Paul Azubike Nwosu

07/08/2025

Happy 70th Birthday Akpokue!

07/08/2025

OBIANO IS 70

09/12/2024

Arinze Replies Abati

Apparently, Reuben Abati's run-in with accusations of Igbophobia did not start with his Arise television Morning Show.

In this edition of Anambra Times we bring you a January 14, 2002 Right of Reply to Reuben's article published in the Guardian Newspaper titled, "Obasanjo, Secession and the Secessionists", written by veteran journalist Josh Arinze who escaped Abacha's repression of journalists in the aftermath of the Gwadebe fathom coup, and took political asylum in the United States in 1995.

Recall that in our December 3 edition we served you Chuks Iloegbunam's article, "Reuben Abati and other anti-Igbo bigots in Nigeria", published 23 years ago, illustrating with facts, Abati’s deep-seated prejudice against Ndi Igbo.

Read the whole of this expository Right of Reply by Arinze on: www.anambratimes.ng

14/11/2024

EFCC Witnesses Testify: No Direct Dealings with Obiano

By Paul Nwosu

The money laundering case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against former Anambra State Governor Chief Willie Obiano resumed yesterday, November 13, at the Federal High Court 5 in Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

During the hearing, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, presented four witnesses—three Fidelity Bank employees and a Bureau de Change operator.

These witnesses testified that, while they handled various deposits and currency exchanges during the period under investigation, they never conducted any transactions directly with Chief Obiano.

In his cross-examination, Obiano's lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, asked each witness if they had ever met or conducted business with the former governor. All witnesses responded in the negative, affirming that they had no direct dealings with him.

They further confirmed to Ikpeazu that their involvement in the transactions in question was strictly in line with their legitimate duties as bankers and a Bureau de Change operator.

The case was adjourned for further hearings scheduled for February 24, 25, and 26.

31/10/2024

17/10/2024

_Travelogue_

UMAHI, Come Over To Asaba-Benin-Shagamu Roads And Help Us

Paul Nwosu

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, appears to favour the construction of new roads at the expense of maintaining the existing ones, which have long been the backbone of economic activities across the southern part of the country.

My recent trip by road from Anambra State to Lagos was nothing short of horrifying. The journey revealed the deplorable state of the highways. This was the same trip we made years ago with so much pleasure, stopping at various points to buy cheap foodstuffs or enjoy hot, spicy local meals with bush meats at Ofosu and Ore. Now, the same highways have become trails of agony and tears, where vehicles must wade through muddy lakes collected in crater-sized trenches that were once smooth, tarred roads.

For starters, as soon as you enter Asaba, you're confronted with a frightening "go-slow" that seems to forewarn you of what lies ahead. The reason for the congestion and chaotic driving, with vehicles swerving into the wrong lane, is the complete collapse of the left side of the express road. Moving further, our driver, along with others, had to detour onto Nebisi Road, meandering through unfamiliar alleys and dirt roads before resurfacing at the upper end of the expressway near the Rain Oil mega filling station.

Approaching Ubulu Okiti, oncoming vehicles frantically veer into your lane. Why? Because the left side of the road has caved in and is impassable.

From there to Agbor, Abudu, Igbogiri/Ugomosa Junction, and up to the Ukhuaihe Police Station, the story remains the same: vehicles zigzagging from one side of the highway to the other, trying to avoid treacherous trenches and gullies that our Trunk 'A' roads have become.

At the Benin bypass junction and onto the bypass itself, you're reminded of Fela Anikulapo's lyrics, "Suffering and Smiling." But in this case, the smile is a mirthless one - a smile of pity for how far we have fallen in maintaining the infrastructure built with so much public money.

From Okada to Ofosu and down to Shagamu, the experience is the same. You can't go 100 meters without swerving to the other side of the road or watching oncoming vehicles veer into your lane, all in a bid to avoid vehicle-damaging ditches.

