# The Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, has decried the rising cases of child abuse in Anambra State, particularly those perpetrated by women, describing the trend as cruel and requiring urgent study.
Mefor while speaking when he received the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Child Rights Committee, led by its Chairman, Dr. Obinna Edogo, accompanied by other members of the committee including; Dr. Gloria Nneka Ono, Dr. Njide Ezeonyejiaku and Dr. Henry Anaekwe, in his office in Awka, lamented that the frequency and cruelty of child abuse cases in Anambra raises questions about societal values.
The commissioner, a social psychologist, said while he believes in “spare the rod and spoil the child,” punishment must be commensurate with a child’s age and humanity.
He advised that anyone who cannot love a child should not keep the child,
and called for intervention around the domesticated Child Rights Act, including setting up a task force, and attributed part of the problem to impersonalism and the erosion of Africa’s communal support system where any adult could correct a child.
He disclosed plans for a one-week workshop with teachers and parents on the place of punishment in modern education, which would involve experts from tertiary institutions, stressing that punishment cannot be abolished but must be modified.
The commissioner assured the committee of the ministry’s partnership, noting that the ministry’s new mandate on value reformation is aimed at addressing wrong behaviours replacing virtues for which Onye Anambra is known — wisdom, hard work and fear of God.
In his remark, Dr. Edogo said the Vice Chancellor mandated the committee to organise a national summit bringing together all child rights stakeholders in Nigeria, noting that the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation is key to their mandate considering the value reformation drive of the Soludo Government which children and youths must imbibe.
# Anambra State Government has called for tough enforcement against dealers of fake and adulterated foods and drugs, insisting that perpetrators should be treated as murderers.
The Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting on protection of the public from fake and adulterated foods and drugs, organised by the Ministry of Health in Awka.
Dr. Mefor said the campaign against counterfeit products aligns with the extended mandate of his ministry, which now focuses on value reformation and reorganising the thoughts of Ndi Anambra.
He lamented the get-rich-quick mentality, saying that drug faking and food adulteration are products of eroded values, particularly the abandonment of the Igbo ethos of “Aka aja aja na-ebute onu mmanu mmanu.”
Mefor insisted that the fight must be enforcement-driven, not just talk. “It is not the much said, it is the much done. Whatever is being done here should be enforcement-based. Those who are doing this know the evil they are perpetrating and its consequences,” he said.
He noted that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is working on establishing a drug distribution hub at Oba to regulate drug production, distribution and consumption, but that decisive action is needed before the hub comes on stream.
# The Local Government Chairman of Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, Hon. Chimezie Obi, says the council has installed 245 Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance cameras and nearly 400 solar-powered streetlights at strategic locations across the area as part of efforts to strengthen security and maintain law and order.
Obi disclosed this while highlighting the achievements of his administration before the Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs.
According to him, Ekwusigo was previously among the eight local government areas affected by the activities of non-state actors, but the situation has significantly improved.
The Mayor also disclosed that the council had enacted and enforced a bye-law prohibiting the open grazing of cattle and other livestock, noting that the measure had helped prevent potential farmer-herder clashes in the area.
On infrastructure, Obi said the council had completed the three-kilometre Market Junction–Ozu-Enyaba, Ozubulu–Ihembosi Road using cement stabilisation.
He described the road as one of the busiest routes in the area, adding that its completion had provided an easier route to Awka.
# The Ukwulu community was engulfed in ecstacy as their traditional ruler His Royal Majesty Igwe Peter Uyanwa celebrated his ten years on the throne.
The celebration escalated as the traditional ruler also celebrated his new yam festival.
The twin events were handed over to God Almighty as it featured a thanksgiving mass presided over by the Catholic bishop of Ekwulobia diocese His Eminence Peter Cardinal Okpalaeke and also attended by the Catholic bishop of Awka diocese Most Rev. Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor.
The Catholic priests blessed the gathering and wished the traditional ruler well as he pilots the affairs of his community.
Igwe Uyanwa used the forum to re- dedicate himself to effectively pilot the affairs of the Ukwulu kingdom beyond his 10 years of administration.
The Royal father showered his blessings on his subjects, friends and well wishers and wished them well in their endeavors.
He further used the occasion of his new yam festival to proclaim prosperity upon his people and guests.
Igwe Uyanwa dutifully used the occasion to confer chieftaincy titles to some notable Igbo sons and daughters who have excelled in their various careers.
Speaking during the occasion, a former Vice Chancellor of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University an indigene of Ukwulu Prof. Fidelis Okafor congratulated the traditional ruler for piloting the affairs of the Ukwulu kingdom for 10 years and wished him more resourcefulness in the years ahead.
Prof. Okafor eulogized his philanthropic proclivity which occasioned his donation of one car each to six Catholic priests and his resolve to donate one car more to the 7th priest on the list.
# Umuchima Community Primary School pupils in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State have been subjected to the vicissitudes of life as a result of the very deplorable conditions of their school infrastructures before the intervention of Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Ojiako, Mayor and Chairman of Ihiala council area.
The children have been learning in very dilapidated classrooms with open roofs and corrugated walls on verge of collapse such that whenever it rained, the pupils became completely drenched in their classrooms and shivering with cold because of the leaking roofs.
