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APGA Catholics Accuse Archbishop Of Onitsha, Valerian Okeke, Of Aiding Campaign For Labour Party

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Members of the Catholic extraction in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have narrated how Archbishop of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Valerian Okeke aided priests under his administration to publicly campaign for the Labour Party.

They condemned demarketing and disparaging both Catholic and non- Catholic candidates in other political parties.

The APGA loyalists said the Archbishop shouldn’t have encouraged Catholic priests to abandoned their primary episcopal assignment of preaching the gospel to yielding their pulpits to petty politicking.

In a letter dated 19th March addressed to Vatican’s Roman Catholic headquarters led by Pope Francis, the group identified as “Concerned Catholics and Members of APGA” alleged the Onitsha Archbishop of abuse of powers ,colluded with Reverend Fathers to abuse their priestly powers while engaging in fierce public campaign for the Labour Party and its candidates in the nearly concluded 2023 general elections.

Registering their displeasure the group gave account of how Archbishop Okeke deliberately refused to call the said priests to order which further emboldened them to throw caution into wind by launching serial attacks against candidates of other political parties in clear favour of those flying the Labour Party ticket.

The four paged letter addressed to the Holy See signed the group’s coordinator Sir. Peter Okeke, alleged that the Rev Fathers disregarded competence and merit by taking advantage of their presiding positions on the altar to abuse the minds of their flock to vote for only candidates of the Labour Party without recourse to capable Catholic candidates and non- Catholics in other political parties.

Peter said the deluge of attacks orchestrated by priests on non- Labour Party candidates was traceable to the refusal of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to continue with the norm set by former Anambra governor, Peter Obi which requires that the Catholic Church must have a strong say in whoever becomes Governor in the state as well as other top political positions.

However, Peter Okeke pointed out that Soludo disregarded the norm and insisted on merit as the benchmark as opposed to the old ways of doing things which they said opened up a deluge of attacks from priests in the archdiocese who currently view his disposition as a sellout and irritating deviation from the norm.

“Under previous APGA governments , it was unthinkable that the brother of a priest like Rev. Fr. Chibuzor Emmanuel Obimma, popularly known as Ebube Muonso, would lose or be denied a ticket in an APGA primary election, which is exactly what happened under Governor Soludo’s watch, said Peter Obi.

“To make matters worse , Peter Okeke said that Soludo also drew the ire of the church hierarchy when he unilaterally terminated the hitherto quarterly flow of funding into the Catholic church which led to the church’s resolve to deal decisively with the governor

Urging the Catholic Pope investigate the Onitsha Archdiocese Bishop and call him to order, Peter Okeke explained that during the campaign window preceding the February 25th general elections, gullible parishioners in various parishes, were weekly treated to the unholy spectacle of Southeast Parish priests attacking and vilifying candidates other than Mr. Peter Obi and those of the Labour Party.

The letter read in parts;
“We write in our capacity as concerned Catholics and members of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), who are no longer comfortable with the prevalent abuse of priestly powers, to strongly and most respectfully, register our deep disappointment at the obvious collusion of Archbishop Dr. Valerian Okeke to address the very shameful actions of priests under his care, who threw all caution to the wind in serial attacks against candidates of political parties in clear favor of those flying the Labour Party ticket.

“For starters, previous APGA governments have always ensured to carry the church along in terms of providing candidates for various positions, both within the party and government but this unwritten rule set by former Anambra Governor Peter Obi was naively jettisoned by Gov. Soludo who insisted on Merit as the benchmark as opposed to the old ways of doing things.

“To be clear, the argument that the litany of priests like Rev. Fr. Nwokedi Ezumezu and Fr. George Adimike (who is incidentally, the press secretary to Archbishop Valerian Okeke,) whose weekly tirades against candidates not flying the Labour Party ticket, did not enjoy blessings of their Archbishop, cannot be sustained when one considers the impracticability of a large swathe of priests going publicly rogue against the clear dictates of the Canon law which forbids them from exhibiting partisan tendencies.

“Infact there is no way these number of priests could openly solicit support for political parties whilst castigating others without the express approval of their Archbishop and if it was ever under dispute, Archbishop Valerian Okeke himself, laid every doubt to rest in a recent February 15th thank-you visit by the Labour candidates in the just concluded Anambra North Senatorial and Onitsha North & South Federal House of Representatives, Dr. Tony Nwoye and Engr. Idu Emeka, where he celebrated the duo and thanked them for recognizing the significant roles played by the church in ensuring that the Labour Party won resoundingly in the Feb 25th general elections.

“The Holy See must note the unfortunate import of such a public declaration of His Grace’s collusion especially when juxtaposed with the fact that well over 90% of candidates from other political parties whom they worked against, are bonafide Catholics.

