Chief Ugwu Kevin Anene, the President General Igbo Community Association in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State has called on Governor of the state, Dr Mua'zu Babangida Aliyu to expedite action on the file before him in order to allocate a piece of land to the association to enable its erect a befitting secretariat for Igbos in the area, saying that already the Governor had promised the association 200 by 200 plots of land.

Kevin Anene who was newly inaugurated as the president general recently in Suleja made this call in an interview with Newsday in his residence at Kwamba, recalling that despite the efforts being intensified by the leadership of the association to get a piece of land from the Suleja local Government did not yield any result.

According to him, for sometime now, the Igbo Community Association has been looking for a land to build electronic/ electrical village apart from the land to erect Igbos secretariat, nothing has been done by the Government of Suleja.
He said that his administration would Join hands with Government of Suleja to provide an enable environment for his people in the area, adding that his leadership would carry everybody along.

“I will not hesitate to liase with the Emir of Suleja to table the Issues affecting my people in Suleja when the need arises”, Anene said.
The president general advised the Igbos residing in Suleja and its environs to live in peace with an indigenes and urged them to face their business transactions squarely.

He also warned Igbos against any act capable of causing disputes among them in the area.
While speaking on the activities of Suleja local Government council, he appealed to the council's management to provide infrastructural development to the people of the area, saying Suleja town and its environs had no access roads as well as potable drinking water.

The Suleja Igbo boss who resides in Kwamba expressed dismay that for the past three years now, the residents of the area had no electricity to boost business activities.
“The politicians came here and donated a transformer to us during their campaign, but we are the ones mounting the transformer. I am telling you that we do not have an assistance from the government”, he said.

From look of things, I can tell you categorically that installation of transformer is more expensive than transformer itself. So, the people of Kwamba are contributing money to see that the rural electrification project is successful”, he added
The president begged the Suleja Government to partner with corporate organisations, private individuals and businessmen so as to develop the area to attract investors.

His words: “Suleja is a local Government that welcomes strangers and that the people of the area are always accommodative. That is why I want the government to partner with other organisations or institutions to move the area to a greater height”.

The Suleja Igbo leader tasked the Zonal Chairmen on good reports of their Zones so that he could present to those that are concerned, as according to him, good reports will move the Igbo community Association to the next level of action in Suleja.

Stressing the importance of youths in our society, he warned the youths against drug abuse and advised them to be loyal to their parents. He then urged them to be good ambassadors of their religions wherever they found themselves.

“I am using this medium to call on government to provide Jobs for our youths so that they can be useful in the society “
Anene, however, commended the governor of Niger state for provide a purposeful leadership capable of satisfying the aspirations of the rural dwellers saying his relationship is very cordial with the government of the day.

The Kogi Government has advised churches against violating the state marriage act by conducting marriages without authority, a statement stated in Lokoja recently.

The statement from the Ministry of Information, quoted the Commissioner, Prof, Aaron Baba, as giving the advice at a meeting between the government and church leaders on how to create awareness among pastors on the marriage act.
The commissioner said a survey conducted by the government showed that many churches were breaching the act.
He said the marriage act regulated the institution of marriage in the country under which the ministry operated a marriage registry in collaboration with churches.

The commissioner who was represented at the meeting by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Mr. Kunle Kayode, said that some churches breached the act.
He advised churches wishing to conduct marriages to follow due process by registering with the Department of Home Affairs of the ministry.

The commissioner said the ministry planned to organise a sensitisation workshop to educate church leaders on the importance of obeying the marriage act.
He said the seminar would go a long way in finding a lasting solution to the illegal activities of some pastors and ensure that all marriages conducted by churches were legal and served the interests of all parties involved.

In his remark, Rev. Peter Ufomanafe, who represented the state Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Most Rev. Emmanuel Egbunu, described the meeting as timely.
He expressed surprise that some churches had been conducting marriages without authority to do so.

The State Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. Abraham Arigi, said the proposed seminar would complement efforts being made by PFN to educate ministers on the marriage act.
The meeting agreed that the proposed seminar would hold in November and urged CAN and PFN to mobilise pastors from all denominations to attend the seminar.