University of Nigeria Clears Prof. Modum; Says She has no garbage after her Academic records

                                                          Prof. Chibuike Uche -Fired by UNN

                                         Prof. Modum --Cleared by UNN
The Governing Council of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has fired Prof. Chubuike Ugochukwu Uche, a professor of accounting, for making false allegations of several questionable academic claims and falsifications of credentials against Prof. Mrs. Uche Modum, a longtime professor of accounting at the same university.
Several sources at the university, including some members of the council revealed that the decision to sack Prof. Ugochukwu Uche was taken when the self-styled whistleblower could not provide substantial evidence to back up his claims and allegations against Prof. Modum. The sources further added that the University set up a committee to look into all the allegations raised by Prof. Uche and also invited Prof. Modum to clear her name.
A source who pleaded anonymity said: “I was a member of that committee that investigated the matter though I am not authorized to speak on behalf of  the committee. The woman brought all her original documentary evidence to prove that she neither claimed what she was not nor forged papers to be made a professor. The Committee sighted all the documents tendered by Prof. Modum and was satisfied that she did not forge any document. We also invited Prof. Uche to come forward with the evidence he had against Prof. Modum but he had failed to produce any. This is an academic institution and any allegation of academic fraud against anyone is not taken with kids gloves. We made sure we got to the bottom of the matter before reporting back to Council for immediate action and it is possible that the Governing Council also saw in our report that the allegations lacked merit that led to the sacking of the young man”.
Prof. Uche alleged that Mrs. Modum forged a letter from a top American journal, Management Accounting (now Strategic Finance), which purportedly accepted two of her papers. The shoddily written “acceptance letter,” which was disavowed by the journal's editor-in-chief, Kathy Williams, in a letter dated June 24, 2011, was part of the documents Mrs. Modum submitted in support of her application for promotion to the rank of full professor.
Mrs. Modum also was alleged to have claimed in various official documents that she worked in a “Jones and Jones Inc.,” ostensibly a certified public accounting firm she purported to be based in Dayton, Ohio, in the US.
Prof. Ugochukwu Uche further revealed that Mrs. Modum had also changed her official date of birth, without which she would have since retired from the service of UNN. Wilberforce University in Ohio confirmed that Mrs. Modum's current date of birth was different from her date of birth when she was a student there adding Mrs. Modum has also admitted ownership of multiple dates of birth in writing.

The woman at the centre of the controversy rocking the Department of Accounting and the Council of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN), Prof. Mrs. Uche Modum has described as false the allegations of falsification of credentials contained in a petition sent to the Governing Council of the University by a professional colleague and a co-staff, Prof. Ugochukwu Uche.
Speaking to The Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Harrison Ogara on phone, Prof. Modum said she was never involved in any forgery or falsification of any document that led to her award of professorship stressing that Prof. Ugochukwu that made the allegations was known to be someone who hated himself and others around him.
Prof. Modum said she had no need to take the matter to Court when the University that employed her had not found any iota of truth in the allegations of the young man.
The chat between Prof. Modum and The Starlite Editor- in- Chief was recorded thus:
The Starlite: Good evening Prof.!
Prof. Modum: Good evening Mr. Ogara.
The Starlite: Yes!, I am calling you in relation to a petition against you by one Prof. Ugochukwu Uche of your Department alleging that you falsified documents and used other people's works without authorization to rise to the position of a professor. The question is: Do you know Professor Ugochukwu Uche?
Prof. Modum: Yes! I know him and I also know that all he said in the petition was a bundle of lies.
The Starlite: Do you mean all the allegations he leveled against you are lies?
Prof. Modum: They are all lies. These allegations had been with various Councils of the University of Nigeria and we have been following the matter.
The Starlite: If you say the allegations are lies, why have you not taken any legal action against him, at least to clear your name?
Prof. Modum: Noooo! The University is handling it her own way. And when someone writes a petition against you, you don't go to court. It is left for the authority to which such petition was made to investigate the matter and at the end take a decision on the matter.
The Starlite: Yes we know that the university is looking into it but are you aware that it is all about your integrity?
Prof. Modum: Yes!  It is about me but the truth is that I am a staff of UNN. The School has a procedure. I am following the procedure closely and if the school after their investigations finds me not culpable, I have no reason to waste my time talking to someone who is making wild allegations.
I taught the young man, Prof. Ugochukwu in his under graduate days. His family used to be close to mine. Indeed, his father was my Gynecologist. We have close family relationship. What baffles me is the vigour with which the young man had been applying for my head. Prof. Ugochukwu was a very stubborn member of the class during his first year. In deed, at some point he performed so poorly that I had to inform his father who then advised me to allow him fail the course. He indeed failed the course and had to retake the exam.
While he was pursuing his higher degrees, I was of immense benefit to him. There was also another woman whose name I wouldn't want mention that worked with me to let him attain/get to the point he had attained academically.
The Starlite: You said both of you had close family relationship, is it possible that there might be something between two of you that transcends what we are talking about now?
Prof. Modum: Well, I wouldn't know of any but what is clear is that wherever his father is now, he would be angry with his son over his attitude to me. I have not done any wrong to him to deserve all these embarrassment from Ugochukwu.
The Starlite: Madam, Prof. Ugochukwu Uche claimed that you falsified your date of birth and that was what had been keeping you as a staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Do you have anything to say in respect of that?
Prof. Modum: Has he showed you any documents to back up his claim? The burden of proof rests on his shoulders. Let him show the world any document that proves him right in his allegations.
The Starlite:  Prof. Chibuike Ugochukwu Uche  stated that the only official response from the University on what he claims of your apparent string of forgeries came from the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Barth Okolo, who on December 14, 2012 stated that you, “Prof. (Mrs.) Modum might have made a mistake, but does not deserve all the insults. It is already too late to do anything since she has been educating students in the most excellent manner. What she did not have in publications, she now has in experience.” Is this true?
Prof. Modum: Did Prof. Ugochukwu Uche show you any copy of that letter from the former Vice Chancellor? Look, this is university and I am aware that right from the time he made those allegations; the university must have got to the bottom of the matter and discovered that there was no iota of truth in what he was claiming.
The Starlite: Could that be the reason why the University Council sacked him some two weeks ago?
Prof: If the university finds out that what he was claiming was false, they reserve the right to mete out any appropriate punishment which could be a sack. But the truth is that the school has not found me wanting in any of those claims made by Prof. Chibuike Ugochukwu Uche.
The Starlite: Prof. Ugochukwu claimed that you are being shielded by the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo and the current Council Chairman, Mr. Emma Ukala due to the relationship that had existed between them and your husband. In order words, the cockroach does not expect any justice in a committee of chickens. Is this correct Prof. Modum?
Prof. Modum: This issue has nothing to do with my husband, Prof. Bartho Okolo or Emma Ukala. It is purely a straight forward thing. Let him come forward to substantiate his claims. Simple! You don't make such unsubstantiated wild allegations and expect to be given a pat on the back.