“In our estimation, this action by Archbishop Dr. Valerian Okeke, was reckless, an abuse of power and the trust of the people and it is sad to watch as the church under his care, is currently being run solely on personal insatiable interests because the sorry sight of beholding priests being thanked and applauded by their Archbishop for misleading and misinforming parishioners on whom and who not to vote, is nauseating and goes against everything the church stands for.

“Simply put, these priests would not have dared take such publicly odious actions without the express approval of Archbishop Dr Valerian Okeke who as you know, wields total influence over their lives and every action or inaction they take and there remains no doubt that the Archbishop was the chief instigator and orchestrator of the entire nefarious actions by his priests.

“In Anambra Central Senatorial District, the case was the same as priests were under strict instruction from Archbishop Dr Valerian Okeke to make favorable announcement for the Labour Party, in church on the Thursday and Friday leading up to the February 25th general elections and it was sad seeing our archbishop thanking priests for what he termed “a job well done”.

“This open letter stems from a place of disillusionment, disappointment and shock at how low the Onitsha Archdiocese was and is, willing to go in pursuit of a partisan agenda which definitely, is at variance with the spirit and letter of the Canon law which forbids priests from converting the most holy altar of God to campaign soapboxes.

“It should interest the Vatican to know that Archbishop Dr. Valerian Okeke uses his powers of rampant postings and trainings to whip priests into line to do his dealings and it is common knowledge that disobedience to carrying out his direct orders that should be repulsive to their priestly calling, earns such priests a form of banishment to very remote areas while obedience elicits compensation.

“The Vatican may wish to ask Archbishop Valerian Okeke why and how he believes that openly projecting candidates of the Labour Party, who are mostly opportunistic career politicians that lost primaries in previous political parties and who may not necessarily possess the requisite pedigree and proven track record of service to humanity, somehow confers on them the toga of infallibility to the outright repudiation of possibly far more qualified Catholic candidates flying other party tickets?

“It is this sorry state of affairs which has led most priests to live under a climate of fear which has invariably led to the conspiracy of silence, with priests snitching on each other with a view to attracting favors from the Archbishop, that currently afflicts the Onitsha Archdiocese.

“We believe that it is our duty to speak out and draw your attention to this decay, this cancer currently spreading throughout the Onitsha Archdiocese and if the truth must be told, even the new Diocese of Aguleri is not immune from the Archbishop’s divisiveness as he has refused to post senior indigenous priests there.

“The Holy See is most respectfully enjoined to investigate the activities of Rev. Fr. Ekwunife who is not only the Archbishop’s man Friday but can be likened to the most corrupt Reverend Father in the diocese whose known hatred for APGA and open preachings of support for the Labour Party, leaves little to be desired and we stand to be corrected that his angst against the current Anambra State government stems from Gov. Soludo’s refusal to continue with the quarterly culture of sending huge sums of monies to the Archbishop of which Fr. Ekwunife has played the role of the conduit for some years prior to the emergence of the current leadership in Awka.

“The insensitivity and gross wickedness unleashed on APGA, APC and PDP candidates (many whom were Catholics,) by priests of the Onitsha Archdiocese, requires that the Holy See urgently intervene to safeguard the integrity of the church from what is surely a steady, and logical decline from those pristine heights to a footnote of shame.”

BIG STORY

Inflation: Real Reason Indomie Reduced Prices Of Popular Staple Food Item Revealed

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In the face of mounting inflationary pressures in Nigeria, Indomie Instant Noodles, a major brand under Dufil Prima Foods Limited, has announced a substantial price cut to ensure affordability for consumers.

The move was made to preserve availability to this well-liked essential food item in response to the growing economic difficulties that Nigerians were facing.

And this is supported by a recent survey that was carried out at a number of Lagos-based stores and found that the costs of Indomie goods had significantly dropped. When compared to the previous month, the price of the 70g pack of Indomie Regular Chicken noodles dropped to N250.

Additionally, the price of a 40-pack carton of Indomie dropped from N12,000 to N10,000 within the same timeframe. Prior to this adjustment, Indomie’s prices had surpassed those of competing brands such as Mimee (N200) and Honeywell noodles (N250).

Temitope Ashiwaju, the group corporate communications & event manager at Dufil Prima Foods Limited, attributed the price reduction to favourable changes in operational costs.

He emphasized the company’s commitment to passing on benefits to consumers, stressing their dedication to fairness and affordability.

“We are never going to be taking advantage of the populace. We want to make profit, but in a fair way,” the spokesman added. “That is why we are determined to keep our products affordable to Nigerians.”

Contrary to speculations suggesting low patronage as the driving factor behind the price adjustment, Ashiwaju reaffirmed that the decision was rooted in the company’s ethos of customer-centricity and fairness.

