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By Iheanyi Chukwudi The Emeritus Bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Francis Emmanuel Ogbonnia Okobo is dead. Aged 89, Okobo who was the pioneer Bishop of the Diocese created in 1991, died today, August 29, 2025. Confirming the demise of the late servant of God, in a message to the Priests of the diocese, Rev. Fr. Amuluche Greg Nnamani, disclosed that he died at the Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu. His message reads, "Msgr/Frs., It is with deep pain and sorrow, yet with a total submission to the will of the Almighty God and a firm hope in the resurrection of the dead, that I announce the sad news of the passing onto glory of our Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev. Francis Emmanuel Ogbonnia Okobo. He died this morning, 29th August 2025 at the Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu. Further information over this sad event will be communicated to you later. May his soul rest in peace. Amen."

By Madu Obi Police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, Awkuzu, have killed four suspected member of separatist agitators in Anambra State. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Anambra State Vigilante Group (AVG) Agunechemba. The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said the operatives stormed the camp at Awa, Orumba North local government area and engaged them in a battle. He said that during the well-coordinated operation that lasted for more than 15 hours, the operatives successfully dislodged the insurgents and rescued a victim who had earlier been kidnapped and held hostage in the camp. According to him, despite the payment of a ransom of ₦20 million by the victim’s family, the hoodlums refused to release him until he was eventually freed by the Joint Security Team. Ikenga stated that during the fierce gun battle that ensued, four members of the group were neutralized. He added: "Exhibits recovered at the camp include: two pump action guns, one fabricated AK-47 rifle, one K2 assault rifle, one locally made hunter gun, one radio transmission box, three locally made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and two empty gas cylinders. Other exhibits recovered were two wraps of cable wires, three bags of 50 kg rice, one driver’s license, one National Identity Card, one black Lexus RX 350 Jeep with Reg. No. ACA 340 MA, three Toyota Camry cars with Reg. Nos: ABC 268 FQ, EKY 151 CD and FGG 706 ME. Also recovered are one black Toyota Camry car, five mobile phones (Infinix X6716B, Tecno Spark KL4 and three analogue phones, sleeping materials, one desert boot, one big cooler, and a roll of tarpaulin." Reacting on the operation, the state Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, assured that the command remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring safety and security of the people. He explained that extensive operations are ongoing in the area to track down and arrest other fleeing suspects and destroy other criminal camps in the state.

By Madu Obi The Anambra State Government has banned the practice of writing assignments inside textbooks, describing it as wasteful and unsustainable. The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, announced the directive while addressing participants at the capacity building workshop organized by the Ministry of Education for private school proprietors and teachers in Awka. According to the Commissioner, the initiative is part of the state government’s strategy to ease financial pressure on families while promoting quality and sustainable education. She explained that the decision was aimed at making textbooks reusable, especially for younger siblings of pupils who would need them when they advance to the next class. She also stressed the need for textbooks recommended in the state to be inclusive, reflecting diversity, equality, and the needs of all learners. The Commissioner warned that the state government would not tolerate non-compliance with the directive and urged parents, teachers, and school administrators to ensure strict adherence. She also encouraged stakeholders to report cases of defaulters to the Ministry of Education.

By Iheanyi Chukwudi The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said that there was no explosion at its station at Onitsha Sub-Region. Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), the Disco, on Wednesday claimed that the power outage that occured at about 02:34 hours in Anambra State and, Oji River was caused by an explosion at the transmission company"s Sub-Region station at Onitsha. But in a swift reaction Thursday evening, TCN said the distribution company misinformed the public, warning that "deliberate deception or propaganda is unprofessional and unacceptable." The statement issued by TCN's General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah reads, "The Transmission Company of Nigeria is compelled to correct the misinformation recently published by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) on August 27, 2025, regarding the cause of the power outage in Anambra State and Oji River in Enugu State. Contrary to EEDC's claim, there was no explosion at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) station at Onitsha Sub-Region. The actual cause of the partial loss of power in the 330kV switch yard at Onitsha Sub-Region, which occurred on August 27, 2025, at about 02:34 hours, was an insulation flashover of porcelain insulator (P1) of the red phase jumper conductor to bus bar 1 due to rainfall. The power was later restored at 17:54 hours the same day. Notably, TCN had planned a scheduled outage on August 31, 2025, and September 1, 2025, to replace the stack porcelain insulators. "We clarify that there was no explosion of equipment or loss of switchgear equipment in the TCN Onitsha region. We urge EEDC to ensure the accuracy of information disseminated to the public, as deliberate deception or propaganda is unprofessional and unacceptable."

