…As he commends FG on 2nd Niger Bridge
Hon (Chief) Modestus Umenzekwe, Philosopher, Writer, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Member, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in this interview salutes Christians at Christmas, urges transporters to slash transport fares, commends federal government for completion of 2ND Niger Bridge, while also appealing to the government to commence construction of Lagos/Onitsha rail line, CYRIACUS NNAJ has the excerpts:
Chief how do you feel this Christmas season? Your message to Nigerians
Well, Christmas is a yearly occurrence by Christians all over the world commemorating the arrival or the birth of the king of the world as ordained by God almighty. The season is used by Christians to do a sober reflection, look at your life, examine yourself, are you worthy to have Christ in you? Are you clean enough to usher him fully in your life, in your family, in your business, in your politics and whatever you are doing? Not necessarily merriment alone, but it is a time for sober reflection, and it is a period you forgive and forget, because He taught us to forgive and forget, then it is equally a period of merriment.
Whenever a king is coming to your house, the preparation is so different, and that is why you see a lot of people all over the world spending much, some people even go out of their way to spend above their means; it is not intentional, but that is what the aura of Christmas brings, families exchanging gifts, children getting new things from their parents and parents getting new things from their children that are already productive. So it is a period of sober refection and merriment, and there is no other celebration in the world that is greater and mightier that the Christmas celebration.
And on that I say, congratulations to Nigerians and Christians, may we live to see this Christmas come through, may we live to have more peace in our families, in our country, in our businesses, may we live to use this Christmas to organize ourselves, families should meet, especially now that election is around the corner, we have to purge ourselves and pray for the nation for us to have very credible elections which everybody is clamoring for and which the president has directed INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election. For me, Christmas is a period everyone should use to heal all the wounds and pray fervently for the peace, happiness and progress of this country.
There is one thing we always notice during Christmas season, transport fares to the east usually go up astronomically, you know that Igbos are almost synonymous with Christianity in Nigeria, what are you telling transport operators plying the eastern route?
You know an average Igbo man is business oriented, we are known for trading and profit maximization. So I don’t totally blame them but then, as Christians, Christ has everything and still wasted His life for us, sacrificed His life for us. On that note, I am calling on transporters, consider the downtrodden, consider the poor masses and bring down the transport fares, from Lagos to East, from Abuja to East, Sokoto to East, all over the country, let them do that.
Yes it is a period, we have what I may call surge in transportation, but when you consider the number of people travelling and the profit, it is up there. In as much as the prices of petrol, diesel and spare parts are not cheap, but the number of people travelling now is times 10, the number that travel ordinary days. So if the fare comes down, it will still give them what they want. Therefore, I am appealing to them, please, bring the fares down so that everybody will enjoy and enjoy very well.
Another question like it is, when is it ripe for us to have rail line from Lagos to Calabar[CN1] ?
It is long overdue. I read in the newspaper then, that President Muhamasdu Buhari gave the former of Minister of transportation, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, he gave him a matching order to connect the 36 states of Nigeria, with rail-line. So it is long overdue. If it is not being done now, it is late. So I am calling on the Federal Government to please consider it as an urgent project and go into it immediately.
Not only that, there should be rail-line from Abuja to Onitsha, from Lagos to Onitsha, because that is where the main thing is. You cannot do without Onitsha, Onitsha is just like Lagos, to a large extent, as far as the entire southeast is concerned; Onitsha is indispensable. So while you are considering Lagos, you should consider Onitsha as the main economic hub of the southeast and the entire country. So there should be rail-line to Onitsha.
And I am also calling on the federal government to please no matter what it takes, to dredge River Niger, so that thousands and millions of Igbo people who are into commerce that bring in containers can equally clear their containers at Onitsha. If you travel by road, say from Lagos to Onitsha, you feel pain by the number of accidents, containers falling on the road, but if those containers are cleared at Onitsha, the risk will be minimal, so that importers at Onitsha will clear their goods at Onitsha, those in Lagos will do so in Lagos. So while I am talking about the rail, I am also talking about ships going to Onitsha, it must not be as busy as Lagos, but it needs to be busy, and once that is done, some of these agitations, some of these tensions, and all that, will calm down. It is one of those things some people are talking about.
