Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State being conferred with a chieftaincy title of Ikemba of Mbaike by one of the traditional rulers of Mbaike during a civic reception organized in his honor by Mbaitoli and Ikeduru people at Iho Stadium..

Commerce and Industry Gets Best Ministry Award
The innovative approach to revitalization of ailing and moribund industries in Abia State by Governor Theodore Orji, which has seen the revival of many of such industries within the period of the administration has drawn the attention of the Institute of Direct Marketing of Nigeria (IDMN), which has named the Abia State Ministry of Commerce and Industry as the best Ministry of Commerce and Industry in West Africa.

According to the president- in-council of the body, Chief Mrs. Priscilla Kuye, the award was in recognition of excellence and merit in the manner government has handled the resuscitation of hitherto moribund industries within a short time in the saddle, stressing that Abia State has become a model for other states to emulate to bring industries back to life. She expressed hope that the administration of Dr. Theodore Orji would not relent in the commitment to reactivating industries and commercial activities in the state.

This, she noted would go a long way in tackling the unemployment problem and boost economic activities in the state. Receiving the award on behalf of the state government, Abia State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Prince Emeka Okafor, commended Governor Theodore Orji for his efforts towards industrializing the state through the reactivation of the ailing industries as well as creating an enabling environment for commercial activities to thrive. According to him, this is in line with the state government's determination to take the state to a higher level of economic development, adding that the award will spur the ministry to do more.

Edwin Atteh
Transport Union Gives Condition for Assisting in Crime Fighting
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Abia State chapter has offered to assist the Abia State Government in its effort to combat crime if it will satisfy their condition. The conditions, which are, however, few include the inclusion of their members in the Abia vigilante service or attach them to the state police command so that they can participate directly in checking the menacing activities of the hoodlums, especially kidnapers and armed robbers.

Also, the union is demanding from the state government adequate protection and cover for their members to avoid reprisal attacks from the miscreants. NURTW wants Abia State Government to streamline the operations of motor unions in the state by compelling them to belong to one umbrella union, NURTW, in order to make it easy to check the activities of the unions and correct the impression that motor parks are breeding grounds for criminals.

Speaking to journalists after the executive council meeting of the union in Umuahia last week, the chairman, Chief Sunny Nwakodo, noted that activities of other motor unions not recognized by law are jeopardizing the efforts at sanitizing the sector, adding that it is responsible for the confusion experienced by passengers at motor parks, making it difficult for their operations to be adequately checked.

He said that the call has become necessary in order to cut the unions into manageable size for proper monitoring; stressing that it would be difficult for any particular union to monitor the operation of the others with criminal tendencies unless they are brought under one umbrella body. According to him, this is responsible for the proliferation of private motor parks from where passengers and commuters are traced and kidnapped or robbed.

He also called on government to fulfill its promise of constructing the express park at Ohiya which would also serve as their state secretariat so that trucks and heavy duty vehicles plying the north and south of the country would not need to come into the capital city of Umuahia.

Chief Nwakodo explained that the offer to assist in the security situation in the state emanated from the fact that they have access to information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals because as drivers, they always come in contact with people on a daily basis who either tell their experience or narrate what they know about the criminals, but added that information alone is not enough, expressing fear that when such information is mismanaged it could boomerang and in a situation in which the informant is not protected, it could have disastrous consequences.

In their contributions, Comrade Francis Ihemeje, treasurer, Aba branch, Comrade Ukachukwu Onuoha and Samuel Ndukwe, were unanimous that most of the criminals operate in the private motor parks which the NURTW is not responsible for, stressing that even if they knew some of them, they could do little to apprehend them because they carry sophisticated arms.

Chairman of Isiala Ngwa South branch, the flash point of kidnapping and other criminal activities, Comrade Emmanuel Amanze, said "most of the kidnapping is done at the motor park, but unfortunately government is the agency supporting other motor unions outside the NURTW to establish their offices at the parks. When we were the only union at Unuekea junction we were able to flush out the criminals.

Today confusion is the order." Also speaking, Chairman of Osisioma branch, comrade Benedict Amanze, maintained that in order to ensure that the menace is checked, government should bring all motor unions in the state under one umbrella as it obtains in other states of the East and South. In his words: "we are not afraid of the kidnappers. We only need to be equipped to be able to match them. We are not protected," adding that the traditional rulers know the criminals in their domain
Edwin Atteh
Group Calls Council Boss to Order

For what it described as an insult to their illustrious son, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, a group known as Umunneochi Integrity Group has advised the Umunneochi council boss, Comrade Uche Oliver Egeonu, to guard his utterances against the distinguished senator. Reacting to an interview of the council chairman in one of the national dailies in which Comrade Egeonu, referring to Senator Chukwumereije, said the senator should leave him alone, the group in a statement made available to Niger Delta STANDARD alleged that Egeonu, who is from the same local government area as Senator Chukwumereije representing Abia North, alleged that Egeonu did not show respect to the senator because he was imposed on the people of the local government area as council chairman.

In the said interview, the group noted the council chairman said that Comrade Uche Chukwumereije lost his ward to Action Congress, which they described as a big lie, contending that the statement has revealed that the chairman is not on ground at the local government, having displayed such unpardonable ignorance of the political development of the council. T

he statement, which was signed by the group's chairman, Comrade Titus Emeribe and secretary, Mr. Sunday Ike, maintained that Egeonu's actions are manipulated by external forces bent on destabilizing the council, adding that the councilor representing Comrade Chukwumereije's ward is Hon. Godwin Olekanma of the PPA, Comrade Chukwumereije's party.

"This also has proved the fact that Oliver Egeonu maintains a parallel political structure for his mentors apart from the PPA to which Hon. Godwin Olekanma belongs as a councilor," they alleged, adding that they were institutions like the Founding Fathers Forum, Olu Umunneochi and the Traditional Rulers Council in the area which the chairman should have consulted for clarification before attempting to take the senator to the cleaners. They alleged that Comrade Egeonu is one of the 500 local government chairmen currently under the investigative eye of the ICPC, the antigraft agency, to ascertain the use of the huge allocation to councils and exonerated Senator Uche Chukwumereije as the hand behind the scene.

"We are aware the ICPC recently visited Umunneochi to take record of Oliver Egeonu's performance. This is normal. We believe that they saw the gigantic structure that is costing the local government a whopping sum of more than N17 as well as a small skeletal hut of a roundabout at Lomara junction costing N1.5million."

Igbeaku Orji, Umuahia


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