Photos: Parade of Honour for late Dr Alex Ekwueme

DR ALEX EKWUEME

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Pastor Goodhart Ekwueme, the senior son of former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme and others at the Parade of Honuor for the late Alex Ekwueme at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday

Pal Bearers salute the casket containing the remains of former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, during the Parade of Honor at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and son of the deceased, Apostle Goodheart Ekwueme looked as officers adjusted the national flag on the casket bearing the body of the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme laid before the full parade of the Nigerian Police on Guard in his honour during his passage rites at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Senate President Bukola Saraki (r) comisserating with members of the Ekwueme family looked on during the official passage rites for the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Very Senior Police Officers as Pal Bearers during the passage rites for the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Police Parade by the foot of the Hercules C-130 Aircraft that was used to convey the body and family during the passage rites for the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Very Senior Police Officers as Pal Bearers during the passage rites for the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Body of the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme laid before the full parade of the Nigerian Police on Guard in his honour during his passage rites at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo comisserating with Igwe Prof. Laz Ekweme while other members of the Ekwueme family looked on during the official passage rites for the Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme at the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

History of these great iconian. 

The former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and father of today Nigeria Democracy !

His Minority Report during the Abacha Regime led Constitutional Conference produced today's 6 Geo Political Zones .

In that report too , it provided for Rotational President which will last for 30 years when all the 6 geo political zones must have tested the power on the basis of 5 years single term .It went further to add that after the rotational within 30 years , office of the President will then be open for all without zoning .

In the same report , Alex Ekwueme also succeeded in convincing members to allow for double ( two ) vice president for the Country and that the second Vice president will also come from the same zone with the president so that should the president die or impeached , 2nd Vice president will assumed the office of the president and complete the tenure of his zone . We would have avoided confusion and tension that followed the death of President Yar'Adua had we adopted those submissions into our Constitution.  

It is of note that Alex Ekwueme was nominated by Ndi Igbo to lead Igbo delegates and pushed for harmonized Igbo position on Nigeria Constitutional Conference . Some of the above points were products of harmonized Igbo position at the pre Constitutional Conference of 1995 meeting held in Enugu tagged #Nkpoko Igbo .

The death of Abacha killed the report of that Constitutional Conference . For example , rotational presidency was and some key issues were reported on page 222 of Abacha Constitutional Conference that died with the death of Abacha !

Alex Ekwueme also played great role in returning Nigeria to Democratic role with the formation of G34 !

Alex Ekwueme 's G34 also played great role in formation of PDP !

A Man that singlehandedly turned Oko town which was a core ruler area to Semi Urban city !

A Human capital developer whose scholarship foundation ended creating scholars from various fields !

More photos credit below.

Unizik latest news

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka 2017/2018 matriculation ceremony holds on Saturday February 10 2018.

Orientation for fresh students will hold from Monday 5th - Wednesday 7th February,2018.

Venue for Orientation : Basil Oli Hostel Arena(Male Hostel D)

Time: 10.00am Daily

Attendance Mandatory

Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu 

Director, Information, Public Relations and Protocol, 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka

IS BELOTTI STILL A €100M RISK WORTH TAKING FOR CHELSEA OR MAN UTD?

The Torino striker became one of the most sought-after frontmen on the planet last season, but is he what Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho needs now?

“One-season wonder” – a title nobody wants, particularly strikers whose reputation and value rests squarely on their ability to contribute a steady stream of goals.

Unfortunately for the frontmen of the world, their chosen position places them under the brightest of spotlights and under the greatest threat of being written off at the drop of a hat.

At the focal point of an attack, those who make a living out of finding the back of the net take to the field every week knowing that their standing in the eyes of a global audience can shift dramatically between hero and no-hoper.

THE VERY TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN OFTEN ENDURING DROUGHTS IN THE FINAL THIRD WITHOUT BEING BANISHED TO DEEPEST, DARKEST DURHAM.

The point is valid, though, with the picture in a striking sense shifting considerably from one game to the next, never mind year on year and season after season.

Among those currently clinging to a perch towards the top of the attacking pile is Andrea Belotti, with the Torino forward having surged to the summit in 2016-17 amid a flurry of goals and much talk of a €100 million release clause.

On his way to ending the season with 28 goals across all competitions, plenty of interested parties gave serious consideration to tabling a bid which would trigger a potential exit.

Belotti had not quite come from nowhere to become one of the game’s most sought-after assets, but his story was one of rapid rise – with his efforts across one campaign seeing him match his combined total from the previous three.

At 24 years of age, he is now in just his fourth year as a performer in the Italian top-flight, with a place on the books at Serie C outfit AlbinoLeffe occupied as recently as September 2013 – prior to a move to Palermo.

He was reported to be a target for Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan as his breakthrough season came to a close – but a combination of factors led to all eventually looking elsewhere.

Speculation has surfaced again with another window now open, but is Belotti still worth the kind of risk that was considered over the summer?

There is no doubting that he boasts all of the attributes required to be an elite frontman, particularly the physical qualities which often separate the best from the rest amid the blood and thunder of life in the Premier League.

