Flight Operations Yet To Commence At Enugu Airport

Disquiet has greeted the non-commencement of flight operations at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, more than one week after the facility was commissioned in a lavish ceremony.

This has made many observers to begin to see the commissioning ceremony performed by the Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika as ‘deceptive.’


Orient Daily reports that commercial flights are yet to start landing at the airport despite the pronouncement by the Minister. Also worrisome is the litany of uncompleted projects littering the place.

However, the South-East Governors have made clarifications on the uncompleted projects, insisting that all was well.

They said contrary to belief in some quarters, the people of the South-East were not deceived by the Federal Government. They spoke through the Works Committee set up by the Forum to monitor the rehabilitation work at the Airport.

Chairman of the Committee, Engr. Chris Okoye said everything needed for commercial flights to resume had been put in place. However, though Okoye had assured that flights would commence on Monday, September 7, that is yet to happen.

Okoye, who emphatically disclosed that the first phase of the project had been completed, said the terminal building rehabilitation was not part of the initial contract. He disclosed that most of the second phase projects were initiated following the intervention of the committee.

He identified the first phase of the project to include the rehabilitation of the runway, the airfield lighting, the runway markings and minor associated works with the runway.



Most of these, he said, have been completed, apart from the airfield lighting contract which, he said, is expected to have gotten to a level that allows night operations at a visibility not less than 1000 meters by Monday September 7.

The committee listed the ongoing projects which Okoye said are being handled by FAAN and other stakeholders to include the terminal building, which is at 35% completion. Others are the Entrance Toll Gate, drainage work, Aviation clinic perimeter fence/access road which were not part of the initial project but embarked upon to give the airport a face-lift.

Engr. Okoye further noted that the ongoing jobs would not affect flight operations at the airport.

The second phase of the project, according to him, include: “EOC, clinic, external drainages, additional parking lot, renovation of the existing terminal building, entrance gate, and overlay of external roads.”

On the status of pending works, he said, “We should be able to achieve the following before Monday 7th September 2020- basic approach lighting system on both runways, runway edge lights, threshold and runway end lights, taxiway edge lights.

“The following equipment will be installed from 7th of September- runway centre light, touchdown zone lights, CAT I Approach on RWY, CAT II Approach on RWY, signage and stop bars.”

The chairman said: “There are other projects being handled by NAMA in upgrading the navigational facilities, including installation of new satellite communication (VSAT), which facilitates the availability of RCAG (Remote Control Air to Ground), ATS/DS (Air traffic Services Direct Speech – Airport to Airport hotline communication via satellite), AFTN (Data exchanges between Akanu Ibiam and other airports around the world via satellite).”

Others are installation of extended range VHF radio coverage for upper air communication for the South-East corridor using 127.3MHZ, installation of new signal lamp, installation of new rotating beacon, among others.

A source at the Airport, however, said stakeholders were still working out modalities for the commencement of commercial flight operations, which he said could happen before the end of the week.

Orientnewsdaily

Ex-Benue Governor, Suswan Urges NASS To Throw Away Water Resources Bill

Former Governor of Benue State and now Senator,representing Benue North East Senatorial District, Senator Gabriel Suswam has urged the National Assembly to discard the controversial Water Resources Bill.

Suswam, who described the bill as anti-people, argued that it was capable of causing confusion in the country if passed into law.

Suswam, who spoke on Friday at Katsina-Ala town, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of the state, during the official commissioning and inspection of projects by Governor Samuel Ortom, assured his constituents that the bill would not see the light of the day.

“The National Assembly will reject the Water Resources Bill in totality and in whatever form it comes. It is anti people, it is unacceptable and we will not accept it because it is not in the interest of the people.

“You have no reason to be afraid. There is no bill like that and as far as I am concerned, it is still a rumour. So, let us not worry about what does not exist.”

Senator Suswam further vowed that “they cannot sit down as representatives of the people and accept that the federal government should come and take over the waters of our state.”

He argued that the Land Use Act of 1978 mainly states that all land belongs to the state government alone, stressing that to introduce such a bill will require an amendment of the Constitution.

“The Constitution has not been amended so the bill is dead on arrival”.

Senator Suswam urged the Benue people, particularly his Sankara brothers and sisters to remain resolute in support of the Governor Samuel Ortom-led government, saying they must not repeat the fundamental mistake they made in 2015 but that they should support him and the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state in 2023 and beyond. He called on the people to take the projects as their own and protect it for the future development of the state.

