Obiano presents N164.5bn as 2015 budget to lawmakers

Governor of Anambra State,Chief Willie Obiano,yesterday said the state government will spend the sum of N164.496 billion for 2015. Obiano said next year's budget of N164.496 billion represents only a marginal increase of 3.17 percent over the figure of N159.469 billion for 2014. The Governor who announced this development while presenting the 2015 Budget to members of Anambra State House of Assembly in Awka,yesterday stated that the sum of N1.8 billion has been approved for the initial take-off of the Contributory Pension Scheme for the workers. Giving the details of 2015 Budget titled,"Budget of Wealth Creation and Social Cohesion" before the House of Assembly members, the Governor said that the estimated amount for Capital Expenditure stands at N110.979 billion, while the sum of N53.517 billion has been set aside for recurrent expenditure. He also announced that the total recurrent revenue earning for 2015 was projected at N102.039 billion, comprising the sum of N48.040 billion derivable from Statutory Allocations, and the sum of N54 billion expected from the internally generated revenue. He stated that the policy direction of next year's budget is consistent with the broad policy thrust of providing adequate support for what he described as "Economic Pillars and Enablers",and ensuring /;' that the cost of governance is adequately provided for. Obiano further announced that the government was already experiencing a decline in the State's share of revenue from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee,a development that was expected to continue in 2015. He stated that in 2015 Fiscal Year, that the government would strive to develop more agricultural land across the State to enhance food security, investment in education will be further enhanced by the vigorous implementation of UNIDO-Assistant Entrepreneurship education for Senior Secondary Schools, as well as by the State Education Programme Investment Project,a World Bank Assisted Project. Next years budget will be the very first by the Obiano administration as he has all along since his swearing in been working on that bequeathed him by the Obi administration, which is tagged, budget of integrated development VI.

Welcome to D'Chyddy Eleke's blog: Oliver De Coque: Another year after, without honou...

Welcome to D'Chyddy Eleke's blog: Oliver De Coque: Another year after, without honou...: Like other years(I do a yearly piece in remembrance of Oliver De Coque), I did two things before settling down to write this piece. I played...

