Author: Saint Augustine

By James Eze As he waddled to the center stage, five-year-old Onyebuchi Arinze had all eyes on him. The midday sun beamed down on him as his little fingers folded around the microphone. Comically dressed in the clothes of an adult with a wrapper strung across his little shoulder, Onyebuchi’s precocious voice rent the air like a hot knife through a slab of butter. The crowd held its breath as he delivered every line to perfection. Applause rippled through the crowd.  His performance came to a glorious end, drawing tears from the eyes of some people. Little Onyebuchi had just…

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has said that the inauguration of the State Youth Skills and Empowerment Scheme at the Technology Incubation Centre, Nnewi on Wednesday was a fulfillment of his promise to establish three vocational centres, one in each of the three Senatorial zones of the state. Trainees at the Nnewi centre in Anambra South Senatorial zone are expected to undergo three weeks training on ICT, Soap Making, Spare-parts fabrication and Production of Car Wash liquid detergents amongst other products. Governor Obiano said that that was the first batch of the programme which involved five hundred youths selected…

The commitment of the governor of Anambra State Chief Willie Obiano to the welfare of teachers in the state is borne out of a deep understanding of their motivations and needs as a son of a Headmaster who is amongst the most dedicated group of patriots that made most of us who we are. These reasons were adduced Wednesday by the wife of the governor of Anambra State Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano at the commissioning of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Secretariat, built by Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Princess Chinwe Nwaebili in Atani, Ogbaru…

The Principal Partner, Akabogu and Associates, Barr. Emeka Akabogu has described the oil price fall in the international oil market as an opportunity as well as a disincentive for the maritime sector in Nigeria. Akabogu who made this assertion in an interview with newsmen in his office in Lagos stated that the trend could be said to be a disincentive owing to the fact that with the devaluation of Naira, importers may need a lot of Naira to get the dollars since they needed dollar for foreign exchange to import goods into the country. He said,” so, the evident impact…

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to extend its trainings to the freight forwarders in the maritime sector so as to guarantee an all inclusive capacity building in the sector. Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos, the Secretary General of the association, Hon. Increase Uche stated that if the journalists covering the sector could be factored in the overseas training of the agency last year, such gesture should also be extended to the freight forwarders who were no mean contributors to the nation’s…

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mallam Habib Abdullahi has assured the Nigerian Navy of the authority’s maximum cooperation and support in its efforts to curtail piracy and other maritime crimes in the Nation’s water ways. Mallam Abdullahi gave this assurance while receiving the new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral JKZ Ango, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Lagos on Tuesday. The Managing Director said further that although the Nigerian Ports Authority was not the Designated Authority responsible for security at the Nation’s ports, it had the…

Managing Director, Techno Brain-West Blue and lead consultant of the Nigeria Single Window Environment Implementation, Ms Valentina Mintah has described the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as a role model in trade facilitation with the development of the Single Window platform even among developed countries in the world. Speaking in Abuja recently, Mintah said the NCS as the lead agency in the Single Window (SW) implementation in Nigeria has gone a long way in creating an enabling environment for trade to flourish in the country. “SW is basically looking at the export, import and transit trade supply chain from the perspective of…

The youths in Abagana held a historic congress to set a new path for their future and develop a common agenda in preparation for the 2015 general elections. The congress held at Ezi Udoeke Square observed that the activities of a people during election had a lot to do with how democratic dividends are distributed. Thus, the youths vowed to stand behind the government of Anambra State led by a people oriented Governor, Chief Willie Obiano who has shown enough goodwill in less than 12 months in office. The massive support enjoyed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and…

Governor Willie Obiano has declared the resolve of his administration to restore the lost glory of Onitsha and transform it into one of the major cities in Nigeria and the entire Sub-Saharan Africa. The governor made this declaration during the flag off of some inner city road projects in Onitsha. The roads are Ajasa, Allen, Ezenwa and Saineez streets.  The projects were awarded to the Army Corps of Engineers at the contract sum of N1.1 billion with a completion period of three months. A breakdown of this cost shows that Ajasa and Allen streets were awarded at the cost of…

James Eze Although the recent visit by a 30-man strong business delegation from Thailand to Anambra State has come and gone, the full significance of its five-day stay in what used to be the crime capital of South East Nigeria will linger for a long time to come. For obvious reasons, the Thai Trade Mission to Anambra could be seen as the final proof that Governor Willie Obiano’s acclaimed exploits in ridding Anambra State of crime and criminal elements as widely reported in the media is no fluke. In a sense, it is the longest test of the efficacy of…