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Kwankwaso Reassures Kano Residents On Security

Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State has reiterated his administration’s determination to ensure the safety of lives and property of all persons living in the state.

He gave the assurance when he received a Federal Government's delegation on a condolence visit over the bomb blast in Kano the metropolis on March 18..

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation was led by the Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro.

A statement from the Kano State Government House, quoted Kwankwaso as saying that the State Government and other stakeholders were working together to ensure the protection of lives and property.

``Kwankwaso told the delegation that the blast affected all manners of people and was not restricted to a particular ethnic group as widely suggested on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.’’

The statement said that Kwankwaso decried the ethno-religious connotation given to the blast by some politicians he called ``Abuja politicians.

“It is time for us (Nigerians) to work as a family to bring the security challenges to an end and not use sentiments to worsen the tension.’’

The statement said that Kwankwaso had read out to the delegation the list of 25 casualties of the attack who were currently receiving medication in hospitals in the state.

``The governor noted that most of them are either from Kano or are of Northern extraction. He said the list is a possible reflection of the number of those that lost their lives during the regrettable incident, a number which is yet to be ascertained,’’ it said.

The statement said that Moro had earlier expressed President Goodluck Jonathan’s sadness over the incident.

``The president is saddened by the fact that, in spite of the spirited and determined effort of  government to contain the conflict, sectarian crisis has continued to occur in the state,’’ it quoted Moro as saying.

The statement said the delegation included the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, and the Minister of Police Affairs, retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade.

Others were the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, among others.

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Elechi Dethrones 2 Traditional Rulers For Sabotage

Gov. Martin Elechi of Ebonyi on Thursday announced the dethronement and de-stooling of two traditional rulers and two village heads in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state for sabotaging government's programmes.

Elechi said that the affected traditional rulers ``sabotaged and decimated'' the Nigercem at Nkalagu.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr Onyekachi Eni.

The dethroned chiefs are Eze Mathias Nnaji of Nkalagu, Eze Michael Egbo of Amaezu, Prince Benjamin Onwa, regent of Umuhuali and Prince Augustine Okwor, the regent of Nkalaha.

``The traditional rulers and regents were sabotaging government efforts to stem organised decimation of Nigeria Cement factory (Nigercem), Nkalagu.

``Government views with embarrassment attempts by the traditional rulers to sabotage its effort to reclaim Nigercem from Eastern Bulkcem company which was privatised in 2002 and which in turn sold it to Ibeto Group,’’ the government said.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Eastern Bulkcem in 2009, dragged the Ebonyi Government to courts in Enugu and Abakaliki for revoking its Certificate of Occupancy but the courts declined to nullify the order as prayed by the core-investor.

The statement said that neither the seller nor the buyer of Nigercem notified the State Government and people of Ebonyi as strategic partners in the business before the sale.

According to the statement, the government has used every available opportunity to brief the people of the area and the state about developments in the company.

``The State Government, therefore, regrets that in spite of its efforts, some compromised traditional rulers from Ishielu colluded with agents of Ibeto Group to disparage her and sabotage its efforts to stem the organised decimation of Nigercem,’’ it stated.

The government directed the affected traditional rulers and regents to immediately vacate their stools and cease to represent or parade themselves as traditional rulers of the affected communities.

They were also ordered to hand over their certificates of recognition and staff of office to the chairman of Ishielu Local Government Council within 48 hours.

 

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BREAKING NEWS: Prof Chinua Achebe Dies At 82

Nigeria's novelist, poet,  and critic Professor  Chinua Achebe is dead. Aged 82, Achebe died of an undisclosed ailment in the United States.

LEADERSHIP gathered that he died Thursday night in a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Until his death, the renowned author was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown.

 He is best known for his first novel Things Fall Apart , which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.

Raised by his parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religions and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student.

After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS) and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention for Things Fall Apart in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God(1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe writes his novels in English and has defended the use of English, a "language of colonisers", in African literature. In 1975, his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" became the focus of controversy, for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as "a bloody racist" and was later published.

When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe became a supporter of Biafran independence and acted as ambassador for the people of the new nation. The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid.

When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved himself in political parties but soon resigned due to frustration over the corruption and elitism he witnessed. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and returned to the U.S. in 1990 after a car accident left him partially disabled.

Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of Western and traditional African values during and after the colonial era.

His style relies heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He has also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. Since 2009, he has been a professor at Brown University in the United States.

Additional report from Wikipedia

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