December 15th 2022, the 2nd Niger Bridge came alive, signaling another landmark achievements of this government, are you fulfilled by this achievement and what are the gains from that signature project?
I am glad to be alive to be part of this big story of wonderful performance of President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC Government and the workaholic minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). I have written so many times and talked about these things, my only pain is that Chuma Azikiwe is no more alive, because it was in is house, he may have made it other places, but it is where I heard it, it was in his house that Buhari made a promise that he will build 2nd Niger Bridge if he becomes the president of Nigeria. And renovate Nnamdi Azikwe’s house. Unfortunately Chuma died 11th May, 2015, just about one month Buhari won the presidential election. And I pray that the spirit of Chuma Azikiwe will always follow Buhari wherever he goes to thank him for keeping his promise. It gladdens my heart that I am part of this success story, that I witnessed it.
Four days ago, I was in the east for the burial of my auntie, and making sure that our people collect their PVC, I was at that burial when that bridge was temporarily opened. I listened to the minister, I listened to his speech, and as God would have it, as I was coming back to Lagos, I took the old route because I entered somewhere in Onitsha, but when I crossed over to Asaba, I parked around God is Good Motors, and walked across to witness and view people diverting using the bridge. And I have said it that I won’t go by air, I would go by road when going back in the next two days so that I would use that bridge. So it is a masterpiece, it is a thing of joy.
Now the benefits of the bridge is uncountable, one is the traffic gridlock will reduce, accident is reduced, activities of criminals reduced, the economic hub is opened. Anambra is an agrarian area and our economic and agricultural products can easily be transported to any part of the country. Apart from that, it adds beauty to the entire southeast, it adds beauty to entire Nigeria, it has uplifted that image of this country abroad, people, my relations in America, in London, they are calling me, is it a reality? I told them it is a reality. So it is one of the signature projects APC Administration has done to prove the opposition wrong, PDP was there for 16 years, they couldn’t do that 2nd Niger Bridge, and for this, if Buhari has done anything wrong, I am saying if, I am appealing to Nigerians and the entire southeast to forgive him because he has done what other people could not do in the past 16 years. It is very commendable.
And again, hoping that we are going to win this election, I want to appeal to our revered presidential candidate, the talent developer, the man with the magic wand, intellectual giant, and political giant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to please retain the minister of Works and Housing within the corridors of his power, either as Minister of Works and Housing which I am still hammering on, or any other position, like Chief of Staff or any other thing that will make him create more impact more than he is creating now.
Then above all, I am calling on Ndigbo, our people to please calm down, and make sure they hook on to the national grid. In Lagos, I have said it, let all Igbos in Lagos emulate what was done in Owerri by the businessmen in the east, put resources together to make sure that Tinubu emerges the president; that Sanwo-Olu emerges as a successor to himself for the second term. It is very very important because the young man has done well. I have said this several times. I pitied Sanwo-Olu when the EndSARS came up, when Covid came up, just like Fashola, he contained all those things. Look at the construction going on everywhere in Lagos. You know, in administration infrastructure is very very important. When there is no infrastructure you are not doing anything, when there is no security you are not doing anything, when the health of the people are in a shambles, you are not doing anything, and this man is tackling all these things headlong, everybody is now rushing back to Lagos, running away from criminals, converging in Lagos, and population has bloated. Somebody attacked me the other day and said, why are you promoting Lagos, I said yes, I am promoting Lagos because Lagos is the Centre of Excellence. Most of these people that are talking now in Abuja, Calabar, Sokoto made their wealth starting form Lagos, during weekends you see them trooping to Lagos, and I keep saying that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget.
I talked to the 8th Assembly, and I am now talking to the 9th Assembly and I am now still making it public that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget. Let Ndigbo in Lagos rally round this young man and get him reelected as his own successor in 2023.