Prof. Ozumba Reacts:
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN) Professor Benjamin Ozumba has denied the allegation published in an online media that he was used to conceal the truth in a matter relating to the sacking of one Professor Chibuike Ugochukwu Uche who was alleged to have exposed several questionable academic claims and falsification of credentials by one Professor Uche Modum both of Accounting Department of the University.
Speaking to The Editor-in-Chief of The Starlite, Prof. Ozumba said he was brought in to preach peace among the warring parties adding that as a peace maker which he is, he had no reason not to wade into the matter with a view to resolving the feud which according to him had lingered for years before he came in as the Vice Chancellor of the University. He added that after the Council had looked it into the matter and discovered that Prof. Modum's academic records had no garbage after it and that was why it mandated Prof. Chibuike Uche the originator and founder of the rumour making the rounds to apologise to Prof. Modum - an order which he refused to obey.
He said: “Really, I am aware of the long standing feud between the two professors and I was called in to sit with the two of them with the purpose of brokering peace. I did all in my powers to settle the matter. The matter had been before past Councils and lingered to this point.
At my level, I cannot be used to do negative things. The main reason why I was brought to the University as the Vice Chancellor in the first place was to broker peace and to heal the wounds created by administrations before me. I was sent in by God to repair the broken wall of the university and that   is what I have been doing for the past one year. I thank God that we are making appreciable progress in that respect.
Some weeks ago, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka hosted Vice Chancellors from other African Universities and the report they so far made is that we are the best. They left the shores of this country very envious of the status of the University of Nigeria. Before I came on board, what was in vogue was that it was not possible to drill borehole in Enugu due to large deposits of coal but today the story has changed.
“We now have portable water for the Enugu campus in abundance. As I speak now, we are hosting the West African Universities Games. This was rejected by other universities but we accepted to do it because we are the University of Nigeria. We are a brand unto this country and so if other universities in Nigeria run away from such responsibility we cannot afford to run because we are the University of Nigeria.
“These are the stories that should be trending not about one crisis or the other. Mr. Ogara, we have gone past that stage of bickering. We now have atmosphere of peace on campus that we implore all the stakeholders to key into this vision”
On the allegation that he was used by the Chairman of the Council by deliberately refusing to submit the letter that originated from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the Council seeking to stop Council from taking a decision until it hears out Prof. Ugochukwu Uche, Prof. Ozumba said he was overseas when the letter from the National Human Rights Commission came and by the time he came back to Nigeria, the University Council had wound up their sitting and had taken a decision. “When the letter from the NHRC came, I was in far away Korea and so could not do anything to that effect.”
When The Starlite asked the Vice Chancellor if he as the head of the institution took his time to investigate the claims made against one of his workers by another colleague, he said he had no knowledge of how to conduct investigations adding that investigations are better left for investigative journalists like Mr. Ogara and other relevant agencies saddled with such duties.
'I am an administrator and a peace maker. I try to bring peace where there is trouble. I don't go out to sniff out trouble. I kill trouble each time it rears its ugly head. I embrace peace and enthrone it where ever I find myself. So, I am not an investigative journalist like you.

Prof. Okwueze Reacts:
Speaking to Prof. Malachy Okweze who was also a member of the Council and the Committee that handled the matter, he said he was aware of the feud between the two professors but declined to make his personal take on the issue known. He rather stated that it will be wrong to attach the decision of  council or committee to an individual member stressing that whatever anybody wants to know on the issue, such person has to go to the records to find out the true position of the council.
Asked to shed more light on why Prof. Modum could not go to court to claim damages over what could well be termed as libel against her person, Prof. Okwueze said it was not his case to advise anyone on what next line of action to take in a matter of that nature adding that in a fight between two persons, the one thrown to the ground may stand up and decide to walk away without squaring up for further fight while the other may choose to take the matter further. He stressed that what informs the person's next line of action would be his perception of the whole fight. If Prof. Modum felt she was not wronged in any way, she has her liberty to forget the matter and face her business but if she feels otherwise, she knows the next line of action.
On whether the council took time to investigate the claims which are regarded as weighty in academic circle, Prof. Okwueze said  it was not his duty to address the press on issues decided by council.
He said he was surprised that the recent event shows that the University Council went on to sack Prof. Ugochukwu Uche adding that he was no longer a member of the council to have first hand information on what transpired in the last Council sitting. He stressed that he would find out what actually transpired during the council sitting.
The Starlite Findings:
In a bid to get to the bottom of the matter, The Starlite took time to seek to lay hands on documents that could assist in verifying the claims made by Prof. Uche against Prof. Modum and discovered that:
Contrary to the claim by Prof. Uche that Prof. Modum's published papers were non-existent, the papers actually exist and they were all sighted by the Committee set up by the University to investigate the claims. These papers include (1) “Cost Accounting: A historical Study; (2) Information flow as a marketing strategy; (3) Opportunity cost: Idea of indispensability; (4) Non manufacturing costs:  A visit to mathematical models; (5) Pert: A tool for project implementation and (6) Accounting information System; a case of quality control.
Based on the above charges, well meaning elders (including the most senior professors) of the faculty and beyond actually called and advised Prof. Uche that he ought to have carefully studied the Yellow Book applicable in the period in question (1980s and beyond which was the Bible for academic promotion in the University of Nigeria). It was further gathered by The Starlite that in the above allegation against Prof. Modum, no rule in the Yellow Book was violated by Prof. Modum because the onus of publishing accepted articles was on the publishers and not the author of the articles among others.
The council had invited the two Professors and after deliberations and submission of its report to council in January 2011, the council exonerated Prof. Modum and asked Prof. Uche to apologise in writing to Prof. Modum and circulate his letter of apology to all  whom he had sent his allegation.
In the cause of investigating the matter, Prof. Uche was given ample time to appear before the committee with concrete evidence to prove his case but he never did and that was why the council in its wisdom claimed that it cannot wait for Prof. Uche for eternity before taking a stand on the matter moreso when it was apparent that Prof. Modum through documentary evidence has convinced the Council that she did not commit any academic fraud.
On the allegation of age malpractice, it was discovered that the only place where there was an error was during the production of Prof. Modum's School Identity card which was also corrected to bear the real date of birth. In other words, the Wilberforce University, Ohio, USA knew that there was no ambiguity in her age as her actual date of birth of  28 February, 1948 was reflected on the top right part of her transcript.
It was after the council was satisfied that Prof. Chibuike Uche's allegation lacked merit that it decided to mete out appropriate punishment to him and sacked him from the University.
In the meantime The Starlite tried to reach Prof. Chibuike Ugochukwu Uche who is said to be on his sabbatical in the Netherlands through his phone number +31(0)649340263 and his E-mail addresses uchechibuike@gmail.com but was unsuccessful

How Okey Ezea Blew Up his case in Court

The Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal may have upheld the election of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the April 11, 2015 governorship election against Barrister Okey Ezea of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but the critical factors that generally conspired to bring the matter to where it is now had remained a sore point in the life of the man who had been in the struggle to lead Enugu State since 2007. In this write-up, our Editor in Chief, Mr. Harrison Ogara takes a look at these factors.


