Road, in Osisioma council area of Aba commercial town.

    The Divisinal Police Officer ( DPO) in charge of the area, said two other stations were also attacked and burnt by bandits.

    The DPO,CSP Ajimo, neither mentioned the number of his men that got killed nor the locations of the two other stations that were also burnt. He could not point at those that may have carried out the dastardly acts and their motive.

    Daily Sun gathered that while two of the officers were killed at Abayi Osisioma, in Osisioma council area, the other two met their untimely death at Omoba divisional headquarters of Isiala Ngwa South, in similar manner.

    Abia State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, said some of the hoodlums were also killed in a shootout that ensued during the Omoba incident, with others escaping with arms from the station.

    At the Abayi/Umuojima Osisioma station, several buildings and vehicles packed in the premises were among property destroyed by the bandits.

    DPO of Osisioma Police Division, later conducted the Chairman of the council area, Christian Kamalu round the scene of the incident.

    Daily Sun investigation revealed that all police formations in Aba area had been cordoned off from vehicular movement since last year’s EndSARS protest by the youths.Also gunmen were reported to have attacked the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 28 Squadron, located inside the state police command headquarters, Umuahia.

    After the attack, the gunmen were reported to have fled unchallenged.

    Meanwhile , Abia State Government has reacted to yesterday’s attack on Abayi police station in which two policemen were killed and arms carted away by gunmen.

    The state government has also placed a N1m bounty on anybody who would give infornation to the recovery of arms looted by the hoodlums.

    To further checkmate criminal activities in the state, the government has banned commercial trycicle and Motorcycle operators (Keke/Okada) from operating between 7pm and 7am in all major cities of the state starting from yesterday.

    A statement by the commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu stated that the attention of the State government has been drawn to a mindless and cowardly attack on a police station in Aba by yet to be identified armed hoodlums in the early hours of Tuesday, leading to loss of precious lives and carting away of arms and ammunition.

    “We wish to assure members of the public that government is working with security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly crime and bring them to justice as quickly as possible. No part of Abia land will be ceded to criminals operating under any guise and we will not spare any resource in ensuring that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to book in no distant time and the stolen arms and ammunition recovered completely”.

    The statement added that it was worried that the arms the hoodlums carted away from the law enforcement agents would most likely be used against innocent citizens.

    The government while promising to give N1m reward to anybody that would give information that would lead to the recovery of the stolen arms, said such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

     

    The statemwnt said those attacking security agents and formations only seek to engender anarchy and fear in the minds of the people, but assured that government would not allow them to win or turn its focus away from the onerous task of rapidly developing the state.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Kalu re-arraigned by EFCC on N70bn charge,

     

     

    A former governor of  Abia State and Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu on Tuesday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from prosecuting him on the same offence of allegedly laundering N7.1 billion.

     

    According to him, having been tried once by EFCC, convicted and sentenced in the same charges FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007, it would amount to double jeopardy for him if subjected to a fresh trial on same charge.

     

     

    Kaku in an ex-parte motion moved before Justice Inyang Ekwo by his counsel, Prof. Awa Kalu (SAN), pleaded with the court to rescue him from double jeopardy.

     

    The politician further sought for an order of court stopping the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the EFCC, its officers, servants, others, agents, privies and any other person or bodies from retrying him in the case with charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007.

     

    The ex-governor also applied for an order prohibiting the EFCC and other agencies of government from retrying, harassing and intimidating him with respect to the charge with Ref. No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007 between FRN Vs Orji Kalu and two others or any other charge based on same facts as he need not suffer double jeopardy.

     

    Kalu further asked that should his application be granted, it should operate as a stay of proceedings until the determination of the application or until the Judge otherwise orders.

     

    Meanwhile, his arraignment slated for Tuesday was suspended as EFCC applied that his trial be transferred from Abuja to the Lagos Division of the FHC.

     

    When the matter came up, the prosecution counsel, Chile Okoroma told Justice Ekwo that the EFCC had written two letters to the Chief Judge seeking for the movement of the trial to Lagos in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment.

     

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    While insisting that prosecuting Kalu in Abuja would amount to an exercise in futility and disobedience to Supreme Court order, the EFCC sought for an order that would ensure his arraignment at any time to allow the transfer of the case to Lagos, based on the letters to the Chief Judge of the Court.

     

    But Justice Ekwo declined to grant indefinite adjournment and fixed June 7, 2021 for report of the Chief Judge on the transfer request.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com