THE IMO SPEAKER MUST GO RALLY

The Youths Against Human Rights Violations and Corrupt Practices [YAHVCP] postponed the Imo Speaker Must Go Rally Scheduled for March 17th 2014. The Rally was  postponed due to security reasons. A new date will be announced soon.

We  also  totally  condemn the March 8th invasion of  the Egbema   residence of  our National Cordinator  Mr Kenneth Uwadi by  armed uniformed  officers. The invaders stormed  Mr Uwadi’s place in a crude military-like assault asking for him  and ransacking his  place. Uwadi’s  residence was invaded on the excuse that he  wrote articles  alleging that the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu looted Imo  tax payers monies  and that  he was  planning a mass protest  to call for his  resignation.

This unwholesome action is a flagrant abuse of fundamental human rights. It   violates Nigerian constitution and international norms on freedom of expression. YAHVCP   cannot and will not keep  quiet  and watch the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly  walking freely  after stealing  over N3billion naira Imo tax payers money In a state where more than 80 percent of the population do not have access to potable/pipe-borne water supply. We condemn strongly   the insensitive looting of  Imo monies  by  the Speaker  against the background of mass misery afflicting the vast bulk of  Imo people. This anti-poor and self-serving conduct is why  thousands of Imo youths are unemployed today. To us what this has also shown is that the problem of lack of youth employment in Imo State  is not  due to  lack of funds to pay salaries but gross mismanagement  and looting of our resources.

We  are insisting that Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu should be investigated and removed as Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly. Uwajumogu does not feel that something is wrong with his colossal looting  of public resources to gratify his lust for luxury. We are also calling for the  investigation of 4 other members of the Imo House of Assembly for road contract scam. The members are Hon Stan Dara, Hon Ikechukwu Amuka ,Hon Ugonna Ozurigbo (OZ-B) and The Speaker’s Chief of Staff Kodichi Anamekwe.

 YAHVCP is aware that Hon Stan Dara, Member Representing Osu Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly And House Chairman of State And Rural Roads Monitoring Committee with his own loot from road contract scam has built a multi  million naira Massive  Farm at Irete in Owerri West LGA. Dara is also presently from his loot building a multi million naira Asphalt plant in Owerri and also owns several duplexes at Egbeada Housing Estate in Owerri. Dara’s duplexes at Egbeada are painted  dark green.

We are  also aware that Hon Ikechukwu Amuka ,Member representing Ideato South Constituency  and House member of State And Rural Roads Monitoring Committee with his own loot from road contract scam has built a multi million naira hotel (Eastern Emirate Hotel) located at World Bank Housing Estate in Owerri. Amuka is also building a second multi million naira hotel.We are also aware that Hon Ugonna Ozurigbo (OZ-B) of Nwangele LGA  has from his loot  in the contract scam turned his Kelvic Hotels Owerri of 12 rooms into a multi million naira Hotel.

We are also aware that  the Chief of Staff to the Speaker Kodichi Anamekwe has with his own loot from contract scam bought  30 plots of  land in Owerri and has built a multi million naira mansion at Achike Udenwa Estate near Concord Hotel. Anamekwe’s landed properties can be verified at the ministry of land and survey in Owerri.He is presently building a Hotel in Owerri. All the road contract papers of road  contractors in Imo State   were  signed by him. Who authorized the  Chief of Staff to the Speaker to sign road contracts? You can see why  the House members are silent in the face of massive fraud rocking the House .

YAHVCP  is calling  on all Imo people  in Nigeria and Abroad  to support us in every way as  we fight this corruption in the Imo House of Assembly. We are giving the Imo House of Assembly  2 weeks to set up a probe panel to investigate this Uwajumogu-gate.In two weeks time we will release more information about the stinking smell coming out of the Imo Assembly. We  cannot keep silent to this capitalist looting when our unemployed youths in their  thousands  have become a wild and homeless lot and  socially disinherited.

