Innocent Ojefia Blog

The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for second term, and urged political office holders to unflinchingly support the Governor to succeed. Uduaghan spoke on Saturday at a grand reception organised in honour of Hon. Joan Mrakpor, member representing Aniocha/Oshimili in the Federal House of Representatives at Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha North local government area of Delta State “Dr Okowa will be the Governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023,” he said, adding, “our Governor, don’t listen to the stories you hear, you know the way people talk, don’t worry, no shaking, we are here for you.” He emphasised, “Delta Is a PDP state, it will remain a PDP state; Deltans ensure you go and get your permanent voters cards, it will enable you prepare for the 2019 elections.” “I want to urge political office holders not to give the Governor stress, add value to the Governor’s activities, don’t give him stress,” he stated. Dr Uduagh...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged political office holders to site projects that would be beneficial to the development of their communities. Governor Okowa made the call at a grand reception organised in honour of the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon.Joan Mrakpor at Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South local government area of Delta St ate. The reception was organised by Ubulu-Uku Development Council (UDC), the Obi-in-council and the people of Ubulu-Uku kingdom. “Working with your people, you will identify their needs and embark on projects that will impact on their lives,” the Governor said, adding, “your constituency projects must be useful to your people, such projects must be monitored in such a manner that quality work is delivered.” The Governor who congratulated Hon. Mrakpor for the recognition, observed that such could only happen based on her contribution to the development of her community, the st...

By now, most Nigerians would be familiar with Bill Gate’s incisive perspective on Nigeria’s development because his speech to the National Economic Council has gone viral. So there is no need repeating the fact that he identified health and education as sectors that Nigerian policy makers have to rejig in the Economic Recovery Growth Plan, ERGP to enable the full realization of our country’s potentials. This is because he noticed that even if the ERGP boasts of being focused on Nigerian people via investment in healthcare and education which are the critical elements of human development, attention seem to be skewed in favor of physical infrastructure to the detriment of sustainable human development from birth. According to Gates, for real development that would make reasonable impact on the polity to take place, both human and physical infrastructure have to be developed pari pasu. To me, Gates’ perspective is a pretty straight forward analogy of the prospects and impe...

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, has described the controversial list of treasury looters released by the Federal Government as an insult to Nigerians. Minister of Information Lai Mohammed had released the controversial list of treasury looters at a press conference in Lagos. But the group in a statement by its president, Malachy Ugwummadu, asked the federal government to look inward into ex-PDP chieftains now in APC to show seriousness in fighting corruption. His statement read: “If the Federal Government was serious about total anti-corruption war, it should also ‘look inwards’ and name ex-PDP chieftains who are now in the APC. “The conviction and prosecution of looters were the real proof of any anti-corruption fight. “On whether it was right for the Federal Government to have named persons whose corruption cases were already in court, it is an issue that was neither ‘here nor there’. “If the persons listed view it as name-dropping, t...

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to a list released by the Federal Government, indicting its members as ‘top treasury looters’. The PDP in a press statement by its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, on Friday, released a counter-list of alleged looters containing Governors, Senators, Ministers, and other top All Progressives Congress chieftains. The Federal through the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had released a list containing PDP members who have allegedly looted Nigeria’s monies. The statement reads in part: “In line with the directive of the ruling APC government, that PDP should return all looted monies for Nigerians to accept our apology, PDP hereby wholeheartedly agrees to abide by this suggestion and will get its members to return the said looted money. “Accordingly, the following are directed to immediately report to the EFCC with their loots: “Rotimi Amaechi, Timipre Sylva, Bukola Saraki, Aliyu Wammako, Sullivan Chime, Orj...

The Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has criticized the federal government over the controversial list of treasury looters in the country. Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed had released thecontroversial list of treasury looters at a press conference in Lagos on Friday. Fayose writing on his Twitter page, queried the omission of former minister, Alison Dieziani Madueke, ex-pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina, amongst others from the list. The Ekiti governor further questioned the authenticity of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war. He wrote “Surprisingly, name of PDP Chairman, Uche Secondus (N200m) is on Lai Mohammed clownish ‘looters’ lists; that of Diezani that they claimed to have traced N47.2bn & $487.5m to was missing. “Did FG lie against Diezani ab-initio or she is now Baptized into APC comity of Saint Looters? “Still about their corruption list, what happened to the NHIS Boss, Yusuf (sacked for fraud & reinstated by Buhari...

The Easter season throbs with the celebration of the annual Anioma Cultural Festival in Asaba, Delta State. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the festival of royalty, glamour, pomp and pageantry. Arguably the finest cultural event in Delta State, Anioma Cultural Festival is the panoply of fashion, music, dance, traditional sports and creative arts of historical value to the Anioma people from the nine local government areas of Delta North Senatorial Zone. Initiated 15 years ago by the Organization for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC), the culture umbrella body of the Anioma nation, the unity-inducing festival has helped to reawaken the consciousness of the people to their cultural values. This year’s fest is anchored on the theme: “Building Bridges”. Well over 300 delegates and stakeholders representing the four dialectical groups in Anioma nation gathered recently in the commodious Orchid Hotels, Asaba Delta State to put the plans for the festival in a fitt...

The crisis rocking the Diocese of the Lagos Anglican Communion deepened with a serious protest during the Good Friday Easter service at the Church of Christ on Marina, Lagos. The information was said to have caused serious tension in all the parishes of the church in Lagos. The church service had started at about 9:00 am with the hymn and followed by the prayers. The Bishop of Lagos Diocese and Dean Emeritus of the Anglican Church at the Marina, Most Rev. Adebola Ademowo, as a statutory duty, was to deliver the day’s sermon. However, as he was entering the church, Ademowo was greeted by a serious protest by some elders and members of the church who were against him and his role in the succession plan. They protested against the election and translation of the Rt. Reverend Humphrey Olumakaye as the new Bishop of the Lagos Diocese, overseeing the Church of Christ, Marina. The protesters promised their anger on the fact that Olumakaye was recently translated from the Osun E...

  If Vice President Yemi Osinbajo expected a public outrage at his latest revelation that the whopping sums of N100bn and $289m were embezzled by the Goodluck Jonathan administration weeks to the 2015 elections, he must be disappointed by now. Up till now, nobody is exactly asking for Jonathan’s head on a spike. Osinbajo has confirmed people’s suspicion: that Buhari, the man who was elected to tear down the temple of corruption in Nigeria, is not as potent a force as he was marketed. Nigerians that thought they were getting two raging bulls must be wondering how they ended up with these hand-wringing jokers. Osinbajo should not be surprised at the yawns and wrinkled noses he got from Nigerians for his exposé, as people now think that still blaming Jonathan is an old subterfuge, considering everything else that has befallen us under Buhari. If Jonathan and his merry band stole so much and up till now, the best you do is throw out repetitive lines of how much he sto...

There is anger in the land. Nigerians are not happy. They are fuming with anger and despair over failed electoral promises of the ruling party.    They are angry over their miserable living conditions. They are angry over the continuous rape of the country by her unfaithful political leaders. There is no mistake about it. Every Tom, Dick  and  Harry are bitter about the excruciating Nigerian condition. Even children are not excluded. The Nigerian condition is fast becoming beyond prayers and redemption. It has defied all logic and solutions including dry fasting and intercessory incantations. It can be easily felt from the north to the south and from the east to the west. Everybody in Nigeria  is angry over the general insecurity in the country dubbed the giant of  Africa . Apart from the menace of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east and other isolated places, the murderous campaign of Fulani herdsmen across the country has caused much pain...