Oliver De Coque: Another year after, without honour

Like other years(I do a yearly piece in remembrance of Oliver De Coque), I did two things before settling down to write this piece. I played most of Oliver’s hit music on my laptop, which I had taken time to pay a disk Jockey to load into a flash disk for me. Anywhere I settled down to work with my system, I first plug in my flash disk to listen to that deep baritone, yet velvety voice of the man known as Sunday Oliver Akanite, alias Oliver De Coque. The second thing I did was that as usual, I took time to drive from my base, Awka, all the way to Ezinifitte, Nnewi South local council area. Anyone who knows Anambra well will accept that no one leaves Awka for some parts of Nnewi South without having good reasons to do so. The reason is the distance, and the bad terrain as it is situated on a hill with rocky and bumpy roads. I had good reasons, and my reason was to see how much of government presence has been registered in and around Oliver De Coque’s compound since the last time I was there. Beyond these two things, I did one thing that is different this year, I also traced and found one of the sons of the late music Maestro who is also a musician, and who has stepped into his late father’s shoes, playing highlife music, and just dropped a new album that almost everyone mistakes for Oliver De Coque’s album. His name is Edu Oliver De Coque. Lately he has been getting invitation to perform for many people who love his dad’s genre of music. If you love Oliver’s music and miss his electrifying performance, then invite his son; he is a chip off the old block, in looks, and performance, and you can be sure Oliver De Coque has reincarnated…sorry for the digression, we were talking Oliver not Edu. Beyond this, I also met and spoke with the younger brother of Oliver De Coque, Gaius Akanite, a friendly and frank guy, lanky in build and blunt to speech. Gaius confided in me that after their mother’s death(She was a priestess), the god choose him to replace her and he has been dutifully serving the god, as such resides in the village. Gaius personally conducted me round Oliver’s uncompleted mansion which was a masterpiece, and ended up in front of the building by a side, where he announced, ‘now see where a super star was buried’, and almost immediately he started to weep like a baby. Now, to start the story straight. I was at Oliver’s two years ago, I could not visit last year because of workload, but during my visit two years ago, I submitted that life must be nasty and short for Igbo people if one of Oliver’s status could be so easily forgotten, I ended the piece by concluding that Oliver is not resting in peace because everyone had at death abandoned him. During my visit this year, I found the story to be the same, if not worse. The small farm path that was named Oliver De Coque Drive, with a small signboard announcing so has been overgrown with grasses, the signboard itself which helped me during one of my previous visit to locate the maestro’s home has been removed. And with this, the name of Oliver De Coque further sunk into oblivion. Gaius was among the last children of the late priestess who was also mother of Oliver, she had six boys and a girl and Oliver was the first, Eugene de coque the third, Ogonna the only girl the fourth and Gaius the sixth. According to Gaius, Oliver started early to show signs of loving music, and during his teenage age when he was sent to Aba to learn to make shoes, Oliver will rather jump from one club house to the other to help other established musicians with one instrument or the other too. He became known in the social circle in that town, and soon he had dumped the shoe making thing and gone full blast into music following musicians, he was joined by his look alike younger brother, Eugene, and they became an item in the Aba music scene and the rest is history. I was wrapped in attention as Gaius spoke, but my attention was still divided; that was between what he was saying and himself. I met Oliver close up during his lifetime, and can tell his similarities with Gaius. Though Gaius was frail and clean shaven, but looking at him closely, one cannot wish away the similarities in both brothers. He had that Oliver look, and his clean shave was such that if his ambition was to nurture his beard, he will certainly have that look of the highlife king. But what held me spell bound is his ability to lace his discussions with Igbo proverbs, and he threw a lot in a very short while. I personally learnt half the Igbo proverbs I know from Oliver’s music, and the rest from Achebe’s novels and just a little more from other sources, and Gaius was the bomb where proverbs were. During my discussion with him, he posited that Oliver never knew he will die, contrary to what was peddled about then, that he was a high ranking member of a secret society and may have known that his time was up. He also revealed that Oliver’s immediate family was in tatters, resulting from his being a polygamous man(Oliver had four wives and several children). According to him, “What manner of man will know he is dying and will not make the necessary arrangements for the survival of his family when he has gone? He did not even make a will and his children have been at loggerheads with each other.” The height of his grief was when he showed this reporter the grave where Oliver was buried. He reported that several times, he has had to entertain visitors from far and wide who come to know where Oliver hailed from, and his most difficult moments after touring his palatial; even though uncompleted house was when they demanded to know where Oliver was buried. Oliver was buried in front of his mansion, as supposed of a man of his status, but the snag is that this reporter almost could not find the grave when he was showed because the already flat earth of the grave was heaped with some iron rods and some used clothes which now serve as rags and were dumped on the grave. According to Gaius the Indians who came visiting refused to believe that Oliver was buried in the place they were shown. Not even a cementing, not even tilling which would cost close to nothing, the whole place is just not befitting. The state of his grave however does not compare to the ignominy in the family, occasioned by the fight for supremacy