Any Asaba title holder sufficiently considered to be involved in drug abuse, with evidence to show, will be stripped of the title.

The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON, made the pronouncement while playing host to the State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Halilu Hamidu, who paid him a courtesy visit.

Asagba Prof Azinge said Asaba people, on their own accord and initiative, recently rose to see how they could cleanse the community of drug peddlers, barons and addicts.

According to the monarch, “It was a well orchestrated and well planned undertaking which yielded a lot of positive results. I can say without equivocation now that as far as drug abuse is concerned, the whole town is very very quiet. And that’s flowing from the efforts of the community on their own.

“We just didn’t stop there, we followed it up. I had to make a pronouncement from the throne that any Asaba titled man that is sufficiently considered to be, and that will be evidence-based, involved in drug trafficking will be stripped off his title and, if need be, made to go through the process all over again.

“We have never said such before; we have never done it. It shows how concerned we are, and how determined and resolute we are to frontally combat the menace”.

He described as unfortunate the absence of the Agency’s office in Asaba, pointing out that he had earlier taken the issue up with the immediate past State Commander, who was also courageous enough to tell the Governor, at a meeting in Government House, that he, the Asagba, had raised the issue with him.

While insisting that NDLEA having its office in Asaba was not negotiable, the highly revered traditional ruler told his guest that the Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government Council, Dr. Obi Kelvin Ezenyili, had publicly announced that he would provide an office space for the Agency at the Council’s Secretariat, expressing the hope that the promise would be fulfilled in the shortest possible time so that the Agency could be in a better position to proactively deliver on its mandate.

“State Commander, there is no smoke without fire and there is no rumour without an iota of truth. Our people have said it repeatedly, and I am tempted to imagine that there is some elements of truth in it. And even some of the people arrested seem to have alluded to the fact as well, that security agencies seem to compromise, and to an extent we can even say that they are a little bit complicit in what is going on around us.

“Today, you are starting on a clean slate and I want you to take that seriously into consideration. But we as a people are not prepared to gloss over anything of that nature. We are talking about something affecting the life of members of this community, and our interest in the life of our people is uppermost in our minds. So I want you to take that to heart as you start your journey as State Commander of Delta State”, Asagba Prof Azinge said.

Earlier in his remarks, the NDLEA State Commander, Halilu Hamidu, a Commander of Narcotics (CN), said the visit was to familiarize with the Asagba, whom he described as a renowned Professor of Law, and to acquaint the monarch with the challenges facing the Agency.

CN Hamidu said the location of the Agency’s headquarters in Ogwashi-Uku, instead of the state capital, Asaba, was a major challenge militating against quick response to the fight against drug abuse, even with a workforce of over 270 officers and their readiness to work towards achieving a drug-free Delta.

He identified the proximity of Asaba to Onitsha as a factor responsible for the availability of large quantities of prohibited tablets in the town, disclosing that he had visited some black spots within the state capital territory to assess the drug situation and map out strategies on how to deal with the situation.

The Commander, while commending the Asagba for the much he had done to remedy the situation in Asaba since ascending the throne, urged him to intervene in finding solutions to the logistics problems of the Agency, even as he solicited the involvement of all in the fight against drugs.

In its ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across Delta State, the Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC) has organized a training session for healthcare facility providers in the Delta South Senatorial District.

The training aimed to sensitize facility operators and healthcare personnel on the newly introduced policy alert, which is designed to enhance service delivery, improve the enrollee experience, and ensure compliance with best practices under the state’s health insurance scheme.

Speaking during the training, the Director-General of DSCHC, Dr. Isaac Akpoveta, explained that the initiative is part of a wider reform agenda focused on building capacity, promoting transparency, and enhancing accountability in healthcare service delivery.

Dr. Akpoveta emphasized that the Commission observed knowledge gaps among some facilities regarding the core concepts and principles of health insurance. He said the training was necessary to ensure these principles are well understood and properly implemented at all levels. He provided detailed insights into the operational implications of the new policy and how it aligns with the Commission’s commitment to ensuring quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare for all Deltans.

The Director-General noted that similar trainings have already taken place in Delta North and Central senatorial zones. With Delta South now covered, he expressed satisfaction that healthcare facilities are actively engaging with the policy, and reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to sustain such capacity-building initiatives.