Slash your fares, Umenzekwe urges transporters on eastern route, calls for Lagos/Onitsha rail-line
…As he commends FG on 2nd Niger Bridge
Hon (Chief) Modestus Umenzekwe, Philosopher, Writer, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Member, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in this interview salutes Christians at Christmas, urges transporters to slash transport fares, commends federal government for completion of 2ND Niger Bridge, while also appealing to the government to commence construction of Lagos/Onitsha rail line, CYRIACUS NNAJ has the excerpts:
Chief how do you feel this Christmas season? Your message to Nigerians
Well, Christmas is a yearly occurrence by Christians all over the world commemorating the arrival or the birth of the king of the world as ordained by God almighty. The season is used by Christians to do a sober reflection, look at your life, examine yourself, are you worthy to have Christ in you? Are you clean enough to usher him fully in your life, in your family, in your business, in your politics and whatever you are doing? Not necessarily merriment alone, but it is a time for sober reflection, and it is a period you forgive and forget, because He taught us to forgive and forget, then it is equally a period of merriment.
Whenever a king is coming to your house, the preparation is so different, and that is why you see a lot of people all over the world spending much, some people even go out of their way to spend above their means; it is not intentional, but that is what the aura of Christmas brings, families exchanging gifts, children getting new things from their parents and parents getting new things from their children that are already productive. So it is a period of sober refection and merriment, and there is no other celebration in the world that is greater and mightier that the Christmas celebration.
And on that I say, congratulations to Nigerians and Christians, may we live to see this Christmas come through, may we live to have more peace in our families, in our country, in our businesses, may we live to use this Christmas to organize ourselves, families should meet, especially now that election is around the corner, we have to purge ourselves and pray for the nation for us to have very credible elections which everybody is clamoring for and which the president has directed INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election. For me, Christmas is a period everyone should use to heal all the wounds and pray fervently for the peace, happiness and progress of this country.
There is one thing we always notice during Christmas season, transport fares to the east usually go up astronomically, you know that Igbos are almost synonymous with Christianity in Nigeria, what are you telling transport operators plying the eastern route?
You know an average Igbo man is business oriented, we are known for trading and profit maximization. So I don’t totally blame them but then, as Christians, Christ has everything and still wasted His life for us, sacrificed His life for us. On that note, I am calling on transporters, consider the downtrodden, consider the poor masses and bring down the transport fares, from Lagos to East, from Abuja to East, Sokoto to East, all over the country, let them do that.
Yes it is a period, we have what I may call surge in transportation, but when you consider the number of people travelling and the profit, it is up there. In as much as the prices of petrol, diesel and spare parts are not cheap, but the number of people travelling now is times 10, the number that travel ordinary days. So if the fare comes down, it will still give them what they want. Therefore, I am appealing to them, please, bring the fares down so that everybody will enjoy and enjoy very well.
Another question like it is, when is it ripe for us to have rail line from Lagos to Calabar[CN1] ?
It is long overdue. I read in the newspaper then, that President Muhamasdu Buhari gave the former of Minister of transportation, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, he gave him a matching order to connect the 36 states of Nigeria, with rail-line. So it is long overdue. If it is not being done now, it is late. So I am calling on the Federal Government to please consider it as an urgent project and go into it immediately.
Not only that, there should be rail-line from Abuja to Onitsha, from Lagos to Onitsha, because that is where the main thing is. You cannot do without Onitsha, Onitsha is just like Lagos, to a large extent, as far as the entire southeast is concerned; Onitsha is indispensable. So while you are considering Lagos, you should consider Onitsha as the main economic hub of the southeast and the entire country. So there should be rail-line to Onitsha.
And I am also calling on the federal government to please no matter what it takes, to dredge River Niger, so that thousands and millions of Igbo people who are into commerce that bring in containers can equally clear their containers at Onitsha. If you travel by road, say from Lagos to Onitsha, you feel pain by the number of accidents, containers falling on the road, but if those containers are cleared at Onitsha, the risk will be minimal, so that importers at Onitsha will clear their goods at Onitsha, those in Lagos will do so in Lagos. So while I am talking about the rail, I am also talking about ships going to Onitsha, it must not be as busy as Lagos, but it needs to be busy, and once that is done, some of these agitations, some of these tensions, and all that, will calm down. It is one of those things some people are talking about.