Earlier, Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom had inaugurated the re-modeled Central Primary School, Katsina-Ala, Mbaton-Amafu Electricity Project in Katsina Ala and the Zaki Biam-Afia- Gbeji road in Ukum Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, the projects were part of his promises while canvassing for support in 2015, pledging that more projects would soon be established in the area. He therefore urged the people to rally behind him for more dividends of democracy.

Man Seeks Justice Over Daughter’s Defilement

A middle aged man whose daughter was raped on Edobor Street, Uwelu quarters in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Monday accused a boy Destiny Obiyan of being responsible for the crime.

Okehelem Palace Oyenma made the allegation in Benin during a protest march to the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council. According to him, the suspect allegedly lured his six-year-old daughter with rice and egg.


Oyenma said he became aware that all was not well with his daughter when he noticed that she was bleeding profusely from her private part. “He took my daughter through the backyard to his own house, and bought her rice and egg. My daughter told me that after feeding her, he pulled her pant, put his fingers and after that, he inserted his penis.

“After that, my daughter started bleeding seriously. So, because of the curfew, the vigilante group assisted me and my wife to look for my daughter that night, not knowing that she was with this Destiny Obiyan in his house.

“She told me that after he finished raping her, he asked her if she could find her way back home. We wanted her to take us to the house of the rapist that night but she said she couldn’t locate the house that night. So the following day, I asked her to take her mother to the rapist house while I went to the Textile Mill Police Station to lay a complaint.



“When the police and l got to Obiyan’s house, we met him and his native doctor, with his charms, inside his parlour.

“According to the native doctor, they have already gone to buy drugs for my daughter to stop her bleeding. On the floor were a handkerchief stained with her blood and some other charms were on display on the floor.

“The police further arrested the boy and the native doctor. The rapist said he sent two persons, a boy and a young lady to buy the drugs and that they spent N2,000 for the drugs,” he said.

Oyenma said the test conducted on her showed that she was defiled. “The test results from the police clinic and from the government hospital have shown that there were penetrations,” the distraught father said.

He called on the police to investigate and ensure that his daughter got justice.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP, Chidi Nwanbuzor, said the matter was already in court.

Orientdailynews

Foundation Warns Hospitals Against Donated Equipment Diversion

Beneficiaries of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) medical equipment and other supplies have been warned against sale or diversion of the materials.

Founder of the organization, Sir Emeka Offor who gave the warning in Oraifite, Anambra state during the foundation’s second phase donation of medical equipment worth billions of naira to 21 tertiary medical institutions, said culprits risked prosecution.


Ofor, represented by the Chief of Staff of the foundation, AIG Chris Ezike (rtd) said the warnings on profiteering from the donations was informed by past experiences, describing the caveat as precautionary to ensure beneficiaries did not feign ignorance. He said, “We are talking from two experiences, from issues of corporate governance and from history. When you’re making donations, especially when it is free, it will be immoral and unethical for beneficiaries to make profits out of them.

“Secondly, we learn from history. We’ve seen most items donated by UNICEF and WHO in the market where they are being sold. It is good to be precautious. If it is not used for the intended purpose, it would hurt us morally.

“If we noticed you’re diverting them, you’ll be prosecuted. If you sell it, you’ll face the consequences of stealing. It’s punishable by our status. Besides, giving such persons again will be far-fetched.



“We’ve put in place post-donation monitoring. We have an in-house public health consultant, who will visit all the beneficiaries to find out whether we’re really getting value for our time.”

Offor further explained that the donations were informed by the founder’s vision of touching lives and improving the living conditions of the marginalized and impoverished Nigerians.

“The realisation by SEOF that health is wealth and the heathier any population, the more economically productive they may be. Besides, we need to support government efforts as a private and non-governmental initiative,” he added.

Also speaking, Deputy Managing Director, Enugu Electricity Distribution Plc (EEDC), Paul Okeke said the gesture was occasioned by decline in quality of graduates from nation’s educational institutions, pledging the firm’s continued partnership with the foundation in initiatives targeted at the development of the South East.

On his part, Chief Medical Director, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe whose institution was among the beneficiaries regretted the ugly situation of the nation’s health institutions.

Igwegbe who was represented by Dr Ogochukwu Ezejiofor expressed optimism that the donation would improve quality healthcare in the state’s health institutions.

Orietdailynews

Niger Delta Activist Warns FG Against Scrapping Amnesty Programme

A sociopolitical activist and founder of a pressure group called Niger Delta Youth Coalition (NDYC), Comrade Kennedy West has said that any attempt to scrap the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) will attract grave consequences.

Speaking to Orient Daily in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, the youth activist noted that there were actions being taken by the federal government which were suggestive of underground plots to scrap PAP to the detriment of the people of the oil rich region.