among his children. It was gathered that as a result of the infighting, the family had missed about N10million deal offered it by Olumo records, Oliver’s official record label to produce most of his fit music in videos. The company had demanded for Eugene, one of Oliver’s brothers, who was also into music and was a thorough look alike of his to perform in the video, but the children felt it would amount to bypassing them if Oliver’s brother was used, and in that way they lost the deal. The situation is not diffent in the case of the equipments oliver left behind. For years after oliver’s death, his musical instruments, which were known to be some of the best used in Nigeria which were brought back from Lagos and left unpacked in a bus in his compound were found to have all bee damaged. According to Gaius, only the generation set, which was a gigantic lister which Oliver took with himself everywhere he played to ensure that his equipments worked optimally could be said to be still manageable. In his lifetime, Oliver used the best bands, trumpets, guitar and other munical instrument. He was a man of class and his class manifested in everything he owned. Before I knew Oliver, some one while describing him and trying to emphasis on the costliness of his guitar and his ability to play it had exaggerated that Oliver could drop his guitar on the stage in the course of his performance and let it play by itself by just speaking to it. That was just one of the myths that surrounded him. Not done, the Highlife maestro is said to have left several written tracks of his music during the time of his death, and several companies have approached them to get it, but because of the fight for superiority between Oliver’s numerous children, the deal never manifested. With all these, one can be sure to conclude as I did years back that Oliver is not resting in his sleep. Once, I had suggested that as a way of immortalizing Oliver for all his contributions which include the propagation of Igbo culture and language, the exaltation of the culture of hard work that a music institute he established by his home state government. In Lagos, Fela Kuti may have died over 15 years ago, but folks who believe in him have done a lot to see he does not go into oblivion, but if we cannot do a yearly remembrance for Oliver, we should be able to institute a school that will even yield revenue to the state. An Igbo proverb says that a man rejected by others does not reject himself, so if the world, if Nigeria, if the south east has rejected Oliver, his home state government; Anmbra should not. His Nnewi axis, North and South Should not, and the south LGA of Nnewi particularly should not. I have drummed this for years, but the past government of Mr Peter Obi in Anambra State did not pay any heed, but with a new helms man in the person of Chief Willie Obiano, who has shown signs of being a lover of entertainment, one can be sure to make another gamble, with the hope that the man; Oliver De Coque will be recognized. Gaius told this reporter that, “I want to reveal that it was Imo State government that buried Oliver for us. Our home state government did virrtually nothing except attending on the very day of the burial, but Imo State government remained in contact with us throughout the period of the preparation of his burial and they also consoled our family very well.” In the course of interraction, Gaius went down memory lane to speak about the person of Oliver De Coque during their growing up days, to his death, and his interactions with his brothers, parents, and brothers’ children. Most intriguing is, “He is such a jovial personality. If you walk into this compound and Oliver in here, you will be able to say so, even without seeing him. You will see happiness on the face of everyone around and that is what he does most. When our mother wants to stop him from playing with children too much, he will tell you that that is one of the thing that gives him inspiration. “Another thing that gives him inspiration he said is living a big life. I remember when he was, Oliver will come home with the latest model of any car he drives. He will wear wrist watches that are worth million and our mother will scold him for being so wasteful, but he will simply tell our mother that if only she knew the kind of people he interacted with, she will encourage him to look rich, so as to meet the taste of those he did business with. “On one particular occasion he came home with an SUV, very expensive, and usually he will tell mama that he bought this car for so and so amount, and mama would shout. Mama on that occasion scolded him for buying that car on the premise that there was a lot to be done with money and that he would be attracting attention to himself, but Oliver got annoyed and left. When he travelled back to Lagos, he could not cope. He returned back after some weeks to beg mama to forgive him that since he travelled back, he had not been able to compose any music.” I had in previous articles submitted that Oliver in his lifetime lived a life that was distinct, as a musician he did not follow the bandwagon, but carved a strong identity for himself. His trademark beard, his dress sense, his velvety voice and his ability to handle almost all music instruments and especially his dexterity on the guitar which saw him as the user of the costliest guitar in Nigeria. Unlike this day when anyone who holds the microphone well and has the youthfulness to jump about the stage and echo lewd words is regarded as a musician, Anambra State governor should seize the opportunity of immortalizing Oliver to set up a music institute in his name to also draw musical tourists to the state to come and learn to make good music and also earn revenue for the state. It will surprise one that most of the youngsters in music are making good money from the sector, even though they are not well prepared from what they do, so sitting a music institute in Anambra and equipping it with some of the best musical instrument and the best brains in music as teachers will surely draw students from across the country to Anambra. Chief Willie Obiano(Akpokuodike) try this and see the result and you will say I told you. David-Chyddy Eleke(07039853422), a journalists, blogger and social commentator wrote in through donbaron2004@gmail.com.