December 15th 2022, the 2nd Niger Bridge came alive, signaling another landmark achievements of this government, are you fulfilled by this achievement and what are the gains from that signature project?
I am glad to be alive to be part of this big story of wonderful performance of President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC Government and the workaholic minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). I have written so many times and talked about these things, my only pain is that Chuma Azikiwe is no more alive, because it was in is house, he may have made it other places, but it is where I heard it, it was in his house that Buhari made a promise that he will build 2nd Niger Bridge if he becomes the president of Nigeria. And renovate Nnamdi Azikwe’s house. Unfortunately Chuma died 11th May, 2015, just about one month Buhari won the presidential election. And I pray that the spirit of Chuma Azikiwe will always follow Buhari wherever he goes to thank him for keeping his promise. It gladdens my heart that I am part of this success story, that I witnessed it.
Four days ago, I was in the east for the burial of my auntie, and making sure that our people collect their PVC, I was at that burial when that bridge was temporarily opened. I listened to the minister, I listened to his speech, and as God would have it, as I was coming back to Lagos, I took the old route because I entered somewhere in Onitsha, but when I crossed over to Asaba, I parked around God is Good Motors, and walked across to witness and view people diverting using the bridge. And I have said it that I won’t go by air, I would go by road when going back in the next two days so that I would use that bridge. So it is a masterpiece, it is a thing of joy.
Now the benefits of the bridge is uncountable, one is the traffic gridlock will reduce, accident is reduced, activities of criminals reduced, the economic hub is opened. Anambra is an agrarian area and our economic and agricultural products can easily be transported to any part of the country. Apart from that, it adds beauty to the entire southeast, it adds beauty to entire Nigeria, it has uplifted that image of this country abroad, people, my relations in America, in London, they are calling me, is it a reality? I told them it is a reality. So it is one of the signature projects APC Administration has done to prove the opposition wrong, PDP was there for 16 years, they couldn’t do that 2nd Niger Bridge, and for this, if Buhari has done anything wrong, I am saying if, I am appealing to Nigerians and the entire southeast to forgive him because he has done what other people could not do in the past 16 years. It is very commendable.
And again, hoping that we are going to win this election, I want to appeal to our revered presidential candidate, the talent developer, the man with the magic wand, intellectual giant, and political giant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to please retain the minister of Works and Housing within the corridors of his power, either as Minister of Works and Housing which I am still hammering on, or any other position, like Chief of Staff or any other thing that will make him create more impact more than he is creating now.
Then above all, I am calling on Ndigbo, our people to please calm down, and make sure they hook on to the national grid. In Lagos, I have said it, let all Igbos in Lagos emulate what was done in Owerri by the businessmen in the east, put resources together to make sure that Tinubu emerges the president; that Sanwo-Olu emerges as a successor to himself for the second term. It is very very important because the young man has done well. I have said this several times. I pitied Sanwo-Olu when the EndSARS came up, when Covid came up, just like Fashola, he contained all those things. Look at the construction going on everywhere in Lagos. You know, in administration infrastructure is very very important. When there is no infrastructure you are not doing anything, when there is no security you are not doing anything, when the health of the people are in a shambles, you are not doing anything, and this man is tackling all these things headlong, everybody is now rushing back to Lagos, running away from criminals, converging in Lagos, and population has bloated. Somebody attacked me the other day and said, why are you promoting Lagos, I said yes, I am promoting Lagos because Lagos is the Centre of Excellence. Most of these people that are talking now in Abuja, Calabar, Sokoto made their wealth starting form Lagos, during weekends you see them trooping to Lagos, and I keep saying that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget.
I talked to the 8th Assembly, and I am now talking to the 9th Assembly and I am now still making it public that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget. Let Ndigbo in Lagos rally round this young man and get him reelected as his own successor in 2023.
