Metro
N200bn Indebtedness: The Reason Behind Andy Uba’s Desperation to Access Anambra Treasury and Why He Must Be Stopped
By Emeka Anene
Andy Uba has the sort of desperation and indebtedness that is dangerous for Anambra State and its future prosperity. When a governorship candidate is so obviously drowning in debt and bank foreclosure, history shows that trusting such a person with the treasury of the state is an open cheque for the politician to raid the state’s treasury and impoverish the state and its citizens.
Anambra cannot afford to fall to Andy Uba because it will set Anambrarians back 50 years at least.
Recall when Mr. Andy Uba was governor for 17 days in 2007 before the Supreme Court invalidated his win and extended the tenure of Peter Obi until 2010; within 17 days Mr. Uba was said to have sold off key assets of the state including the state-owned Ikenga Hotel Royale.
It is even alleged that he sold it to himself for the paltry sum of N5 million, effectively stripping the state of an asset for his own gain.
As things stand now, Mr. Uba owes Heritage Bank billions of Naira, up to N50 billion Naira when you factor in interest, and he has been evading the bank’s effort to recover the loan. Although, reports suggest that altogether Mr. Andy Uba may be indebted to the tune of N50 billion. The sum is so significant and long-standing that if unpaid it threatens to sink the bank and cause the mass loss of jobs.
While Mr. Andy Uba is personally broke, reports indicate that his campaign is also not well funded. He is hoping on money from APC governors who have been levied N500 million each for Mr. Uba’s campaign, but so far only Hope Uzodinma, the Imo State governor has given him N40 million for his campaign. Governor Hope Uzodimna is making this investment with the hope of turning Anambra into Imo State which is controlled by Fulani elements, and Buhari’s cabal.
Regardless of how much Mr. Uzodinma invests in Mr. Uba’s election, Anambra State is an entirely different landscape and cannot become what Mr. Uzodimna is turning Imo State into. Anambrarians should not stand for it and demonstrate their resistance by voting against Mr. Andy Uba in the November 6 governorship poll.
Currently, Mr. Andy Uba is trying to sell some of his properties to raise money for his election; he is frantic because he is not getting the support; financial and otherwise from APC. Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi is not supporting Mr. Uba. Amaechi is disenfranchised after his prefered candidate, George Moghalu was rigged out of the ticket by Uba and his collaborators in the ruling party.
In addition, the APC governorship aspirant challenging the legitimacy of Mr. Uba’s candidacy in court, George Moghalu is Mr. Amaechi’s candidate and so it’s a no-brainer. Mr. Andy Uba is not getting support from APC bigwigs and APC governors are not putting money into Mr. Uba’s campaign.
It is also ironic that Mr. Andy Uba is getting people to decamp to APC by promising them large sums of money since he is unable to pay them upfront. He has promised some N500m and some others N300m. There are two issues here; one is that he does not have a track record of paying his debts; they should ask Heritage Bank if they will see any kobo from the money he has promised them. (They should also ask former and current staff of the Indepedent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who grumble over promises unkept by Andy Uba in previous elections.)
This raises a further issue raised earlier about Mr. Uba’s plan to raid Anambra’s treasury to settle his huge debts should he win the election. He is not a good choice for Anambra because the state needs a visionary leader who has a good track record of leadership, and a clear plan to advance Anambra along the pathway of growth and prosperity.
Emeka Anene is a political analyst who writes from Awka, the capital of Anambra State
The Federal government has suspended the planned closure of Eko Bridge in Lagos State.
The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection of the bridge on Tuesday.
He said: “We directed that this bridge be closed. That was about two weeks back, … but our caring President Bola Tinubu is very much concerned about the closure of this Eko Bridge.
“He has asked me to come back here and take a second look at that decision so that we don’t induce much hardship on Nigerians.”
The minister said his team re-assessed the strength of the bridge on Monday, and confirmed that the closure could be suspended at the moment.
“We have done our technical evaluation in line with the president’s directive.
“Putting safety over and above every decision, we have seen that, for now, we are safe, but we won’t get to any situation that any Nigerian on this bridge will not be safe.
“We have agreed on three procedures,” Umahi added.
According to him, the first procedure is not to close the bridge now but monitor the progression or otherwise of the crack.
He said that the crack is not progressing either arithmetically or geometrically at the moment.
“No progression so far. We are comfortable, but crack can occur anytime. I will return here to reassess it,” he stated.
The minister, however, also said there would be remedial work on the bridge.
Metro
Security Expert Hails Ribadu’s Talks with Vance, Rubio As Positive Devt in Counter-Terrorism Fight
The visit by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to the United States where he held talks with Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has been described as a positive development for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
A security analyst and columnist, Jas Keita, in a statement says that the meeting underscores the importance of the Nigerian/U. S security relationship.
