* Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike says that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is safe and effective as it provides over 80 per cent protection against Cervical Cancer. Obidike made the ascertion at a news conference in Awka to debunk rumours that the vaccine was not safe and was meant to depopulate the country.
According to the Health Commissioner, the free HPV vaccination which was launched in the state on Tuesday was part of strategies to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the state and country at large. Obidike stated that with 12,000 cases diagnosed and 8,000 deaths recorded annually, it is equivalent to 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22 deaths daily in Nigeria.
* Citizens of Anambra State have been urged to desist from illegal mining that would endanger their lives and slow down the economic activities of the state. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra State Solid Mineral Development Company Limited, Prof. Charles Ofoegbu stated this during an interview in his office at the Government House, Awka. Ofoegbu noted that mining which is one of the oldest economic activities in the state is being tampered with on a daily basis, which is a serious issue that shouldn’t be neglected. He maintained that illegal mining can lead to environmental degradation including deforestation, soil erosion and water pollution which will in turn affect the eco system and increase poverty level especially among peasant farmers who depend solely on environmental resources for a living.
* The Managing Director of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, has warned members of the public against vandalizing public properties and entering unauthorized places. The OCHA Brigade boss issued the warning while speaking to newsmen in Awka. He explained that the state government has made serious investments in beautifying and modernizing different parts of the state, warning youths against mischiefs of politicians who are bent on using unsuspecting youths to discredit government, plant seeds of discord and destroy facilities meant for the well-being of the people and the state.
* The Anambra State Government has procured and distributed public address systems to its 326 wards to mobolise people for vaccination campaigns, create awareness on health issues and disease outbreaks. The Anambra State Commissioner for Health Dr. Afam Obidike during the distribution in Awka said the public address system would help to reach the nooks and crannies of the state. Obidike said that the public address systems would assist house-to-house mobilisers and town announcers in communities across the state to call out and mobilise people for the vaccination campaign and health talks.
* The immediate past Transition Committee Chairman of Awka North Local Government Area, Comrade ThankGod Anago has extolled Governor Chukwuma Soludo on his double awards.
Governor Soludo received the Governor of the Year on Infrastructure and Rural Development from the Champions Newspapers over the weekend and the “Democracy Governor of the Year ” award by the Leadership Scorecard Magazine.
Anago said that the two awards are all deserving of Governor Soludo because of his socioeconomic development of the state since he assumed office.
* Following a complaint from Ngo Ndam village residents, the Anambra State Ministry of Environment has inspected Seaman Rice Mill on May 29, 2024, to assess its environmental impact. The factory’s activities were alleged to be causing harmful pollution, endangering nearby residents’ livelihoods. The inspection aimed to investigate and address these concerns. According to the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Felix Odimegwu, the inspection was a proactive measure to address the masses’ concerns and ensure the protection and well-being of the citizens.
Odimegwu reaffirmed the Soludo administration’s dedication to protecting the environment and the health of Ndi Anambra, stressing the importance of transparency in sharing the Ministry’s findings and actions with the public.
* Governor Chukwuma Soludo has commended the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase One, ATASP-1, for making great impacts in rural communities in Anambra State. Soludo made the commendation during the official commissioning of a world class hospital built by ATASP-1 at Ogbunka community in Orumba South Local Government Area. Represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Forster Ihejiofor, Governor Soludo described ATASP-1, an agricultural sector development intervention program set up by the federal government with funding from the African Development Bank, as an important partner in the efforts of the state government to tackle hunger, unemployment and insecurity.
* Expectations are high on Anambra becoming Nigeria’s next premier tourist destination, following the birthing of the ambitious Solution Funcity project spearheaded by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The groundbreaking development, set to transform the heart of Awka, the state capital, is expected to attract over 5 million tourists from around the world annually. The Solution Funcity, a brainchild of the Soludo administration, is a comprehensive leisure and entertainment complex that will cater to the diverse needs of visitors. Stakeholders say that awarding the Lot 1 contract for the state-of-the-art facility to the young and dynamic Architect Ezenwa Chukwudi, the Executive Director of GSS Construction, is a testament to the governor’s unwavering trust and commitment to empowering Anambra’s youth and transforming the state into a premier tourist hub.
* The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has apologized to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party( LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, on behalf of Nigerians, over the presidential election of 2023. Ezeokafor who is also Proprietor of the College of Nursing Sciences, Adazi-Nnukwu, in the Anaocha Local Government Area of the state praised the firm commitment to societal development shown by the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, who, he said, had continued to advance the cause of humanity both in and outside public office.
* Gran Hamano Academy, Awka, has emerged Second Best Private School in Anambra State and tenth Best in Nigeria.
An anti-corruption and non-governmental organization, Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation, CESVO, which presented the award to the Academy, also inducted the Proprietor of the Academy, Mr Chijioke Nwajioha, into the organization’s Hall of Fame. In an acceptance speech, the Proprietor of the Academy, Mr Nwajioha, thanked God and the organization for finding him and his school worthy of such recognitions, saying that they show that whatever one is doing in life, the world is watching. He described the awards as a big challenge for them to do more, adding that they are ready to do more.