By Madu Obi The Anambra State House of Assembly has refuted claims that Governor Chukwuma Soludo influenced the suspension of the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, Hon Abuchi Udemezue, describing such allegations as false, baseless, and mischievous. The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Ejike Okechukwu, in a statement said the Assembly was compelled to respond to a press release issued by some federal lawmakers from Anambra North Senatorial Zone under the Labour Party, who criticized the suspension of Hon. Udemezue. Okechukwu said the House would ordinarily have ignored the statement, but chose to set the records straight and protect the public from misleading narratives. According to him, the disciplinary action was purely an internal legislative matter arising from an unparliamentary and uncouth language used by Udemezue, including his decision to label colleagues as “mad men” on social media after he was invited to defend himself. "The decision to discipline Udemezue was entirely an internal legislative affair and not at the behest of the Executive. Every member is bound by the constitution and the standing orders of the House. No one is above discipline,” the statement read. He said that Udemezue was granted an opportunity to defend himself and even offered the chance to apologize, but he “consistently took the institution for granted", stressing that his suspension had nothing to do with his oversight functions as a lawmaker as being insinuated in some quarters. The statement also criticized the involvement of federal lawmakers in the matter, saying their intervention amounted to meddling in the internal processes of a state legislature. “Instead of focusing on their core responsibilities at the National Assembly—where their colleagues are attracting federal projects and creating opportunities for their constituents—some federal lawmakers from Anambra North have chosen to dabble into petty local politics,” the Assembly said. Reaffirming its commitment to legislative integrity, the Assembly assured the public that discipline within the chamber is designed to uphold decorum and mutual respect, not to stifle dissent. It urged federal legislators from the state to channel their energies towards their national mandate and allow the State Assembly to carry out its constitutional duties without interference.

By Madu Obi Forty eight hours after members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, protested nationwide, the pitiable welfare situation of members in government- owned universities, the Owerri Zone of the union said government must pay the withheld three and half months salary because the labourer deserves his wage. The ASUU Owerri Zone comprises Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State University (IMSU) Owerri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka. Addressing reporters in Awka, the coordinator of ASUU Owerri Zone, Professor Dennis Ariwodo said it was government that instigated the strike, adding that ASUU members should not be punished for it. Ariwodo said: "You cannot beat a child and ask him or her not to cry. Government felt that the best way to punish our member was to cease our salary during the 2022 ASUU nationwide strike. But the question is: what led to the strike? The strike was caused by the failure of government to honour various agreements reached with ASUU as evidence in many Memoranda of Understanding and Memoranda of Action. If government had implemented these agreements, would there be a strike? The answer is No. So government has no moral authority to continue to withhold our three and half month salaries. The value of the money has grossly depreciated. We in ASUU Owerri Zone demand the immediate payment of all withheld salaries. We equally call on government to immediately pay all arrears of third party deductions. Salary payment is not complete without remittance of 3rd party deductions, and this is a criminal offence." Ariwodo also called for the release of revitalization fund and sustainable funding of universities set up by government in 2012 under the Needs Assessment Committee, aimed at determining the state of public universities and what will be required to revitalize them for national response and global competitiveness. According to him, the report as at then (2012), stated that Nigeria public universities require about N1.3 trillion over a space of 6 years for revitalization, lamenting that apart from the N200 billion released to all public universities in 2014, virtually nothing has been released since then to address the rot in the institutions. He added: "To tell you how bad it is, no Nigerian public university made the first 1000 universities in the world in global ranking, whereas our counterparts in some African countries made the list. Is this not a shame for the giant of Africa, who should provide leadership in the education sector. Similar to this is the very poor budgetary allocation to education by government, which hovers around 8%, as against 15% stated in the APC manifesto and 26% recommended by UNESCO. We plead with all well-meaning stakeholders to assist in urging the government to do the needful by signing our renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, pay the withheld salary of three and half months, promotion arrears, remit 3rd party deductions, release the revitalization fund and significantly improve the education budget." He said that ASUU has patiently tried in several ways to get government to resolve the issues in contention, regretting that nothing has been done.

