His foray into the shark infested waters of Nigerian politics dates back to 2011 when he contested for the same office but was truncated by the forces of doom. Unhouded by the powers that be, Hon. Dozie re-contested in 2015 and coasted to victory once again but this time he picked the gauntlet, took the bull by the horn and reclaimed his mandate. Onye Ndozi as he is fondly called has in more ways than one been a blessing to his ,constituents and humanity at large. Ranging from free medical eye and dental treatments which over 2,000 indigenes across Njikoka, Anaocha and Dunukofia have benefited immensely from to poverty alleviation programmes which produced owners of 6 salon cars, over 150 tricycles (keke), sewing machines, textile fabrics, hair dryers, grinding machines and motorcycles. As an ardent advocate of qualitative education, Hon. Dozie has given out over 50,000 books to various secondary schools in different localities.
The self effacing lawmaker who barely choruses his redoubtable achievements has moved a number of motions in the house. Firstly was a motion mandating the house committee on environment and habitat to compel the federal ministry of environment to include contracts to mitigate the gully erosion in Enuagu, Uruogbo and Osili Villages in Enugwu Ukwu in Njikoka LGA, Udu Donka (Agulu Nanka) and Haba Agulu erosion sites, Adazi Nnukwu gully erosion site, Enuabo village, Obeledu erosion site, Dunukofia Nkwelle Umunnachi and Ukpo erosion sites in the Supplementary Federal budget for 2016. He also drew the attention of the house to the fact that the health centres and facilities in his constituency have been abandoned and are in deplorable states. They include University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Comprehensive Health Centre, Abagana, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Centre for Community and Primary Health Care Ukpo and the UNIZIK Community Medicine/ Primary Health Care Centre and Diagnostics Centre Neni. Pursuant to this development, the House mandated the Committee on Health Care Services to ensure the rehabilitation and equipping of the Medical Centres and three (3) Federal Health Centres in the Constituency.
Hon. Dozie has meritorously chalked up in his kitty an insurmountable record of achievements only a few politicians would be able to achieve in one lifetime. His magnanimity and human development geared gestures have earned him a number of accolades including the Chieftaincy Title of Onyendozi (The Reconciliator) of Enugwu Ukwu na Umunri, Igbo Youth Congress Award, Peace Ambassador Award from Port harcourt Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Award of Excellence from Rotary Club of Port Harcourt amongst many others. He holds a BSc in Accountancy and is currently studying for his MSc degree in Business administration in the university of liverpool, UK.
The likes of Hon. Ferdinand Dozie Nwankwo reconciles humanity with the aphorism that in every dispensation God sends a Joseph to fulfil a divine purpose and alleviate the plight of his people. In every generation certain historic feats happen but never happen frequently, we are happy that in our time Chief Honourable Dozie Nwankwo happened and is still happening.
By: Anambra Metrics
After diverting #15billion in the name of building flyovers, Kwata junction flyover cracks ... I have been vindicated with the collapsing of the poorly designed flyover.
By Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia.
That the bridge is collapsing is not the issue, but the wasted state fund.
That they gave us the worst ever designed flyover that failed both quality and beautification tests was quite disgusting at best.
Do we now probe the utilization of the #15billion diverted with respect to those projects?
That the flyover has already started cracking from the base within three months of its use, shows that it had failed quality test and any attempt to do nothing on it thereby making it possible for our people to continue using it will be suicidal.
I wrote last year(2015) against the dangerous diversion of public fund by Gov Obiano led administration when they went for Contract Variation that took the contract from its initial Contract sum of #5billion to #15billion after 11 months of the contract performance out of 12 months contract execution tenure .
We saw Contract Variation move 200 % above the original contract sum for the first time under Obiano.
Yesterday, Gov Obiano led administration after some of the govt's propagandists tried to denied that the closed bridged was not collapsing, went there to carry out repair work on the collapsing flyover.
Let me state here, I am not a Civil Engineer ,but I am a human being who observes danger when I see one.
I submit that in a time like this, we are faced with issues here.
(1) who bears the consequences if anyone dies from that bridge especially if Govt failed to do the needful?
(2) Those that are trying to defend govt on the collapsing flyover, if that is to be their rented house, will they still be living in the same house?
(3) What of the money expended there? Can't us ask questions on the said Money?
(4) Every right thinking person knows that no govt can spend up to one #1.5billion for the entire projects but here we are, they diverted our #15billion,yet they gave us the worst ever designed flyover anyone can talk of.
Don't force our people to use that bridge Sir. We must be proactive and not reactive. Lives of our people matter more than any one's political ego.
