Voices and Echoes

See any politician that has served in any capacity for 4 years, 8 years,16 years should please retire...

Politics is not a relaxation centre...

Please step aside let others with fresh ambition come in...

There is nothing else to show the masses we haven't seen....

"Why I want to be Abia Governor in 2023, Chief James Okereke Anyaogu "

The Sun Newspaper has published an interview they had with Chief James Okereke Anyaogu (Ihie Abia) who's a governorship aspirant in the 2023 guber election

Here, Chief James Okereke Anyaogu has clearly stated that he'll look at the healthcare system, nonpayment of salaries of workers, pensions and gratuities, farmers and youths shall not be left out

His government if elected shall be an encompassing one for an all-round development of Abia State

Please, pick up a copy of The Sun Newspaper of today and read what Chief James Okereke Anyaogu has said

There's no doubt that Chief James Okereke Anyaogu is well-prepared to change Abia narrative

Last night, Russia launched a brazen attack on the people of Ukraine, in violation of international law and basic principles of human decency. Russia did so not because Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, but because the people of Ukraine chose a path of sovereignty, self-determination, and democracy. For exercising rights that should be available to all people and nations, Ukrainians now face a brutal onslaught that is killing innocents and displacing untold numbers of men, women, and children.

The consequences of Russia’s reckless actions extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. This illegal invasion in the heart of Europe also threatens the foundation of the international order and security. For some time now, we have seen the forces of division and authoritarianism make headway around the world, mounting an assault on the ideals of democracy, rule of law, equality, individual liberty, freedom of expression and worship, and self-determination. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows where these dangerous trends can lead – and why they cannot be left unchallenged.

People of conscience around the world need to loudly and clearly condemn Russia’s actions and offer support for the Ukrainian people. And every American, regardless of party, should support President Biden’s efforts, in coordination with our closest allies, to impose hard-hitting sanctions on Russia – sanctions that impose a real price on Russia’s autocratic elites.

There may be some economic consequences to such sanctions, given Russia’s significant role in world energy markets. But that’s a price we should be willing to pay to take a stand on the side of freedom. For over the long term, we all face a choice, between a world in which might makes right and autocrats are free to impose their will through force, or a world in which free people everywhere have the power to determine their own future.

Michelle and I will be praying for the courageous people of Ukraine, for Russian citizens who have bravely declared their opposition to these attacks, and for all those who will bear the cost of a senseless war.

~Barack Obama

Breaking News

The Deputy Governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji Mahdi Gusau has been impeached by the state's house of Assembly.

The Modern Day in Lagos

The Lagos Ride is not an empowerment scheme but a slavery scheme. Here are my reasons:

1. Each applicant driver will have to pay a non refundable 17k to prequalify

2. If the driver pass the prequalification stage, driver will have to pay the sum of 1,845,500 which is to cover 20% cost of the vehicle, registration and insurance, advance rent payment, first aid kit, e-taxi licence and training.

3. Driver will remit 8,709 daily and compulsory.

4. Driver will still pay 25% of each trip like the normal uber commission commission.

5. Number 3 and 4 will continue without any hitch for 4 years and the car becomes driver's own.

6. Driver will fuel the car on his own.

7. Ibile holdings will handle servicing and maintenance through GAC motor

The above is just summary of the scheme.
My questions are as follows :

1. If I am a driver and I have 1.8m, will I be fool enough to go and subject myself to all the above or get a good Toyota car of my own and register with already available e-hailing platforms ?

2. If 1.8m is just 20% of the vehicle, that means the actual cost o the car is 9m even if it's more than brand new- who cares ?

3. Please multiply 8,709 daily by 365 days. Thisv means in a year, driver would have paid 3,178,785. Now multiply just 3m by 4 years and it follows that driver would have paid 12m and worked for 4 years to own the car. Now see - the car cost 9m and you will pay 12m over 4 years.

4. If e-hailing platform charge between 10% and 25% commission, why can't the scheme that is claiming empowerment not charge below the 10% at least ?

5. The 25% commission itself will also affect driver's ability to read the daily remittance of 8,709.

6. With the above, can one consider the scheme an empowerment or slavery ?

7. In my honest opinion, I will prefer to do nothing than enslave myself with the arrangement even if I don't have an option.
Do you also know that if in the course of working under the platform, there is high possibility that the car will be withdrawn from driver in the event not meeting the remittance repeatedly for whatever reasons even if genuine ? So after two years or so of labour the car can be taken away from you and if you go to court, the main contract terms and conditions will be read to driver and it will be all efforts wasted.

Remember that some drivers won't read the contract word for word and even some that will do will still accept because they just want to start hustling as the saying goes.

*Chief James Okereke Anyaogu: The Man Behind The Vision*

Chief James Okereke Anyaogu is an accomplished international business tycoon, a pragmatic and progressive leader. A Catholic and family-oriented man.

The headquarters of business conglomerate is in California, USA

Chief James is happily married with three kids (two girls and a boy)

Alayi Secondary Commercial School, Alayi, 1992 Class

Las Positas College 2004
Chabot college 2095
Everest university Fl, USA BA (Business Admin) 2007

He has business centers across the West African region especially in Benin Rep., Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.

