News

Obi Aguocha: Deputy Speaker, Kalu did no wrong asking Gov. Otti to rejoin APC

Published

3 months ago

August 19, 2024

By Stanley Ohajuruka

Envy is not a virtue. This is perhaps, an admonition most appropriate for the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency of Abia State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Obi Aguocha in response to his diatribe and vituperations I read earlier today against the deputy speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu who equally represents Bende Federal Constituency of the State.

Obviously, Aguocha was pretending to respond to a recent interview where the deputy speaker called the State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election, vowing that the party must win Abia in the next election.

While I have no issues with the federal lawmaker from LP disagreeing with Kalu on the submission, I am however worried by the total drift from the issue at stake to an unbridled display of envy and hate.

Reading between the lines, I could see a man who has been harbouring so much animosity against the person and the office of the deputy speaker. I could also see a man who was only waiting for an opportunity to pull the trigger and incidentally, one happened through the interview and he chose to lay bare his tongue to make lethal utterances.

To say the least, this is very unfortunate and mischievous too. My reading of the situation is that Hon. Obi Aguocha has shown he’s tired of pretending to be Kalu’s friend and ally and decided to show it in most brazenly manner. May I, again, remind, Aguocha that pretence is also not a virtue.

Come to think of it. In the real political sense, what is the offence of the deputy speaker? That he asked the governor of his state to return to his former political party? Come off it. Is that what anyone would do for his party?

May be, Obi Aguocha, a neophyte in political discourse needs some political education to know that Kalu by virtue of his position and the office is a national leader of our party and as such would at any time show predilection for the recruitment of new members into his party.

Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu is largely concerned about the development of the country. Abia State is a sub national government and Kalu, like any other leader from the area is also interested in the progress of the State. And so, the call to Governor Otti to join APC is purely in the economic interest of the State.

The implication of this is that, both leaders will join hands to work for the good and rapid development of the state.

From every conceivable stance, it is obvious that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown serious goodwill in Igbo Land with the recent signing into law of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) bill. And to an appreciable degree, Kalu who sponsored the bill has consciously demonstrated conspicuous affinity with the presidency in a way that will benefit Abia State and the entire south eastern political ecosystem and landscape.

If this can be happen when most of states in the region are in the opposition, it simply means that they can get more from people-oriented, interventionist projects of the federal government should they belong to the same political party. And this is largely what informed the call to the governor to join the progressive party.

So, Kalu’s comment tilts more towards economic growth of Abia State and by extension, the south east than the deduceable connotations for political manovering ahead of 2027 general elections.

Again, let it also be stated that Kalu wants the best for his state in terms of economic growth and development and nothing more. And because, Nigeria operates a political party system, it can only be natural for any leader of his position to call on his friends, one of whom is Dr. Alext Otti, the Governor of Abia who he said is doing well to join the APC.

Ohajuruka, a former Acting Governor of Abia State, former speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, former member, House of Representatives and APC Chieftain writes from Umuahia.

News

NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE

Published

6 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.

The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.

The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”

In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.

“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”

NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

News

Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.

The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.

Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.

The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.

Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.

News

FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.

Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.

“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.

According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.

“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.

Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.

Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.

“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”

Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.

“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.

“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.