Nation
Why I Shunned APGA Guber Campaign Flag-Off-Bianca Ojukwu
Mrs Bianca Ojukwu said in Awka yesterday that she shunned Saturday’s flag-off of APGA governorship campaign to protest “post-mortem disrespect’’ to her deceased husband.
She laid the blame of the “post-mortem disrespect’’ to Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on the doorstep of APGA’s leadership.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Dr Ifeanyi Ibezim, APGA’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates, respectively, kick-started their 2021 campaign at on Saturday.
Bianca was conspicuously absent at the event unlike previous mega political activities held by APGA, a party that branded late Ojukwu as the spiritual leader of the party.
Another obvious sign which made some political observers note that there was serious crack in the party was the removal of Ojukwu’s image on the customised uniform of APGA worn by people at the event.
Some party faithful, however, wore the old uniform bearing the image of the Eze Igbo Gburugburu, Dim Ojukwu, to the event.
Bianca described as an affront, the treatments to her late husband by the present leadership of APGA.
“It is an irony that today Governor Willie Obiano has resuscitated Dim Ojukwu’s pictures for use in campaigning for the upcoming elections in Anambra.
“This is the height of opportunism and hypocrisy. Is Ojukwu not the same man Obiano once described as a dead man who was no longer relevant to the party?
“Why should I permit him to keep trampling on the legacy of my late husband who put his heart and soul into this party?
“Ojukwu should not be like a light switch to be turned on for party campaign, and turned off once the election is won,’’ she said.
The former Nigerian ambassador to Spain, expressed displeasure at the decision of APGA’s leadership to expunge her husband’s image from APGA uniform and other insignia of the party.
“It is most unfortunate that Gov. Obiano decided to remove the picture of Ojukwu and replace same with his picture just to drive home his statement that `he would no longer tie the fate and fortunes of APGA to the memory of a dead man’, obviously in reference to my husband,’’ Bianca said.
She listed other ill-treatments meted to her and the deceased husband and maintained that her presence at Saturday’s flag-off would have been an endorsement to the defrauding of scores of aspirants by the party during the party’s primary in the year 2018.
“It is unfortunate that the same APGA election managers that were responsible for the disastrous 2018 party primaries which resulted in severe damage to the party’s brand were also left to handle APGA’s campaign flag-off.
“Any political party that consistently robs its own members will not endure, APGA inclusive,’’ she noted.
She also lamented that the report of the Sen. Victor Umeh-led Peace and Reconciliation Committee that visited her in Enugu few weeks ago which pointed the way forward for APGA, had been discarded by the governor and the party leadership.
Bianca, however, indicated that she remained hopeful that in spite of APGA’s current travails that the party has a fair chance of producing the next governor of the state.
She described the party as presently constituted as a field of ‘sorrow’ for so many walking wounded…from aggrieved aspirants, party members at the grassroots, as well as party stakeholders.
Reacting to Bianca’s charges, Mr C-Don Adinuba, Director Media, Soludo Governorship Campaign Organisation, said that the omission of Ojukwu’s image on APGA uniform was not a ploy to insult late Ojukwu and his family.
“It was a mistake by the person who handled the recent uniform the party printed,’’ he said.
Adinuba who is also Anambra Commissioner for Information said he was confident that Bianca had nothing against Prof. Soludo as APGA’s candidate.
“I am sure that in the next couple of days Bianca will join the campaign tour of Prof. Soludo,’’ he said.
The three_days championship, themed “27th Democracy & 3rd Year Anniversary of President Ahmed Tinubu Inter-Senior Schools Debate Championship,” opened on Monday at Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Port Harcourt.
The participating states are Ebonyi, Abia, Delta, Sokoto, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, and host state Rivers. Each state is represented by its top debaters selected through state-level contests.
Declaring the event open, the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, said the championship goes beyond winning trophies. He described it as a national investment in the next generation of leaders.
“This platform is for nurturing young minds,” Nwagor said. “It builds critical thinking, research skills, confidence, effective communication, and the ability to engage constructively with views different from one’s own. These are the very qualities upon which responsible leadership and nation-building are founded.”
The Commissioner commended the organizers, participating schools, teachers, and coordinators for their commitment to promoting intellectual excellence among Nigerian youths.