…As he commends FG on 2nd Niger Bridge
Hon (Chief) Modestus Umenzekwe, Philosopher, Writer, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Member, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in this interview salutes Christians at Christmas, urges transporters to slash transport fares, commends federal government for completion of 2ND Niger Bridge, while also appealing to the government to commence construction of Lagos/Onitsha rail line, CYRIACUS NNAJ has the excerpts:
Chief how do you feel this Christmas season? Your message to Nigerians
Well, Christmas is a yearly occurrence by Christians all over the world commemorating the arrival or the birth of the king of the world as ordained by God almighty. The season is used by Christians to do a sober reflection, look at your life, examine yourself, are you worthy to have Christ in you? Are you clean enough to usher him fully in your life, in your family, in your business, in your politics and whatever you are doing? Not necessarily merriment alone, but it is a time for sober reflection, and it is a period you forgive and forget, because He taught us to forgive and forget, then it is equally a period of merriment.
Whenever a king is coming to your house, the preparation is so different, and that is why you see a lot of people all over the world spending much, some people even go out of their way to spend above their means; it is not intentional, but that is what the aura of Christmas brings, families exchanging gifts, children getting new things from their parents and parents getting new things from their children that are already productive. So it is a period of sober refection and merriment, and there is no other celebration in the world that is greater and mightier that the Christmas celebration.
And on that I say, congratulations to Nigerians and Christians, may we live to see this Christmas come through, may we live to have more peace in our families, in our country, in our businesses, may we live to use this Christmas to organize ourselves, families should meet, especially now that election is around the corner, we have to purge ourselves and pray for the nation for us to have very credible elections which everybody is clamoring for and which the president has directed INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election. For me, Christmas is a period everyone should use to heal all the wounds and pray fervently for the peace, happiness and progress of this country.
There is one thing we always notice during Christmas season, transport fares to the east usually go up astronomically, you know that Igbos are almost synonymous with Christianity in Nigeria, what are you telling transport operators plying the eastern route?
You know an average Igbo man is business oriented, we are known for trading and profit maximization. So I don’t totally blame them but then, as Christians, Christ has everything and still wasted His life for us, sacrificed His life for us. On that note, I am calling on transporters, consider the downtrodden, consider the poor masses and bring down the transport fares, from Lagos to East, from Abuja to East, Sokoto to East, all over the country, let them do that.
Yes it is a period, we have what I may call surge in transportation, but when you consider the number of people travelling and the profit, it is up there. In as much as the prices of petrol, diesel and spare parts are not cheap, but the number of people travelling now is times 10, the number that travel ordinary days. So if the fare comes down, it will still give them what they want. Therefore, I am appealing to them, please, bring the fares down so that everybody will enjoy and enjoy very well.
Another question like it is, when is it ripe for us to have rail line from Lagos to Calabar[CN1] ?
It is long overdue. I read in the newspaper then, that President Muhamasdu Buhari gave the former of Minister of transportation, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, he gave him a matching order to connect the 36 states of Nigeria, with rail-line. So it is long overdue. If it is not being done now, it is late. So I am calling on the Federal Government to please consider it as an urgent project and go into it immediately.
Not only that, there should be rail-line from Abuja to Onitsha, from Lagos to Onitsha, because that is where the main thing is. You cannot do without Onitsha, Onitsha is just like Lagos, to a large extent, as far as the entire southeast is concerned; Onitsha is indispensable. So while you are considering Lagos, you should consider Onitsha as the main economic hub of the southeast and the entire country. So there should be rail-line to Onitsha.
And I am also calling on the federal government to please no matter what it takes, to dredge River Niger, so that thousands and millions of Igbo people who are into commerce that bring in containers can equally clear their containers at Onitsha. If you travel by road, say from Lagos to Onitsha, you feel pain by the number of accidents, containers falling on the road, but if those containers are cleared at Onitsha, the risk will be minimal, so that importers at Onitsha will clear their goods at Onitsha, those in Lagos will do so in Lagos. So while I am talking about the rail, I am also talking about ships going to Onitsha, it must not be as busy as Lagos, but it needs to be busy, and once that is done, some of these agitations, some of these tensions, and all that, will calm down. It is one of those things some people are talking about.
