Headline

Obi, Soludo, Obiano Meet At Cardinal Arinze’s 90th Birthday In Onitsha

Published

3 years ago

December 8, 2022

Editor

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo yesterday, met during a Catholic mass, to mark the 90th birthday of Francis Cardinal Arinze.

The meeting will be the second one, since after Soludo attacked Obi in an essay titled; History Beckons and I will not keep quiet.

Both men heartily hugged each other in the event, to the admiration of many, who thought they were sworn enemies.

Former governor of the state, Chief Willie Obiano and his wife, Ebelechukwu also attended the event, where he also met with his successor and predecessor.

Governor Soludo while delivering his felicitations to Arinze described him as one of the finest which Anambra has given to the world.

“You have been such a great influence and inspiration to the universal world, Anambra State, Nigeria and to me personally. I recount you had a special mass for me and my predecessor, giving me a message which I will never forget. You told me, that while I am in a haste to change the world, I should always remember that the people I deal with, are children of Adam and Eve.”

Archbishop Emeritus of Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan who delivered the homily celebrated Arinze for his many contributions to catholicism in Nigeria.

He described Arinze as the Archbishop Emeritus of Onitsha who stirred the church and its people out of the turbulence and ravages of the Nigerian civil war that lasted between 1967 to 1970.

He said Cardinal Arinze also distinguished himself in the service to God and humanity in his tour of duty while in Rome noting that he was destined by God for a great mission on earth.

Describing him as one of the living ancestors of the Catholic Church, Onaiyekan recalled that Cardinal Arinze’s intellectual prowess started during his seminary days and noted that Nigerians cannot forget the prominent role he played in the Beatification of Blessed Iwene Tansi in Nigeria in the year 1998 when Pope John Paul the 2nd visited Nigeria even as he expressed hope that he will remain alive to witness the final canonisation of Tansi.

The event attracted prominent personalities, including; Obi of Onitsha; Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (Agbogidi), Sen. Victor Umeh (Labour Party Senatorial Candidate, Anambra Central), Hon. Ikenna Iyiegbu (Ike Cubana) APGA Candidate, Idemili North and South Federal Constituency, Cardinals, Bishops, Monsignors, Rev. Fathers, Traditional Rulers, Papal Knights among others.

Headline

Medical Plane Crash Kills Six In Kenya

Published

10 hours ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

A medical light aircraft crashed into a small residential block near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, killing at least six people and injuring two seriously, a local official said Thursday.

The plane took off from Nairobi’s Wilson airport at 2:17 pm local time (1100 GMT) and was en route to Somaliland when it came down in Ruiru, Kiambu County, shortly after 3:00 pm (1200 GMT).

“We have lost four people, including the pilot… it was all fatal,” said Kiambu County commissioner Henry Wafula, adding that two people were killed on the ground. He said another two had been “seriously injured”.

AFP

Headline

FULL LIST: Ghana Releases Identities Of Helicopter Crash Victims

Published

18 hours ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The Ghanaian Government has released the names of individuals who died in Wednesday morning’s military helicopter crash.

The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south, where the crew headed for an official engagement.

In a post via its official X handle on Wednesday, the Ghana Armed Forces said the victims comprise eight people.

The names and portfolios of the victims are listed below:

1. Edward Omane Boamah – Minister for Defence

2. ⁠Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed – Minister for Environment, Science and Technology

3. Muniru Mohammed – Acting deputy, National Security Coordinator and former Minister for Food and Agriculture

4. Samuel Sarpong – Vice- Chairman, National Democratic Congress

5. ⁠Samuel Aboagye – Former parliamentary candidate

6. Peter Baafemi Anala – ⁠Squadron leader

7. ⁠Manaen Twum Ampadu – Flying officer

8. ⁠Ernest Addo – Sergeant

Following the sad development, Ghanaian President John Mahama described the incident as a national tragedy and suspended activities upon receiving the news.

He also directed that flags fly at half-mast to honour the memory of the victims.

Headline

Bodies Of Helicopter Crash Victims Arrive In Accra

Published

18 hours ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The Ghana Armed Forces on Wednesday confirmed the arrival in Accra of the remains of the victims of the Z-9 military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight personnel.

It stated that the victims’ bodies were transported from the crash site aboard a Ghana Air Force Casa aircraft and received at the Air Force Base in Accra on August 6, 2025.

According to a statement issued by the Acting Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Navy, Captain Veronica Arhin, government officials, military personnel, and sympathisers led by the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah, were present to receive the bodies.

The statement said the remains have since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital for preservation and preparations for burial.

It noted that all eight bodies were recovered from the crash site located in the Sikaman area, near Adansi Akrofuom in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Armed Forces extended its appreciation to the people of Sikaman and the security services for their support during the recovery operations.

“The Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon. Brogya Genfi, and the Military High Command extend their deepest condolences to the families in this difficult national tragedy,” the statement added.