# No fewer than 933 Corps Members of the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream one were on Thursday formally discharged from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after successfully completing the one-year mandatory national service in Anambra State.
The issuance of Certificates of National Service (CNS) took place simultaneously across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
At the ceremony held at the Ihiala Local Government Council Area, the NYSC Anambra State Coordinator, Mrs Pauline Ojisua, congratulated the outgoing Corps Members on the successful completion of their service year and charged them to remain worthy ambassadors of the NYSC Scheme and Nigeria.
She urged them to embrace self-reliance by putting into practice the entrepreneurial and vocational skills acquired during the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, rather than waiting endlessly for white-collar jobs.
Mrs Ojisua encouraged the Corps Members to remain productive by engaging in meaningful ventures capable of creating sustainable livelihoods and contributing to national development.
The State Coordinator also advised them to join the NYSC Foundation to sustain their relationship with the Scheme and continue supporting its objectives.
Praying for the outgoing Corps Members, she wished them journey mercies and God’s protection as they return to their various destinations to begin a new phase of their lives.
# Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed Engr. Chueka Tony Omata as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Youth Development and Sports
While receiving his Letter of Appointment at the Light House, Awka, Engr. Omata expressed profound gratitude to Governor Soludo for the confidence reposed in him and commended the Governor’s visionary leadership, transformational governance, and unwavering commitment to building a prosperous future for Anambra youths through initiatives such as 1Youth2Skills Plus, Solution Innovation District (SID), sports development, and other youth-focused programmes under the Solution Administration.
He pledged his unwavering commitment to supporting the Governor’s vision by ensuring that Anambra State continues to set the pace in youth development, innovation, entrepreneurship, and empowerment in line with the objectives of Solution Bigger Agenda.
# The Anambra State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs. Pauline Ojisua, has lauded the Mayor of Awka South Local Government Area, Hon. Prince Chinedu Okafor, for his unwavering commitment to the welfare and security of corps members serving in the council area.
Mrs. Ojisua gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the Mayor at his office.
Speaking during the visit, the State Coordinator stated that the visit was to appreciate the Mayor for his impactful interventions towards the NYSC Scheme, particularly the ongoing construction of a befitting NYSC Corps Lodge in the local government, which is now at the finishing stage. She noted that the project would significantly improve the welfare and accommodation of corps members deployed to the area.
While expressing gratitude for the council’s continued support, Mrs. Ojisua appealed for sustained partnership and additional interventions that would further enhance the welfare, security, and operational efficiency of corps members serving in Awka South Local Government Area.
Responding, the Mayor, Hon. Prince Chinedu Okafor, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the NYSC Scheme to national development and the socio-economic growth of Awka South Local Government Area. He commended corps members for their remarkable contributions in the areas of environmental sanitation, education, healthcare delivery, sports development, and community service.
The Mayor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining the cordial relationship between Awka South Local Government and the NYSC, assuring the State Coordinator of continued support towards initiatives that would improve the welfare and service conditions of corps members.
# Governor Chukwuma Soludo has responded to growing public concerns over rising house rents and multiple charges imposed on tenants across Anambra State.
For years, residents have complained about the increasing cost of securing accommodation, with many tenants burdened by additional expenses such as agency fees, legal fees, agreement charges, and other related payments demanded during the rental process.
In a move aimed at addressing these challenges, the Anambra State Government has announced plans to introduce the Anambra Rent and Tenancy Law. The proposed legislation is designed to regulate tenancy practices, promote transparency within the housing sector, and provide stronger protection for tenants, particularly low-income earners.
Speaking on the initiative, Prof. Soludo acknowledged the difficulties many residents face in accessing affordable housing. He noted that the proposed law would seek to create a more balanced relationship between landlords, tenants, and property agents.
# The Anambra State Government says it has upgraded 130 primary health centres across the state as part of efforts to improve access to quality healthcare. Each facility has been equipped with solar power, a reliable electricity supply and a 30 KVA generator to ensure uninterrupted medical services.
The government said the initiative aligns with its policy of providing at least one fully functional primary health centre in every political ward and one general hospital in each of the state’s 21 local government areas.