The only moment of respite was when we finally joined the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Along these tortuous stretches, many articulated vehicles, unable to navigate the muddy pools, have either gotten stuck or toppled, spilling their freights, paid for by their clients. These blockages often precipitate the grueling traffic jams that commuters endure, albeit with so much anxiety. God help those commuters if the traffic gridlock isn’t cleared before nightfall, then a thriving economy of armed robbers and kidnappers will instantly emerge, along with innocent food vendors trying to make a living.

It is baffling that the Minister of Works and his army of federal highway directors would allow these vital roads to deteriorate to such horrific levels. It seems their main focus is the new 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar highway. While it's commendable to expand road networks, it makes no economic sense to abandon the crucial existing ones. These should be maintained to support current economic activities until the much-anticipated Coastal "Flyway" is ready. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, or cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, is hardly the right way to go in this case. Neglecting your children or stepchildren because you want more babies is irresponsible.

There should be a balanced approach, similar to what Governor Soludo is doing in Anambra State. While he is pushing forward with the construction of new roads, bridges, and flyovers, even during the rainy season, the Anambra Road Maintenance Agency (ARMA) is steadily reconstructing, patching, and resurfacing failed sections of the older roads. Anambra State Government has even gone beyond state roads to carry out major repairs on failed federal roads within the state at huge costs. Examples are the Oba section of the Onitsha-Owerri Road and the Uga juction section from the Niger Bridge head into Upper Iweka Road.

The current attitude of the Ministry of Works seems as though they are waiting for the Asaba-Benin-Shagamu road to be further decimated or completely obliterated, so the cost of repairs or replacements will make better sense.

I’m not insinuating anything .

SIR PAUL NWOSU, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Anambra Times

16/10/2024

Governor Soludo's Vision for Federalism and Local Government Reforms

Paul Nwosu

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State has once again demonstrated his commitment to advancing Nigeria’s federalism through the passage of two significant laws—*Anambra State Economic Planning and Development Law, 2024* and *Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, 2024*. These laws are aimed at restructuring the local government system in line with the Constitution and the recent Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy, which has stirred national debate.

Governor Soludo’s position reflects his advocacy for competitive federalism and collaboration across different tiers of government. He argues that no local government can thrive in absolute autonomy without the support of state governments, as mandated by the Constitution. Soludo sees the Supreme Court’s ruling as an opportunity to enhance transparency and foster collaboration between states and local governments, particularly in resource allocation and management.

In his speech, Soludo emphasizes that the new laws do not undermine local government autonomy but ensure a sustainable system where key services such as primary education, healthcare, and pension funds are uniformly managed across the state. By pooling resources, local governments in Anambra can avoid the chaotic disparities that full autonomy could create, such as unequal payment of teachers' salaries or pension arrears. Under the new laws, local government councils will decide how to allocate a percentage of their revenues to a joint fund for common services, maintaining the balance between autonomy and collaboration.

Soludo also highlights the need for structured collaboration among all levels of government, drawing parallels with existing federal-state collaborations, such as in education and security. His administration’s reforms are aimed at creating lasting institutions that will ensure accountability, transparency, and effective service delivery at the grassroots level.

Anambra State’s proactive legislative efforts reflect a pragmatic approach to federalism, one that blends constitutional mandates with practical governance solutions. Governor Soludo’s reforms are poised to not only secure local government administration in Anambra but also serve as a model for other states grappling with the evolving dynamics of Nigeria’s federal structure.

SIR PAUL NWOSU PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Anambra Times

05/10/2024

Press Release

Tinubu, Akume, IG, Sanwo-Olu, Ugorji to attend The Catholic Herald Centenary Lecture, Awards Presentation tomorrow

Nigeria’s oldest surviving newspaper, The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper, a publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, is set to hold its Centenary Lecture and Awards presentation.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu are expected to attend The Catholic Herald Centenary Lecture and Awards presentation ceremony.

Founded on June 21, 2024, The Centenary Lecture and Awards presentation is part of the year-long activities marking the 100th anniversary of the newspaper's establishment.