When the political history of Enugu State would be written in future, there is no doubt that Chief Barrister Okey Ezea will occupy a strategic and enviable position in the book. Having contested for the position of the governor in the state for three consecutive times and lost in all is worthy of mention.
In 2015, shortly after the election that threw up Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the governor, Ezea as usual moved the contest to the floor of the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal to challenge the declaration of Ugwuanyi as the winner of the election.
Aggrieved by the pronouncement of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Chief Ezea filed a petition on May 1st, 2015 challenging the result of the election and declaration on the following grounds:  That the election in all the wards of the 17 local government areas of the state in the gubernatorial election is invalid by reason of corrupt practices stressing that there was non compliance with the provisions of the electoral Act and was not conducted substantially in accordance with the principle of the electoral Act and which non compliance affected the result of the election.
He further stated that Ugwuanyi was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast on the election ostensibly because, Ugwuanyi and his Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) committed by themselves and their agents and privies, gross electoral malpractices, electoral offences and offences prohibited by the Electoral Act and are therefore disqualified from the said election.
Ezea among all the reliefs prayed the Tribunal to make an order declaring him the validly elected and returning him as the winner of the Gubernatorial Election, he having scored the highest number of lawful votes of the total valid votes cast in the said election after removing the invalid votes allegedly scored or allocated to Ugwuanyi and his Party in all the 17 local government areas of Enugu State. In the alternative to the above, Ezea prayed the court to make an order nullifying the election conducted in all the 17 local government areas of the state in the guber election into the office of the governor held on April 11, 2015 on grounds of corrupt practices, massive electoral fraud and non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 and order a fresh election.
However, when Barr. Okey Ezea testified at the tribunal under cross-examination by P. I. N. Ikwueto the following was recorded:
Ikwueto: Yes! From the results as declared by INEC, the 1st respondent was the winner
Okey Ezea: Yes. My votes was 43,839 votes. The 1st respondent had 482, 277 votes. On the election day, I  was at my polling unit at Itchi Uwani, I voted there. There was election at the unit. At all times, and I have never been to PDP and I am not a member of PDP. It is not my case that I won election. (huge murmuring in the Court room)
Ikwueto: That’s all for this witness my Lords!
By this answer, it is assumed that Barr. Ezea had dealt a fatal blow to his matter because by the ordinary meaning of that statement, he had admitted that he lost the election.

A Fight with Barr. George Ogara
However, no sooner did the matter begin than Ezea began a fresh round of battle with his own lawyer, Barr. George Tab Ogara.
The cause of the fight was not unconnected with disagreements over who should represent Ezea in the matter.
The fight ensued when one of Ezea's lawyers, Ogara, allegedly refused to surrender the documents and exhibits relating to the petition, in his possession. When Mr. Ogara refused to surrender the document and insisted on going ahead with the petition, he was arrested by a team of policemen who towed his car containing the documents packed in three Ghana-Must-Go bags to an unknown destination.
From the first day the petition came up in court, on May 16, 2015, the Petitioners were represented by George Ogara and Peter Ugwu and they continued to appear for the petitioners on subsequent dates.
But on June 15, 2015, when the petition was called, Ogara announced appearance for the petitioners and a Chief A. O. Giwa also announced appearance for the petitioners. This forced the tribunal to ask who, between the two, was the actual Counsel for the petitioners.
It was however suggested that George Ogara should be allowed to lead him (Giwa) since A.O. Giwa's name also appeared on the list of Counsels to the petitioners.
At this stage, Giwa withdrew his appearance for the petitioners and excused himself from the proceedings. Ogara continued to appear for the petitioners on subsequent adjournments.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday July 2, when the petition was called, the petitioner, Chief Ezea was present in court and his party, APC was also represented. George Ogara appeared for the petitioners,  Patrick Ikwueto, SAN with Tochuckwu Odo and Cyril Obika, appeared for the Governor, Mrs. A. J. Offia, SAN,  PMB Onyia and Uche Onyekachi appeared for the PDP and Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, with Peter Eze, Onyinye Anumonye and E.S. Nri-Ezedi appeared for INEC.
The court gave its report on pre-hearing and scheduling for the hearing of the petition.  After that, B. N. Nebe, who was among the lawyers that prepared the petition stood up and announced himself as the Legal Adviser to the APC and went ahead to inform the court that the petitioners had filed a notice of change of counsel and that the petitioners now wish to be represented by Solomon Akuma, SAN. He also applied for adjournment for five days to allow Akuma  study the processes filed in the suit.
Ikwueto, SAN, PMB Onyia and Ikpeazu SAN, all opposed the application. They challenged the application on the ground that Nebe, who signed the notice of change of counsel was one of the lawyers whose names appeared on the petition as counsel already representing the petitioners.
The defence lawyers also argued that the name of George Ogara who had been appearing all along for the petitioners was not even  contained in the petition as one of the counsels representing the petitioners, adding that all he had been doing all the while was holding brief for those whose names appeared on the petition including Nebe.
The defence lawyers further told the tribunal that the application for change of counsel was aimed at wasting time which the Electoral Act does not allow since under the Act, election petitions are to be given expeditious hearing.
The defence lawyers further submitted that under the Electoral  Act and Federal High Court rules, which also applies to Election Tribunals, notice of change of counsel must be accompanied by an affidavit disclosing the reasons for the change but in this case, there was no affidavit filed and no reason given.
They therefore urged the court to discountenance the notice and go ahead with hearing of the case.
In response, George Ogara, said that Mr. Nebe did not obtain his consent before filing the notice of change of counsel and that it was not the practice for a junior counsel to debrief a senior counsel in the same matter.  He insisted that he was ready to go on with the petition.
In its ruling, the tribunal held that the application did not comply with the Electoral Act and High Court rules and struck it out. The tribunal adjourned to Monday July 6, 2015 to enable the petitioners sort out the issue of their representation.
But immediately the parties left the court room, counsel to the petitioners, George Ogara, the petitioner and members of APC were seen arguing fiercely at the booth of Ogara's car expressing anger over the confusion created at the tribunal's sitting earlier.
Shortly after, the APC members were seen dragging the Ghana-must-go bags with which George Ogara brought the documents relating to the case. Ogara forcefully took the bags into his car and locked it before moving back into the court room apparently to prevent the APC members from snatching them, but the atmosphere was charged as the petitioner and the APC members were bent on recovering the documents.
Because one of the lawyers was hitting his car outside, George Ogara came out of the court to challenge the APC members and a fight then ensued between them and policemen invited by Ezea arrested the lawyer and took him away for refusing to surrender the document.
Lawyers that appeared before the tribunal who watched the unfortunate development condemned the invasion of the court premises by thugs allegedly invited by the APC.
When The starlite spoke to Barr. Ogara on the issue, he said he brought out his time and money to see if he could remedy Ezea's matter but rather than appreciate his gesture, he (Ezea) brought a band of thugs to the tribunal premises and attacked him.
He said: “I came into this matter without Okey Ezea paying me a dime. I decided to do the matter because he is my brother. The moment we started the matter, Okey Ezea started making some funny moves. In the motion he filed in the tribunal to change counsel, he said he was changing me because I refused to be led by a Senior Advocate who according to him, had had over 35 years post call. I was expecting him to accuse me of incompetence but he didn't say all those. I am 16 years in the bar and I don't get intimidated by anybody just because he is a Senior Advocate. What we are talking about is law not the number of years you had put in as a practitioner. Thank God he did not accuse me of incompetence.
“Chief Ezea after all I have done for him went a step ahead to also accuse me of negotiating with PDP to trade off his matter for N25 million. This was a grave allegation that if I did not handle well was a calculated attempt to bring my reputation to ridicule. For the first time since I was called to bar some 16 years ago, someone, and indeed my client accused me of negotiating with the other camp to sell his matter. It was strange to me and if I tell you I was not embarrassed, I would be telling a lie. You can see the weight of blunder he committed in the tribunal under cross-examination. This was occasioned by lack of diligent representation. In the cross examination, he accepted that it was not his case that he won the governorship election. The meaning of his answer was that we had no reason approaching the tribunal to either declare him winner or annul the election. With that answer, he made an irreparable damage to the matter”. 

