Abia 2023: Isuikwuato District Appeals to produce the next Governor

The Isuikwuato District Welfare Association has appealed for the right to produce the next governor of Abia state in the spirit of equity, justice and fairness, noting that “the extant arrangement of power sharing on the basis of senatorial zones, as had been adopted, since 1999, prescribed that power will return to Abia North, as of right, in 2023. And when that happens, all concerned will consent to ceding the chance to the good people of Isuikwuato district, who are the rightful block to produce the next governor of Abia state.”  

 

In a communique issued and signed by H E, Navy Capt. CI Osondu, Chairman Isuikwuato District Welfare Association and Chief Uzo O. Egbo (PhD) Secretary said, “We are asking to produce a governor of Abia State, from Isuikwuato District extraction, who will govern the entire Abia, to contribute and leave a mark in the even development of the state”

 

Full excerpt of the communiqué is here:

 

We, the people of Isuikwuato District, comprising  lsuikwuato and Umunneochi Local Government Areas, rose from their general meeting, held on this 29th day of January, 2022, at Umuahia and resolved as follows:

 

That we reaffirm our commitment and unalloyed belief in the Abia project and also pledge our continued loyalty to the kinetic government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu in the state.

 

We reaffirm our resolve to abide by the terms, letters and spirit of equity, justice and fairness, holding our dear state together, as enunciated and encapsulated in the Abia Charter of Equity. We hold that truth as constant in all situations/circumstances.

 

We hold that ABIA was created in 1991 on four distinct flanks of Afikpo, Bende, Isuikwuato and Aba hence the acronym A.B.I.A.

 

We hold that whereas all the contributing blocks, in the Abia project, have had a shot and produced governors of Abia state, at different times, Isuikwuato district is the only block yet to produce a governor.

 

We hold that since the state was created in 1991, we of Isuikwuato District have not been accorded our fair rights in the union: We have never been Governor, Deputy governor, Secretary to the state government, Chief of Staff to the Governor and Speaker of the House of Assembly, as provided in the Charter of Equity.

 

That ours have been a case of unimaginable marginalization, denial and deprivation, especially since the current democracy started in 1999.

 

We hold that Abia was not created on the basis of senatorial zones but on divisions and districts. We therefore believe that it is mischievous of any apologist to make believe that Abia state comprises of only Old Aba and Old Bende divisions, without deferring to the good people of Isuikwuato district who came from the Old Okigwe division, in Imo state, to make up for the population requirement to create Abia, as a state.

 

We hold on to the fact that our people went on to make serious contributions towards making the creation of Abia state a reality and for which they were recognised and rewarded by adding the letter "I" to reflect lsuikwuato District in the name A.B.I.A.

 

We hold that our founding fathers, from lsuikwuato District, who made history by making  the creation of Abia state possible, contributed greatly to build its notable landmark today. The Abia State University Uturu, which was built by our own retired Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, in the spirit and letters of the Abia Charter of Equity.

 

We hold that the extant arrangement of power sharing on the basis of senatorial zones, as had been adopted, since 1999, prescribed that power will return to Abia North, as of right, in 2023. And when that happens, all concerned will consent to ceding the chance to the good people of Isuikwuato district, who are the rightful block to produce the next governor of Abia state.

 

We hold that we are asking to produce a governor of Abia State, from Isuikwuato District extraction, who will govern the entire Abia, to contribute and leave a mark in the even development of the state.

 

We hold that we have an abundance of eminently qualified men and women, who have distinguished themselves in both public and private service and have served, at all levels, with dignity and integrity.

 

We hold that the peace and stability of Abia state is sacrosanct and everything must be done to uphold all the indices, which includes equity and mutual respect for her peoples.

 

 

 

Princewills Trust and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism announce commencement of the Vision and Success Opportunity Challenge, 2nd Edition

The Vision and Success Opportunity Challenge is a forum created by Princewills Trust, where young boys and girls from Rivers State, Nigeria, pitch ideas and strategies for furthering their vision and success in life. The challenge is designed to help current Nigerian university undergraduates and postgraduates imagine realistic career models and investigate how to shift from concept to reality

 

The prize for the successful winners remains a paid trip to tour the city of Dubai. The aim of this trip is to show the benefits of Vision and Steadfastness and to open the eyes of the winners to endless possibilities, using the Dubai model as a case study. The winners are expected to arrive in Dubai in March to coincide with the last month of the World EXPO 2020, currently holding in Dubai. The winners of the 1^stedition recently returned to Nigeria after a 6-day Dubai experience.

