The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CALABAR

  • Calabar electrocution: Police confirm seven dead, 11 hospitalised

    Calabar electrocution: Police confirm seven dead, 11 hospitalised

    Cross River Police Command has confirmed seven people dead and 11 hospitalised in Thursday’s electrocution that occurred while some football fans were watching the Manchester United and Anderlecth game at a television viewing centre.

    The incident happened at around 9.30 p.m.  at Nyagasang area of Atimbo in Calabar Municipal Local Government area of the state.

    Mr Hafiz Inuwa, the state Commissioner of Police, gave the numbers at a news conference on Friday in Calabar.

    Inuwa said that the briefing became necessary following some reports in some national dailies and online blogs that over 30 persons died in the tragic incident.

    “To put the record straight, 18 persons were affected by the incident and taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

    “From the records available to us, seven people died on arrival, 10 are in the emergency ward of the hospital while one victim is currently at the intensive care unit of the same hospital.

    “The false reports out there are alarming. This press conference will put an end to the rumours out there that over 30 persons died.

    “People should stop spreading falsehood in sensitive issues like this. The earlier reports that over 30 persons died and about 50 escaped death is false,” he said.

    A check by a NAN correspondent at the State General Hospital and some private medical centres showed that no victim of the incident was taken to them except UCTH.

    Eyewitnesses had told NAN that two separate blasts from electrical installations occurred around the centre before a live high tension cable fell on the zinc makeshift structure where many of the fans were watching the European League.

     

  • Man Utd mourns dead Calabar fans

    Man Utd mourns dead Calabar fans

    Manchester United FC of England has sent condolences to the families of football fans who died while watching Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League match against Anderlecht.

    No fewer than 30 people died in Calabar after an electricity pole fell on the roof of the viewing centre where they were watching Manchester United versus Anderlecht on Thursday.

    “Our thoughts go out to the Manchester United fans, their friends and families affected by the tragedy yesterday in Calabar, Nigeria,’’ the club wrote on its Twitter handle on Friday.

    It is common practice in Nigeria for fans to watch football matches at viewing centres for a fee, as most either cannot afford the high cable television subscription fees or prefer to watch with other fans.

     

     

  • Ayade mourns victims of Calabar viewing centre tragedy

    Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has described as tragic and horrifying, the loss of several lives at a viewing centre in Calabar, the Cross River capital on Thursday.

    The governor said this in a statement issued by Mr Christian Ita, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary in Calabar on Friday.

    Ayade also said it was heart wrenching that the lives of the young men were lost through electrocution.

    “The incident marks a dark chapter in the life of the state where the precious lives of football lovers have been lost.

    “At this point in time, it is sad to know that the victims lost their lives at a viewing centre where they usually converge, at their leisure time to watch their matches’’, Ayade said.

    While commiserating with the families of the victims of the tragedy, the governor promised that the state government would look into the likely cause of the incident to preventing reoccurrence.

    No fewer than 30 persons died on Thursday night in Calabar at a viewing centre while watching the Europa Football League match between Manchester United and Anderlecht.

    The incident happened at about 9.30 p.m at Nyagasang area of Atimbo in Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of the state.

  • UEFA Match: Many feared electrocuted in Calabar

    UEFA Match: Many feared electrocuted in Calabar

    Many people were reportedly feared dead on Thursday night at a football viewing centre in Calabar, Cross River State after being electrocuted by a high tension cable that fell on them.

    Although 30 persons were initially reported dead in the incident at the centre located in Nyaghassang, our reporter who visited the scene on Friday morning said eyewitnesses and hospital officials confirmed about 15 dead, while others were

    The football fans were at the centre to watch a UEFA Europa League quarter-final match between Manchester United and Anderlecht.

    The State Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident but said the number of casualties would be ascertained on Friday.

  • Cross River to partner South Africa on hotel institute

    Cross River to partner South Africa on hotel institute

    The Cross River Government says it is working with the North West Province of South Africa to establish an International Hotel Institute in Calabar.

    Gov. Ben Ayade said this on Tuesday while addressing a delegation from Mafikeng, North West Province of South Africa in Calabar.

    The governor said that the establishment of the institute would facilitate the development of the state’s tourism potentials.

    Ayade added that an action committee would be set up immediately to ensure that the institute became operational in five months before the Calabar Carnival.