Says Barr Aroh is Incompetent
After the sordid outing and public show of shame with Barr Ogara which eventually led to his withdrawal from the matter,  Okey Ezea again on Tuesday, August 18, declared his new lawyer, Ikechukwu Aroh, at the election petitions tribunal as incompetent.
Ezea made the declaration following an argument between him and Ikechukwu Aroh of Chukwuma Oguejiofor Chambers, who claimed to be his new counsel, over two written addresses filed on his behalf.
One of the addresses was filed by the petitioner's former counsel on Aug. 8 while the second was filed by Aroh four days later, even when he had not been admitted by the tribunal.
Aro told the tribunal that he was instructed by his principal to adopt the written address of Aug. 12 as the petitioner's address and requested the tribunal to enlarge time for him to adopt the address as it was filed out of time.
The petitioner, however, objected on the ground that the tribunal should adopt the address of Aug. 8, saying that Aroh was out to ruin his case.
Aroh subsequently applied for withdrawal of appearance for the petitioner which the tribunal granted.

Ezea Moves to Represent Himself
As Aroh withdrew from the matter, Ezea strangely wanted to make his case in the tribunal. His attempt to carry on with the petition himself, was opposed by the respondents on the ground that he was not listed as such in the petition.
The counsel to the respondent, Patrick Ikwueto, had said that Ezea filed two different written addresses with different dates, adding that the two addresses were filed out of time and urged the petitioner to adopt one as his written address.
In deed, Ezea spent more energy fighting with his own lawyers than he did against his opponents in the tribunal.
But beyond all these, it is alleged that Chief Okey Ezea was legendary in picking quarrel with his lawyers. He was said to have bickered with Barr. Venatius Odo, his lawyer in an election tribunal, Barr. Ben Ezeugwu, his lawyer in an election tribunal, Chief. Mike Ajogwu (SAN), his Lawyer in Election tribunal, Alex Iziyon (SAN) and Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).

"We are Behind You" --Nsukka People tell Ugwuanyi

Nsukka General Assembly (the pan Nsukka socio-political apex body) has thrown its weight behind the leadership of the Enugu State Government led by Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and assured him of its total support for the development of the state.
In a general meeting that was well attended by major stakeholders in the cultural zone, held at Adada House, GRA, Nsukka, the Assembly said they were standing like one man behind the leadership of Hon. Ugwuanyi to enable him correct all the imbalances that were perpetrated by previous administrations in the state.
To show commitment to the promise, the apex body instructed all politicians from the area to withdraw any pending court case against the Governor or risk the dare consequences that might follow.
In his address, the chairman of  NGA, Prof. Lawrence Ocho, called for a redoubled effort for the actualization of the creation of Adada state “as the quickest way to find respite from the unending neglect suffered by the people of the area in terms of denial of allocation of infrastructures and abandonment of on-going projects.
“In infrastructural development, allocation to our zone has been dismally low and disgraceful”, he stated in apparent lamentation of the said neglect of the areas.
According to him, “Consequently, the road billed to be tarred from Eke through Akpakwume to Nze and Aku, never entered our zone. Adarice and Adada Dam projects have been abandoned. Adada Campus of ESUT was removed”, Ocho recounted.
Ocho recalled that since the return of democracy in 1999, no ministerial slot meant for the state has been given to anybody from the area, just as the zone has the lowest number of judges among the senatorial districts in the state and hoped the present administration would help address the imbalances.
In his reaction, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi said  his administration has resolved to pursue policies and programmes that would address all imbalances in the state and called for continued prayers of the people for the improvement in the economy to enable the government to actualize its development targets. He said such move would pave the way for the promotion of justice, equity and fairness to justify the massive support of the people enjoyed by his administration.
It was an occasion during which the people of the Nsukka Cultural zone of the state, spread across seven local council areas, agreed to forge a greater unity and to bury the hatchet in order to catalyze not just a huge solidarity for the Ugwuanyi administration but to, henceforth, constitute a strong voice to push for equity, justice and fair play in the state.
The governor, who hails from the zone, expressed his appreciation over the declaration by the leadership of the Assembly on the resolution of all divisions among the people before the elections to build a more formidable force towards realizing the goal of common development and progress of the area.
The governor commended the leadership for the opportunity offered by the forum to chart a course for the best way to tackle the task of providing the needs of Nsukka people and assured that his administration would not go back on its resolve to give a radical approach to the planned facelift for the area.
Ugwuanyi commended the NGA leadership for convening the large meeting of the steering committee of the organization which eventually drew representatives of the Nsukka people from across the country, each delegation coming with not just solidarity message for him but also presentations that provided road maps for the sustainable growth of the area said to have been suffering much neglect in the past two decades.
Earlier in his remarks, the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial district, Chief Chukwuka Utazi promised the people a fruitful representation by attracting infrastructures and projecting national policies of common interest to the people of the zone.
Apart from the former information minister, Chief Nnia Nwodo and a strong representation of the over 100-strong Associations of Nsukka extraction, the Association of Nsukka Professors, Lagos-based professionals, Judges, Journalists and indigenes of the area from other parts of the country graced the occasion.

Ekweremadus Support Church with a Church Hall

It was a memorable day for the people of Obuagu village in  Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu state, the home town of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the newly reelected Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria  recently as they were handed over,  a new ultra modern Church auditorium called Holy Spirit Anglican Church Obuagu, Mpu.
It was also a day the community had the opportunity to welcome the Deputy Senate President in their midst for the first time after his historic reelection.
The occasion proper was a dual ceremony of church service in celebration of the 50th birthday of Hon Matthias Ekweremadu (OON), the younger brother to the Senator and dedication of the new Church auditorium built and donated to Awgu/Aninri Diocese of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion by the younger Ekweremadu who was a former Chairman of Aninri Local Government and currently the Chief Whip of the Enugu State House of Assembly representing Aninri constituency in the House.
In his homily, the Bishop of Awgu/Aninri Anglican Diocese, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ugwu who was the officiating Priest extolled the virtues of Senator Ike and Hon. Matthias Ekweremadu describing them as shining light for the community, the Church, Enugu state and Nigeria at large. He noted that for one to celebrate his attainment of 50 years of age with the donation of millions of Naira church building to his community goes a long way to speak volume of his love for God and humanity adding that the church lack enough word to thank the lawmaker.
Bishop Ugwu who emphasized on abundant blessings and benefits of doing God's work in cash and kind mandated the people of Obuagu Mpu who are the immediate beneficiaries of the Church to take advantage of the development to draw closer to God through dedicated service to the church and love for one another and always ensure that they pray for the benefactor and his family, the Anglican communion, Aninri, Enugu state and Nigeria in general.
Commenting on the reelection of Senator Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President, the Bishop described him as a destined leader and an indomitable politician who has achieved great feats that nobody expected of him, noting that his reelection as No 2 senator for three terms consecutively is a miracle orchestrated by destiny. "God ordained him for this assignment and nobody can stop him, he will continue to grow from strength to strength until he reaches where God programmed for him". He added
In his remark, Senator Ekweremadu appreciated the contribution of the Anglican Church to the peace and progress of Nigeria through prayer and message of good conduct to the people noting that the church has in particular made massive contribution to the success of democracy in the country and called for continued support through prayers for peace and progress of the country.
The Mpu born senator who attributed the success of the 2015 elections as well as his reelection as senator and as deputy senate president to the love of God through prayers, reassured that the National Assembly will continue to serve the interest of the people. He promised to continue to support the Church and offered to complete the on-going construction of the Bishop's Court in Awgu/Aninri Anglican Diocese.
In his words, the junior Ekweremadu who stormed the altar with his wife said that he was inspired to build the 1000 capacity Church auditorium at 50 by the love of God upon him and his family, noting that the Almighty has been so good to him and his family. "as I was approaching 50, I told my wife that I would like to do something special for God while celebrating my 50th birth day, at the end of the deliberation with my wife, we agreed to build this church, my prayer is that God will use the Church to continue to bless the people" he added