 

To participate, students are required to develop and submit a business pitch around their expertise or vision. The business pitches may be novel or an offshoot of current research plans or visions. It needs to be the original work of the student and each student is required to work alone for this challenge. The challenge will have two rounds which include a review of their pitch and a presentation round to DET judges.

 

The process will be monitored and scrutinised by representatives of Princewill Trust, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and educational consultant, CLR Education Consulting

 

Tonye Princewill, founder of the Princewills Trust, emphasised further: “I am so glad the next season of the Dubai challenge is underway, and I look forward to seeing more young people take advantage of this opportunity to shift their mindsets and move to the next level in performance.

 

I am also glad to see the familiar faces, both the Dubai department for Economy and Tourism (DET) and CLR Education brought back into the project. We worked so well with Stella Fubara and Nneka Oduah and their teams. This is reflected in Season 1. I expected nothing less; and foresee even more, in season 2.

 

Even though I have brought a lot of young people to Dubai in the past; I was doing it on my own. The introduction of the Dubai challenge, in collaboration with DET and CLR, allows us expand the scope, reach more young people and provide an insight very few can dream of.

 

To move this next challenge, up one level, we have relied heavily on the honest feedback from the amazing students from season 1. It is their selfless feedback that will go a long way, to make season 2, a priceless one.”

 

Salim Ali Mohamed Dahman, Senior Manager Campaigns, (DET), had this to say about the initiative: “The generosity of Princewills Trust has enabled the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism to partner with them for another exciting trip to Dubai. The first set of students were able to experience culture, architecture, operational excellence, hospitality, and Expo 2020.  We hope this challenge will identify more students with leadership and vision qualities.”

 

About Princewills Trust: The Princewills Trust is a non-governmental organization set up by Prince Tonye Princewill. It is focused primarily on the improvement of human capacity, by any means possible; and has a host of novel projects and uniquely adapted intervention programmes from 2002 to date. The Trust is deeply committed to providing humane services and the sustainable empowerment of the talented, the skillful and the hard-working people, particularly in Rivers State, Nigeria.

 

Over the years its outreach has extended to women empowerment programmes, medical missions, disaster recovery, scholarships, adapted orphanage programmes, skill acquisition programmes, talent hunts and youth mentoring. Princewills Trust has also been at the forefront of flood relief, primary health care programmes, photography, rural women development, ICT, and film making. 

 

Even though the formal registration of the Princewill Trust took place in June, 2012, the activities started in 2002 and were borne out of the very compelling need for the Royal family of the Ancient Kalabari Kingdom to ameliorate first, the sufferings of her subjects and then the people of the wider Niger Delta region, who have been subjected to very devastating levels of poverty and deprivation.

 

About Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET): Dubai’s Department of Economy and

Tourism (DET), formally known as the Dubai’s Department for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, DTCM, is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development, and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.

 

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, DET’s mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. 

 

For further information, please contact:

Pitches to be submitted by email to:  info@clreducationconsulting.com

For media enquiries, please contact:  info@rivexcel.com

For inquiries about the project, please contact: info@tonyeprincewill.com

 

 

 

 

 

Re: Formation of NDDC Board Not Part Of My Responsibilities

My attention has been drawn to sponsored write ups in the media, claiming that I passed the buck on my responsibility for the constitution of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.

 

The write ups deliberately published while I am outside the country on national duty, reportedly quoted my media aide, Jackson Udom, claiming that I have denied responsibility for the constitution of the board of the Commission. I have checked with Mr Udom, and he has clearly said he was misquoted.

 

While I am not shocked by the mischief inherent in the publication, I am alarmed at the extent of falsehood the writers went in pushing their anti- Niger Delta agenda, to scuttle the due consideration of the report of the Forensic Audit by stampeding the government. More alarming is the attempt to drag the hallowed name of our president into this plot.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, Mr President has set out to reposition the NDDC after 19 years of rot saw to the undermining of the dreams of the fathers of the region, to fast track its development through the setting up of an interventionist agency.