IMMIGRATION APPREHENDS 400 FOREIGNERS LIVING IN ANAMBRA

Anambra State Command of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) yesterday, arrested over 400 illegal immigrants into Anambra State. The illegal immigrants were arrested at different points in five Local Government area of Awka North and South, Onitsha North and South and Nnewi North council areas. Upon interrogation and profiling by the men and officers of Immigration service at their state headquarters in Awka, it was discovered that most of the suspected illegal immigrants have no residence permit or ECOWAS travelling certificate. Some of the suspects turned violence and refused arrest as one of them identified as Suleman Yahaya stabbed one of the officers of Immigration service with his dagger which he tied on his waste. As at press time, the officer was rushed at an undisclosed hospital for treatment. Briefing newsmen in his office, the newly posted Controller of Immigration, Anambra state Command, Mr. Chude Darlinton said the exercise is the immigration’s routine mop up operation by the service to secure the State and nation by identifying foreigners who found themselves in the country through illegal routs. He informed that after profiling, Nigerians among them will be allowed to go while the illegal immigrants will be repatriated, even as he warned those who has invalid travelling document to regularise their stay as the command is committed in riding the state off illegal immigrants. “We have our systematic way of doing that and that is why we keep our eyes on the immigrants in Anambra state because we want to make sure that all illegal immigrants leave the state. “Some of them who are guilty will be taken to the Service headquarters, Abuja for our Controller general, Mr. Paradan David to see them before repatriating them” he said. Mr. Darlinton said the Service is cuing into the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano’s principles of riding the state off all suspected criminal elements, hoping that the State governor will extend his good gesture to the NIS to enable them carry out their civic responsibilities. Collaborating the State Controller’s stand, the Officer in charge of Border Patrol ECOWAS, African Affairs and state Deputy Controller of Immigration, Mr Gilbert Ilogu said the service is facing lots of challenging in terms of boarder control as, according to him, Nigeria has over 400 legal border patrol. “To curb the influx of illegal immigrants into the country, federal government has set up a special taskforce to study the boarders and discover more routs. Government has also put in place the training of border patrol officers and the Immigration service headquarters has deployed a lot of officers, courtesy of our Controller General, Mr. Paradan David” he said.

Police teargassed Tambuwal, No he used thugs to beat up police says PPRO

THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM POLICE SAYING WHY THEY PREVENTED TAMBUWAL FROM ENTERING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TODAY AND HOW TAMBUWAL USED POLICE TO BULDOZE HIS WAY INSIDE. Following an intelligence report of a likely invasion of the House of Representatives by hoodlums and thugs, the Nigeria Police Force promptly deployed its personnel to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Consequently, the Police condoned the area and began screening of all members and visitors alike. In the course of this lawful exercise, Alh. Aminu Tambuwal CFR, arrived the venue with a motley crowd, who broke the cordon, assaulted the Police and evaded due process and the Police had the duty to restore order and normalcy, using lawful means The IGP seizes this medium to warn all political actors and their followers to respect constituted authority and due process and to desist from the use of thugs to pursue their agenda. The Nigeria Police shall continually apply all lawful means to prevent a breakdown of law and order in all segments of the society and shall apply the full weight of the law on any political actor who violates the peace and security of the nation. Ag. CP EMMANUEL C. S. OJUKWU, psc FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS.

BREAKING: Senate President, Mark, orders immediate closure of National Assembly plus pictures of senators running from teargas

The Senate President, David Mark, has announced an immediate closure of the National Assembly after an attempt to stop the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, from the assembly, plunged the complex into chaos. Police fired teargas to push back a surging crowd Thursday after Mr. Tambuwal was denied access thrice before his loyalists smuggled him into the House of Representatives’ chamber later. Apparently invoking his powers as the chairman of the National Assembly, Mr. Mark announced an immediate adjournment of the two chambers till Tuesday to forestall a breakdown of law and order. Mr. Mark had reportedly met Mr. Tambuwal in solidarity after the speaker successfully gained access into the chamber. The House of Representatives was in session at the time of the announcement, and it is yet unclear whether the chamber will abide by Mr. Mark’s declaration.