The former council chairman and current chief whip at the Hallowed Chamber of the House thanked the Church and the people of  Obuagu Mpu for their support to his political career and that of his brother with prayers and their votes all along assuring that he will always provide his widow's mite for the development and progress of the Anglican communion and Aninri at  large.
In her words, the deputy governor, Her Excellency Hon Ezeilo, thanked the church for supporting  the government always and commended the junior Ekweremadu, who she described as her former colleague in the House, for his vision and magnanimity in providing what the people of Obuagu Mpu need at this point in time adding that nothing could be more important than a place where people can gather to meet with God and pray for their needs. 
She called for continued support and prayers from the gathering for the new administration in Enugu state under governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, assuring that the good relationship between the government and people of the state will remain intact under Ugwuanyi as the new governor is poised to continue where his predecessor, Sullivan Chime, stopped in providing dividends of democracy to the people.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, Hon M. C. Nwobodo said that the Church is yet another giant stride from the Ekweremadus to the land of Aninri, adding that  the family has been a source of immense blessings to the local government. According to him, Aninri is the fastest developing and growing local government in Nigeria courtesy of the deputy senate president and his brother who have continued to attract developmental projects to the people.
"The senator and his brother have been so wonderful to us in so many areas, from providing job opportunities for our people to infrastructure among other things that I cannot just count here. As you can see for yourself, Aninri, I believe, is the fastest developing local government area in Nigeria and that is as a result of their good works, we are really proud of them" the chairman donated N1Million to the church.
As expected, the church service was graced by top government functionaries from Enugu state led by the deputy governor. The Bishops of all the Diocese of the Angican Province of Enugu led by Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma and former Minister of power, Venerable Professor Chinedu Nebo were also present.
Others include the Member representing Awgu, Aninri and Oji River Federal constituency in the Federal House of Reps, Hon Toby Okechukwu and other members of the State and National Assembly, chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP led by the former Acting state chairman of the party in Enugu state, Elder David Ajah who is now the deputy state chairman of the party, a group of former local government chairmen in Enugu state, traditional rulers and women groups among others.

Ikeoha Foundation Disburses N23.5m Grant to Students

The Ikeoha Foundation, founded by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has given out N23.5 Million in bursary awards and scholarships to indigent students of higher institutions drawn from the five Local Government Areas of the Enugu West Senatorial District as well as Enugu North and Igboeze South council areas.
The Senator gave the bursary awards and scholarships at the 2015 edition of the Ikeoha Foundation Adult Literacy Day and 2014/2015 Scholarship and Bursary Award Ceremony held at the Government Field, Awgu, Enugu State.
This was also on a day the Foundation graduated 198 adult learners with the Executive Director of the Foundation, Mrs. Cindy Ezeugwu announcing that the Foundation had established 32 Adult Literacy Centres in the Senatorial District and provided basic education to over 10,000 adult learners who had either graduated or still studying.
Senator Ekweremadu said that while 50 students from each of Awgu, Aninri, Ezeagu, Udi and Oji River Local Governments as well as 25 from Igboeze South and Enugu North LGAs received N40,000 individually as bursary awards, 19 students got a cheque for N400,000 each in scholarship for a four-year university education programme.
An elated Senator Ekweremadu stressed that although the Foundation was running other programmes, the dearest to him was the educational programme “because education is the key”. He described the day as one of the happiest in his life for three reasons.
He said: “One is that for the first time in 16 years, we have true and genuine peace in Enugu State under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. People can attend functions without fear of molestation, losing their jobs and without fear of losing influence.
“I am also happy because about a year or two ago, nobody was certain that IKEOHA Foundation and its programmes would continue because there was fear that Senator Ike Ekweremadu would not go back to the Senate and this programme could die. It is by the grace of God and prayers of the beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries that we were able to go back to the National Assembly”.
He emphasised that the students of the adult literacy programmes could still achieve greater heights despite receiving education late in life.
He recalled: “We had a senator in the 7th Senate. He used to stay on the street like any other person. He used to follow trailers to Enugu to offload tomatoes. But one day, he embraced education by teaching himself how to read and write and eventually found himself in Teachers Training School. From there, he went to college of education, and finally he found himself in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is the power of education.
“The Governor of Benue State was working at the motor park. He said this when he came to the Senate to be screened as a minister. From the motor park, he left back for school and became an officer of the PDP, became a minister and today, he is the governor of Benue State. That is the power of education”.
He called on the Governor of Enugu State and the State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party to consider the graduates of the Ikeoha Adult Literacy Proramme  for Councillorship positions in the next Local Government elections to “help encourage others who are sitting behind to see what education can do”.
He reminded the beneficiaries of the bursary and scholarship awards that they were being supported so they could also support others.
“The idea is for us to help you so that you can help others. The government cannot do everything and that is why we also call on every individual, those who are privileged to support others; working together, we can lift ourselves up in unity”, he added.
He stressed: “The little help that you give to people can make all the meaning and difference. Whatever your status in life, what will remain when you leave is the support you have been able to give to the society; the assistance you have given to others and those who can say, without you, it could have been worse for me. All things will pass away, but what we do as human beings with the opportunity we have will never pass away”.
In his goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, who was represented by Mrs. Temitola Aguda noted that the Commission had been able to increase the literacy level in Enugu State from 56% in 2009 to 62% due to the Foundation's efforts.
On his part, the Governor of Enugu, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, commended Senator Ekweremadu for being a shining example in human capital development in Enugu State over the years.
He announced the donation of the sums of N2.5 million by the Enugu State Government, N2.5 million by the LGA in Enugu West, and N5 million by lawmakers representing Enugu West in the State and federal parliaments.
Also, the member representing the South East on the Board of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, Chief Chinedu Onu, recounted Senator Ekweremadu's immense support to educational development since 1997 and donated a hundred units of computers to the Foundation to assist it in its ICT training programmes.
In her address, the Director of Enugu State Agency for Mass Literacy, Mrs. Onyia Ifeoma lauded the Ikeoha Foundation initiatives for tackling illiteracy and poverty.