By Iheanyi Chukwudi Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, on Thursday, made another history as he unveiled the revamped and upgraded Nigergas Company Limited. The gas company has been dormant for over three decades before Mbah's administration brought it back to life. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the company's complex in Emene, the Governor said Nigergas had so far created direct employment for over 100 skilled and semi-skilled workers, and would further create over 5,000 indirect jobs across distribution, fabrication, transport and supplies chain. Mbah stressed that the revival of the company, established in 1962 by Dr. Michael Okpara, after decades of abandonment, was another proof of his administration’s commitment to reviving state-owned moribund assets and grow Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion. He said, “What we have revived and unveiled today is not simply metal and a network of pipes; it is the restoration of purpose, dignity and productivity to a site that once symbolised Eastern Nigeria’s industrial promise. When we speak of the goal to grow our GDP from $4.4 billlion to $30 billion, it is not mere posturing. It is rooted in the conviction that Enugu can become a truly diversified, self-reliant economy, if we muster the will to do things differently to launch us to the future we dream of." On rehabilitation model, capacity, and expansion plan of Nigergas, the Governor said, “we approved a full rehabilitation scheme and a management model that blends public ownership with private-sector performance discipline. The intention was clear: retain public ownership, but run the facility on modern, accountable, commercially viable lines. So, today, Nigergas returns to production with modernised equipment and clear technical specifications designed to meet immediate healthcare and industry needs. The plant’s installed capacity has been upgraded to produce significant volumes of medical and industrial gases, ensuring steady local supply and reducing dependence on distant, expensive suppliers. Crucially, the plant will supply liquid oxygen, medical and industrial oxygen, and acetylene gas to our hospitals, welders, agro-processors and manufacturers, improving clinical outcomes and reducing production costs for businesses that are the backbone of local livelihoods. The new plant has a capacity to produce 100 cubic metres of oxygen per hour; and 45 cubic metres of acetylene per hour. We will soon bring on stream these additional products: nitrogen; argon gas; carbon dioxide; and CNG stations. over three decades improvements ripple outward: increased industrial activity strengthens our revenue base, and deepens opportunities for MSMEs." Mbah commended the Managing Director of the Enugu State Investment Authority, and the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, Dr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo; the engineering firm, Ten Gas Development Ltd (a division of INDEV GROUP and the community leaders of Emene for their roles in resurrecting Nigergas. Earlier, Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo expressed joy that although the firm established by Dr. Okpara Administration in partnership with Siad Machine Impianti was abandoned for over three decades due to mismanagement, misappropriation of revenue, abuse of company resources, nepotism, and weak corporate governance, Governor Mbah had restored the lost dreams. The Managing Director, Ten Gas Development Ltd., Chief Chike Madueke, noted that the restored Nigergas would provide training and thousands of employments for the youths of the state.