He urged the students to compete with confidence, discipline, and respect. “Debate is not merely about winning an argument,” he noted. “It is about listening carefully, reasoning with clarity, presenting your evidence with honesty, and having the grace to learn from others. Let the quality of your ideas and the strength of your character define your participation here.”
Nwagor assured the participants that Rivers State is proud to play its part in raising a generation that will bring bold and innovative solutions to the country’s challenges. He wished all teams a rewarding, memorable, and successful championship.
Earlier in his welcome address, the National Coordinator of the President’s Schools Debate Nigeria, PSDN, Elder Dare Oritu, called the event a “gathering of minds” drawn from different parts of the country.
According to Oritu, debate is about three things. “It is about _unity_. It brings us together from different schools and backgrounds to learn from one another. It is about _broadening the mind_. It teaches you to think deeply, to listen well, to ask ‘why,’ and to defend your ideas with facts and respect. It is about _preparing you for leadership_. The problem-solvers and decision-makers of tomorrow are in this hall today.”
He reminded the students that debate is not a contest of aggression. “Debate is _not a fight_. We challenge ideas, not people. It is _not about who is better_. And it is _not do-or-die_. We win with grace, and we learn with humility,” Oritu said.
The PSDN National Coordinator encouraged all participants to compete with integrity, speak with clarity, and leave wiser than they came. He wished them the very best throughout the competition.
Highlights of the opening ceremony included the official draw for debate matches, administered by PSDN officials. The pairings will determine which states face each other in the preliminary rounds as the battle for the 2026 national title begins.
Amadi Akujobi
Centre Manager of NIIT Port Harcourt, Mr. Precious Ogulu Tom, said the institute is always excited to induct students into cybersecurity because it is one of its flagship courses with strong international recognition. He noted that the centre’s performance has earned it high ratings from ICSS, adding that in the past academic year, more than 20 students passed ICSS certification exams.
According to him, beyond the NIIT certificate, which is globally recognized, students also proceed to ICSS and complete their courses without difficulty. He credited the faculty for maintaining standards and said NIIT remains the leading ICT training institute in Port Harcourt and Rivers State.
Tom said NIIT has a presence in all major cities in Nigeria and its headquarters in India, with training covering all areas of ICT. He added that every year the institute produces at least one first-class graduate in Software Engineering from partner universities such as Middlesex University and the University of Sunderland. He described the institute’s approach as practical and hands-on.
On fees, he addressed comments about cost online, saying quality training requires investment. “Does anything good come easy? Nothing good comes easy,” he stated. He explained that students receive industry-standard books and globally recognized certificates, and invited parents and prospective students to register with NIIT for value-driven training.
Also speaking, Principal Instructor for Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking, Mr. Nyekwere TamunoTonye, said the cohort began in February with high expectations and completed the programme in six months. He said one notable achievement was that the class remained largely intact despite challenges, including system breakdowns and family issues. “At the end of this six months, we never lost anybody. That is the greatest. So, we give God the glory,” he said.
Nyekwere said students were exposed to multiple domains in cybersecurity and received strong practical training. He told the graduands that their real learning starts now and urged them not to relent. “This is no longer the time you go back to play,” he added.
He emphasized that the institute equipped them not only with technical and practical skills but also with character and a mindset for continuous learning. He noted that no institution, including Harvard or Yale, can teach everything, but good schools set the path, which NIIT has done.
He charged them to deploy their skills positively. “I don’t want to see any of you being arrested by the EFCC tomorrow. I don’t want to see any of you being arrested by the police. I don’t want to see any of you being arrested,” he said.
Senior IT Counselor and Head of Sales and Marketing, Mrs. Igbigbari Vincent-Eretoru, congratulated the graduands for completing the programme and defending their presentations according to NIIT academic standards. She said certificates are awarded in character and learning, and urged them to be good ambassadors of NIIT Port Harcourt by applying what they learned.
Responding on behalf of the graduates, Class Section Head Tamunotonyesia Epelle said many came in with questions and uncertainty about specializations but left with clarity, confidence, and technical competence gained through practical assignments, teamwork, and the instructor’s push to avoid mediocrity.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3
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