POLITICS
We’re Partners in Progress, Uzodimma Tells National Pilgrims Commission
From Marcel Duru & Charity Winns, Owerri
The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has told the leadership of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) that they are partners in progress with him in the service to God and humanity.
He made the remarks on Monday at the Government House, Owerri while playing host to the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, who led his top officials on a thank you visit to Governor Uzodimma for sponsoring a historical 1000 Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land in 2023.
The Executive Secretary and his team did not come empty-handed as they presented the Governor with two souvenirs from NCPC, with Bishop Adegbite announcing him the “Pilgrimage Governor of the Year 2023” and consequently, the ‘’first Pilgrimage Ambassador of the Commission in Nigeria.”
Making the presentation to the Governor at the New Exco Chambers, Bishop Adegbite explained that “the award was necessitated by the unprecedented sponsorship by the Governor of 1,000 Christians from the State to the Holy land in 2023, which is the first of its kind from any Governor/Government of a State and FCT in Nigeria.”
He further appreciated the Governor for what he described as his “overall support to the National Pilgrimage, the Imo Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Christian Association of Nigeria in general,” and requested the Governor to “do more.”
Bishop Adegbite congratulated the Governor on his reelection for a second tenure, noting that his return by the people of Imo State “is not a surprise looking at the several achievements of the Governor in his first tenure.”
Describing the Governor as “a willing shepherd ready to lead his people, the man with the golden heart and full of expectations from his people,” Bishop Adegbite added that “the Governor has given hope to the hopeless, homeless, and the disadvantaged, as well as lives to the people.”
Bishop Adegbite who proceeded to reel out the things Uzodimma has done in the different sectors of the economy in Imo State used the opportunity to woo the Governor to join in an ‘’Executive Pilgrimage’’ with his wife so that the Governor can experience in Israel, what he has been experiencing in the past 23 years of travelling to the place, and possibly tap from the country’s agricultural potentials, “though a country in the desert.”
He noted that the award to the Governor is to appreciate and encourage him to do more.
Receiving his guests, Governor Uzodimma thanked the NCPC for deeming it fit and necessary to honour him with the Award and right away, dedicated the same to the Almighty God.
He recalled how Imo State, before 2023, was besieged by crime and criminality and challenged on all fronts, noting that “after applying kinetic solutions to no avail, it became necessary to seek the face of God by crying to God as a non-kinetic approach.”
“It is as a result of this that I decided to send 1,000 Christians in Imo State to go to the Holy Land to pray and seek the face of God. When they came back God heard their prayers and today Imo State is Safe.”
Uzodimma added that “as Christians we must always commit to those activities in the scriptures,” insisting that, “we did it before, we will do it again, God willing.”
Earlier, he described Bishop Adegbite “as a committed and morally guided Christian whose appointment was acknowledged nationally as a round peg in a round hole.”
The Governor however requested the leadership of the NCPC to endeavour to give those who have not been to the pilgrimage before the opportunity to have the experience.
While welcoming the visitors on behalf of the Government of Imo State, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, said the State was not surprised over the Award to the Governor going by the unprecedented number of Christians he sent to pilgrimage in 2023. He said the appreciation was an indication that “one good turn deserves another.”
Iwu who joined the NCPC in congratulating the Governor on the Award and honour, described him as “a man of many parts who has carved a niche for himself in law making, governance, religion, education, empowerment, digital-economy and many others,” adding that, “the Award is another feather to the cap of the Governor.”
The Deputy Governor, Lady (Dr.) Chinyere Ekomaru, the Chief of Staff, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie and other top Government functionaries joined the Governor in receiving the visitors.
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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