According to him, branding the current coordinating committee of the amnesty programme led by Col. Milland Dikio (rtd) as “interim” by the federal government leaves much to be desired.

“If you can recall, about a month ago, we heard our Ijaw father, Pa E.K. Clark and other notable leaders of the Niger Delta cried out that the federal government was planning to wind down the amnesty programme but we thought it was a joke.

“But the present body language of the government really shows that they are on the move to wind down the programme. There has never been a time that the amnesty programme had an interim administrator. What is that word ‘interim’ doing there?

“We had Paul Boro as a coordinator, we just had Prof. Charles Dokubo as coordinator, then why the interim now? There are some other antics that are pointer to that effect.



“If you go through the correspondence on how Prof. Charles Dokubo was removed, you will find out that six months before Dokubo was suspended, there was a committee called caretaker committee headed by the present National Security Adviser.

“The question you will ask yourself is, is it possible that while Prof. Charles Dokubo was amnesty coordinator, there was a pseudo committee that was not known to the public behind him, giving him instructions? It was that committee that recommended to Mr. President that Dokubo should be removed even when they found nothing against him.

“It is sad to note that all the Niger Delta contractors to the amnesty programme have not been paid. Not too long ago, you saw a protest of contractors not being paid. All contractors from the north have all been paid. Why is it that the Niger Delta contractors have not been paid? All of this is to see that our people are frustrated

“Through the North/East Development Commission, they want to send repentant Boko Haram members abroad to go and study but since this government came in, there have been efforts to bring all our people that are studying abroad back to Nigeria.

On the likely consequences should the federal government scrap the amnesty programme, the River state Ijaw-born youth leader said, “the federal government knows the consequences that will befall the economy once they wind up the programme. You don’t need to hear it from me.

“Let us understand that the Niger Delta never begged for amnesty, the federal government pleaded with them and in their own volition and with calls from fathers and elders of the region, they decided to sheath their weapons.

“Eleven years down the line, the federal government should ask themselves whether they have been able to keep to their promise. They should ask themselves whether they have been able to develop the Niger Delta region.”

Tears As Court Adjourns DELSU Student’s Murder Trial

Tears flowed freely on Tuesday in Asaba, Delta state from relations of the slain Elozino Ogege when the trial of the suspected killers of their daughter was adjourned by the Asaba High Court till October 21,2020.

Apart from the Ogege’s relations who were seen weeping openly, sympathisers, who thronged the court for the proceedings, could also not hold back tears as they wept profusely at the court premises, gnashing their teeth as they rained curses on the suspects.


Recall that Elozino Ogege, a 300-Level mass communication student of the Delta State University (DELSU) was, few months ago, allegedly murdered by suspected ritualists.



However, the suspects, who had been standing trial for months now, have pleaded not guilty while the trial was adjourned following the inability of the defence counsel to file his final written address on the trial within trial within the timeframe stipulated by the court. However, at the resumption of proceedings for adoption of the final written address for the trial within trial, counsel to the third defendant, Barr Ben Okoh, made an oral application for the extension of time to regularise the filing of his written address as his initial filing was done out of time.

According to Okoh “My Lord, today was supposed to be for the adoption of final written address for trial within trial, but (sic) I am appealing for the extension of time to regularise the filing of my client’s final written address because we filed out time before now.”

The presiding judge, Justice F. N. Azinge was visibly angry, and scolded the counsel for filing the written address out of time.



Justice Azinge further warned that she would no longer entertain such application from the defence counsel, disclosing that she was granting the application to enable the defence counsel regularise the filing by or before the adjourned date, October 21, 2020.

In a mild drama, Elozino’s sympathisers resorted to curses on the suspects with their Bibles positioned to the sky in anger, invitinh God to pass for judgement over the suspected killers of the girl who they described as intelligent and humble but was, unfortunately, cut to size by the evil doers in their quest for wealth.

Cult clashes claim 2 lives in Aba

By Yolamchi Ukaga, Aba

Residents of Osusu and Omuma communities, in Aba south local government area of Abia state, have raised alarm over cult related activities, which they claimed have led to the killing of many youths in the area.

They appealed to the Abia state police command to investigate the activities

Read more here - https://orientdailynews.com/cr....ime/cult-clashes-cla

Condemnation trail Obiano’s SUV gift to loyal Anambra monarchs

By Gabriel Chy Alonta

Anambra residents and critics have continued to express their concern and dissatisfaction to the Anambra state government following the distribution of 151 SUV Innoson Vehicles to traditional rulers recently.

Several critics, Orient Daily reports, were of the opinion that such public resources could have been better channelled towards

Read more here - https://orientdailynews.com/ge....opolis/anambra/conde