December 15th 2022, the 2nd Niger Bridge came alive, signaling another landmark achievements of this government, are you fulfilled by this achievement and what are the gains from that signature project?
I am glad to be alive to be part of this big story of wonderful performance of President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC Government and the workaholic minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). I have written so many times and talked about these things, my only pain is that Chuma Azikiwe is no more alive, because it was in is house, he may have made it other places, but it is where I heard it, it was in his house that Buhari made a promise that he will build 2nd Niger Bridge if he becomes the president of Nigeria. And renovate Nnamdi Azikwe’s house. Unfortunately Chuma died 11th May, 2015, just about one month Buhari won the presidential election. And I pray that the spirit of Chuma Azikiwe will always follow Buhari wherever he goes to thank him for keeping his promise. It gladdens my heart that I am part of this success story, that I witnessed it.
Four days ago, I was in the east for the burial of my auntie, and making sure that our people collect their PVC, I was at that burial when that bridge was temporarily opened. I listened to the minister, I listened to his speech, and as God would have it, as I was coming back to Lagos, I took the old route because I entered somewhere in Onitsha, but when I crossed over to Asaba, I parked around God is Good Motors, and walked across to witness and view people diverting using the bridge. And I have said it that I won’t go by air, I would go by road when going back in the next two days so that I would use that bridge. So it is a masterpiece, it is a thing of joy.
Now the benefits of the bridge is uncountable, one is the traffic gridlock will reduce, accident is reduced, activities of criminals reduced, the economic hub is opened. Anambra is an agrarian area and our economic and agricultural products can easily be transported to any part of the country. Apart from that, it adds beauty to the entire southeast, it adds beauty to entire Nigeria, it has uplifted that image of this country abroad, people, my relations in America, in London, they are calling me, is it a reality? I told them it is a reality. So it is one of the signature projects APC Administration has done to prove the opposition wrong, PDP was there for 16 years, they couldn’t do that 2nd Niger Bridge, and for this, if Buhari has done anything wrong, I am saying if, I am appealing to Nigerians and the entire southeast to forgive him because he has done what other people could not do in the past 16 years. It is very commendable.
And again, hoping that we are going to win this election, I want to appeal to our revered presidential candidate, the talent developer, the man with the magic wand, intellectual giant, and political giant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to please retain the minister of Works and Housing within the corridors of his power, either as Minister of Works and Housing which I am still hammering on, or any other position, like Chief of Staff or any other thing that will make him create more impact more than he is creating now.
Then above all, I am calling on Ndigbo, our people to please calm down, and make sure they hook on to the national grid. In Lagos, I have said it, let all Igbos in Lagos emulate what was done in Owerri by the businessmen in the east, put resources together to make sure that Tinubu emerges the president; that Sanwo-Olu emerges as a successor to himself for the second term. It is very very important because the young man has done well. I have said this several times. I pitied Sanwo-Olu when the EndSARS came up, when Covid came up, just like Fashola, he contained all those things. Look at the construction going on everywhere in Lagos. You know, in administration infrastructure is very very important. When there is no infrastructure you are not doing anything, when there is no security you are not doing anything, when the health of the people are in a shambles, you are not doing anything, and this man is tackling all these things headlong, everybody is now rushing back to Lagos, running away from criminals, converging in Lagos, and population has bloated. Somebody attacked me the other day and said, why are you promoting Lagos, I said yes, I am promoting Lagos because Lagos is the Centre of Excellence. Most of these people that are talking now in Abuja, Calabar, Sokoto made their wealth starting form Lagos, during weekends you see them trooping to Lagos, and I keep saying that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget.
I talked to the 8th Assembly, and I am now talking to the 9th Assembly and I am now still making it public that Lagos should be given special status in the national budget. Let Ndigbo in Lagos rally round this young man and get him reelected as his own successor in 2023.