Industry experts have hailed Dufil Prima’s move as influential, predicting a ripple effect that could prompt other brands to follow suit because Indomie’s dominant position in the market has positioned it as a price setter, prompting expectations for broader shifts in pricing strategies across the industry.

The price reduction by Indomie comes amidst a backdrop of economic challenges in Nigeria, characterized by soaring inflation rates.

Over the past nine months, Nigeria has witnessed a steady rise in headline inflation, driven primarily by government reforms such as the removal of petrol subsidy and naira devaluation.

As a result, food inflation has surged, exacerbating the financial strain on households and leading to an increase in poverty levels.

Despite these economic headwinds, a recent report by Euromonitor International indicates robust growth in the sales value of noodles within Nigeria’s formal market.

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Lagos State Government Disburses N4.48bn In Pension Benefits To Retirees

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  • Governor Sanwo-Olu Upholds Commitment to Pensioners’ Welfare with Timely pay

 

The Lagos state government on Thursday, March 28, paid a total of N4.48 billion in pensions to 1,455 retirees for the month of March.

The payment was given at the Lagos State Pension Commission’s (LASPEC) 104th retirement bonds certificate presentation.

When LASPEC paid N3.2 billion in accrued pensions to 1,013 retirees during the 103rd retirement bonds certificate ceremony in February, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had promised to pay at least N4 billion in March.

To settle all pending accrued pensions by the middle of the year, the governor guaranteed that the state government would pay an additional N3 billion in April.

While he acknowledged the backlog in the payment of accrued rights, Sanwo-Olu noted: “Our attention is focused on systematically eliminating the backlog.”

He also expressed optimism about the actualisation of the government’s dream of a “Pay-As-You-Go” model before his term ended.

At the presentation, LASPEC Director-General, Babalola Obilana, said that the monies were released for civil personnel who retired before the start of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2007.

Obilana expressed gratitude to Sanwo-Olu for his steadfast dedication to the well-being of the state’s residents.

The governor, he pointed out, had consistently placed pensioners’ interests first and supported measures to lessen their financial difficulties.

He assured that by mid-2024, retirees from the state would receive their benefits as they departed from government employment, emphasising that the governor had kept his word to clear all pension arrears.

Obilana said: “On behalf of Gov. Sanwo-Olu and the entire Lagos State Government, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you present at this memorable event.

“Lagos State is thankful for your accomplishments and the enduring contributions you have made throughout your distinguished careers.

“You have exemplified the values that define Lagos State – integrity, commitment, and excellence.

“Your dedication and hard work have contributed to the dream of a `Greater Lagos’.

You are a source of inspiration for us all. Your legacy will undoubtedly continue to resonate within the public service.”

LASPEC DG further urged retirees to be cautious of fraudsters and choose suitable pension investments. He highlighted the transition from professional life to leisure and hoped their future would be full of happiness and fulfillment from a rewarding professional life.

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Federal Government To Grant Mining Licenses To Only Companies That Process Locally

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Nigeria will only grant new mining licences to companies that present a plan on how minerals would be processed locally, under new guidelines being developed, a government spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

This is a departure from Nigeria’s long-standing practice of exporting raw commodities, as governments around Africa work to increase the value derived from their substantial mineral reserves.

To spur investment, Nigeria will offer investors incentives including tax waivers for importing mining equipment, make it easier to secure electricity generation licences, allow full repatriation of profits and boost security, Segun Tomori, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals development said.

“In exchange, we have to review their plans for setting up a plant and how they would add value to the Nigerian economy,” Tomori said. He did not say when the guidelines would be finalised or come into effect.

However, last week the minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake, said it was now government policy to make value addition a condition for obtaining licences so as to create jobs and help local communities.

Alake, who also chairs an African mining strategy group comprising mining ministers from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia, is pushing for a continent-wide effort to get maximum local benefit from mineral exploration.

Nigeria, Africa’s top energy producer, has struggled to extract value from its vast mineral resources due to poor incentives and neglect. The underdeveloped mining sector contributes less than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Last year Nigeria exported mostly tin ore and concentrates worth about 137.59 billion naira ($108.34 million), mainly to China and Malaysia, according to the country’s statistics bureau.

The government aims to drive more investment into the sector by issuing more licenses. It has set up a state-owned solid minerals corporation offering investors a 75% stake and established a special security unit tasked with fighting illegal miners.

The government is also trying to regulate artisanal miners, who dominate the sector, by grouping them into cooperatives.

Foreign mining companies operating in Nigeria include Canada-based Thor Explorations which is involved in gold exploration, Chinese-owned Xiang Hui International Mining which partnered with a local company to process gold, and Indian-owned African Natural Resources and Mines, which is building a $600m iron ore processing plant in northern Nigeria.

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