By Madu Obi The Anambra State Police command has described security as an enabler of quality education, gender equality, and sustainable growth. Speaking at a discussion on the theme: “Education: A Panacea in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organized by the Youth Coalition for Education in Nigeria (YOCEN) in Abuja, the Nigeria Police Force, represented by the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, expressed the commitment of the police towards ensuring a safe and secure environment for learning. YOCEN is a Pan-African development-driven initiative that emerged as a result of the collective resolutions made during the All-African Students Union 3rd Annual Youth/Students Summit which held in 2019 in Monrovia, Liberia, The movement was conceived with the primary objective of galvanizing the next generation to ardently contribute to the advancement and progress of our beloved continent, Africa. The Abuja event, which brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector, highlighted the critical role of education as a driver of national development and a foundation for achieving the United Nations’ 2030 agenda. According to Anambra PPRO, the Inspector General of Police's safe school initiatives are a proactive Police approach towards ensuring the safety and security of schools, students, teachers and staff. "Through community engagement, the Police campaign against cultism and other vices (POCACOV), anti-crime patrols, and school sensitization programmes, actively support educational advancement and protection of vulnerable groups, particularly children and young women", Ikenga said.. In recognition of his outstanding professional performance and consistent engagement with the public in accordance with global best practices, Ikenga was honoured as the 2025 Most Outstanding Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Year. It was part of the organization's efforts to celebrate individuals and institutions contributing to education and national development.

By Madu Obi The governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, for the November 8 Anambra election, Sir Paul Chukwuma has promised to fix Anambra State and handover to the people, if his party wins the election. Chukwuma was reacting to the recent suspension of Hon. Bernard Udemezue representing Anyamelum constituency in the state House of Assembly. Describing the suspension as a signal of Anambra's steady decent into dictatorship, the YPP candidate said the state House of Assembly has lost the right to freely debate and provide direction to the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and perform its full functions as an institution and an essential arm of the Anambra State government. "That sad incident was never mentioned in the plenary. This is also why the House has never raised any motion about the unlawful conduct of Agunechemba and SASA. In actual fact, the legislature in Anambra State has collapsed. In a democracy, dictatorship starts with gagging the people and their representatives under certain pretenses. When this is achieved, the judiciary becomes the next casualty. The suspension of Hon. Bernard Udemezue must be construed as Governor Soludo's expansion of his dictatorship to shut down opposition, criticism, and dissenting voices. This action points to Soludo’s grand plan to intimidate other State House of Assembly members and the voice of reason in Anambra State", he stated.

By Madu Obi Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has said that the state has recovered over 60 camps occupied by gunmen before he became governor due to security outfits his administration has established. Addressing journalists at the Government House to mark 34th anniversary of the creation of Anambra State, Soludo said that time was when the entire Anambra South was a no - go area, adding that the security situation in the zone and other parts of the state has greatly improved. "When I took over on March 17 , 2022, Anambra was literally under a siege, such that the whole seven local government areas in Anambra South and Ogbaru in Anambra North were controlled by gunmen and non state actors. Even as governorship candidates, we could not campaign in those local governments. One candidate who was abducted while we were campaigning has not been seen till today. As a contestant I was even attacked. The state was like a war zone, but we are happy that over sixty camps of the gunmen have been destroyed.and the eight local government areas are now under our control." According to the governor, the best testimony was that the August 16 bye-elections successfully took place in those seven local government areas that make up Anambra South. The election was held in all the 118 wards in the zone. . "From day one of this administration, we set up vigilante groups in all the 21 local government areas and we offered amnesty for all the criminals in the bushes so that we could give them a new life", the governor said. He added that his administration has trained and empowered over 5000 youths, adding that many of them are from Anambra South senatorial zone. He said further: "We also set up Ocha Brigade and the state anti -touting outfits and we have deployed technology and adopted kinetic and non kinetic approach in fighting insecurity such that Anambra is today one of the safest states in the country. It was an intentional decision to take back our state. Also early this year, we signed into law, the homeland security law that formalized the Agunechemba and the Udo ga- achi security intervention force. With this, places where people dared to pass, like Upper Iweka in Onitsha, had become sights to behold with water fountains now." He recalled that when he was campaigning, the only thing Onitsha traders demanded was for him to make the city safe for them to carry out their businesses, noting that although it is not yet uhuru, the difference is there for everyone to see. Soludo said his administration is developing Anambra State with the intention of what the state would be in another 100 to 200 years. "Our projection is that by 2070, we will have about 35million people living in this place called Anambra and everywhere would have been built up." Soludo expressed happiness about the steady rise of Anambra State through successive administration, stating that the state has been on an upward trajectory all along. Commending the former governors of the state, Soludo said: "In this 34 years of our existence, Anambra has been on an upward trajectory of development, from the military administrators to the democratically elected governors. From Chukwuemeka Ezeife to Mbadinuju to Ngige to Peter Obi, then Obiano and now, the state has been on upward trajectory." He said further: "We are prioritizing investment over transient consumption. Our own model of stomach infrastructure is different and it is modelled towards creating opportunities for a wide range of people, to lift the boat for millions of people. We are not doing stomach infrastructure where we dip our hands in the government coffers to give few people money. That is not the kind of government we run, and people who are used to free money from government are not happy. There is very limited resources with government, so we don't have enough to share because the needs of the people are humongous. Our stomach infrastructure model is such that we have put money back into the hands of the people. The free education policy and the free antenatal are all putting money back in the pocket of the people because they keep back the money their would have paid. It is better than giving appointments to thousands of people who will do nothing; that is not the kind of stomach infrastructure we mean. "Our model of stomach infrastructure is much broader and creating value. You don't have to take the resources of the state and dash it to a few people and you call that stomach infrastructure. That is how we are wired."

