It really sounds like a quiet revolution. You get some sense of civility so lacking under Obasanjo.
I come from Imo State too where Ohakim emerged the governor to everyone's surprise. In Imo State, the news is that so much is going on. The clean and green initiative has received very good reviews. And to be honest, these reviews have come from the common man and woman. Speaking to one of them yesterday, she swore that the rubbish trucks turn up every night and clear the gutters. I had the opportunity to speak to one of the men in charge of the clean and green initiative and he was so articulate about what they have in mind. A friend who has known him for longer told me he is a very serious man and unlikely to derail from his set objectives. I wish all these guys good luck and hope our praises do not get into their head.
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At least, one no longer gets the pervasive feeling that an Igbo hater of the pettiest kind is in Aso Rock. The next step is to reverse the anti-Igbo and decidedly pro-Yoroba legislaion enacted during the eight-years of Obasanjo thuggery.
quote: President Olusegun Obasanjo has ordered the closure of Ibeto Group’s Cement Factory, Port Harcourt because he wants only Aliko Dangote to be the sole producer of cement in Nigeria. As of today, there are six ship loads of materials imported from China for the factory waiting and accumulating demurrage at the Port Harcourt seaport. The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria tried to intervene but Obasanjo told the Chinese ambassador that the easiest way to deal with the issue of demurrage was for the Chinese to dump the materials into the ocean and leave Nigeria. Today, there was a very large demonstration of the employees of the factory and other stakeholders demanding to have the factory reopened. African Independent Television (AIT) carried the demonstration in their news coverage tonight. I expect it to appear in Nigeria’s papers tomorrow. This is the latest example that Obasanjo hates Ndi Igbo. There have been irrational bans on importation of items that disproportionately affected Ndi Igbo. Obasanjo builds multi billion dollar industries in Yoruba land but there is absolutely no Federal presence in Igbo land. We must speak up or we’ll all perish. We must find ways to fight this madness. For those who may not know, Ibeto Group is one of the largest employers of labor in Igboland with several factories in Igboland, including the battery industry in Nnewi. Anything that affects any employer of labor in Igboland affects all of us because it is our brothers and sisters that work in these places of employment.
The Federal Government has given approval for the reopening of the Ibeto Cement factory in Obudu Ama Community in Rivers State .
The approval to reopen the factory which is valued at N12bn was given by President Umaru Yar’Adua in Abuja on Friday, the Chairman, Ibeto Group, Mr. Cletus Ibeto, said at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the President had also given approval for the resumption of the construction of the group’s Green Field Cement plant in Ebonyi State.
The factory, which bags imported cement, was shut down on the orders of the Federal Government in 2005.
Our correspondents learnt that the President approved the reopening of the factory based on positive recommendations made by the ministries of finance and commerce and industry.
Ibeto said the reopening of the factory held hope for consumers of cement in the country.
According to him, the company would make cement available to Nigerian consumers in 40 days.
He added that the return of the company to the cement business would considerably force down the prices of cement since these usually went down with availability.
He said, “With the availability of Ibeto cement in the Nigerian market, the prices of cement, which ranges from N150 to N200, will fall.
“One thing I can assure Nigerians is that we will not be a party to the creation of artificial scarcity of cement.”
He said the approval for the opening of the factory had portrayed Yar’Adua as a listening president who stuck to the rule of law, justice and equity.
The cement factory had been closed in 2005 in controversial circumstances.
While some allege that the factory was shut down to satisfy a business rival, others claim that the company was not investing in manufacturing as agreed by the import permit issued to it.
The company has a permit for the importation of 1.5million metric tonnes each year.of cement annually.
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