By, Editor, Umuahia

The media landscape in Abia State is set for a transformative experience as the highly anticipated Abia Media Day 2024 approaches.

The event themed “Celebrating the Voice of Abia, Empowering the Future of Media,” this prestigious event is expected to unite media professionals, industry stakeholders, and leaders to honor the significant role of media in shaping Abia’s socio-economic development.

Key event details

Date: December 7, 2024 (Morning Summit): 10 AM venue :Rapha Hotel, Umuahia.

A comprehensive session including paper presentations, panel discussions, and brainstorming activities to chart the future of media in Abia State.

Evening Hangout: 8 PM at De Latinos, Umuahia.

A celebratory gathering at De Latinos

The event will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive sessions designed to provide insights into the challenges, proffer solutions and empower the future of media in Abia State.

Distinguished guests and speakers include; Governor Alex Otti – Special Guest of Honour

Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives – Guest of Honour

Hon. Eziuche Ubani, CEO, Magic FM Aba – Guest Speaker

According to the organisers, joining these personalities will be prominent media veterans, investors, and key industry players.

Everyone is coming together to celebrate the resilience and progress of Abia’s media space.

The event is in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Radio, Television, Theatre, and Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OMPAN),Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Radio Managers Union and other allied media associations.

*Stakeholders, veterans, and media enthusiasts are encouraged to attend this historic event, uniting to celebrate and shape the future of media in Abia State.

Call for Sponsors and Media Support

The Organizing Committee is therefore inviting corporate sponsors, philanthropists, and media outfits across Nigeria to support this groundbreaking event as sponsorships will enhance the summit’s impact and foster the development of a more robust media ecosystem in the state

Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

Ohafia local government area of Abia state has become the very first to host a smart school in the state.

This is all thanks to the lawmaker representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa.

Speaking while commissioning the smart school situated Ofali Akwu Secondary School, Ohafia, governor Alex Otti said that his administration has rolled out free and compulsory education at the primary and Junior secondary levels, adding that he would consider extending the policy to the senior secondary level as soon as the state’s economy improves.

He urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the new policy to send their wards to school, warning that from January 2025, it will be a punishable offence for any parent or guardian whose ward is seen hawking goods on the streets during school hours.

“I hope the parents are taking note, we have given you people some months of grace. From January next year, if we see a child hawking during school hours, running errands and selling wares, we are going to pick up that child not because we want to arrest him but we will pick him up and he will take us to his or her parents”.

“We will exchange the child with the parents and we will lock the parents up”, Governor Otti warned.

The Governor while thanking Chief Okwara Osonwa for facilitating the project and seeing to its completion in record time, said that it would be replicated to serve as a standard in all public schools across the State.

He said that his unquenchable taste for quality education led to the allocation of 20% of the 2024 Budget to the education sector, assuring that 2025 fiscal year will not fall short of acceptable standard.

“Do not forget that for the first time, 20 percent of our budget was allocated to education and that was the 2024 budget”.

“In the next few hours, I will be sitting with the budget committee for the 2025 budget and already, I had given instruction before this meeting that whatever the total budgetary outlay is going to be for 2025, at a minimum, 20 percent of it must also go to education”, the Governor asserted.

In his address, the Member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa described the project as a bold step towards transforming education in Abia state, adding that it aligns with the governor’s vision in preparing Abia children for the demands of a technologically advanced world.

The Federal lawmaker disclosed that the facility has replaced traditional chalkboards and marker boards with state-of-the-art, interactive digital screens equipped with cameras as well as digital screens that capture classroom activities and allow students to revisit lessons at any time, while also enabling remote participation for learners outside the school premises.

He emphasized the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, pointing out that his aim is to ensure that the children are equipped with the basics available globally to enable them compete confidently with their peers anywhere in the world.

The law maker said that the school’s teachers, from Nursery to Secondary levels have undergone comprehensive training to operate the new technology with over 70 trained educators expected to serve as trainers for others and expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders including Governor Otti for contributing to the initiative.