SEE HOW PETER OBI'S MOTHER'S SIS WAS SACKED BY OBIANO GOVT AS LG CHAIR... THE WAR HAS JUST BEGUN

Feelers have shown that the Onitsha South LA|GA chairman, Lady Chukwuneke who was impeached byu the council's legislature last month may have been out of malice resulting from the Obi, Obiano face off. A source who refused to be named told this blog that Lady Chukwuneke is a sister to former Gov Peter Obi's mother, and the plan to impeach her was hatched to spite Obi who has fallen apart with his godson after leaving APGA. The source said there was nothing tangible for which Chukwuneke was impeached, except that she was accused of high handedness and siphoning of funds, which he said is all lies. The source recalled that Ihiala council chairman was removed by a competent court but the state government insisted that he continues, but for what can pass as a kangaroo impeachment, the state government is bent on removing her. Al ready a panel has been set up, and the source said the panel has the mandate to stay action on on the impeachment.

APGA appeal panel clears PDP Chieftain, Ukachukwu for senate

The APGA appeal panel has upturned the disqualification of Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, a former PDP chieftain who last two weeks purchased the APGA nomination form to run for the Anambra South senatorial election. Ukachukwu was last weekend disqualified by the APGA screening panel led by Alhaji Tayo Sowunmi on the premise that having moved from one party to another, there is the tendency that he would dump the party and return to PDP if elected a senator. The screening panel also stated that it refused to clear Ukachukwu over a pending charge, No FHC/LP/CR/08/2015 at the federal high court. The clearance of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu for the senate seat in the South Senatorial Zone by the appeal committee Tuesday has however heightened tension in the party. The appeal committee headed by Chief Tony Ojielo faulted Ukachukwu’s disqualification last weekend and also went ahead to clear him to run for the election. Following his clearance, fear has enveloped all the contestants both in APGA and PDP that Ukachukwu would dwarf any other contestant in the zone with his money and political weight. Others already cleared to contest the primaries of the party in the state included the National Chairman of (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, former (NCC’s) vice chairman Ernest Ndukwu, former commissioners in the state, chief Maja Umeh, Dubem Obaze and Senator Chris Ngige’s former Deputy Governor, Dr. Okey Udeh. Before his clearance yesterday by APGA appeal committee, Ukachukwu in his petition, had cited the cases of former Governors Chimaroke Nnamani, Boni Haruna, Senator Iyiola Omisore who had cases with (EFCC) and yet were allowed to contest elections in the country. Besides, he said the court had not found anything against him, stressing that it was therefore correct as he filled his expression of interest and nomination forms that had not been tried of any criminal offence. According to the petition, “It is obvious that the pendency of charge N0: FHC/LF/CR/8/2010 is not conviction envisaged by section 66 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria from where APGA copied the disqualification clause, I have come to APGA to stay and not planning to defect because of the love the people had shown” “I am a sure candidate if I scale through the primaries to win a senatorial seat for APGA for the first time in Anambra state” “The story of imaginary defection is the handiwork of political jobbers to disqualify a sure winner. It is reading the mind of another person and not a reason”. “Moreover, it is high-handedness and unfair of the screening committee to veer outside the party’s guidelines to disqualify an aspirants”, he said. After going through the petition, the appeal panel said, “we therefore allow the appeal and set aside the decision of the screening committee” “Prince Nicholas Chukwujekwu Ukachukwu is hereby cleared to contest the Anambra South Senatorial primaries of APGA for 2015 National Assembly Elections”