As part of the healthcare expansion, the Soludo administration has constructed five new general hospitals: Okpoko General Hospital in Ogbaru, Solution Specialist Hospital in Fegge, Onitsha, Solution Rehabilitation Centre in Nibo, Ekwulobia General Hospital in Aguata, and Solution General Hospital in Anaku, Anyamelum. It also rehabilitated Umueri General Hospital, Enugwu-Ukwu General Hospital and COOUTH Amaku-Awka, while commissioning a new Solution Trauma Centre at COOUTH.
The state government further disclosed that it introduced free antenatal care, free deliveries and free surgical services in public hospitals to improve maternal and child healthcare. According to the government, more than 70,000 pregnant women have benefited from the free antenatal and delivery programme.
To enhance healthcare delivery, hospitals and primary health centres were supplied with essential medical equipment, including delivery sets, suction machines and hospital beds, aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality.
The government also said it recruited 1,000 health workers to strengthen staffing levels and improve service delivery across primary healthcare centres and general hospitals statewide.
# The Women Information Network (WINET) has expanded its campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) to Anambra State, securing the commitment of the state government to partner with the organisation in implementing programmes aimed at strengthening women’s rights organisations and promoting gender equality.
The commitment was made when a delegation of WINET and other women-led organisations paid an advocacy visit to the Anambra State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget in Awka as part of the implementation of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement project, “Strengthening Women’s Rights Organisations in Nigeria for Gender-Based Violence Prevention.”
Leading the delegation on behalf of WINET’s Executive Director, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, the organisation’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer, Mrs.
Chinelo Dim, said the project is designed to strengthen collaboration among women’s rights organisations and other stakeholders to combat gender-based violence through advocacy, capacity building and movement strengthening.
She explained that WINET had already organised a national webinar titled “Strengthening Women’s Movement: A Strategy for Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Nigeria” to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day.
According to her, the virtual event attracted participants from across Nigeria, including persons with disabilities, and equipped them with practical knowledge and strategies for building stronger women’s movements capable of sustaining campaigns against gender-based violence.
Dim also disclosed that WINET is compiling a comprehensive directory of women-led organisations, women’s rights groups, male allies, community-based organisations and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across the five South-East states to strengthen networking, coordination and referrals among stakeholders working to eliminate GBV.
Responding, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Chukwukadibia Okoye, welcomed WINET’s intervention, describing the organisation’s objectives as consistent with the state’s commitment to gender inclusion and women’s empowerment.
He said Anambra has remained a gender-friendly state through deliberate investments in programmes that protect women, promote inclusion and strengthen the response to gender-based violence.
The commissioner noted that the state has continued to deploy strategic interventions and enforce relevant laws to address GBV while expanding initiatives that economically empower women.
Okoye described WINET’s decision to extend its activities to Anambra as a welcome development and encouraged the organisation to establish a strong operational presence in the state.
# The Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN) has commenced the verification of certificates and practising licences of more than 3,000 community health workers across the 21 local government areas of Anambra State, as part of efforts to eliminate quackery in the profession.
Speaking during the exercise at the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA), the Registrar of CHPRBN, Associate Professor Bashir Idris, represented by his Technical Adviser and leader of the verification team, Dr. Peace Ike Onwueme, said the exercise is being conducted simultaneously across the five South-East states.
He explained that the exercise is aimed at verifying the authenticity of certificates and licences of community health practitioners in the state, identifying forged documents, and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice.
According to him, the verification will strengthen compliance with statutory professional requirements, promote ethical practice and professional integrity, and enhance the credibility and recognition of duly licensed community health practitioners.
Receiving the team, the Director of Community Health Services at the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and Acting Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Ngozi Okeke, described the exercise as timely and necessary.
Dr. Okeke stressed the importance of authenticating the credentials of healthcare practitioners and warned that anyone found guilty of certificate or licence forgery would face severe sanctions from the Anambra State Government.
Also speaking, the State Chairperson of the Community Health Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Chinyere Edeh, welcomed the initiative and expressed appreciation to Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, for ensuring Anambra’s participation in the nationwide verification exercise.
# The Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare has announced plans to partner with Bee-Charity Outlook Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, to intensify efforts against child labour and child trafficking across the state.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Chinyere Esther Onyekesi, disclosed this, during a courtesy visit by the Chairman of Bee-Charity Outlook Foundation and former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Paul Nwosu, who visited to appreciate the ministry’s recent enforcement actions against child labour.