NUJ Chairman faults Forefieture of Nnamani's Property to FG

As the Federal High Court in Lagos recently ordered the forfeiture of multi-billion naira assets allegedly belonging to a former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, to the Federal government, the Editor-in-Chief of The Starlite Newspapers and the Chairman of the Nsukka Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Harrison Ogara has queried the rationale behind the forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government.
    According to Mr. Ogara, the property were assets acquired by the former governor with the fund belonging to the Enugu State people adding that the Court acted in error by stating that the property so seized be released to the Federal Government.
    Mr. Ogara who made this call in an interview with journalists in his office said the judgment was a pure miscarriage of justice aimed at further impoverishing the good people of the state. He called on the Enugu State Government to pursue the matter by challenging the judgment of the court in the Court of Appeal adding that if the government fails to do so, he would urge other organizations and members of the Civil Society to take up the matter in the Appeal Court.
Among the forfeited assets are undeveloped properties and transmission equipment of Rainbownet Limited; properties of Hill Gate Investment Limited/Cuena Phones Limited; assets of Cosmo 105.5FM, and 22 duplexes at Ebeano Estate (now Fidelity Estate).
Others are Rainbownet's shares in Zenith Bank and Guarantee Trust Bank, with a combined account balance of N4.6million; as well as monies in its bank accounts worth about N34.8million.
The balances are in different accounts with GTBank (N313,700); Sterling Bank (N986,958); Ecobank (N24.5million); First City Monument Bank (N3.8million) and Zenith Bank (N761,156).
EFCC said it is awaiting details of balances in Rainbownet's 10 accounts with Access Bank.
Rainbownet's undeveloped properties forfeited include seven plots at Independence Layout; 567.96 Square meters (Sqm) at Abakpa; 574.96 Sqm at Emene and 2,951.98 Sqm at Achara Layout.
Others to be forfeited include thousands of square metres of properties at Abia State, namely Ogbor Hill (914.633), Abayi (one and half plots), Port Harcourt Road (1,856.449), Ariaria (640.32), Umungasi (573.263) and Assannetu (954.396), as well as Abakiliki, Ebonyi State (one plot).
Others are in Onitsha, Anambra State, such as those at Barracks (one plot), Nkpor (1088.644), Awada (465.14), Fegge (one plot); as well as 2,200.06 square miles of land at Okpumo, Awka.
The company is also to loose 693.636 square meters of undeveloped property located opposite the War Museum, Umuahia.
Assets of Rainbownet Communications Limited, including Central Switch Room, Microwave Radio, Rectifier, Microwave Backhaul Transmission, among others at various locations in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo states are to be forfeited.
The former senator was charged along with his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu and six firms-  Rainbownet, Hillgate Nigeria, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nig Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.
Justice Mohammed Yunusa later split Nnamani's trial from his co-accused as he was abroad receiving treatment.
EFCC re-arraigned them on 105 counts of money laundering and economic crimes involving about N4.5billion.
Part of the alleged laundered money was from the Excess Crude Oil Funds meant for some local government areas, including Aninri, Enugu South, Agwu, Igbo Etiti and Isi Uzor, which was allegedly transferred to Nnamani's bank account in the United States.
The crime was allegedly committed while Nnamani was governor between 1999 and 2007. The defendants pleaded not guilty.
However, after the trial was split, four of the companies on May 19 pleaded guilty to a 10-count amended charge through their counsel.
The companies are Rainbownet, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile and Renaissance University Teaching Hospital.
They were alleged to have failed to comply with lawful inquiry made by the Commission.
On June 11, Justice Yunusa adjourned to July 7 for review of facts and sentences after EFCC's lawyer, Kelvin Uzozie told the court that he was still trying to get a list of all the companies' assets.
He prayed the court to convict the companies in view of their plea after tendering some documents, including the assets' schedule.
He also urged the court to make an order of the assets' forfeiture, and for the commission to be involved in their management.
The companies' lawyer, Mr Ifeanyi Ezeome, during the alucutus (plea for mercy), urged the court to ‎temper justice with mercy since they were first offenders.
Justice Yunusa said a company can be treated as a natural person in law and held that: “It is hereby ordered that the properties listed in the schedule be forfeited to the Federal Government.”
He adjourned till November 12 for the trial of the remaining accused persons.

ENSG Plans to Relocate Ogige Nsukka Market

A community leader in Igbo Eze South Local Governmant Area of Enugu State, Chief Francis Agbaji has lauded the on going plan by the Enugu State government to relocate the Nsukka Main Market to a more suitable location.
Addressing The Starlite reporter in his home town, Unadu, Chief Francis Agbaji said the urgent need to move the market to a better place within the Nsukka metropolis cannot be over emphasized adding that the market by its present location, size and structure would not allow for the promised facelift of Nsukka town.
He said: “I have heard the story that the government of Enugu State was working to relocate the market to another place within the metropolis and it is my wish to support the idea. Nsukka is fast growing and as a University town, it should be structured in such a way that first timers to the place will be pleased when they come into the town.
“I am sorry to say this but the truth is that due to the growth in population of Nsukka and lack of governmental supervision, that main area of Nsukka town is fast becoming a huge slum. The area is almost always overwhelmed by the quantum of dirt and garbage that come out of the market. The volume of waste from the market had at all time material embarrassed members of the public and even the officials of the Enugu State waste management Authority (ESWAMA). The situation is even more terrible when the compact trucks of the ESWAMA develop faults.
“When the market moves, government can then re-plan the central area of the town to look beautiful and welcoming to visitors. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) brings in new visitors to Nsukka every time and people had complained of the poor planning of the urban area of the town. We have the task of making the area look beautiful for us as a people to be proud of. If the trend is not checked now, the central area of Nsukka will automatically wear the status of a slum”.
Speaking further, Chief Francis Agbaji said the government should go extra mile to demolish the foot bridges erected by the former Nsukka Local Government Chairman, Hon. Dan Ugwuja stressing that the bridges were done in such a manner that it would never allow government to widen the main road.
“Let me also use this opportunity to advise that the foot bridges constructed by the former Chairman of Nsukka Local Government be demolished to pave way for the expansion of the Enugu road. Since the bridges were built, it has never been used by anybody and as I speak with you, the bridges had been converted by night traders to a toilet. It is impossible to cross the road using those bridges because they serve as toilets for the traders that do business within the metropolis and their customers. The smell emanating there from is even more hazardous to human health.
‘I know that there are going to be pockets of resistance coming from people who hate change, but after the relocation, those who opposed the move will finally acknowledge that there was the need to move the market to a better place”.
Debunking that the movement will cause undue hardship for petty traders, Chief Agbaji said that there is never a place one will not see poor people crying out for what they describe as injustice adding that even in America, there are petty business people and they work to drive the economy.
It could be recalled that few weeks ago, news was rife that the State government was planning to relocate the market to another location that will be more spacious, beautified and planned in a way to give people the proper environment to buy and sell.
The news had it that the government was contemplating moving the market to Nru area, near Otobo Ogidi or in a location after the Queen of the Rosary College, Nsukka