According to her, the meeting comes at an important time for Nigeria as it seeks to defeat terrorist groups that are seeking to undermine the government, destroying lives and livelihoods across the country.
The statement reads in part: “Security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria were central to these discussions. This comes against the backdrop of escalating terrorist activity in Nigeria. Two weeks ago, ISIS militants killed at least 29 people in an attack in Guyaku, a village in Adamawa state, while Boko Haram killed 11 people during a raid on a village in Borno State. This escalation of violence and destruction poses a serious threat to the social and economic stability of Nigeria. Nigeria must do all it can to destroy the ability and operational capacity of groups such as ISIS or Boko Haram to wage war against its people.
“Despite widespread commentary, driven often by foreign actors, the United States has remained a steadfast ally to Nigeria in its determination to destroy those groups who seek to destroy Nigeria. While some commentators seek to criticise the government for such visits, it’s clear that ordinary people whose lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by these groups, want to see immediate, urgent and effective action against these groups. Working with the United States to empower Nigerian Security forces is the quickest and most effective way to this result.
“Of course, people will remember the 2025 Christmas day strikes where the U.S working with Nigerian security forces undertook a series of attacks against these terrorist groups. But that cooperation continued in the months following the attack. In February, a team of U.S. Special Forces personnel were deployed on the ground. Their mission was to provide direct technical and information support to Nigerian security forces. As well as training support, they have provided invaluable technical and strategic insight developed over decades of providing similar support across the globe.
“This type of support cannot be underestimated. To see a contrast, one simply needs to look at events in Mali and the failure of Russia’s assistance to the government there. Empowering our security forces, ensuring they have the skills and insights is a critical element to ensuring we defeat terrorist groups.
“One of the strands of commentary after the Christmas day strikes was if we even needed American support. Put simply, yes, we are facing a substantial threat from these terrorist groups. They are well armed, well organised and well financed. They are committed to destroying the legitimately elected government and imposing their own vision on our country. They have shown time and time again they have no interest in the welfare of our people, rather they will kill anyone who disagrees with them or simply is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Nigeria is facing an existential threat from these terrorist groups. They do not care about our way of life or the welfare of our people. Nigeria cannot become prosperous unless it rids itself of these terrorist organisations. The ongoing security crisis creates an environment of instability and fear that means our people cannot expect to thrive. Nigeria has a prosperous economic future ahead and can create a brighter future for all its people, but this cannot happen without a stable and secure foundation. Defeating these groups not only protects the lives of our families but allows Nigeria to build a brighter economic future for all.
“That is why these talks in Washington are so vital. Our country has a strong and committed ally in the United States. Despite what other foreign actors say, they have shown time and time again their willingness to expend resources to support our fight against terrorism. Strengthening and deepening this relationship must be a key strategic priority for our government and we must ensure it endures. Doing so, will ensure our own people have the skills, insights and resources to defeat these groups. Doing so, will provide the stability that will underpin our future economic and social growth.”
The International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) Nigeria has announced plans to host the 33rd edition of its bi-monthly Knowledge Update Series webinar on May 27, 2026, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence in addiction screening and mental health intervention.
The webinar, themed “VibeCheck – An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral; From Screening to Real-World Intervention,” will be held online at 3:00 PM WAT.
The session will introduce “VibeCheck,” a digital self-screening assistant designed to support early identification of substance use risks and related mental health concerns using tools such as the WHO ASSIST and PHQ-9 assessments.
The webinar will feature a live demonstration of the platform, practical strategies for integrating the tool into clinical and community workflows, ethical considerations surrounding digital screening tools, and referral pathways for intervention.
Participants will also learn how the platform can be customized for institutional use by healthcare organizations and community-based programmes.
The keynote presentation will be delivered by Dr. Oluwasikemi Alalade, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
Dr. Alalade specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, and digital mental health innovations. She has contributed to several research projects focused on psychiatric care delivery and technology-driven mental health solutions in Nigeria.
According to ISSUP Nigeria, the webinar is targeted at public health professionals, addiction counsellors, healthcare providers, policymakers, young people, and professionals working within substance use prevention and treatment settings.
The session will be moderated by ISSUP Nigeria President, Dr. Olajumoke Koyeojo and Ejikeme M. Ogueji, Head, Editorial and Webinar Team
ISSUP noted that the webinar aims to promote evidence-based approaches to substance use prevention and strengthen discussions around ethical digital mental health interventions.
Participation is free and open to interested members of the public.
To register for the ISSUP Nigeria webinar on “VibeCheck – An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral”, click below:
https://www.issup.net/node/34651?utm_source=chatgpt.com
