Police kill seven suspected kidnappers

Seven out of the nine suspected kidnappers who abducted the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Government Development Area, Mr. Kehinde Bamgbetan recently were shot dead by the police.  Two other suspects have been arrested and are currently facing interrogation at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) Ikeja, Lagos. The leader of the gang was a Chinese national whose mother is a Nigerian. The suspects met their waterloo after they had abducted an Indian and the police stormed their hideouts.  The police were said to have condoned off the kidnappers camp in Agbara Area of Ogun States for over 72 hours before the gun battle ensued between them and the law enforcement agents.  After the smoke settled,…

Bishop Ezeonyia warns against disobedience to Church authority

-As Aba diocese ends Pastoral Meeting The Catholic Bishop of Aba, Most Rev. V.V. Ezeonyia has bared his mind in the latest happenings in the world, relating them to what is happening in the Church today. In his opening remarks at the Second Plenary Session of the Pastoral Council meeting of the Catholic Diocese of Aba, June 9 at Nneoma Hall, CKC Aba, Ezeonyia said that humanity is now tampering with nature. “I am sorely afflicted by what is happening in the world today.  There is something rotten in this world of ours now.   The core values are being turned upside down and it is frightening.  Take the area of marriage that is basic, now,…

Community appeals to Njaba SOLAD over abandoned road projects

The Okponakuma Community in Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State, has appealed to the Sole Administrator of the local government, Rtd. Captain Chris Ibekwe to look into the deplorable state of the roads in the area and direct the contractors who abandoned the projects to return to site. In an address read during the familiarization visit to the community, they decried the abandonment of some roads by the contactors handling the projects, especially the road that passes through the secretariat leading to their neighbouring towns Umuokpo and Nkume, the road from Timber Market through their community to Umunama-Atta on which they said work was started but abandoned among others. They said the community did not…

St. Hilary’s Parish rolls out the drums – As Archbishop inaugurates parish

It was jubilation galore throughout Amaukwu Orodo in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Sunday, June 2, 2013 when the entire community: Catholics and non-Catholics, men and women, youths and children, trooped out in their thousands to celebrate the inauguration of St. Hilary’s Catholic Parish, Amaukwu Orodo. The occasion which marked the maiden pastoral visit of the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, His Grace, Most Rev. A.J.V. Obinna to that church also, featured the administration of the Sacrament of confirmation on 47 candidates (10 boys and 37 girls). It would be recalled that the parish which was carved out of Stella Maris Catholic Church, Orodo in 2008 was assigned a parish priest in 2009….

Owerri residents go gaga over GOtv

After a publicity blitz, an aggressive marketing strategy, coupled with an exotic road show, which terminated at All Seasons Hotel, Owerri residents fell in love with GOTV, a new digital terrestrial television (DTT) which made its debut in the town on Saturday, June 8. Shortly after the publicity blitz, hundreds trooped to the All Season Hotel and GOtv outlet in Wetheral to subscribe. The main attraction of residents is not so much about the quality but the exciting launch offer of N9,900 inclusive of decoder, three months free subscription, internal and external antenna coupled with various local and international channels. “Gotv provides television lovers with a digital quality picture and sound and an exciting line…

Aba Diocese suspends Priest

The Catholic Diocese of Aba has announced the suspension of its priest, Rev. Fr. Barr. Ignatius Onyebuchi Nwoko for alleged disobedience to the Bishop and other allegations. The Decree of Interdict/Suspension published in the Aba Diocesan Newspaper, REX of June 2, 2013 reads: DECREE OF INTERDICT/SUSPENSION “I, +Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia (C.S.Sp.), the Catholic Bishop of Aba gave you, Reverend Father Barr. Ignatius Onyebuchi Nwoko the required canonical warnings (cf. Precept, dated February 2, 2008 and Second Admonition, dated May 7, 2013) that you must desist from the understated offences and misdemeanors, which include: Grave and absolute disobedience to your Local Ordinary (Canon 1371,S 2); Calumniously injuring the good name of the Local Ordinary (Canon 1390,…

Janet Dozie Foundation for Empowerment of Indigent widows

June 23, 2013 is international day of the widows. Janet Dozie Foundation is kick – starting the month with empowerment of widows in Imo State. From the 2006 population census, 49.7% of the total population of Imo State was women and 18% of total households in Imo State were headed by females and most of them widows.  In Imo State, widows are confronted with problems which include obnoxious practices and poverty.  The incidence of poverty due to female headed households was 56.5%.  Poverty lays a particularly heavy burden on widows since they are the sole means of survival of their families.  The poverty of widows relate directly to their status. Indigent widows are core poor…

Imo CGC begins payment of pensions in rural areas -As Ada and Opara Imo competition holds tomorrow

The Imo State Community Government Council (CGC) has begun payment of pensions in the 637 communities in the state. The Commissioner for Community Government Council and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr. (Lady) Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro disclosed this while interacting with the press in Owerri on Monday. She said that cheques were being distributed to the pensioners in their various kindreds. Lady Nnanna-Okoro explained that pensioners who did not see their names were those who did not fill the forms distributed to pensioners in their various areas. Barr. Okoro announced that the grand finale of Ada and Opara Imo competition will take place on Monday, May 27 at the Ahiajioku Conference Centre New Owerri. The Commissioner said the contestants…

Community Government: Is it viable?

Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has on several occasions enumerated what Imo people stand to gain from embracing his Fourth-Tier System of Government, otherwise called, Community Government.  The novelty of it all, being that the state power base will, as it were, relocate from Douglas House Owerri (Government House) to the various autonomous communities in the 27 local government areas of the state. According to the new structure, the duly recognized traditional ruler of each autonomous community will preside over the Community Government Council (CGC), which will include: a Government Liaison Officer (GLO), a Community Liaison Officer (CLO), a Woman leader, Youth leader and Secretary.  The concept is to bring development close to the people as…

Dr Joe Obi-Njoku : Rising from the Grassroots

Imagine him chopping wood with an axe.  Imagine him also shirtless, barefoot, a climbing robe “akpi” on his left shoulder and a machete in his right hand, dividing the bush and heading for the nearest palm tree to cut down the ripe fruits for sale, so he and his family could eat.   Imagine him again taking bamboos from the raffia palm and carefully weaving the traditional bamboo bed – “okpukpo,” (agada in some dialet)  also to make a living. Finally, see him riding an old bicycle from his home at Umueme, Uzagba, in Ikeduru local government, to Mbaise to go to college.   That’s the life of Dr Joe Obi-Njoku, as a young man,…