Mother of 5 Assassinated in Nsukka

After the brutal killing of the revered traditional ruler of Orba community in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, His Royal Highness, Igwe John Nwangwu on his way to his residence in Nsukka some years ago, residents of  the University town woke up Friday morning  July 19, to be hit by another news that a young mother of five known as Mrs. Uzoamaka Onyishi had been shot dead the previous night by some unknown gun men near her residence at Uwani Ugwu, after the Ikenga hotels junction, Nsukka.
Earlier that day, the woman, Mrs. Uzoamaka Onyishi was at the Enugu State Government House where the newly appointed Commissioners and the SPAs to the State governor were sworn-in. For those who saw her, she was full of life moving from one area to another to ensure that guests to her friend's husband who was also sworn-in were well attended to.
After the event at the Government House, she allegedly went straight to Eha Alumona, Nsukka venue for the reception. When the event seemingly wound down at about 7 :30 pm, she left the venue for her Nsukka residence. She was said to have stopped over at her parent's family compound along Ogurugu road where she had a few words with her mother before bidding them good night not knowing that some harbingers of death were waiting to mow her down. With her in her Toyota corolla  car was her Aunty called Jacinta who had been staying in her house.
As she vied off the Nsukka-Ogurugu road along the untarred, lonely and dark route to her house, her Aunty said they noticed that at a particular bad portion of the road, a young man was doing as if he had issues with his motorbike. Filled with pity, Uzoamaka who was driving decided to assist the young guy by  beaming her car head lamp to let him see properly and get his bike fixed so they could move on home.
As she was waiting for  the young man to leave and unknown to her that the whole thing was a decoy, another man jumped out of the bush from the passenger's side where her Aunty was, pulled open the car door, brandished a pistol ,by-passed Jacinta and pointed it at the head of Mrs. Onyishi. Apparently aware of the precarious condition they found themselves, the two women shouted  the name of JESUS over and over and started begging the man to take whatever he wanted including the car but all their pleadings fell on deaf ears.
Like someone dishing out instructions to a child, the boy was alleged to have replied: “The matter at hand now has nothing to do with Jesus. Apparently addressing Uzoamaka, the assassin said “In your next world, you will never snatch somebody's husband again”.
As soon as he made the statement, he was said to have pulled the trigger of the pistol and blew off Uzoamka's head leaving her brain and blood splashed all over the interior of the car. As soon as the mission was accomplished, the men boarded their bike and fled from the scene without taking anything from the car.
Her Aunty who was apparently in shock and traumatized by the cold-blooded assassination, alighted from the car and made her way into the bush leaving the poor woman in her pool of blood. The shot was so point-blank and at a very close range that she never struggled. As her brain was off the head, the impact of the shot scattered her skull and forced all the weave-on on her head  and indeed her face on the steering of the vehicle.
Soon thereafter, neighbors who heard the sound of the gun shot but were scared of coming out eventually came to the spot only to discover the driver of the car had had her head blown off. One of those who arrived the scene said that it was a gory sight to behold. Among the early arrivals was a man who was said to be on his way home in his Mercedes benz car. He was said to have come down from his car and on beholding the sight, could only muster the courage to call the Parish Priest of St. Joseph's Catholic Parish, Army Barracks Nsukka and another Priest whose identity was not known as at press time. Also, the woman’s husband, Mr. Sunday Onyishi arrived the scene but was horrified by the remains of his wife. The team from Nsukka Urban Police was also alerted and when they arrived, they advised that her brains be scooped out of her head and buried while her remains be taken to the mortuary.
The Personality of Mrs. Uzoamaka Onyishi:
Though a very beautiful woman, she was said to be a secondary school teacher who never played with her job. She never passed- by unnoticed. She was always at her duty posts at the Urban Boys Secondary School, Odenigbo, Nsukka. Beyond the teaching job, she also sold women’s bags, shoes and jewelries. At her father's house, she held sway as the prefect in the house. Her late father was the traditional ruler of  Mbu-amon autonomous community but Mrs. Uzoamaka was said to be the defacto traditional ruler who called the shots from the background. It was also alleged that nothing happens without Uzoamaka's contribution. Her suggestions were almost always respected by other members of the family. At all time material, she was viewed as one who was always on top of her situation.
In any ceremony or event, Mrs. Uzoamaka Onyishi when invited, made valid contributions to the success of such events. She had the capacity to ensure that any event she was tagged in was done successfully and so, inviting Uzoamaka became a known secret of any successful event. Ever cheerful and always beaming with smiles, she made any event a huge success.
Family Frayed Relationship and Suspicions/Speculations:
Even though she had a very strong charisma going for her, people who were close to her and her family say her frayed  relationship with her husband, Mr. Sunday Onyishi, left much to be desired. Watchers of the family say that  Uzoamaka  got married when she was barely 15 years and as at that time, Sunday was  doing well in his transport business but after, his business crumbled and forced him to be dependent on his wife, economically and otherwise. While her husband was growing weaker and weaker on issues concerning his business and even fending for the family, his wife was becoming stronger and stronger in those respects.
The Starlite gathered from sources that would not like to be quoted that she went out and came in at her own time and only ensured that her children were not lacking anything. Out of her sweat, she allegedly bought a piece of land and erected a very fine bungalow of two flats, furnished to taste but rather than being commended, some people around claim she must have some explanations to make as to where she got the money to build the house. Of course the suspicion became so exacerbated when the woman also allegedly bought a Toyota Corolla car without any input from her husband. The contention here by these critics was that there was no way she could have put up that house through her income as a secondary school teacher who received barely less than N50,000.00 per month.
There were insinuations from certain quarters that since the husband became weak economically, the connubial bliss that hitherto existed between them waned, became jaded and eventually vanished. The situation gave rise to suspicion and allegation of infidelity to the extent that the husband was alleged to have challenged some highly placed individuals both at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the society to leave his wife alone. It was gathered on good authority that her husband allegedly gave this warning in the presence of his in laws before the death of the father of Mrs. Onyishi.
If the alleged statement from the assassin shortly before he pulled the trigger is anything to go by, it implies that we now have a crop of women in our midst that can go to any length to deal ruthlessly with alleged snatchers of their husbands
Another angle to the story and speculations by some of Amaka’s close friends strongly suspects that based on the no-love-lost situation between her and husband, he may  have been tempted to harass his wife who he strongly believed was dating other men. But The Starlite gathered that this argument lacked merit given the fact that the man had allegedly endured for years and just some weeks before the assassination, the man was also alleged to have warned his wife to avoid coming home late considering that the place they now live was quite out of town and lonely. Insider sources told The Starlite that the warning which was given in good faith became a source of fight between the duo as the woman did not take kindly to the man's suggestion that she could be attacked on her way home. In deed, it was further gathered that though the man and Uzoamaka had lived together in the same house, they had allegedly not had relationship as husband and wife since 2010.
The Starlite also gathered that the man on several occasions had taken exception to the kind of friends his wife was keeping but had no muscle to stop her from going out with those persons who, in his estimation, were leading his wife astray.
A twist that also got people worried was an allegation that she may have been mowed down by a close friend who obviously felt threatened that Mrs. Onyishi was making effort to snatch a very rich friend of hers.
When The Starlite spoke to a police officer who did not want his name in print, he said the force had so many leads and are professionally taking them one by one. He added that there was also an allegation that the deceased was owing a builder who worked for her the sum of N20,000 and which she was said to have refused to pay inspite  the man's threat to collect his money.
“We have also heard so many other stories but we are diligently taking them one by one to make sure that we track down the killers and their sponsors. It will not be right for us to tell you the extent we have gone but when we conclude our investigation, we shall make the public know the outcome through the appropriate channel. What I can tell you is that no matter the offence she committed, that person or those persons that plotted and executed her assassination had no right under the law to do so”.
As at the time of going to press, The Starlite gathered that it was possible that the assailants were placed on the trail of Mrs. Onyishi to monitor her activities. At  Eha Alumona, venue of the reception by one of the new commissioners, it was alleged that midway into the reception, Mrs. Onyishi stepped aside with a friend to an unknown destination unaware that they were  being trailed.
An analyst said that “it was also possible that the assailants were imported from outside Nsukka to do the dirty job” adding that they may have stationed their men at different locations, communicating and updating one another. All the modus operandi are in the realm of speculation and could be further investigated.

