The Imo State commissioner for lands and physical planning Barr. Enyinna Onuegbu has raised alarm
over threats to life, owing to on-going implementation of the report continued
on white paper on the recovery of both the Eastern Palm University, sealing of
the Royal Spring Palm Apartment amongst others.
Imo State House of Assembly had few days ago changed the Eastern PalmUniversity Ogboko to K.O Mbadiwe University, as Part of the recovery measures.
Immediate former Governor of the State, Senator RocahsOkorocha had while in the Government established the Eastern Palm
University which he said that Imo State Government has 10% share and interest
while his Rochas Foundation College of
Africa has the remaining 90% which its management would be under PPP
arrangement; a decision which did not go down well with Imo people.
During the short lived administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the
Governor; a panel of Enquiry was set up to investigate the process through
which the said college was established with a view of reporting back to the
state government.
The panel led by Prof. Jude Njoku upon investigation, reported that the said
university be made part of the Imo State University on the grounds that it was
established with the state funds.
Before the implementation of the said
recommendation, the Supreme Court ofNigeria removed Ihedioha and declared
Uzoidnma the winner of the April 9th Governorship election in Imo hence
everything shifted to the present administration.
Speaking to Lead
Newspapers, Enyinna Onuegbu, the Imo state Commissioner for Lands, Survey
and Physical Planning, and state Legal
Adviser, All ProgressiveCongress, APC, said the recent threat
to his life by those who are scared of the implementation of the State
government white paper on recovery of state government’s properties, will not
deter him from implementing the report to the fullest. Speaking with the Lead
Express, Onuegbu said that he has received several threats to his life since he
started the exercise from those who stole and appropriated Imo state government
properties to themselves, families and cronies saying resorting to threatening
him will only make him bolder to judiciously carry out the assignment given to
him by Governor Hope Uzodinma as
contained in the Government white paper.
He cited the recovery of the Eastern Palm University
Ogboko, and the sealing of the Royal Spring Palm Apartments at Akachi road
among others as the reasons for the threats saying the exercise was done
according to the recommendations of the Justice
Duru-Oha Igwe panel which governor Uzodinma vowed to implement.
Onuegbu warned that harming him will not stop the
recovery exercise which according to him was a huge crime committed against Imo
people, stressing that if he is not there someone else will continue the
recovery mandate.
He however advised those whose transactions were
genuine not to exercise any fear as the government of Governor Uzodinma is not
out to victimize anybody but to
ensure that the right things are done and Imo people will not be shortchanged.
He said:’ Since we started carrying out the
directives by His Excellency Dist Senator Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo state
on the recovery of government properties as contained in the government White
paper, I have been inundated with threat calls. This is inspite of efforts to
bribe us which was vehemently rebuffed hence the despicable resort to threat to
my life. Well, Imo people know who to hold responsible if anything untoward
happens to me or my family members. My life is in God’s able hands,”
Onuegbu assured.
President
Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Health Insurance Scheme, FHIS, to make health insurance a compulsory
for all Abuja residents.
This was disclosed by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, when he
received the FHIS Director, Dr Ahmed
Danfulani and his management team, who were at the FCTA to present the
Working Documents of the Scheme.
A statement by Bello’s Chief Press Secretary, Anthony Ogunleye quoted the Minister as
saying the FHIS management should ensure that the Scheme succeeds in the
territory because “payment for health services all at once either by
individuals or even the government is no longer tenable, considering the
ever-increasing cost of medical services especially for diseases such as cancer
or orthopaedic procedures.”
In Bello’s words: “The mandate given to us by President Muhammadu Buhari is to widen
the coverage of health insurance in the FCT and the mandate I am giving you is
to ensure that every citizen in the FCT, either in the formal or informal
sector, is covered.
“You have to work out a system so that can cover
certain diseases. If, for instance, someone is diagnosed with cancer, how can
he or she pay for it? Cancer treatment, even the medication alone or
chemotherapy alone, costs a lot of money not to talk of radiotherapy or surgery
for some orthopaedic cases.”
The Minister encouraged the FHIS team to also work
out ways in which “enrollees” under the Scheme should have the option of paying
more for wider coverage.
Also he advised them to improve their services and grow the Scheme based on sound business practices, financial management and a robust ICT infrastructure.
Students, Lecturers as well as non academic staff of
the recent converted Eastern Palm
UniversityOkpoko appear to be
in dilemma over next line of action as ImoState Government is yet to issue
directives since the conversion of the school into a state University
from the private University status it was established.
Imo
State House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Paul Emeziem had last Month
changed the Eastern Palm University built by the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha into KO Mbadiwe University as part of the
Imo State owned campuses.
Information to weekend Lead revealed that while some of the students who joined the school with the notion that it a private university are contemplating whether or not to leave the school following the sudden change which expectedly would affect the school’s management, the lecturers and other non academic staff are also confused not knowing whether they are still employees of the college or not.
Former Governor of Imo State and Senator
Representing Imo West in the national Assembly, Senator Rochas Okorocha had
while in the office as Governor, got license for the establishment of the
Eastern Palm University and other universities in Imo.
In one of the briefings of the said Okorocha before
the elapse of his office as the Governor, he made it clear that the said campus
which according to him belongs to Rochas
Foundation of Africa has 10% ownership by the Imo State government hence its management was under public private
partnership.
Rt.
Hon. EMeka Ihedioha had within seven months he had sway as
the Governor of Imo State constituted a panel of Inquiry into the establishment
of the Eastern Palm University of Okorocha led administration.
The panel which was chaired by Professor JudeNjoku
after their investigation recommended that the school be made part of the Imo State University.
Upon assumption of Uzodinma as the Governor, he
executed the said recommendation by the said panel, hence the charge of the
schools name into, KO Mbadiwe University amongst other charges.
The Federal
Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of two billion Naira for the
continuation of the Federal Government National Social Investment Programme initiated (NSIP) by President
Mohammadu Buhari.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya UmaroFarok confirmed the approval while speaking to journalists in Abuja after receiving the White papers.
Hajiya Farok stated that N-power would be the first to be taken care of as the kick begins,
while other aspects such as the Trader
Money, Conditional cashTransfer and the ANCOP Borrowers scheme would follow suit.
The Humanitarian Affairs Minister advised Nigerians
to continue to have confidence in President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration
as all the promises made during his campaign would be fulfilled.