Mrs. Onyekesi said the ministry would support every lawful partnership aimed at eliminating child labour, describing child labour camps as breeding grounds for future criminality and social instability.
She expressed concern over the scale of the problem, noting that the rescue of 29 child labour victims from a single location in Nnewi, with the support of the local government chairman, underscored the urgency of sustained intervention.
The commissioner urged communities across the state to remain vigilant, identify suspected child labour camps and promptly report such cases to the ministry to facilitate the eradication of the practice.
Speaking during the visit, Dr. Nwosu, accompanied by a director of the foundation, Mrs. Iwuoba Blessing, commended the commissioner for moving beyond advocacy to enforcement in tackling child labour. He appealed for a formal partnership between the foundation and the ministry, a request that received the commissioner’s approval.
Dr. Nwosu said Bee-Charity Outlook Foundation has spent the past eight years campaigning against child labour through advocacy programmes conducted in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Awka, Onitsha and Ogbaru, with plans to extend its activities to Aba in Abia State and other industrial centres where child labour remains prevalent.
He praised Mrs. Onyekesi’s leadership, describing her efforts as unprecedented in Anambra’s fight against child labour and child trafficking syndicates. He also noted that the foundation already collaborates with the Nigeria Police in Anambra State and recently held strategic discussions with the command on the International Day Against Child Labour, observed on June 12.
# Members of the Ebube Nawfia Age Grade, Nawfia, have reaffirmed the importance of age-grade associations as vital institutions for promoting peace, unity, and community development in the community.
Speaking during an interview, chairman of the age grade, Chinenye Ndide, emphasized that age grades play a significant role in fostering peace, love, and togetherness among members and the wider community.
According to him, age grades create a platform where people of similar age work together for the progress of their community while strengthening friendship and mutual understanding.
The Publicity Secretary of the association, Ikenna Douglas Onyema, explained that age grades help members pursue common goals, preserve shared memories, and provide practical solutions to challenges affecting individuals and the community.
He noted that members regularly support one another during celebrations, difficult times, and community development projects, making the association a strong pillar of social support.
# The Management of FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited has continued its strategic engagement with customers and host communities, with a visit to the Onitsha G.R.A.
Landlords Association, where it reassured residents of the ongoing efforts to restore stable electricity supply following the recent explosion of the 5MVA transformer serving the estate.
The engagement came as the company installed a 2.5MVA transformer as an interim intervention to restore supply to the estate, pending the repair, return and reinstallation of the damaged 5MVA transformer. The temporary transformer was redeployed from Nkwelle G.R.A. Housing Estate following the successful repair and restoration of the latter’s own 5MVA transformer.
Addressing the landlords during the meeting, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FirstPower, Engr. Okechukwu Okafor, apologized for the inconveniences occasioned by the transformer failure, assuring residents that the company remained fully committed to restoring reliable electricity supply to the estate as quickly as possible.
He explained that the deployment of the 2.5MVA transformer was a deliberate intervention aimed at cushioning the impact of the outage while the damaged 5MVA transformer undergoes comprehensive repairs before its eventual return and reinstallation at the estate.
The FirstPower Managing Director recounted the chain of events that culminated in the transformer failure, explaining that the damage occurred after the protection system was compromised following the bypassing of an auto-recloser, thereby exposing the transformer to severe faults. He stressed the need for stronger protection of electricity infrastructure within the estate and urged residents to work with the company to safeguard critical power facilities against avoidable damage.
Providing further technical insights, the Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Dr. Emeka Egbujor, and the Head of Operations, Engr. Ifeoma Uba, disclosed that the upgraded installation would incorporate a dedicated control room, modern control panels, differential relay systems and other protective facilities to enhance the safety and reliability of the transformer.
She also recommended the replacement of the existing auto-recloser arrangement with Ring Main Units (RMUs) at strategic locations to strengthen protection of the network and minimise future risks.
Responding on behalf of the landlords, the Chairman of the Onitsha G.R.A. Landlords Association, Chief Okwudili Otti, appreciated FirstPower for promptly intervening following the transformer failure and for maintaining continuous engagement with residents throughout the period.
He explained that the electricity project earlier executed within the estate followed due process, adding that investigations revealed the transformer eventually failed after a tall palm tree fell on the network, dragging an energized high-tension line and causing the extensive damage to the 5MVA transformer.