Belotti, though, has seen his standards dip in 2017-18, with niggling knocks doing little to aid his cause.

By mid-January	16-17	17-18
Goals	14	4
Headed goals	4	0
Shot accuracy	54	42.86
Conversion rate	28	9.52
Assists	3	0
Chances created	35	18
Pass accuracy	77.66	72.79
Big chance %	60	20
Touches per game	39.59	37.89

Injuries will concern interested parties, with Torino having been forced to rule out ligament damage during a current spell on the sidelines, but it is end product on which he will ultimately be judged and any decision on future destinations made.

Having now reached mid-January in the current campaign, Belotti has found the target just four times in Serie A.

To put that return in context, by the same stage last term he had 14 goals to his name – including four headed efforts, compared to none this time around.

He had also contributed three assists (none in 2017-18), created 35 chances (compared to 18 presently), boasted shooting accuracy of 54 per cent (currently 42.86), a conversion rate of 28% (now 9.52) and passing accuracy of 77.66% (which has dipped to 72.79).

Admittedly he had made three more appearances by this point in 2016-17, but there has still been a very obvious wobble – with other numbers across the board seeing him take fewer touches in any given outing, while also getting fewer shots away, which inevitably leads to him working opposition goalkeepers less.

Is he still a €100m asset?

Torino like to think so, with club president Urbano Cairo having told Radio Rai: “It’s the market that dictates the prices. If [Philippe] Coutinho is sold for €160m then perhaps, if Belotti goes back to doing what he usually does, [his release clause] will be low.”

Ozubulu Church Massacre: Police Deploy 500 Men as Controversial ‘Bishop’ Buries Father

Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu

The Anambra State Police Command says it has deployed about 500 policemen to Ozubulu community in Ekwusigo loca Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu, the alleged target of the August 6, 2017 attack on St Philip’s Catholic Churches buries his dad, Chief Cyprian Ikegwuonu today (Friday).

The deceased septuagenarian who is also a community leader, was one of the 13 persons killed by unknown gunmen who invaded and killed worshippers at Saint Philip’s Catholic Church on the fateful Sunday morning while Holy Mass was on.

THISDAY learnt that Ikegwuonu has been working assiduously to give his late father a befitting burial, just as it has been learnt that the controversial millionaire has made elaborate arrangement to send home his father.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, told THISDAY that the deployment of policemen to the community for the burial of late Pa Ikegwuonu was to forestall any planned attack.

Recall that the police in Anambra State had in November 2017 told journalists that two indigenes of the state currently serving prison terms in South Africa for murder, have owned up to the attack.

The state Commissioner of Police, Umar Garba, had said the suspects, Charles Obi, and Dickson Nwodi had owned up to the attack

He said the suspects vowed that there would be more attacks if their financial demands for undisclosed reasons made by certain persons were not met.

But the PPRO, Nwode said the police was working to forestall any attack, knowing that the burial of late Pa Ikegwuonu might be a good time for the suspects to strike again.

She said: “As we are speaking now, so many of our men have been deployed to the community to make sure that adequate security is provided.

“What happened on that fateful day was unfortunate and the command does not want to encounter such again in this state or elsewhere.

“Every single person or group coming for the burial will be adequately secured because the command sees the security of its citizenry as the number one priority.”

Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu, son of the deceased had told journalists in a chat that preparations were in top gear, and he would spare nothing to give his late father a befitting burial.

He said he was still pained about what happened on the fateful day, adding that God would not allow such to happen again not only in his Ozubulu community but in the entire Anambra State.

UPDATE ON UNIZIK ADMISSION

A supplementary admission will be released on Monday 8th Jan 2018. This is to fill the vacancies currently existing in different departments.

Also, admission for all remaining Engineering departments will be released the same time. For the avoidance of doubt these admissions are still based on merit and no one should succumb to any form of extortion.

Additionally, the University has shifted the matriculation of newly admitted students towards the end of January to enable all newly admitted students to conclude their documentation.

It is expected that the University will conclude all issues connected with admission before the matriculation date.

Dr. Emmanuel C. Ojukwu
Director of Information and Public Relations
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka

Governor Ayade Arrives Calabar Carnival on a 'Monster Scorpion Bike' with His Wife (Photos)

People were left in awe as Governor Ayade and his wife arrived Africa's biggest Street Party on a monster Scorpion bike.

Governor Benedict Ayade and his wife arrive the carnival in grand style on top a monster scorpion bike

The Governor of Cross River state, Benedict Ayade stole the show at the ongoing 2017 Calabar Carnival festival in Nigeria, also tagged “Africa’s Biggest Street Party” , when he arrived with his wife on a 'monster scorpion bike'.

The Governor was  cheered by many onlookers who were wowed by the grand arrival. Earlier in the day, we shared photos of former governor of the state, Donald Duke and his wife, Onari, who emerged in another monster power bike to celebrate the event.

 

The carnival which falls from 1 December through 31 December every year, has boosted the cultural mosaic of Nigeria people while entertaining the millions of spectators within and outside the State, and boosting industry for all stakeholders.