When I said that Obiano gave us worst ever designed flyovers with inflated contract sums, some didn't believe. But today with the cracking of one of them, I am vindicated.
More reasons why we must stand to correct the mistake of 2013 that produced Gov Obiano.
#Correction2017
Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia ©2016
Nnewi, Anambra State
Chief Alfred Rewane, Dr Omotshola, Admiral Elegbede, Admiral Akinterinwa, Toyin Onagoruwa, Bagauda Kaltho, Suliat Adedeji etc died. Thousands of Nigerians died in the June 12 struggle from 1993-1998. General Abacha himself died on June 8 1998. Please take notice that the Foundation laid by Justice Ikpeme led to the June 12 crisis and the tragedies recorded. The weight of Justice Ikpeme’s sin and the shame eventually led to her death. She did not live to enjoy the money paid her by IBB and Chief Arthur Nzeribe. The tide of public opinion on the matter left her devastated, sorrowful, dejected and rejected. Death became an option.
Between 1993 and 1998 when committed Nigerians were struggling for the revalidation of the annulled elections judgements were being issued left and right from High Courts across Nigeria. One will come from Ilorin, another from Rivers, another from Jos and yet another from Abuja etc. That was when the rot began to set in for the judiciary in Nigeria. Now let me take you to the world of Nigerian Newspapers on how they see corruption in the nation’s judiciary systems.
“Firm writes NJC over alleged bias by judicial officers” – The Guardian
“Let Corrupt judges go to jail” –Punch Editorial
“Conflicting Ruling: NJC called to Probe Justice Okon” – Vanguard
“War On Corruption: Delay tactics by the Judiciary” –Vanguard
|”Menace of Conflicting Court Judgments” – Punch
“CJN and Judicial rascality in graft cases” – Punch
Former President Obasanjo was determined to fight corruption to the fullest but he was frustrated by the judiciary that worked for the looters. Lawyers ran to high Courts in all part of Nigeria obtaining judgements and injunctions restraining the security Agencies to carry out their constitutional duties. Lawyers and judges made it difficult if not impossible for government to bring the looters to book. In an Editorial few days back, Punch warned about the danger of conflicting Court judgements. Hear Punch: “A protracted intra-party feud in the Peoples Democratic Party has resulted in Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi leading rival factions, which at different times obtained conflicting judgments from Federal High Courts in Abuja and Port Harcourt respectively. The 2016 governorship election dispute in Abia State between Okezie Ikpeazu and Uche Oga – all of the PDP – and Appeal Court panels in Abuja and Ilorin decisions on public Order Act also elicited such judicial pantomime. These rules are making Nigerians nervous”
I am told also that Ayo Salami, a former President of the Court of Appeal was once quoted as saying that retired judges were deeply involved in bribing or intimidating judges under the guise of legal consultancy. In the 2015 disputed elections in Rivers State Appeal Court panels sacked all the State Assembly members, HOR members, and the Senate including Governor Wike. At the Supreme Court Wike was returned as the Governor while the State and National Assembly members remained sacked for the same malpractice were never returned. What happened? Money exchanged hands among the Supreme Court judges. A certain officer of the PDP was before a High Court in Abuja for deeping hands into the funds meant for Arms to dislodge Boko Haram. Each time the man appeared in court we noticed that some so-called Senior Advocates of Nigeria were lining up behind the accused even after promising to return the loot. What will you call this? Corruption!
For the judiciary, I think that we have a catalogue of woes in our hands. Their woes have gone full cycle. Every honour, every respect, every dignity and every importance attached to the judiciary has been eroded with frightening speed in the past 25years. The conducts of judges, Magistrates, and Lawyers have made some of us to begin to ask questions about the so-called learned profession. Are the lawyers immuned to issues of justice? Are they untouchables? Are they above the law? Are the lawyers exempted from our criminal justice systems? Can lawyers do no wrong? Can’t the lawyers or judges be prosecuted? Can’t they be jailed? Can’t they face the firing squad? Are they special people that are exempted from facing the jury? What is this noise about evading the homes of judges by DSS?
In trying to find answers to these questions, I have tried to read how other civilized countries handle their criminal justice systems and I discovered that judges, magistrates, lawyers have faced the juries and paid for their sins. Nigeria is not going to be an exception. Nigerian lawyers have arrogated themselves to the position they do not deserve. They have arrogated themselves the honor, respect and carriage they do not have. Law is no respecter of any person. Lawyers must be brought to justice if they breach the laws of the land.
