The Pan African Women Forum for Grassroot Development, last weekend, conferred an Excellent Award on the Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Mobilisation and Capacity Development, High Chief Canice Moore Nwachukwu, Omeogo Na Orlu.
The Award of Excellence on the SA, according to the Forum, was because he has distinguished himself as a grassroots leader with outstanding performance.
The Pan African Women Forum for Grassroot Development is a social Non- Governmental Organization that has the aim of ensuring the inclusion of women in leadership position and decision making with the intent to addressing gender-based issues and empowerment of women in Nigeria and Africa at large.
The Global President of the Forum, Dr. Ijeoma Agbonma Kalu, explained that the Forum was saddled with the task of achieving an equal and decent political society where women will explore their potentials in contributing their quota towards building a prosperous political system across Africa.
She noted that the award on Omeogo was the first of its kind since the formation of the Forum, saying the award was only given to those who have added values to the society and having distinguished themselves in the service to humanity especially on women empowerment and capacity building, of which Omeogo is one of such persons, hence his award by the Forum.
While receiving the award at the Imo State Concorde Hotel, Owerri, Omeogo charged the Forum to continuously be in support of the Shared Prosperity Government of His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma, for the benefit of Imo State citizens.
He seized the opportunity to describe Senator Hope Uzodinma as a most friendly Female Governor.
Omeogo maintained that “I am sure that this government is sensitive to gender, which is shown in the appointment of Senator Hope Uzodinma, where women formed part of his cabinet. I’m only asking Imo women to be steadfast in their support to this government”, He said.
Omeogo, who was delighted about the honour, described women as special gifts from God, who according to him, should never be neglected nor relegated, but be allowed to continue to contribute their quota in nation-building.
He also frowned at the recent news on female rape which has taken the center stage in the society today, advising those involved in such evil practice to desist from it.
In the heat of the rush for the National identity Number Registration going on now, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), last week, caught illegal operators who were providing registration services of the National Identification Number (NIN) in Kano state with the assistance of the NIMC legal team.
NIMC on this twitter handle stated:
“We have arrested some illegal operators of NIMC activities by some Business Centre operators in Kano metropolis. For three days we went round Kano and we successfully made arrest of some illegal NIN enrolment agents, who pretend to be licensed NIN enrolment agents and deceive some Nigerians to illegally enrol them into the NIMC database.”
The Legal Officer at the NIMC office in Kano, who was part of
the raid, said the exercise was to discover those areas around the state where
illegal NIMC registration activities were going on, especially in business
centres.
He said that arrests were made and NIMC documents recovered in the business
centres during the exercise.
He listed the documents to include fake NIMC plastics identity
cards, NIMC’s original NIN slips, and other vital documents that were not
supposed to be under the custody of any non-NIMC staff.
He said those arrested have been handed over to the Police for
investigation, after which they shall be charged to court for prosecution.
NIMC had warned Nigerians not to register with any individual, body,
association or agents that are not duly licensed by NIMC.
NIMC had in December last year, licensed 200 enrolment agents
comprising of 173 agents and 30 state governments/public sector institutions to
conduct enrolment of all persons, including legal residents into the national
identity database of the the National Identity Management Commission on behalf
of NIMC.
The approval, which was given in different categories, included all telecoms operators and private companies, and they are expected to commence enrolment into the NIMC database.
NIMC, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Head of Communications, who confirmed the licensing of the agents, said they have been mandated to commence registration immediately.
Last week,
the federal government reactivated over 20 enrolment centers within the Nation’s
Capital – Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to make the process of NIN enrolment
much easier.
The reactivated centres commenced enrolment activities from
Monday last week, and NIMC has warned Nigerians not to enrol outside of the
licensed enrolment agents.
This is important as not to be wasting your time somewhere
without knowing that you have been defrauded.
On the early hours of Sunday morning, Armed bandits said to be numbering over 200 invaded some communities in Munya and Paikoro Local Government Areas of Niger State, killing two security operatives, a middle-aged man and injuring about 15 others in an operation which the villagers said was targeted only at foodstuff.
Over 15 women were abducted and forced to help the bandits carry the looted foodstuff, packed in bags from the communities.