Themed, The Nigerian State: Transcending Challenges; Attaining True Nationhood, the event which is slated for October 5, 2024 at ‘The Hall’, Victoria Island, Lagos, would be chaired by Senator (Dr.) George Akume CON, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

According to a release signed by the Director of Social Communications, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the lecture will be delivered by Most Rev. (Dr.) Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto.

The Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to be the host Governor while the publisher of the newspaper and Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins is the chief host.

Fr. Godonu said the high-profile lecture will be graced by top government functionaries, political leaders, captains of industries, religious leaders, royal fathers, elder statesmen, scholars, human rights activists, lay leaders, the media, and other relevant stakeholders.

Awards will be presented to eminent Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of human endeavours. They include top industrialist, Mr. Femi Otedola (The Catholic Herald Centenary Man Award); Chief Executive of SIMS Nigeria Ltd, Chief Simeon Eyisi (Face of The Herald 100 Award); Founder of Lumen Christi Television Network, Sir Robert Soji Olagunju (The Catholic Herald Centenary Media Personality Award); Corporate Guru, Sir Steve Omojafor (The Catholic Herald Centenary Life Achievement Award), and Episcopal Vicar for Lagos Region, Very Rev. Fr. Julius Olaitan (The Catholic Herald Centenary Evangelism Award).

Other awardees are the Knights and Ladies of the Order of St. Mulumba Nigeria, Lagos Metropolitan Council (The Catholic Herald Centenary Humanitarian Award); Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (The Catholic Herald Centenary Public Service Award); Mrs. Bernadine Eloka (The Catholic Herald Centenary Most Supportive CatholicWoman Award); Former Lagos Archdiocesan Laity President, Mrs. Geraldine Igboanugo (The Catholic Herald Centenary Lay Person Award) and Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd, (The Catholic Herald Centenary Corporate Social Responsibility Award).

Fr Godonu noted that, “For many years The Catholic Herald was the sole organ of information and opinion for the Catholic Church throughout Nigeria. It started as a monthly publication and has now transformed into a weekly. The paper has had its ups and downs. But here we are today, celebrating 100 years of existence.”

24/09/2024

24/09/2024

Happy Birthday Sir

14/09/2024

Conversation

“THERE ARE NO BLOOD-SUCKING DEMONS IN EMBER MONTHS” – Joyce Nnennaya Alexander, Sector Corps Commander, FRSC, Anambra State

Paul Nwosu

The dreaded Ember months - September, October, November and December – are here. During a courtesy visit to the new Anambra State Sector Corps Commander, Joyce Nnennaya Alexander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the personable officer declared: “I like to say at every time when we're approaching the Ember months that we have this mentality that there are supernatural forces that cause crashes from September to December. They say people want to suck blood for the end of the year. And they say that most people, because they have prospered, as they are going home to their villages, their village people have prepared for them. They will have crashes on the road or as they are coming back, their village people have seen them and will say - come and return again. And they will have crashes on the road. That's absolutely not true.”

She noted that I used the word "frenzy" in my introductory remarks, and then stressed: “It's the frenzy. From September, people begin to realize that the year has actually come to an end and most of them are like, ‘I haven't even achieved anything’. So they add more efforts. They get so busy. They are running from one place to the other. It's as if they want to finish up whatever they have not achieved in the past eight months; they want to achieve it within the next four months remaining in the year. So you find out that there is a lot of distraction. Even the pedestrians on the road have a lot of distractions. The driver is over-speeding because he wants to make many trips. If he's a commercial driver, he wants to make many trips. Even the one that is not a commercial driver, his mind is on so many things. How to make ends meet, where to get this money from and where to get that money from. So both the pedestrian and the driver, every road user - they are all distracted. They are all thinking of one thing or the other and invariably, there will be a crash.”