 

Part of the strategy was a forensic audit to understand what went wrong, despite the resources committed to the Commission over the years.

 

The report of that audit has just been submitted to Mr President, who is studying it to come up with a formula for a commission fit for purpose. That formula is what the board being put together will work with.

 

It is not in the interest of the region to stampede the government into aborting the reform process. The President has demonstrated immense love for the Niger Delta and its people. This is reflected in the support he has given to the NDDC to complete some of the projects abandoned over the years, like the headquarters complex in Port Harcourt, the Students' Hostel at Uyo,  and the electrification project in Ondo State.

 

The President wants to give to the region an interventionist agency that will realize the dreams of our fathers for our people and generations yet unborn.

 

The greatest disservice we can do to the region is to attempt to stampede him, through ingeniously crafted media campaigns.

 

I am irrevocably committed to assisting Mr President to leave behind a legacy for the Niger Delta people, particularly, saving the NDDC from dying like past developmental agencies put together for the region since 1958.

 

 

Senator Godswill Obot  Akpabio CON

Honorable Minister

Niger Delta Affairs

What makes Afrozons Dubai Sound off authentically captivating and irresistible

As the global Dubai Expo 2020 kick starts, there lines a number of tourist side attractions designed to add world-class tourism flavour to the event. One of such prominent world class tourism side attractions, is the Afrozons Dubai Sound off which has more Countries Join the March 2022 trip, as it gains global attention.

It is noteworthy that the AFROZONS DUBAI SOUND OFF, a premier, one-of-a-kind, travel experience, courtesy of Dubai Tourism and AfroZons Radio (USA), has gained so much momentum, since its launch on October 1^st, 2021. News about the Sound off has travelled far and wide, covering all corners of the globe. Celebrity radio hosts from the USA, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, and Angola have been projecting the Sound off on their shows.

Projections show that over 1500 Afrobeat fans will partake in this project, purchase packages and join in on the fun. This means that Celebrity Radio Hosts and International Afrobeats Artistes will join over 1500 of their fans to witness guided tours of Dubai, experience EXPO 2020 and have a never done before Afrobeats party in the desert. These amongst other activities would build the 6 nights Afrobeat Dubai Sound off experience.

The official website for this event is www.afrozonsdxb.com. The website hosts further information on the travel packages and how to stand a chance to win a giveaway. The winners of the giveaways will receive flight tickets, hotel accommodation, tours, airport transfers, and visa’s (where necessary).

The global acceptance of the Sound off has motivated Afrobeat fans and travel agencies from other parts of the world to push for participation in the Sound off. Two countries, Uganda and Zimbabwe are launching their entry to the Sound off family, today, 1^st November 2021, while other countries are being

considered to follow shortly.

SalimAli Mohamed Dahman, Senior Manager Campaigns of Dubai Corporation for

Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Hosts of the Soundoff, said: “It is a privilege for Dubai Tourism to afford this opportunity to lovers of Afrobeat music worldwide. Afrobeat is now a global brand, the fastest growing music genre out there, and so it's a good marriage for the best destination in the world, Dubai, to also give Afrobeat its due. The trip promises to be a great experience, showcasing so much more fun in Dubai, a new series of adventures, a desert safari party, and Expo 2020, that can only truly be experienced, in person. 

“We launched the Afrozons Dubai soundoff on Oct 1st with Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, USA, and Angola. Overwhelming success has prompted us to add Uganda, Zimbabwe, and it looks like the United Kingdom is next on our list. It’s great to see the enthusiasm that has already been generated and we haven’t even announced the Afrobeat artist that will be joining us yet. Stay tuned, it promises to be an amazing event.”

The AfroZons show is the first-ever Afrobeats show on a major US radio FM network. AfroZons, is the hottest weekly US nationally syndicated radio show created by Sheila O.

Media Mogul, Sheila O, every week, covers the latest trends and new music throughout the African Diaspora, including Hip-Hop. The number one place in Afrobeats to hear the latest conversations about the hottest topics from celebrities, influencers, tastemakers, world leaders, and more is AfroZons! AfroZons is here to bridge the social and cultural gap between Africans, African Americans, and all the people of the African Diaspora.

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai Tourism’s mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate.

Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development, and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.

           

Hashtags: #afrozonsdxb #visitdubai #rivexcel #dubaitourism