Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014 — 15
Church building demolished in Anambra as Anglicans, community fight By Nwabueze Okonkwo
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NITSHA—THE lingering crisis between Nkwelle-Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State and worshippers of Ebenezer Anglican Church Oyolu-Oze in the area deepened yesterday, with the destruction of an on-going building project by the Anglican community inside the school premises. The building, which was at its roofing stage, was reduced to rubbles at about 12 midnignt on Monday by unknown persons. The demolition which was, according to a source, executed with a bulldozer, left the building completely pulled down from its foundation. Crisis had ensued between the community and the Anglican church members about two months ago when the roofs of the school premises in the church compound was removed for purposes of renovation by a contractor engaged by the state Urban Development Board, ASUDEB, in collaboration with the community. Following a protest by the worshippers over the removal of the roofs, the community became infuriated and its PresidentGeneral, Elder Chris Eluemuno, announced the ejection of the worshippers from the school premises and suspension of all religious activities in the premises. Eluemuno contended that the school was built by the community single-handedly and handed over to the state government for academic activities in the late 80s. Eluemuno who is also the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
Anambra State chapter, added that in 1990, the Anglican church approached the community to allow it carry out religious activities at the school compound which the community obliged at a monthly rent of N20 and wondered why the church was now laying claims to ownership of the school premises. Speaking to newsmen at the school/church premises yesterday, the Anglican Archdeacon in charge of the church building project, Venerable Frank Obi, accused the community leaders of being responsible for such a dastardly act in a house of God. Venerable Obi recalled that during last Monday’s meeting among the community, police
and leaders of the church at the Police Area Command Headquarters, Onitsha to broker peace, a member of the community allegedly boasted that the church building would not take him anything to demolish. Also contributing, Venerable Joseph Nweke, the Archdeacon of Oyi Archdeaconry and Director of Society for Equity, Justice and Peace, SEJUP, Anglican Diocese on the Niger, declared: “The destruction of the church by unknown persons likely to be Elder Chris Eluemuno, the PresidentGeneral of Nkwelle-Ezunaka who boasted recently at the graduation ceremony of OyoluOze Primary School pupils is
condemnable. “The edict made by Anambra State Government and assented to by Governor Peter Obi transferring the school to the Anglican church has not been repealed and therefore it is clear that the state government cannot be lawless to destroy properties belonging to any church. “Nkwelle-Ezunaka was once at war with the Anglican community which was settled in then 1980s and any attempt by the present P-G to revisit that traumatic experience must be avoided. ''I therefore call on the state government to look into the excesses of Eluemuno to avoid anarchy in the state.”
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NUGU—IMMEDIATE past chairman of Udenu local government area of Enugu State, Dr Godwin Abonyi, yesterday, raised an alarm over sustained threats of kidnap and assassination against him and members of his family by unknown persons. He stated that his life and that of family had been in danger since January this year when he completed his four years tenure as council chairman and handed over to his successor. Abonyi, who wondered why anybody would mark him and members of his family for attack, pleaded with his traducers to save their lives since he had not offended anybody. He gave the phone numbers of those threatening
By Emmanuel Elebeke
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BUJA—THE Director and Chief Executive of Centre for Satellite T e c h n o l o g y Development, CSTD, Dr. Spencer Onuh, has said Nigeria was losing about $2 billion to capital flight annually because of importation of foreign satellite by Nigerians. Onuh, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, warned that such omen, if not checked, would impact negatively not only on the Nigerian space agency but also the economy at large. He said it was regrettable that Nigerians preferred to import foreign satellites, even when they could source same services locally from NASRDA, with the Nigeria Sat 1. He said Nigerian Sat 1 was used in mapping the whole country at no cost, a service the country spent $300 million to get in 1956 when the exercise was first carried out.
Mama Obiajulu Appah, 78, for burial BRIEFING: From left: Secretary of Conference, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rt. Rev. Dr. Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, Prelate of the Church, His Eminence Dr. Chukwuemeka Uche and Lay President of Conference, Sir Jimmy Coker, KJW, during a briefing by the church in Lagos.
Ex-LG boss raises alarm over alleged threat to life By Tony Edike
Nigeria loses $2bn to foreign satellites —Onuh
them as 070 80352016 and 08139602055. Briefing newsmen in Enugu, the former council boss disclosed that his ordeal began on May 18, this year “when the person flashed me
in the night and when I called back, he didn’t pick and shortly after I got a text message castigating me and making fun of the bereavement I had, the loss of my parents, my sisters, that
they have died while I was the chairman looting the treasury of my people, that they will never come back to life again and that even my life, my wife and children are not safe.
NCAA chief lauds BA, tasks national carrier on aviation devt initiative
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AGOS—AWARE of the increasing needs to promote the Nigeria aviation sector, the Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Mr. Benedict Adeyileka, has charged corporate organisations in the airline industry to put in place programmes that would enhance the development of the sector in the country. Adeyileka made the call
when the winners of the British Airways’ Leaders of Tomorrow paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Lagos. He said initiatives such as the “British Airways Leaders of Tomorrow” programme could play an important part in bringing new expertise and international best practice to the Nigerian aviation sector. The programme gave six
students of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, an opportunity to gain some valuable first-hand insight into the operations of a modern international airline during a two-week internship in Lagos and London. The NCAA boss commended the airline for choosing NCAT, Zaria, as its partner in the programme.
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AMA GRACE Obiajulu Appah (nee Otigbu), of OgbeOrji Village, Illah, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State is dead, aged 78 years. She died after a brief illness. In a statement issued by the Appah and Otigbu families, there will be a wake keep on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, while she will be buried the following day at the family's compound in Illah. She is survived by the widower, Mr. James Appah, children and many relations, including Donald Appah and Francis Otigbu.
Late Obiajulu Appah