He also has business offices in Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa

He has managed and successfully fun a medical staffing agency in California with over 200 employees under his payroll

Chief is a community builder, a true born leader.

He has chaired many organizations and unions at different levels and times

He's a known philanthropist both in Bende LGC and Abia State in general

For instance, since April 2020, Chief has been paying 47 pensioners across the 17 LGCs in Abia State owing to the blatant refusal of Abia State government to pay them their pensions.

He single-handedly sank a borehole to ameliorate the suffering of the villagers in his community and solely organized electrification of his hometown.

Chief is currently sponsoring over 25 youths drawn from the state at different levels of higher institutions including overseas studies, while others are undergoing different forms of skill acquisitions

His community development projects and human capacity building has been acknowledged with many chieftaincy titles such as Ochende 1 2004,
Pillar of the Community 2008, Ezi Nwa Obodo jiaba 2014, Eze Igbo II CA, USA 2016, Agu Na Eche Mba 2018, Akudo 1 2021 amongst others

Chief Anyaogu is not a politician, but he's pained by the situation of things in Abia State, hence, his decision to vie for the governorship position so he can bring his wealth of experience to reposition Abia State and place her on an enviable pedestal.

Abians: Rejoice for the Light is Come

Chief James Okereke Anyaogu is coming

POLITICS

NEWS ANALYSIS: APC presidential ticket may go to South-West, Here’s why.


The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have finally settled the contentious issue of which part of the country it would zone its presidential ticket to for the 2023 election.

After dilly dallying on a date for its national convention, the party finally settled on March 26 for the event to pick officers to occupy its National Working Committee (NWC) which seats have been empty since the last national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and his team were sacked.

At a meeting on Tuesday, between President Muhammadu Buhari and APC governors at the Presidential Villa, the party leaders took a decision on the national offices of the party, and also agreed to pick a national chairman via consensus.

The party leaders zoned the NWC offices between the north and the southern region by agreeing to swap offices held in the last dispensation by one region to the other region.

Consequently, the post of national chairman held by Oshiomhole, a southerner, in the last dispensation was zoned to the north. Effectively, this means the presidential ticket of the party will go to a southerner, as the president and national chairman usually cannot come from the same region.

According to its zoning formula, and the swap arrangement, the major national offices have been shared among the political zones as follows:

1. National Chairman (North-Central),
2. Deputy National Chairman (North-West)
3. Deputy National Chairman (South-East)
4. National Secretary (South-West)
5. National Organising Secretary (North-East)
6. National Publicity Secretary (South -South)

This arrangement suggests that the party has also zoned the two offices of Deputy National Chairman to the North-West and South-East, effectively putting these political zones in a disadvantaged position in the contention for APC’s presidential ticket.

If this arrangement subsists, the only zones left in the south to make a fight for the party’s presidential tickets are the South-West and the South-South. This would only happen if the entire South agrees to such an arrangement, as the party structure has been bedeviled by fractures, with disenchantments among its members.

However, there are also speculations that the party may have tactically zoned its presidential ticket to the south-west, given the list flying around on the sharing of national offices. According to the list, every zone has ten national offices allocated to it, except for the south- west which has nine. The question everyone is asking is: Why?

Could this have been purposely done to include the office of the president as its tenth slot?

See below, the zoning of its national offices.

South-South:
(Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers States)
1. National Vice Chairman (SS)
2. National Publicity Secretary
3. National Women Leader
4. Deputy National Treasurer
5. Deputy National Welfare Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader


South-West:
(Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States)
1. National Secretary
2. National Vice Chairman (South-West)
3. National Youth Leader
4. Deputy National Auditor
5. Zonal Secretary
6. Zonal Youth Leader
7. Zonal Organizing Secretary
8. Zonal Women Leader
9. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader

South-East:
(Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo States)
1. Deputy National Chairman (S)
2. National Vice Chairman (SE)
3. National Treasurer
4. National Welfare Secretary
5. Deputy National Organizing Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader

North-East:
(Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States)
1. Deputy National Chairman (N)
2. National Auditor
3. National Vice Chairman (NW)
4. Deputy National Financial Secretary
5. Deputy National Women Leader
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader

North-Central:
(Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States)
1. National Chairman
2. National Vice Chairman (NC)
3. Deputy National Secretary
4. Deputy National Legal Adviser
5. Deputy National Publicity Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader

North-West:
(Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States)
1. National Vice Chairman (NW)
2. National Legal Adviser
3. National Organizing Secretary
4. National Financial Secretary
5. Deputy National Youth Leader
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability – PWD) Leader

Crises over?

It might be too early to conclude that APC has weathered the storm with its zoning arrangements made public.

Picking a date for its national convention was an herculean task, even as proposals for zonal congresses have been received with rejections with some members already threatening to go to court, and arguing that the move is alien to the party’s constitution.

So far, the party seems to be more inclined to pick its officials via consensus, and there is no saying what this would lead to, as many have also expressed opposition to this method.

With the present arrangement, the governors seem to wield so much power to determine who gets what, the reason they may be championing the consensus option to pick party officials, knowing full well this would give them access to pick their stooges, to enable them retain control of the party structures in their states and zones to get what they want.