New MASSOB decry Uwazurike's deceit, call for release of 22 detainees

The leadership of the progressive members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (P-MASSOB) has described Chief Ralph Uwazurike as a deceit. The group which is an off-shoot from Uwazurike's MASSOB said it has now become clear that the MASSOB chief was only capitalising on the gullibility of its members to dupe them, while raking in millions and leaving his members impoverished. In a press release signed for the new group by its Information director, Uchenna Madu, the group called the attention of Anambra State Government over the plight of 22 members of MASSOB detained in Awka and Onitsha prisons since April 2007 (7years) on frivolous charge of the treasonable felony. Part of the release reads, "Among the 22 detained members, one is a crippled man and two were female. They have been abandoned in the prison yard to rot away for being MASSOB members, about 15 of them need serious medical attention including the female and crippled members. "Several Court adjournments, transfer of judges who wants to establish justice and systematic delay of their trail has been the calculated method to frustrate their release at Federal high court Awka and State high court Ogidi. "The names of the detained MASSOB members at Awka prison are Sabastine Amadi, Ikechukwu Chikwem, Peter Igbokwe, Uchenna Nicholas, uche Idika, Casmir Odokara, Eni Kalu, Chidiebere Ezekwem, Chima Asoh (cripple), Ojimba Anyanwu, Ndubuisi Okam, Emmanuel Orji, Micheal Okezie, Ikechukwu Aghari, Mmaduabuchi Asika, Chinwike Irondi, Chukwuma Kalu, while those at Onitsha prison are Innocent Orji, Chukwuebuka Ikenwa, Amah Onu, Okwudiri Basil (female) and Onyekachi Orji (female). "MASSOB appeals to President Jonathan, Gov. Willie Obiano, Human Right and Civil Society Organizations and other Progressive Igbo Leaders to intervene and effect their release because of their aged parents who were subjected to psychological trauma, many of the detainees are bread winners of their families, many of their children are no longer in schools, their wives has gone back to their respective villages. "They have realized that they are being deceived by Uwazurike and his false propagation of Biafra actualization using Ojukwu’s name to gain personal wealth and enhancing his political ambition. "Our brothers have died, many are dislodged as a result of MASSOB activities and abandoned by Uwazuruike. They are rotting away because of Uwazuruike’s MASSOB. "We appeal to Igbo leaders, Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State to help them as they have realize their mistake of following Uwazuruike’s vain promise of better Igboland through Biafra Actualization", the release stated. The group had months back split as a result of what most members termed high handedness by Uwazurike and selfishness, leading to the group seceding.

Members debunk rumours of trouble in APGA - Aggrieved members to protest today over endorsement of aspirants

Members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in Anambra Central Senatorial Zone have described as false the rumours of division in the party as a result of endorsement of some aspirants by the leadership of the party. The chairman of APGA in Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, Comrade Emeka Nwosu during the unveiling of the party’s website, logo and the presentation of Summit Awards to some party men said that the party has no form of division, and that it is still waxing strong with the hope of displacing PDP as the biggest party in the country in the next six years. Nwosu said the party is also endorsing the aspiration of the national Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh for having successfully welded the party together, and that this has brought unity in the party. He added that the primary election of the party will be fair, and will provide a level playing ground for all aspirants as that it the only way to ensure cohesion, unity and oneness in the party. He assured that the national chairman, Chief Umeh has pledged to ensure this. Meanwhile, HALLMARK gathered that already, things have started falling apart in the party as a result of perceived endorsement of the aspiration of some aspirants over those of others by the leadership of the party, creating the impression that the primary election will be everything short of fair and credible. A source who spoke to our correspondent yesterday during the award ceremony on the condition of anonymity said that aggrieved party men will besiege the party office and the government house today(Monday) in protest over the purported endorsement of some aspirants. The source queried why the national chairman will visit the home of Chief Emeka Ojukwu Jnr and speak openly of his endorsement when he knows they are other aspirants who bought the party’s nomination forms. “If they were supporting Ojukwu for the position, they should not have sold forms to other aspirants. This action is capable of killing the party. Three other people who bought the form to contest against Ojukwu are already feeling threatened. “In the same vain, a known PDP chieftain, Chief Ukachukwu is also said to have been penciled down for the ticket for Anambra South Senatorial zone against known party men. We also hear that the governor has also endorsed Senator Alphonsus Igbeke for Anambra North senate seat against former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters, Dubem Obaze. “These are the people that will likely be protesting tomorrow. If you look around, you will see that the hall here is empty, and who is being endorsed did not come. The protest is the reason the hall is this empty.” The source said.