The President of Imo General Assembly (IGA) in Nnewi, Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State, Hon Chinedu Igwe(Hon Chinedu Igwe, (Igwe na Umunoha) has raised the alarm that his home state is not working as expected.
Hon Igwe’s position was contained in his new year message to his people.
The IGA strongman pointed out that he was not raising the alarm to run anybody down but to ginger the duty bearers in his home state wake up to their responsibilities.
“I want to inspire and encourage Imo State government, Senators representing the state, members of House of Representatives, lawmakers in the state and others persons who are in the corridors of power to please emulate the developmental strides being recorded in the neighboring states.
“I’m not happy to say this as an Imo man but the truth must be told, (Osita dimma odiri gboo), all hands must be on the deck this year irrespective of political leanings to build Imo State of our dreams which everyone of us will be proud of, my prayer is that Year 2025 will be better for Imo State and everyone of us,” Hon Igwe declared.
Igwe na Umunoha also commended all the Imo lites in Nnewi for being law abiding and hardworking which he noted has not allowed the current hardship ravaging the country affect them negatively.
“I thank God for His protection, blessings and guardian of all Imo lites in Nnewi, the Almighty God has been so good to us from the previous years upto 2025, I am really grateful to God for his grace on our lives, inspite of the hardship in the country there’s never a case of an Imo man found wanting or apprehended for any form of criminality in Anambra State. To God be the glory,” he asserted.
Hon Chinedu Igwe who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Suzuki Don International Ltd, also commended the Anambra State government for the conducive and secured environment made available to Ndi-Anambra and residents alike to carry out their legitimate businesses without any form of fear or intimidation.
He said as a matter of fact that hospitality and hands of fellowship being extended to foreigners and visitors in Anambra State is second to none.
The IGA boss also commended the Mayor of Nnewi North LGA, Hon Echezona Anazodo for the inclusive administration he his running in the council area.
He concluded by praying for all Imo lites in Nnewi and indeed all over the world that the good Lord will continue to bless and protect them.
Kemi Badenoch and the elevation of hypocrisy
- By Jude Ndukwe
Since assuming office, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the British Conservative Party and Opposition in the United Kingdom Parliament, has continued to stir the hornet’s nest with her controversial statements about Nigeria. She has made what many consider denigrating statements against Nigeria, her country of origin, while exalting the UK, her adopted country.
While her remarks about the country cannot entirely be dismissed, her flawed and effusive glorification of the United Kingdom proves that she is either grossly ignorant of Nigeria’s foundational deficiencies or deliberately chooses to ignore the facts and spew heavily skewed narratives against Nigeria to the advantage of the UK, mainly to feather her own political nest.
Everything Nigeria suffers today is arguably a direct result of the brutish legacies of the British in colonial Africa. From Nembe Kingdom to the Oyo Empire; from the Owa Kingdom to the Benin Kingdom; from today’s Chibok to Calabar; from Zaria to Opobo; from Onitsha to Ife; the nation reeks of British infamous heritage of blood, sorrow, fraud, corruption, outright stealing among other unspeakable vices.
While we agree that our police, and by extension, our political leaders, need to do far better, Badenoch should have focused on her new role as leader of the opposition in the UK to help clean up the heinous history of that country. History shows that our police and political leaders inherited several vices from the British. Such vices include but are not limited to Kemi Badenoch’s Britain holding tightly on to their monumental loot from Africa.
In 1897, the British forcefully seized 500 ivory tusks worth over two million British pounds from the Benin Empire after the forced ousting of the then Oba, Ovonramwen Nogbaisi. Today, the British Museum alone holds around 73,0000 valuable cultural objects looted from Africa by the British colonial usurpers. And all efforts to get them to return these looted artifacts to their original owners in Africa have met with a brick wall.
Does she not feel embarrassed that the world’s largest diamond known as the Star of Africa which weighs a whopping 530 carats and is set in the British royal scepter with which King Charles III was coronated in May 2023, and still holds to date, was stolen from Africa in 1905 by the colonial British usurpers?
Does she not cringe or get flummoxed knowing full well that a similar piece of diamond also stolen from Africa by British colonial masters, even though smaller, is also set in the Imperial State Crown worn by British monarchs on ceremonial occasions?
How does she feel knowing that the highly revered British monarchs are coronated with a scepter and a crown emblazoned with stolen jewels from Africa? How does she feel seeing her monarch flaunting stolen pieces of diamond with relish before the entire world in the name of royalty?
It was the same crown and scepter emblazoned with looted diamonds from Africa that the British crowned the late Queen Elizabeth with 70 years ago. How come Britain still holds on to stolen property from Africa for so long with such impunity and still crowns their monarchs with the items right in the full glare of the whole world while Kemi Badenoch continues to play the ostrich?
One can only imagine what would have happened if the tables turned and an African Head of State was crowned with jewels stolen from the West!
Rather than hypocritically pontificate about Nigeria and the UK, Kemi should use her privileged position as leader of the country’s Conservative Party to clean up Britain’s criminal record of mindless looting of our artifacts and precious jewels and ensure their return to their original owners in Africa. She can go beyond mere rhetoric by following in the footsteps of a former Foreign Secretary, Charles James Fox who initiated the anti-slavery Bill that eventually saw to the abolition of slavery in Britain.
They steal our resources through subterfuge; they become so rich and powerful through them, and then turn around to lecture us on morality. That nonsense must stop forthwith!
•Jude Ndukwe,
Abuja.