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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022 — 29
By Clifford Ndujihe
G CANDIDATE OVERNORSHIP
of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA in Rivers State, Prince Ugo
Beke, has said the recent
appointment of 200,000 aides by
Governor Nyesom Wike would
not give the ruling People's
Democratic Party, PDP, victory in
the state.
The Ikwerre-born politician,
who also downplayed clamour for
zoning of governorship seat to the
riverine areas of Rivers, said the
state needs the best man for the
job, assuring that he would
governor for all Riverians without
discrimination.
Insisting that he is the best
candidate in terms of experience,
capacity, and acceptability among
the grassroots, Beke said with the
Bi-modal Voters Accreditation
System, BVAS, introduced by the
Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, that votes
would count and riggers will be
frustrated in the 2023 polls.
"As an Ikwere Man, with my
antecedents, the demographics
will favour me," he said, noting
that Ikwerre accounts for about
60 per cent of Rivers State's voting
population.
Calling for the jettisoning of
zoning, he said that the principle
of Federal Character had not
helped Nigeria to get to the dream
of her founding fathers.
Beke, who spoke to newsmen
in Lagos, was reacting to the issue
of zoning in Rivers and why
another Ikwere man should be
part of the succession after the
stints of Peter Odili, Rotimi
Amechi and Nyesom Wike, who
are from Ikwerre, as governors.
Beke, who said he never
believed in zoning and the federal
character principle, said the
principle should not be
encouraged in the interest of
national unity, economic growth
:Vanguard News
:@vanguardnews
200,000 aides won't give PDP victory
in Rivers —Beke, APGA gov candidate
By Emem Idio
ENAGOA—THE Deputy
YGovernor of Bayelsa State,
Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo,
has said that there was the
likelihood of an outbreak of
diseases as a result of the flood
which affected most parts of the
state.
Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this
while declaring open, this year's
10th annual general meeting and
Pa Onyedirim
passes on
Pa Cyprian Onukwuha
Onyedirim, from Umudim in
Isu LGA of Imo state, is dead, aged
75 years.
Funeral arrangement kicked off
last week with a service of songs at
Friends of Christ Inter’l Churches,
Apapa, Lagos, while burial service
will hold tomorrow at his
c o m p o u n d ,
Umudim,Umuduru.Eshikodu,
Amandugha, Isu LGA.
He is survived by wife, children
and grandchildren, including
Samuel Onyedirim, popularly called
Beesam.
•Late Onyedirim
and development.
The APGA flag bearer said that
the principle was undemocratic,
unethical and antithetical to
national progress and
development, adding: "The
principle has further divided
Nigeria. The federal character
principle, and zoning are
undemocratic. It cannot give the
best result that can take the
country to a greater height
By Emma Amaize
T HE
candidate GOVERNORSHIP
of Social Democratic
Party, SDP, in Delta State,
Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, has
said that he would breathe new
life into industries that collapsed
in the state, bring back those that
fled and attract new ones, if elected
in 2023.
Gbagi, a former Minister of State
for Education, spoke at an
interactive session with the
leadership of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, CAN, in
Asaba, Delta State.
He said: "What do we need to do
sirs? It is to bring back our
industries, bring back the glory of
what Delta State stood for? Shell
has talked to me, they will come
back to Delta State if I become
governor.
"Why? Because they know that,
nobody can get me to do what is
wrong, no matter how juicy and
how good it is.
"The solution to Delta State is
to emancipate all our youths from
the street. From day one, I will put
computers in all the local
government areas to register all
our unemployed youths and I will
start paying them N30, 000.
"In the computerization of your
membership as unemployed youth,
they would have told me what they
globally. It further divides Nigeria."
According to him, the principle
has failed to deliver the best
outcome that can guarantee
desired growth and development
for the country.
He said the nation's founding
fathers were concerned about the
development of the country
rather than zoning or principle of
federal character.
I'll revive dead industries;
build more in Delta —Gbagi
want to do, within the maximum
of three months, the payment will
stop and I would have given them
a job in their skills.
"Once all those youths are
engaged, it is a win-win situation
and your economy would have
rolled. If you gainfully engage 92
percent of your citizenry, you are
done.
"You need someone, who is
conversant with the enormity of
the problems besieging this state
today.
"You will have to understand it
for you to get it right, you must
have an entrepreneurial mind for
you to know what to do.
"If not aggressively tackled from
2023, this state will not be there
for all of us, and we will suffer it for
another eight years.
"Oghara in Ethiope West LGA
was housing the biggest oil
company, Mobil, in the whole of
the South-South. From Oghara
to Jesse Junction, there were over
nine limited liability companies,
internationally recognised all over
the world.
"Coming to Sapele, in Sapele
LGA, there are over 22 limited
liability companies that are
recognised worldwide. These
companies and areas are dead.
Delta State was more important
and better in industrialization and
in business than Lagos."