Joe Igbokwe.
Lagos.
Fashola said: “I would like to assure this gathering that plans
are underway for all major routes in Nigeria that link the trans Sahara
route to be upgraded while future road interventions in Nigeria shall
take the form of dualisation.”
Onitsha,
Anambra State.
To His Excellency,
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dear Sir,
The radio and TV pontificate that you are back from London, where you ventured to examine and treat your disappointing ear or ears. Welcome! His Excellency, May I seize this golden opportunity to narrate, with precision and accuracy, what actually happened in Anambra State that Black Day? I never knew this would befall me. I never knew I could forget to remember to eat for days. I never knew I could roll myself into a ball in bed and cry like a schoolboy whose chocolate was snatched from him by an uncaring stepmother. I never knew. Oh God, I never knew!
That frosty Tuesday evening in an unpleasant pub in Onitsha, she told me that Nigeria was staggering perilously in a stinking gutter because it gulped beer and still gulped that satisfying alcohol popularly known as Corruption Lager beer, 45%. “And because our nation’s stomach is overloaded with Corruption Lager beer, she can bite you on the neck like a mad dog and watch you slump on the pothole-filled roads as blood oozes to carpet the ground,” she added. Then she shook her head gloomily and lit a cigarette, her eighteenth of the day really. I serenely sipped my cold Hero beer and watched the smoke she had expelled through her ringed nose curl fantastically above her weird Afro hair. Nwanyibuife–for that was her name–was an eccentric, refreshingly argumentative social warrior, according to Mr. Maxwell, her garrulous landlord. Oh yes, she was argumentative, as you can see. I itched to altercate her, to say that our dear country was sober, but something restrained me, perhaps trepidation. She was my girl, oh yes, but my friends, particularly the banana-nosed Obinna, habitually remarked that I, a 26-year old man-shaped man with a penis, was Nwanyibuife’s girlfriend and she my boyfriend. The irony of this comment always nearly galvanized me into clouting Nwanyibuife to prove to my taunting buddies that I was a man, a real man at that, but, oh God, every time I lifted my petite hand to perform this needed action she’d seize it at once like the Undertaker (His Excellency, do you still remember this professional wrestler?), and push me violently down from my chair.
No, no, no, I’d not alternate. “You’re right, Buife: Nigeria is drunk,” I mumbled, and lifted my glass to my lips.
She made a vague sound, a hmmm, drained her glass and lit another cigarette. Nineteen. Oh God, don’t count the cigarettes, His Excellency, please…Ah, where did I stop?—Oh yes! She then leaned back in her Star Beer chair to savour her Benson and Hedges. For a moment, the pub was wrapped in silence. Then the loud speakers split the silence and almost shattered my eardrums:
Love all your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections…
Mr. President, American pop and R n’ B has never appealed to me. So promise me a hug in Aso Rock because I prefer our musicians, Osadebe, Sunny Ade, Onyeka Onwenu and Fela Kuti. So I implored the long-necked barman to turn down the volume. He obliged. But I shouted to submerge the foreign music completely, “Our president will turn things around, hopefully. He promised to drag change into our dear country. Can’t you recall how his disciples sang “Changeee” on the roofs of the political party vans? He is the solution to this problem of corruption. Let’s give him time, Buife.”
“Don’t rile me up, Kachi!” she thundered, and two adolescent lovers who conceivably sneaked out of their school and changed to come here turned from the table where they sat kissing amateurishly to stare at me and my furious woman.
His Excellency, I didn’t want the lad to ascertain that my girlfriend was intimidating me so I let anger wrinkle my face and I bawled, “Listen, Buife my doll, don’t shout at me…And I still maintain that Nigeria is not drunk. I believe and I want you to believe in this present government…”
Boom! She smacked me over my balloon of a head with her empty bottle of Gulder beer and stomped out smoking her twentieth cigarette. I sat there yelling and clutching my head. But the little mirror on her forgotten cigarette lighter proved, to my relief, that my head wasn’t bust open like a coconut. The teen lovers howled with laughter, and I shielded my face shamefacedly with my copy of Vanguard newspaper. This amplified their laughter; they laughed without cessation and the barman emerged with a shovel and drove me out.
And that, His Excellency, was the last time I saw Nwanyibuife. I will never see her again because I was trying to advertise your competence.
That night, I wept as the rain beat against my windowpane
Birds sang merrily in the dancing tree outside
And I wept
They sang
I wept
They sang
I clutched the periwinkle flower she gave me on my birthday close to my hammering heart as I wept
The wicked birds sang; owls hooted.