 WE WANT AN  IMO STATE  WHERE:

 Government will LISTEN to the PEOPLE

 Government will meet the needs and expectations of the people

 Government will promote and defend the welfare of the people

 Those in government will put public interest above their selfish and personal

interest

 Those in government will stop looting our monies and be mocking

us by calling us paupers and never do wells

 The Police , Judges and the Courts are not politically used to oppress the

people

We call on the good people of Imo  State to rise against this  Uwajumogu House of thieves masquerading as Assembly Members , a House that is neck-deep in corruption. As for us in YAHVCP, despite all this repression we remain undaunted.

Aluta continua! Victoria acerta!

 Signed

Kenneth Uwadi

National Coordinator

YAHVCP

 Amaka Didanda

National Media Affairs Director

YAHVCP

Crimea has always been part of Russia, says Putin

MARCH 18, 2014 BY CNN 3 COMMENTS

   

Never mind what the West thinks — the Kremlin says Ukraine’s Crimea region is now part of Russia.

A signing ceremony Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Crimea and the mayor of the city of Sevastopol made it official, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Crimea and Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based, are now part of the Russian Federation, it said.

The step follows a contested referendum held in Crimea on Sunday with only 10 days’ notice.

Putin hailed the ballot in an address to a joint session of Parliament Tuesday, saying the nearly 97% of its residents who voted to join Russia was “an extremely convincing figure.”

In an hour-long speech, he argued that the vote had been entirely legitimate and stressed the historical and cultural ties between Russia and Crimea.

“In our hearts we know Crimea has always been an inalienable part of Russia,” he said.

Crimea is an autonomous region within Ukraine with a majority Russian-speaking population. It has its own parliament, but the Ukrainian government had veto power over its actions.

With political instability and demonstrations rocking Ukraine in the past several months, President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed out of office and observers charged that Russia saw its chance to annex the strategic territory. The hastily called referendum Sunday resulted in 96.7% of the region’s voters saying they wanted to become part of Russia, according to the Crimean Electoral Commission.

Putin denied that Russia had been militarily involved in Crimea, despite what has been stated by authorities in the Ukraine capital and international observers.

“We have not used our armed forces in Crimea,” Putin said.

He also said that Russia’s military forces did not enter Crimea in the current crisis, but “were already there” in accordance with previous international negotiations. He praised the 22,000 Russian troops in Crimea for avoiding bloodshed.

Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol but the movements of its forces within Crimea are supposed to be agreed upon with Kiev.

Putin, who was greeted by a standing ovation and whose remarks were punctuated by regular and enthusiastic applause, also accused the West of “double standards” and cynicism in its response to the crisis in Crimea, citing Kosovo, which split from Serbia, as an example of a precedent.

“It’s absolutely in favor of their own interests — black today, white tomorrow,” he said.

Crimea is a strategically important territory and must be kept strong — something only Russia can do, he added.

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Anambra: Reactions trail Obiano’s assumption of office

Obiano

More reactions have continued to trail the swearing in of Governor Willie Obiano and his deputy Dr Nkem Okeke in Anambra State.

The Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili while speaking with the NationTuesday in Awka said that Anambra had witnessed a huge success during former Governor Peter Obi’s administration.

“I give God the whole glory for answering our prayers, what has happened has never occurred in the history of Anambra since its creation that a sitting governor will handover in a colorful ceremony.

Also, Governorship candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, congratulated the newly sworn Governor of Anambra Chief Willie Obiano as the 5^th democratically elected governor of the state.

He said that Anambra was a state blessed with numerous resources both human and material enough to take the state to map of   total civilization and development to an enviable level.

“Anambra is the heart base of the Easterners by virtue of personalities from the state, nothing absolutely  nothing would be hard to achieve if all resources are pulled together with one might”.

“I will ask the governor to put behind all that happened during electioneering and pick the egg heads in the state that would help him pilot the affairs of state creditably”.