“Primary healthcare is the bedrock of universal health coverage. Without its widespread availability across the nooks and crannies of Delta State, we cannot achieve that goal,” he stated.

Dr. Akpoveta also encouraged participants to use the opportunity to interact with DSCHC representatives, ask questions, and clarify any concerns regarding the policy’s implementation and expectations.

The Commission reiterated its commitment to working closely with stakeholders to ensure the policy is effectively rolled out and translates into tangible benefits for both enrollees and providers.

The event attracted participants from various public health institutions, who lauded the initiative. They commended the DSCHC for the training and pledged to embrace and implement the principles of health insurance, noting its value to both primary healthcare centers and their enrollees.

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, said yesterday President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated unwavering love and fairness to the people of South East, especially in terms of projects. He also said the Presidency was not realisable for the South East in 2027, advising that Igbo people support President Tinubu in 2027 elections.

Umahi, who spoke in response to a social media post by one Mr Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen), captioned “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South East missing from the map?” equally said the President had been fair all the six geo-political zones of the country in project delivery.

In a statement he personally signed in Abuja yesterday, Umahi said:  “I understand that politics is now in the air and the chosen path by some persons is to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, look good before the people as one fighting for them and close both eyes pretentiously over the great and selfless infrastructure development Mr. President is doing all over the nation.

He said:  “I request the South East people to rise in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because he has demonstrated unwavering love and fairness to the people of the South East.

“We must not be deceived again. Mr. President must have the votes of South East up to 90% to cement this relationship.

‘’Enough of darkening counsel without knowledge in the South East. We must rise to educate our people. If we want to be president, we must avoid the politics of hate, misinformation and sentiments.

“We must support other regions, and with God, one day, other regions will support us. Mr. President must be supported to complete his tenure of 8 years, which all regions are benefitting from.

“One day, we will be number one, but not in 2027. I will vocally continue to stand against any mischief to deceive our people. We are known for hard work and love and not hate.

“I commend our leaders who are the South East governors for their support and the great works they are doing for our people.

‘’I want our people to please support them along with our dear President for their second tenure in their respective offices.

“I have directed all the regional directors of the federal ministry of works back to sites in all the regions across the country to compile all inherited but ongoing projects and all new projects in all the regions, so Nigerians will appreciate the huge works Mr. President is doing in all the regions, irrespective of those who voted for him and those who did not.

“Mr. President is using fair distribution of infrastructure to reunite Nigerians and renew their hope, and only those who open their eyes will see the light of change in Nigeria.

“In addressing specifically this misleading information and for the records, Mr. President has four legacy projects, and they cover the six geo-political zones, with the South East well captured within the third legacy project of Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja, totaling 465km x 2 with South East covering 231.64km x 2 and 231.64km x 1 for N445.8 billion already awarded and work is going on.

“Mr. President has already paid N108 billion. What happened in the Federal Executive Council, FEC, of  July 31, 2025, was a review of that corridor from 118kmx 1 to 231.64km x1 for N445.8 billion.

“This misleading writer chose to change the narrative of my press briefing after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, of Trans Sahara Section 1 (Ebonyi state to Benue border – 123.64km at N 445.8 billion but deliberately chose to call it Oyo-Benue border road to deceive and incite unsuspecting members of the public.

“I demanded that he corrects the information immediately, even if he fails to apologise. Where was the writer when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to treat South East fairly in road infrastructure like other regions.

‘’Under his administration, 90% of abandoned projects, some awarded as far back as 2013, were all revived, and all are now ongoing.

“It is noteworthy to mention that there is huge ongoing works on the 2nd Niger Bridge access road 2A in Delta State which is valued at N146 billion and 2B in Anambra State, which is valued at N176billion, Enugu-Onitsha road -208km ( MTN tax credit, which is valued at N202 Billion and CBC completing the remaining section at N150billion of which N45billion was released last week), the Enugu – Port Harcourt road in four sections, the Enugu-Abakaliki, the Afikpo (Ebonyi) -Abia-Imo road, the Onitsha-Owerri-Aba road, the Aba-Ikot Ekpene road, the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road etc.”

CULLED FROM VANGUARD