ANAMBRA: Residents of Igboukwu community flee over imported shrine

A shrine reported to have been imported from Umueri community, in Anambra East Local Government Area, has scared away residents of Umuechefu Obiuno quarters, in Igboukwu community, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to reports, the shrine named ‘Iyioji Ogbu’ is on a genocide mission to the area, forcing residents to flee the quiet community in droves for fear that they might be consumed by the spell of the shrine.

Sources say the shrine was erected in the family compound of two siblings over their alleged indebtedness of N10 million worth of goods as the people who brought the shrine had approached it to kill the debtors, their families and others who benefit from them.

Before the shrine was planted in the compound of the pair, they were both reportedly invited by the chief priest to the shrine at Umueri with N5,000 delivery service cost and a crate of beer to come and defend themselves on the said debt allegation, but they failed to appear claiming there was no such debt owed.

For this, the accusers took the shrine to their family compound on March 18, 2017, which has continued to cause uncertainty, tension and fear.

Consequently, residents were said to have started fleeing in droves, which made the siblings to petition the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sam Okaula, through their counsel, Barr. Muoneke Eliseus Kanayo, pleading that the man who took them to the shrine, the chief priest and his errand boys should be arrested and prosecuted.

Buhari backs out from Monday’s visit to Sambisa Forest

President Muhammadu Buhari and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria will no longer be at this year’s Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship holding in the Sambisa forest on Monday March 26.

Earlier, the Chief of Training and Operations, Army, Major General David Amadu, had during a press briefing on Friday in Maiduguri to kick-start the NASAC 2017 championship, said the championship would be formally declared open by the President on Monday, March 27, 2017.

According to him, President Buhari will be accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mannir Ali and Service Chiefs, Chief of Defense Staff, General Gabriel Olanisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Sadique and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Obet Ebas.

However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.Tukur Buratai on Saturday said President Buhari would only be represented at the opening of the event by the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Dan-Ali.

The army boss stated this when he addressed newsmen in Maiduguri on the final arrangements for the event.

He said, “We have been in the North East, fighting the Boko Haram terrorists, and you know the significance of the Sambisa forest to them. It used to be one of their centres; in fact, we suspect that their command and control centre was located there before its eventual capture.’’

Buratai hinted that the reason for holding the event at Sambisa forest was for the Nigerian Army to consolidate its operations in the place and ensure it is secured.

“We also want the place to be dominated by our troops and also to get firm control, so that we will continue to dominate the area.

“The Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship is part of the training activities scheduled for 2017. It is a championship among the formations of the Nigerian Army. The objective of the event is to sharpen the marksmanship skills of the army personnel,” he explained.

Sambisa forest was the headquarters of Boko Haram until they were eventually flushed out of the place by the military in December last year.

Ambode unhappy Fashola’s ministry is frustrating Lagos projects

The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday expressed dismay that the Federal Ministry of Works, under a former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, could be the one frustrating his administration’s projects.

Among the projects he accused Fashola of frustrating is the state government’s plan to carry out a total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi.

Ambode expressed this worry when he spoke with government house correspondents at the Lagos House as soon as he finished carrying out an extensive inspection of some critical projects in the state.

According to the governor, the current state of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Road has become a national disgrace and needs urgent attention.

Adding that his administration at the moment has a design for the reconstruction of the road as well as the funds to embark on the project, he however regretted that the Federal Ministry of Work under Fashola was yet to grant the approval.

“The road linking Oshodi to the International Airport, you would all agree with me is a national embarrassment. In the spirit of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve, we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate the 2017 budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport.

“The state currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the international airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the local airport. The contractor is already set to go and everything as I said has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a federal and not a state road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past,” he said.

Ambode, who lamented that the federal government was indebted to the state to the tune of N51 billion spent on repairing federal roads over the years, wondered why Federal Government is refusing to approve his administration’s effort to immediately transform the airport road to world class standard.

Ambode said, “I just want to remind Lagosians that prior to my becoming governor the Federal Ministry of Works owed Lagos State a total of N51billion as reimbursement for reconstruction that was carried out by the state government on federal roads in the state.

“So obviously, what we are asking for is that whatever it is that we are asking for, it can never be up to the N51billion that they owe us.

“I just want to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Works, to let go or reimburse us with whatever it is that they owe us and even if they are not willing to pay us now, we have the money to do it. It is a national disgrace and we would not be part of it. We would like to do it as part of the celebration of Lagos at 50.”

Ambode further regretted that six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved the handover of the Presidential Lodge, Marina, the state government was yet to gain access into the premises.

“One of the key venues that we need to celebrate the real essence of Lagos, the historic place that we refer to as Presidential Lodge is still more or less being tossed about in terms of being handed over to us. We believe strongly that by May 27, 2017, we should be able to invite Mr. President and other people who have actually made Lagos what is it today to that Presidential Lodge for the final banquet and dinner to mark Lagos at 50.

“As we speak, we are yet gain entrance into that place and this is frustrating our programme. So I want to use this medium to appeal and say that the approval of Mr. President should be rightly honoured and the agencies concerned, that is the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Security Services should honour that promise by Mr. President. We just believe strongly that we must proceed to gain access into that place so that we can roll out our programmes for Lagos at 50,” he said.

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