Emergence of Adulterers in Nsukka:
A credible source who pleaded anonymity told The Starlite that what is disturbingly in vogue in Nsukka today and indeed other cities, is the alarming rate with which  married women commit adultery adding that he tried to conduct investigation into the trend.
He stressed that in the course of his investigation, he discovered that most of the women go into adultery for many reasons top among them being the quest to make money, have fun, spite other women and for those who have some spiritual but fiendish connotations, to satisfy their spiritual leadership which includes to break up homes.
“You wont believe the number of women who are into adultery. They are in there thousands. They go about looking for money, fame, power and spiritual dominance. They have no respect for their husbands. They make sure that their husbands are turned to vegetables, without a say or control over them.
“Above all this, these women allegedly carry their escapades too far by waging war against the oath of celibacy sworn to by our priests. Many of our priests in Nsukka here have fallen victim of these women and their antics. They cook good food and take to parish houses without giving any to their husbands. They are always ready to serve in any committee in the church. They are members and leaders of the Christian Mothers. They woo the priests in order to get them to sleep with them. When eventually they succeed, they start to make abnormal financial demands from these priests. If the priest decides to pull out of the relationship and reject their demands, they threaten to blackmail them. These are agents from the other side of the world.
“Many families have also been crushed. The women are scattered all over the town. You see them at joints. They are always willing to join any group of asho ebi, even when they hardly know the people celebrating. Even when they are not invited, they lobby and force themselves into any available group. They are good at serving at events to attract attention. They go for events but are not always in a hurry to go home.
“Of course, the question I asked was: Nsukka used to have a strong culture that forbid adultery especially for a married woman, what actually went wrong that allows these women to commit adultery and get away with it? I was told that most of these women in the game also go diabolical. It was alleged that there are some deities around Nsukka communities where  the women go to have covenant with for protection. At the shrine of one of these deities, there is alleged to be a plate of stone that is oval in shape and on this stone, there is a process that is about  five inches high and has the shape of a human penis. After making the covenant with the deity, they sit on that stone and allow the process to go into their virgina. With that covenant, the deity provides them some freebies such as: Protection from running mad after committing adultery. Once they catch a man into their net, the man gets hooked to them and makes him hate their own wife and family.
“The situation gets so bad to the extent that the woman could monitor the activities of the man who ordinarily does not know that he is under a spell. Even if he is making love with his genuine wife and the woman calls him on phone, he gets down and that would be the end at least for that day. You see men who live in rented apartments with their wives and children but build houses for other men’s wives. Oga, as I speak to you, many homes are being manipulated by these women. They make their ways into the political class, business men, technocrats and even lecturers, whom one will ordinarily think should know better.
“What is  saving most families are the prayers and supplications they offer otherwise, the situation would have been terrible. The churches are doing something but they should do more by teaching families on how to pray together”.
Speaking on the instant case, our source said the police should spread their dragnets to be able to catch those who planned and executed Mrs. Onyishi and also advised Nsukka women to remember where they come from irrespective of civilization and peer influences.

"We Won't Underrate other teams". ---Sunday Olise

Super Eagles Head Coach, Sunday Oliseh, has expressed his opinion on the 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary draw held in St. Petersburg, Russia on Saturday, saying the three-time African Champions won’t underrate any of the teams.
Drawn bye from the first round of the African qualifiers, Nigeria begins her campaign for a place at the 2018 finals in Russia in November 2015, away to the winner of the Djibouti vs Swaziland first round playoff.
While appealing for caution, the Super Eagles handler told kickoff.com that there are a number of reasons for him to be happy.
“Of course, I am happy with the draw,” Oliseh stated.
“We are not playing the first round, which is a preliminary round and which we knew before the draw. We will also be playing the first leg of the second round away which means we have an advantage of playing the more crucial return leg at home, in front of our fans.”
The coach also warned against complacency, revealing that there are a lot of dangerous teams around that could hurt if taken for granted.
Oliseh said: “Djibouti and Swaziland need to be given the respect that they deserve and either of them that we face in the second round will not be underrated. We respect every team and we will battle anyone that emerges with our full strength.
“With the draw now concluded,we can safely say that the race to Russia has officially started. I am optimistic we will run this race very well. We will give it our very best and pray it will be good enough to get us one of the five slots available for Africa.”

Again, Bombs Rock Damaturu

An explosion has occurred at the Damaturu Sunday Market in Yobe State.
The explosion occurred on Sunday at about 10:07am this morning
Though the casualty figure could not be obtained as at press time, several persons, The The Starlite learnt, died.
Security personnel were busy evacuating corpses and the injured when this report was filed.
Security operatives at the scene of the explosion included soldiers, policemen, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigeria Fire Service.

starlite: 'Enugun Ready to Swear-in New Commissioners' ---...

starlite: 'Enugun Ready to Swear-in New Commissioners' ---...: As the Enugu State House of Assembly, screened  and confirmed twenty-four commissioner nominees presented to them by Gov. Ifeanyi...

'Enugun Ready to Swear-in New Commissioners' ---ENSG

As the Enugu State House of Assembly, screened  and confirmed twenty-four commissioner nominees presented to them by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on yesterday, July 14, 2015, the Governor of the state, has confirmed his readiness to swear in the new commissioners tomorrow, July 16, 2015.

Shortly after the screening session, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Edward Ubosi, said their confirmation was based on their performance on the floor of the House when they faced barrage of questions during the screening by members of the House.

“In view of the performance of the nominees, the House do approve their appointment,” Hon. Ubosi posited.

Hon. Ubosi subsequently directed the clerk of the House to communicate ‘his Excellency accordingly.’

Earlier before their confirmation, leader of the House, Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu expressed the hope that when confirmed the nominees would “do us proud.”

Because of the calibre of the commissioner nominees, the house members merely asked them to take a bow while some of them were asked question.

Those who were asked to take a bow and leave without questions during the screening exercise include Amb. Fidel Ayogu, Hon. Chijoke Edoga, Hon. Peace Nnaji and Hon. Ogbonna Asogwa.

Others who did not go through the rigors of screening include the former commissioners, Rita Mba, Mike Ene the immediate past commissioner for Agriculture and Barr. Charles Egumgbe, pioneer chairman of Enugu PDP and former commissioner for Commerce and Industry.