By Iheanyi Chukwudi Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah will on Saturday, flag off the State's Free Fertilizer and Agricultural Inputs Distribution. The event which will hold at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, by 10am, will witness the official presentation of fertilizer and agricultural inputs to farmers in the state, at no cost. State Government had earlier scheduled the event to hold today at Akpawfu Farm Estate, Nkanu East Local Government but had to cancel and reschedule it to Saturday. In a statement by the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Hon. Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, the State regretted the inconveniences the change may cause the farmers and stakeholders. Hon. Ubru disclosed that his Ministry, under the leadership of Governor Mbah will distribute over 40,000 bags of fertilizers and other agricultural inputs across the 17 local governments of the state. He said the intervention will among other things boost farm productivity and crop yield, increase household income and enhance food security and eliminate hunger in communities of the state. The Commissioner recalled that, "In 2024, over 12,000 bags of fertilizers were given out free of charge, resulting in bumper harvests. This year, the government is determined to do even more!" He therefore, encouraged Registered farmers to take advantage of the available tractor services for mechanised farming.

By Madu Obi As Anambra marks the 34th anniversary of its creation, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze has commended the incumbent governor of the state, Professor Chukwuma Soludo for sustaining the momentum of development. While eulogizing the founding fathers of the state both dead and alive for their vision and efforts in creating the state, as well as the Governors who have recorded meaningful developments in their various tenures, Udeze said Soludo has been outstanding. In a goodwill message to the government and people of Anambra State to mark the occasion, Udeze, through his media aide, Mr. Emma Madu said: "Though the previous governments tried greatly in developing the state, the present Soludo administration is outstanding in view of the unprecedented milestones Governor Chukwuma Soludo has accomplished in all sectors of the state economy in just three years. Presently, Anambra State ranks very high among other states in the country, especially in economic and industrial revolution." The Speaker highlighted massive road infrastructure, improved health care system, employment opportunities, improved security architecture, youth empowerment, free education, agricultural revolution and improved environmental and urban regeneration among others as some of the gains of the Soludo administration. He praised the governor for building a world class Government House and Lodge befitting of a grade one state like Anambra, a project that had been on the drawing board since the creation of the state in 1991. According to Udeze, the development partnership between Governor Soludo and the present 8th Anambra State House of Assembly, has yielded positive results as the legislature has continued to enact laws and motions geared towards the overall development of the state, as well as the well-being of the citizenry. He called on affluent citizens, especially captains of industry in the state, to partner Governor Soludo in his efforts to transform the state's industrial sector in line with his think home philosophy and also to contribute to the security of the state. The Speaker enjoined the people to continue to pray for the peace and development of the state and generate maximum support for Governor Soludo to enable him to emerge victorious in the November 8 governorship election in the state.