Representative of all the development partners, Mr Olayomi Gbolahan said that they are happy to be part of history aimed at bringing the state in tune with the 21st century teaching and learning demands, adding that the school is equipped with full ICT facilities, 24 hours solar – powered, CCTV cameras and can be used for other purposes such as youth empowerment, women digital training and skills acquisition centre.

Responding on behalf of the benefitting school, Ofali Akwu Secondary School, Miss Blessing thanked Governor Otti’s administration and the facilitator Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa for the massive transformation and called for perimeter fencing of the School to safeguard lives and the facilities provided.

By Editor, Umuahia

Governor Alex Otti has assured that his government will continue to remit its counterpart funding in order to adequately tackle erosion menace across the state.

The Governor gave the assurance on Tuesday, 26th November, when he received in audience the National Project Coordinator of Nigerian Climate Adaptation, Watershed Project (NEWMAP)–European Investment Bank funding, Engr. Anda Ayuba Yalaks and his Team who paid him a working visit in his Umuehim Nvosi country home, Isiala Ngwa South LGA.

Governor Otti explained that his administration considers the environmental impact of everything it does, saying that “some of our actions in the past are what we are paying for today.”

He informed the NEWMAP team that the State could not wait for them before swinging into action to arrest the ravaging impact of a gully erosion site at Ovom Street, Aba.

A few months back, the Governor visited the erosion site where he saw the devastating impact of the ravaging erosion and ordered the immediate evacuation of residents around the area and the immediate engagement of experienced contractors to deal with the situation.

He noted that although the team had identified about 57 erosion sites in the State and prioritized 20 sites, the figures were understated because some erosion sites may not be very evident at the moment, but a closer look at them will help discover that they are disasters in the waiting.

“So, we can start with 20 for a start but we hope that you will come again so that we can nip some of these things in the board”.“I can assure that if we require to set aside additional counterpart funding, we will do it. The difference in our own administration is that approval is equal to release. We do not approve when we don’t have the funding. As soon as we give the approval, we have the funding ready” the Governor assured.

He commended Engr. Ikechukwu Ukaegbu, the NEWMAP Project Coordinator in Abia State, for the great job he and his team are doing, which has prepared the State for the implementation of NEWMAP projects. He thanked the team for the endorsement it has given the State and assured them that the State will give them all the support that they will require as they carry out their assignment.

Earlier in his speech, the team leader and National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP Engr. Yalaks said that he and his team came to Abia State to access erosion sites and ascertain how ready Abia is, as one of the 23 States benefiting from the NEWMAP-EIB 175 million Euros erosion funding projects in Nigeria. He said that the project objective is to reverse land degradation, “be it flooding, erosion and land degradation in a targeted sub-watershed.” He said that the project has a duration of five years, effective from 2024.Engr.

Yalaks commended Governor Otti for approving and releasing the counterpart fund of 500 million Naira for the project, noting that he has demonstrated the highest political will to get Abia ready for the project. “In Government, there would be approvals, but there are releases. But in this case, you have approved and released the sum of 500 million. We are grateful for that Your Excellency. Sir, permit me to inform you that under your able leadership and for what you are known to be, you have demonstrated the highest level of political will on this project and have secured Abia to have met all the conditions required. Congratulations your Excellency” He described Governor Otti’s choice of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) headed by Mr. Ikechukwu Ukaegbu as the best.Engr. Yalaks said that the identified sites are active, expanding at an alarming rate, separating communities and threatening livelihoods. He stated that some of the basic causes of the problems are poor road designs and inadequate drainage systems. He called for more counterpart funding and continued community engagements for the citizenry to own the projects.

The Project Coordinator in Abia, Engr. IKechukwu Ukaegbu attributed their achievements to the Governor’s overwhelming support to ensure the readiness of the State for the projects.In his vote of thanks, the Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna thanked Governor Otti for his intentional and enduring support to prepare the State for the NEWMAP-EIB funded projects. He also thanked the visiting National NEWMAP team led by Engr. Anda Ayuba Yalaks for doing a thorough Job in their assignment of accessing the State’s readiness for NEWMAP-EIB and for confirming that the State is fully prepared having met the requirements for the project.The NWEMAP-EIB engineering and environmental consultants were all part of the visit.