“He said that the time has come for us all to join hands with our leader to pull, nit and move our dear state toward a pinnacle of developmental growth,” he said

Ezeemo said the core areas of life like improvement of power to encourage industrialization and mechanized farming should not be down played adding that the youth must be engaged meaningfully to fight crime in the state.

Chief Nathaniel Uzoma, state chairman  Ohaneze Ndi Igbo  group in Ekiti state and president South West of the group said that the peaceful  inauguration was a sign of greater things to come in Igbo land.

Uzoma said that Igbo had come of age and would take their political life by their hands by aligning with things that promote Igbo interest.

He said that Anambra had shown that there was strength in unity and called for all Igbo to be united where ever they live.

Also, Mr. Alex Ezeobi Ohaneze National Youth leader said that the ceremony called for more unity among the Igbo, knowing that if united that they could achieve more landmarks in political life of the Ndi Igbo.

He called on Igbo youth to be responsive and sensitive to issues affecting their race and to be politically enlightened in order to face the challenges of the present day.

Furthermore, Mr. Ikechukwu Umeh, a member of the Anambra house of assembly and chief whip collaborated the opinion of the speaker and others.

He added that the legislature would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that development growth were recorded and sustained in the state.

He called on the people and residents of Anambra to cherish and nurture the state for the common good of all adding that political difference should not be allowed to divide the state.

Speaking further on behalf of Anambra in Diaspora, Mr. Allison Anadi, President of Anambra Indigenes in America (ASA-USA) said that the ceremony had shown that the state had attained a height.

He said that the group would give every support to the government of Anambra at every point to ensure that the state grows from strength to strength.

Onwusanya elected as Delta speaker

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 16:09 Written by Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba

MR. Peter Onwusanya (Oshimili South) was on Tuesday elected as the new Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly in Asaba following the expected resignation of Chief Victor Ochei.

Faced with a fait accompli as about 27 out of the 29 member House had reportedly signed the impeachment notice Ochei, had no choice but to throw in the towel to prevent what would have been a disgraceful end.

Citing his personal resolve to pave way for a new leadership in the House, Ochei in a letter dated March 18, 2014 and addressed to Deputy Speaker Basil Ganagana which he read out on the floor hoped that the new leadership will take the state and the House to a higher level.

The former Speaker wrote: “I wish to thank all those, numerous and many who made my tour of duty a pleasant affair further. To you my esteemed colleagues, I remained grateful for your love and camaraderie we shared while it lasted.”

Ochei (Aniocha North) was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 29 member House on June 7, 2011 while Ganagana (Patani), a fourth term member who was first elected in 1999 was selected  as the Deputy Speaker fifth session.

In the terse letter, he prayed God to avail his successor and indeed the House of all human sagacity in the task of accentuating the core ideals of the legislature as a partner in governance for a better society.

In place of Ochei who was absent at the plenary session which lasted about 45 minutes, Ganagana who took charge before the emergence of Onwusanya promptly declared the exalted vacant while the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr. Johnson Erijo (Isoko South II) proceeded to nominate Onwusanya as Speaker and was seconded by former Speaker Sam Obi (Ika North East).

The new Speaker was immediately sworn-in by the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Lyna Ocholor.

NSA Designs Economic Plan For Boko Haram States

Chika Otuchikere

— March 18, 2014

The office of the National Security Adviser, NSA has designed an economic revitalisation programme targeted at the states currently affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, as part of measures to contain insurgency in the country.

The NSA, Mohammed Dasuki made this known yesterday, during the public presentation of the “Roll Out of Nigeria’s Soft Approach to Countering Terrorism,” where he disclosed that the economic empowerment programme was the Fourth Stream of the approach.

Part if the measure would also include interparty collaboration for counter-terrorism aimed at ensuring that party affiliation did not hinder stakeholders from contributing to efforts targeted at countering extremism.

“Based on our understanding of the economic root causes of terrorism and global best practices in addressing them, we are working with the governors of the six northeast states of Nigeria to design an economic revitalisation programme targeted towards the states most affected by terrorism.