Thunder boomed rattling my windows, followed by lightning
And I wept
Oh Buife, whom I will never again hold like a pillow when it rains!
I wept and wept and refused to be consoled.
Where did the bloody cigarette-smoking, ranting girl venture, you wonder, His Excellency?
Well, I didn’t really know; my friends didn’t know; her friends didn’t know; her people didn’t know. Even her landlord did not know.
Her sudden disappearance, Mr. President, turned me into an inspector. Ten days into my investigations, I learned from the residents of Obosi, a suburb of the commercial city of Onitsha, that she was one of the “Biafrans” who were shot and buried en masse like dogs that day in Anambra by the soldiers, your men, my men, our men. She was the only woman who fought for the cause and died. If I were a writer, His Excellency, I would call her story this: The Tragedy of an Unemployed Biafran Woman. But I am not a writer. Many people died fighting, men and women and children. I was really interested in this Biafra agitation and so I carried out a research. And here is the synopsis of the thesis, His Excellency:
BIAFRA AGITATION: A CASE STUDY OF MISS BUIFE
Introduction
Buife was born on 19th May, 1992 to the family of Ichie and Lolo Johnson Okafor in their hometown of Nnewi. But she left her parents to join her Uncle Emeka in Kano when she was nine. I met her in the band in our church in Kano and we fell in love. Her instrument was the piano and mine was the guitar. We dated growing up. Together, we played and sang and kissed and stimulated and fought and ate together like little husband and wife. And we cried together. We were even the “best couple” at the university in Kano, where she read political science and I read music. But she loved music more than me. Perhaps music tightened our relationship like a rope tightened a bag of sand. She’d come back to the hostel off campus late at night drunk and singing the National Anthem. I’d rebuke her and she’d push me against the wall. But the next day, she would apologize with a tender kiss, buy me beer and food and then fuck me. I never fucked her. She fucked me.
Background
Buife yielded to the lure of the green bottle and tobacco because her childhood was filled with agony and sorrows. Her twin sister Mary was beheaded in Kano for “blapheming against Islam” in Kano. (A Muslim trader next door at Sabon Gari, who hated her, asked her to stop eating the bread she was eating during that Ramadan season and she interjected that she was a Christian. The man yelled something in Arabic and Muslims gathered like ants around a cube of sugar. And the next moment thousands of Muslims in Kano were dancing with Mary’s head in the streets.) Her father, who was a barman, was whipped and nearly burnt for selling liquor. His countless crates of beer were shattered and burnt because “it is against God.” A “little” war ensued. Christian blood flowed in torrents in the north; Muslim blood did likewise in the east. The crisis took Buife’s only brother. He was nailed to a bamboo cross in Kano. He died on the cross like Christ. Buife and her mother dressed up in white hijabs like proper Muslims and escaped from the north. Her father remained there. He said he would stay for years and run for the governorship election and if he won he would alter some nefarious laws. But, four years later, when he declared his political ambition in Kano his corpse was found in a maggot-infested gutter the next morning. “Kano is not your Anambra” was written on the chest of Buife’s father, a man who spent virtually all his life in Kano. So she grew up to hate and despise northerners, albeit she had gleaned from the papers and from people– including the Igbos–that the Igbos sometimes did worse. In Onitsha, over twenty innocent Hausa cobblers, for instance, were tossed into the Niger river. Fishes gobbled their dead bodies.
My father, whom she loved, despite all the Christians’ mockery and threats, respected and never killed the Idemili royal python. He was butchered by the Fulani herdsmen recently in one hamlet in Enugu State. This horrible sight of my father’s headless body made her go mad and she cried. I never saw tears in Buife’s eyes before that day, believe me. But that sunless afternoon, she cried, her tears dropping on my father’s corpse. She cried and I cried and everybody cried because the government was silent when my father died.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
From the findings of Buife’s life, His Excellency, it could be concluded that there’s not enough love between the northerners and Ndigbo. I discovered that Buife incited the father of her friend to fire all the Hausas in his company. And the moron did. It was also revealed that Buife shot down many innocent northerners in Onitsha and in my hometown of Oba shouting that it was about time Nigerians left Biafra, her fatherland. (Oh why, Buife? This is sheer wickedness!) Buife craved for an Independent State of Biafra. And when that man you called “rebel” was controversially arrested, she joined the angry “Biafrans” chanting, “Free NNAMDI KANU!”
And the Nigerian soldiers emerged and shot them in the church, where they had scampered to hide.