FLOODS: We're anticipating outbreak of cholera,
monkey pox, other diseases —BAYELSA GOVT
scientific conference of the
Nigerian Infectious Diseases
Society, NIDS, in Yenagoa,
yesterday, with the theme:
"Infectious Disease Preparedness
and Response: Challenges and
Prospects for Resource-
Constrained Settings."
Represented by the state
Commissioner for Health, Dr.
Pabara Igwele, expressed the
hope that NIDS, would use the
conference to discussions on
infectious disease preparedness
and response particularly as its
affects Bayelsa State, which is
recovering from a devastating
flood experience.
He said: "The theme is quite
apt as it captures the reality of
moment, particularly as it is affects
Bayelsa State coming from the
ravaging flood which affected
majority of the state, the need to
have discussions around
infectious disease preparedness
and response cannot be overemphasized
as we anticipate
outbreak of diseases after the flood
especially cholera, typhoid,
increasing number of Monkey Pox
and Covid-19 cases and many
other diseases.
W ARRI—GOVERNMENT
Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo,
yesterday, in Warri, Delta State,
donated relief materials worth
N150million to victims of the recent
flood in Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta
states to cushion the effects on the
people.
Tompolo made the donation
through his foundation, Tompolo
Foundation to representatives from
the three states.
Dr. Paul Bebenimibo, Executive
Secretary, Tompolo Foundation
handed over the items for onward
distribution to the beneficiaries
"Thus, the discussions around
your theme will hopefully be the
panacea of managing infectious
diseases viz-a-vis emerging and
re-emerging diseases."
In his welcome speech,
President ofNIDS, Prof. Dimie
Ogoina, said NIDS was playing a
leading role in advancing the
prevention and control of
Infectious Diseases in the country
through advocacy, education and
training, public sensitization,
research and partnership, adding
that its members were at the
forefront of various national and
international committees relating
to infectious diseases.
Chairman, Board of Directors of
NIDS, Prof. Idris Mohammed,
represented by Prof. Abdulsalam
Nasidi, regretted that epidemicprone
infectious diseases have
continued to occur in epidemic
and at times pandemic
proportions, causing a lot of
disruption in life and livelihood,
adding that in last three years,
the world has witnessed the
declaration of two public health
emergencies of international
concerned caused by Covid-19
and Monkey Pox.
Tompolo donates N150m relief
materials to flood victims in
Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta
By Akpokona
Omafuaire
affected by the flood.
The items handed over include
2,400 bags of rice, 100 bags of beans,
200 bags of garri, 5000 tuber of
yams, 200 gallons of palm oil, 600
gallons of groundnut oil and others
and 2,000 catons of indomie
noodles, including delivery logistics.
Bebenimibo explained that
victims in Bomadi, Burutu and
Patani were to benefit from the
items, as well as Isoko, Urhobo and
Ndokwa Nations victims
respectively.
He added that victims affected
by the flood in Ahaoda West and
East in Rivers State were also to
benefit from the relief items.
BIRTHDAY—From left: Archdeacon, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Ojodu,
Lagos, Dr. Alfred Adefoluke; his wife, Felicia; Vicar, St. Augustine’s Anglican
Church, Anthony Village, Lagos, Clement Olotu; his wife, Olubunmi;
celebrant’s daughter, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olumoroti (nee Oni); celebrant’s
grandchildren — Ethan and Nathan Olumoroti; celebrant’s husband, Olusola
Oni; celebrant, Mrs. Olufunke Oni, and former chairman, Nestle Foods
Nigeria Plc., Olusegun Osunkeye, during Mrs. Oni’s 60th birthday service
and retirement thanksgiving, at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Lagos.
WEDDING—From left: Mother of the bride, Mrs. Bilikisu Balogun; Groom,
Oluwaseun Oderinde; Bride, Iyabode Oderinde, bride's father and Baale
Ohinoyi Anebira Community in Ibadan, Lamidi Balogun, during the wedding
of his daughter, Iyabode, in Ibadan. Photo: Dare Fasube.
CONVOCATION—
From left: Mother
of the graduand,
Mrs. Adenike
Fasube; the
graduant, Fasube
Bukunmi, a graduate
of Agric Extension
and Rural
Development, and
his father, Assistant
Photo Editor,
Vanguard Newspapers,
Mr. Dare
Fasube, during the
74th Foundation
Day Anniversary
and Convocation of
the University of
Ibadan, yesterday.
OHIWEREIs
BURY MOM—
From left:
Andrew
Ohiwerei (son);
Mrs. Oghuan
Ojeahere
(daughter), and
Olu Ojeahere
(son-in-law),
during the
burial service of
Dame Lynette
Ohiwerei, at St.
Michael's
Anglican
Church,
Uzebba-Luleha
in Owan West
LGA, Edo State.
C
M
Y
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