Some residents of Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, say the new hospital constructed by Gov. Chukwuma Soludo, will provide better and quality healthcare services.The resident said this during a project tour on Saturday, organised by Consolidated transporters under the umbrella of Solution Marshals in Anambra.

They said the projects were people-oriented. The projects visited included internal roads measuring about 12km and ultra modern General Hospital at Okpoko in Ogbaru and a multi-billion naira flyover at Ekwulobia, Aguata LGA. A resident, Mrs Ruth Ngene, who had lived in the community for many years, was happy as her experience of traveling several kilometers to access healthcare was over.“This hospital in Okpoko community is an answered prayer. The hospital is helping those who are sick, pregnant women, children especially in emergencies.“We thank Gov. Soludo for taking away the sufferings we experience when it comes to accessing healthcare,” she said.Mr Jude Ezenwa, the Vice President-General of Okpoko, said the community had received a new lease of life and an economic boost since Soludo embarked on transformative projects.He said the hospital had shortened the distance they traveled to access healthcare, adding that the internal roads with street light have made the place “ new heaven”.“Okpoko used to be one of the biggest slums in West Africa, but today, Gov. Soludo has transformed it. We are promising the governor that we will own these facilities by maintaining them for the use of our people,” he said.Mr Daniel Umeh, a resident of Ekwulobia community, said Soludo’s projects in the area were impacting positively on the lives of the people.“The Ekwulobia bridge is a strategic bridge which connects Awka to Imo State through Uga community and an interchange link to Nnewi through Nnobi, also to Isuochi in Abia state through Umunze,” he said.The Coordinator of Solution Marshals, Mr Osita Obi, told newsmen after the tour that they were impressed with the transformation of Okpoko an urban slum within the Onitsha metropolis.“Soludo had fulfilled his promises to the residents of Okpoko and Ekwulobia with connecting roads, boreholes for portable water supply and general hospitals which offered free child and maternal healthcare.“This project tour confirms that taxpayers money were being used for the good of the people. I urge our people to support the governor for second term so as not to disrupt this lofty development agenda,” he said.Also speaking, Mr Emmanuel Oramalu, Secretary, Solution Marshals, said the position of the group was that Soludo was prioritising people-oriented projects in the state. (NAN)

Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State has decried what he termed as potentiality of grand and petty corruption in the 44 local governments in the state.“The Government noticed with dismay the potentiality of both grand and petty corruption at this grassroots level.”This is realised as a result of this administration’s effort to give the local government councils full access to their funds even before the apex court’s intervention,” Yusuf said.

He made the remark on Saturday while declaring a two-day workshop organised for personnel of the 44 local governments held in Dawakin Kudu in the state. Yusuf said his administration would continue to introduce more measures to combat corruption in the state.“We shall also continue to introduce more measures aimed at checkmating corruption and will continue to support the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, the organisers of this programme.”This is in the bid to achieve its mandate through enhanced financing and oversight monitoring while maintaining our non-interference policy for optimum performance.“I will also use this opportunity to commend all other stakeholders in the anti-corruption community in Nigeria both state and non-state actors such as the EFCC and ICPC, among others.”This is for supporting our anti-corruption efforts which stand tall amongst all the sub-national initiatives in the country,” the governor said.He said the workshop was aimed at sensitising the participants to be fully abreast with their hopes and aspirations towards ensuring transparency, accountability and inclusiveness in governance.Yusuf said, ”This is to bring on board the participants into our administration’s principles of good governance that has always enabled us to come up with meaningful projects in our effort to restore our dear state to its past glory.”He said this underscored the importance his administration attached to the fight against corruption and more importantly to the transparency and accountability in governance.Yusuf said, “Our government is based on the foundation of transparency and accountability as well as the entrenchment of the rule of law in our society.”This is taking into cognisance the Supreme Court’s verdict relating to local government administration in the country.“And as a true believer of the rule of law, the Kano State Government under my leadership dissolved the 44 Local Governments Interim Management Committees.”We made the civil servants who are strategically and statutorily positioned to fill any vacuum in governance to now oversee the affairs of the LGCs.”This is while preparations are in the top gear to fill in the occasioned absence of the public officers as a result of the court’s judgement through democratic means.”In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the commission, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado,said the workshop was held based on the directives of the governor.Rimin-Gado said the event was a follow-up to the directives of the governor from the previous seminar which was also held at Dawakin Kudu.He also explained that the programme was predicated on a report of the commission sent to Yusuf on certain investigation that it was directed to conduct.( NAN)

The Police Command in Lagos state says it has detained a 30-year-old newlywed man, Motunrayo Olaniyi, for allegedly stabbing his 25-year-old wife, Olajumoke, to death. The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the murder case to newsmen on Saturday in Lagos. He said that the incident happened on Friday at about 1:00 p.

m. in Amazing Grace Estate, Elepe, in the Ikorodu area of the state. Hundeyin said that Ikorodu Division received a distress call concerning the incident. “A distress call was received at Ikorodu Division that a newlywed couple allegedly engaged in a domestic scuffle in their room and in the process, the husband stabbed the wife to death. “He locked her in the room and set it ablaze, while he inflicted wounds on himself, ” the image maker said. The command’s spokesperson said that the police stormed the scene of the incident based on the report.“A team of detectives visited the scene where the fire was put out, the lifeless body of the wife was met lying on the floor with wounds on her abdominal part.“The husband was rescued with injury, rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was treated, discharged and taken into police custody.“Upon interrogation, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect stabbed his wife during an altercation between them and he gave himself the mild stabs, “he said.Hundeyin said that the corpse had been deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital morgue for autopsy.According to him, investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident. (NAN)