His Excellency, don’t get me wrong, please. I really love Nigeria my country. And I love you too. But you have to do these two things for me:
1. Promote peace and unity in “One Nigeria” by ensuring that no region is forgotten in your government (all the federal roads in the east, for instance, are deplorable.)
2. Negotiation. Invite the IPOB members to Abuja and talk amicably with them.
His Excellency, I will drop this letter at the gigantic gate of Aso Rock and, if by luck, it gets into your busy hands, hurray to the gods!
Now, I have to drop my pen to mourn my Buife. But I must say thank you, His Excellency. God will embellish you and prolong your life as you do things.
And may God bless Nigeria and all African nations.
Amen.
By Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia.
Who will bail the Local Government System in Nigeria ?
It is obvious that Local Government Areas were made the third tier of the Government just like Federal and State governments are the first and second tiers respectively during the Local Government Reform of 1988 .
Local Government has been enjoying the quasi-independence in line with the reform until 2002 .
No thanks to 1999 Constitution that gave the State House of Assemblies powers to Legislate on Local Government matters.
The Various Houses of Assembly which in practice are extension of State executive arms , went into collaboration with the state executives and put Local Government into Financial and Administrative arrest and thereby defeat the aims of LGA Reforms of 1988.
Under the Local Government Reform, Local Governments are to maintain their independence to some extent .
There is supposed to be a functional Ministries . Local Government Councilors are to legislate for the Local Government , just the Way National Assembly and State House of Assemblies do for Federal Government and State government respectively . Today, Councilors are just in theory and of no powers in practice ! No thanks to the state government political and administrative arrest .
Today, joint Local Government/State account appeared without any backup law. In this account, State Governments use it to collect LGA money which LGA Chairmen will now go to beg for peanut from what is meant for them.The worst is that under this arrangement , the needs of the Local Government is immaterial .
The worst is that, Chairmen will be meant to sign that they received money they never did just to be in good book of the governor who can sack any of them at a while! Where then is the mandate given to third tier of the government by the people in line with the constitution?
get more news here>>>>www.nigeria1stnews.blogspot.com
Sometimes, Local Government can be given as little as #1.5million for the month even when such LGA received about #100million for the said month from the Federal government allocation!
Anambra state for example , gives LGA Chairmen #1.5million as monthly allocation ! Who will bail LG System from this arrest?
As if Quarantining the Statutory allocation of the Local Government Areas is not enough to the state , the State Government also ,takes control of Internal Revenue Windows of the LGA , even when the Constitution gave Local Government powers to be in control of Markets , motor Parks, etc .State Governments across the Nation have relegated the dictates of our Constitution and are in control of parks, Markets , etc meant for the LGA..!
Local Government is now a tool in the hands of States.
They have Ministries of Local Government across the states with a Commissioner !
Imagine Federal government having a Minister for State Government ?
A Local Government Chairman can't even maintain a local road or construct Culvert drainage as envisaged by the framers of our constitution ! No thanks to State Government.
get more news here >>>www.nigeria1snews.blogspot.com
State will do such duties meant for Local Government and the Chairman will be called to come and sign what he or she knew nothing about!
Some state Dont even conduct LGA election and when you question them , they hide under the state House of Assembly who will back it up with Act of State Assembly which they will manufacture , House of Assembly will hide under the lacuna in our Constitution to produce a law that will legalize State Government's illegality in LGA activities .
The point is that State Governors sees LGA money as a free money , while people in the LGA sees their elected officials as none performing !
How can LGA Chairman perform with the above situation? How ?
The point also is that without a functional Local Government System , Pressure will center in the State.
get more news>>>> www.nigeria1snews.blogspot.com
Without Decentralization and devaluation of powers from states to LGAs as envisaged by the Constitution , tension will continue to mount in the polity .
Local Government is the closest government to the people , knows people and their concerns more , but the states adopted LGA/State working Relationship has rendered LGA expected Results Wonderful in the papers, but Impossible in practice !
Who will save the LGA ? Can State Assemblies intervene ?
Will National Assembly find a Constitutional ground to stand and right this wrong ?
get more news here>>>
www.nigeria1snews.blogspot.com
Can The President use Administrative directives to redirect this issue?
Can the governors let 'Israelites' go?
I call for synergy of all Parties involved in this issue. Let's seek for masses interest and constitutional stand as we move to solve one of Nigerian most Controversial political question of 4th Republic !
Making of Illegality to be Legal!
God Bless Nigeria.
Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia.
Abuja,Nigeria
Get more here >>>>www.nigeria1stnews.blogspot.com
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