Corps Commander Joyce Nnennaya Alexander goes on thusly: “Now we also notice at that time there are also plenty of vehicles on the road. Apart from the distractions, we now have more vehicles, particularly when you are getting up to the 15th of December. You find out that people have started travelling. Some people actually travel by the 10th. You'll notice that there are a lot of vehicles on the road. If there are a lot of vehicles on the road, it presupposes that unless you are careful, you will probably end up bumping into each other if you are not observing the rules of the road, if you are not careful. Because a road that is not overpopulated, if you are driving there, even if you make some mistakes, the mistakes may not be catastrophic. But a road that is suddenly overpopulated, if you make any mistake, you are likely to get into trouble because of that mistake.”

She then offers the advice: “So let me just say this to our people, Ember months are here. We have entered September, but the onus lies on you to know that it's only the living that is able to achieve whatever you want to achieve for the year. How do you do that? You must concentrate. Remove every kind of distraction once you are behind the steering. Driving entails 100 percent concentration. Once you are on the road, let your mind be focused on the driving. Once you are disturbed, do not go behind the steering. Your life depends on you. The lives of those you are carrying depend on you. The lives of those on the road that you pass depend on you. And as a pedestrian and a normal road user who is walking on the road, once you get on the road, forget all those things about making calls. As you are crossing the road, concentrate on the road. Some people these days, because of the economic situation, a car will be horning for them and they are busy crossing. They are not even hearing it. It is somebody that is alive that will survive this. Stay alive and survive this because I can tell you, everything comes in phases. These things will still pass and Nigerians will still bounce back.”

She explained that it’s not within the constitutional responsibilities of the FRSC to ban people from selling alcohol in the parks, and stressed that the FRSC is empowered to check drunk driving because it is one of those things that cause road crashes. It is the responsibility of the NDLEA to deal with the issue of selling alcohol in the parks, and the FRSC works hand-in-hand with the agency. So while NDLEA is doing their own work inside the parks, FRSC officers are on the streets, on the roads, enforcing.

In the words of Corps Commander Alexander, “We have what we call early morning cry. That early morning cry targets passengers who are leaving early in the morning, mostly to distant locations, on long distance travels. We target them, we talk to them about things they should expect from the drivers because there is what we call passengers’ rights. We talk to them what to expect from drivers, what the driver should do and what he shouldn't do. And we always encourage them, if you find out that a driver is drunk, you get down, talk to the union there that this guy is drunk. If it's on the road, watch out for the nearest FRSC vehicle or checkpoint and as they are stopping you, tell them that this guy is drunk.”

The FRSC plans to have a meeting with the union members at the end of the month to flag-off the Ember months’ activities. She revealed that the FRSC is equipped with breathalyzers to check the breath of drunk drivers as is done abroad.

Commander Alexander explained the intricacies of buying expired tyres and advised vehicle owners thus: “There is a place in that tyre that is written DOT. It gives you the day and the month and the year of manufacture of that tyre. Some people are still buying tyres with three figures. That means it was done in 1990s not even 2000. So if you have tyres that you are using that still have three figures, maybe before you got the tyre, nobody has used it. That can even be 20 years ago.”

On managing tyres and engines, she said: “I always tell people - if you keep managing your car, you could manage yourself into the grave.”

She gave out the good news that since she came to Anambra State a month ago the sector has started producing plate numbers. She is keen on media relations and the training and retraining of the FRSC officers.

According to her, “We have what we call RTSSS (Road Traffic Safety Standardization Scheme). RTSSS is a scheme that incorporates any company that has a minimum of five vehicles. We are even bringing it down to two vehicles now. Once you have such a thing, we term it that you are a fleet operator. And if you are a fleet operator, you should be regulated. You should be asked to meet certain requirements for safety.”

Corps Commander Joyce Nnennaya Alexander is a breath of fresh air that will make Ndi-Anambra not to have any fears over the dreaded Embers, and thus fully enjoy the Christmas season in line with the drive of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, to make Anambra State a pleasurable ultimate destination to travel to.

Paul Nwosu, PhD
Commissioner for Information,
Anambra State