The bandits, however, promised to release the women after helping them to evacuate the foodstuff to a particular location.
The communities invaded by the bandits include Beni, old and new Dalolo, Aboloso, Ishau and Amale, all in Paikoro Local Government, while Gwari Nyayi, Kabiri and Biri in Munya Local Government were also raided by the bandits.
Beni,
Alhaji Jafaru Umar Sarki, the District Head, confirmed that the invasion started
on Saturday evening when the armed men numbering about 200 and in over 50
motorcycles stormed the communities in three different groups.
The
Saturday operation only lasted for one hour and the bandits went away with
sacks loaded with foodstuff and other items looted from shops in the town.
He
said on Sunday morning, the bandits returned and shared themselves into three
groups, moving from one community to another targeting only foodstuff and
provisions from various outlets , from 9’o clock in the morning and lasted for
over three hours.
According
to him, a helicopter owned by one of the security agencies was sighted hovering
over their heads within and around the communities while the bandits were
operating on the ground.
“We saw a helicopter moving around the communities for about six times when the
bandits were operating but the helicopter did not attack the bandits.
“We
did not know what the helicopter was doing in the air because bandits were
operating freely on the ground
He
pointed out that “Immediately the bandits finished the operation and left, we
did not see the helicopter again, so we don’t know whether it was providing
cover for the bandit or to attack the bandits”.
He
disclosed that the communities became helpless when all calls made to relevant
security agencies to come to their rescue failed, adding that “in fact, the
Divisional Police Officer attached to the area said, that they had no fuel in
the car”.
The
District Head, a retired police officer, disclosed that only the local
vigilantes were on ground to provide some help but their ammunitions got
exhausted after over 30 minutes of gun exchange with the bandits.
They, however, lost two of their men, leaving the bandits with only gunshot injuries.
Francis
Daniel, a middle-aged man, who operates a computer centre at Kafin Koro, was
shot and killed from a far distance of hundred metres, when he attempted to
escape into the bush on sighting the bandits.
This incident
is happening again, barely one year and two weeks after the last attack where
the bandits on 9th January 2020, invaded Beni and other communities, kidnaping
over 32 villagers, including the son of the District Head of Beni.
The
bandits also asked for a ransom of N49million for the release of the abducted,
asking the District Head to pay N17million out of the amount before they would
release his son.
Rochas Okorocha, Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly has has reaffirmed his love for the ruling party after a series of doubt concerning his to and membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former Imo state Governor, had recently honoured an invitation from Governor Nyeson Wike to commission some of the state of the art projects that was initiated and completed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in Rivers State.
The senator had equally hinted on a political movement during a live broadcast.
But addressing some party executives of the APC, including the State Working Committee (SWC) at the weekend in Owerri, Okorocha clarified that he remained a member of the APC.
He said: “Our party is APC. Don’t be confused when I said that there were bad people and good people in both APC and PDP. And that the good people in the two parties should come together for the good of the nation. I was only talking about a movement and not party.
“I have not left APC. I am still in APC. Nobody has (better) stake in APC than me. The worst insult I had in Imo and in the South East in 2015 was because of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. APC was formed by President Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, myself and a few other people. But those on congratulations trip have taken over the party.”
The chairman of Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism observed that Buhari was unaware of the “crisis of injustice ravaging the party in the state”, insisting that Daniel Nwafor remained chairman of the party in Imo “based on the decision of the Appeal Court, which is yet to be vacated.”
He also said: “Daniel Nwafor and others, duly elected as executives of the party, remain as such. Those who want to destroy the party lied to President Buhari. The judgments on the issue all stated that the NEC of the party or the governor cannot remove the party excos. The party executives can only be removed by convention.”
Okorocha continued: “Whatever they do here without the duly elected party officials in the state, including the planned registration exercise, expected to begin on Monday (today), would not hold water. We do not recognise Governor Uzodinma’s APC in Imo. That’s not APC in Imo State. That’s PDP People. How many APC members are among his more than 120 appointees? None of course!
“We had a formidable APC until those who came through Ben Johnson way with the help of their likes, came to to take over the party. Now, they cannot go anywhere because nature does not support an injustice system. President Muhammadu Buhari, as a man of Justice, does not support injustice.”