Umuchima community primary school pupils were not equally spared in sun scorching afternoons as the heat of the sun descended on them because the dilapidated classrooms could not shelter them from the tormenting heat of hot weather conditions.
That was the pathetic story of the Head Mistress Amuka Amara Chinenye, who narrated the ordeals of the pupils. She told this journalist that the school was like a deserted area with bushes everywhere when she assumed duty as head mistress (HM) of the school.
She said the pupils used to study in the rain and in the sun because the classrooms had no roofs to shelter them. She said it was a terrible experience for the pupils until she ran to the local government chairman.
# The Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, and members of the 8th Assembly have received the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, South-East Zone, for the South-East Zonal Legislative Conference in Awka.
Udeze, who serves as the Zonal Vice Chairman of the Conference, welcomed the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, and his Ebonyi State counterpart, Rt. Hon. Moses Odunwa, to Anambra State.
As part of activities marking the conference, Udeze led the visiting Speakers on a facility tour of Solution Fun City and the Anambra Country Club, where they inspected various facilities and ongoing projects of the Anambra State Government.
The visiting Speakers expressed satisfaction with the level of development and infrastructure in the state, commending the Anambra State Government for its investments in infrastructure and other sectors.
The conference, which brings together Speakers of State Houses of Assembly from across the South-East, is themed, “Legislative Review and Standardization of Procedures Across South-East States.”
The meeting is expected to provide a platform for the Speakers to review legislative procedures, strengthen collaboration among South-East legislatures, and promote greater uniformity and efficiency in legislative practices across the region.
# Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has granted remission to popular native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwa Okuko tiwara aki, bringing an early end to his prison sentence.
Professor Soludo exercised his constitutional powers under the Prerogative of Mercy on Friday, September 18, 2026, during a visit to the Amawbia Correctional Centre, where he interacted with inmates and inspected the facility.
The governor also visited the Onitsha Correctional Centre as part of what he described as his routine engagement with correctional facilities across the state.
Nwangwu, who gained public attention over his alleged association with the okite money ritual, was convicted in February 2026 for violating provisions of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment following a plea bargain between the state government and the defendant. Although his sentence was expected to end next month, the remission granted by the governor has resulted in his discharge.
Welcoming the governor, the State Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Anambra, Ezinne Onuoha, expressed appreciation for the visit.
Addressing the inmates, Soludo said the visit was aimed at assessing their welfare and reaffirming his administration’s commitment to their well-being.
The governor subsequently toured the facilities and held a town hall meeting with inmates, including some who had spent several years awaiting trial.
The cases involving inmates included murder, child trafficking, robbery, theft and land-related disputes.
# A one-day hybrid professional training organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Anambra State Chapter, has ended with a renewed call on public relations practitioners to become part of the management teams of their respective organisations to enable them contribute meaningfully to decision-making and policy implementation.
Declaring the training open at De-Nobles Hotels and Suites, Awka, Anambra Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, challenged public relations practitioners to look inward and find lasting solutions to negative narratives about the state.
He said the ministry was working assiduously to change the narrative and promote the reformation of a good “Onye Anambra.”
Dr. Mefor emphasised the importance of branding and reputation management in politics and governance, noting that public perception could be more influential than reality.
Dr. Mefor observed that some politicians with poor track records thrive because of effective reputation management, stressing that governance must go beyond information dissemination to strategic communication capable of driving attitude change and behaviour modification.
The Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Professor Kate Omenugha, commended the organisers for their thoughtfulness, particularly their commitment to extending professional development opportunities to public relations practitioners and other non-members.
Professor Omenugha, who is a member of the NIPR Governing Council and a Fellow of the Institute, emphasised the importance of reputation management, saying governance could not thrive where the government in power lacked public trust and credibility.
She called on the NIPR executive to liaise with protocol officers to arrange a courtesy visit to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to enable the institute contribute its quota to the state’s Value Reformation agenda.
# The Anambra State Ministry of Health has hed capacity building for Programme Officers on the implementation of the 2027 Annual Operational Plan (AOP), reinforcing its commitment to evidence based planning and improved healthcare delivery across the state.
The one day step down training, organized by the Department of Planning, Research and Statistics (DPRS), was held at the ministry’s conference room in Awka.
Addressing participants, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. John Paul Onyekineso, urged them to actively participate in the training and contribute meaningfully to the development and implementation of a robust AOP that will sustain Anambra’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s leading performing states in the health sector.
He explained that the training was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint (HSSB), the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s framework for health sector planning, coordination and performance management.
According to Dr. Onyekineso, the blueprint provides a framework for aligning state health priorities, development partners’ interventions and budgetary allocations with national health goals under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that every state is expected to develop an evidence based AOP before the preparation of state and federal budgets, ensuring that health programmes are properly prioritized and adequately funded.
# The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi, has received commendation for his sterling leadership at the Church of God in Nnewi.
The commendation came from an Anambra State-born human Rights Lawyer and Lead Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
He said Bishop Obi has set a new standard of episcopal leadership in the Diocese.
According to him, the Bishop’s remarkable strides since assuming office are not merely statistics to be recited, but visible footprints of vision, courage, discipline and purposeful stewardship.