    The governor commended the delegation, led by former Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Amb. Uche Ajulu-Okeke, for the partnership.

    “I am just taken aback by so much that the South African team could unfold in a short period of just about two days.

    “But I think we will be doing a disservice to this state if we do not also compel them to go to Obudu Cattle Ranch. You need to be at the Ranch.

    “I am quite excited at all your thoughts and concepts you shared; your fears and concerns about Nigeria have melted away just by your first visit to Nigeria and Calabar.

    “I am sure also that the more you stay, the more you fall in love with Cross River State,’’ he said.

    He thanked the team for carrying out an in-depth study and analysis of the areas visited and coming out with an elaborate and unambiguous technical report and recommendations.

    The leader of South African Technical Team, Uche Ajulu-Okeke, explained that the twin-city agreement was signed during Ayade’s visit to South Africa in February.

    During the tour, the team visited the Marina resort, agriculture sites and farms.

    The delegation was in the state for a three-day working visit as part of economic cooperation on areas of agriculture, tourism and establishment of an International Hotel Institute.

  • Calabar: 600 electricity consumers protest poor power supply

    Calabar: 600 electricity consumers protest poor power supply

    No fewer than 600 electricity consumers from Efut Musaha Clan in Calabar South on Thursday stormed the Customer Care Centre of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to express their grievances over poor services.

    The protesters carried different placards with inscriptions such as “We pay huge bills without light’, ‘Calabar South has been in darkness for over six months now’, PHEDC, we say no to estimated billing system’, among others.”

    The spokesperson for the protesters, Mr. Daniel Denis, decried the fact that the people of Efut Musaha Clan were still paying their electricity bills even in the absence of power supply, adding that the payment would stop henceforth.

    “Henceforth, residents of Efut Musaha Clan will no longer pay any dime into the coffers of PHEDC unless light is quickly restored in the area.

    “God himself does not dwell in darkness and anybody who wants the people to live in darkness is an agent of darkness.

    “We will adopt no light, no pay policy in this area because we can no longer afford to pay bills and live in darkness.

    “We have suffered blackout for long despite the fact that we make payment to the coffers of PHEDC monthly.’’

    Denis, however, urged the management of PHEDC in the state to monitor the activities of its staff in the billing department, saying that some flats in the area were now been charged N25,000 as against N12,000 monthly.

    Another protester, Mrs Uduak Okon, appealed to the management of PHEDC in the state to do the normal calculation with a view to ensuring the distribution of accurate electricity bills to consumers.

    In a remark, His Royal Highness, Mkpang Bassey-Edet, Clan Head of Efut Musagha Clan, maintained that he and his subjects will no longer pay electricity bills in the area until adequate power was restored.

    Responding, Mr George Chinwo, the PHEDC Business Manager in the state, who addressed the protesters, thanked them for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner.

    Chinwo assured them that the company was doing its best to restore power in the area.

    On the issues of estimated billing, he also assured them that the company would look into the matter with a view to making the payment system easy for the people.

  • JAMB:  Candidates embark on peaceful protest in Calabar

    JAMB:  Candidates embark on peaceful protest in Calabar

    Over 500 prospective candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Wednesday embarked on peaceful protest in Calabar following the poor internet service affecting their registration process for the examination.

    The candidates, who started the protest at 7a.m. from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office on Marian Road, went round Barracks Road and the Millennium Park, before returning to the JAMB office.

    The candidates were chanting solidarity songs and held fresh leaves in their hands, while the Police and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) followed them to prevent break down of law and order.

    A candidate, Mr Jeremiah Osibu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that since the beginning of the registration on March 20, he had not been able to get his Personal Identity Number (PIN) for his registration.

    “The process of registration this year has been so difficult. I come to this JAMB office every working day; but till now, I have not been registered,’’ he said.

    Also, Miss Comfort Eban, told NAN that after paying the N6, 200 fee for the UTME, she had spent more than N8,000 on transportation from her house to JAMB office since March 20.

    “I am joining this protest today because we want our leaders and the examination body to do something about it. The 2017 process of registration is too stressful.

    “From the look of things, if this registration continues like this in the next few days, thousands of prospective candidates would not be able to sit for this examination,‘’ she said.

    Mr Richard Onah, who said he came all the way from Ogoja Local Government Area to register for the examination, called on JAMB to extend the registration to capture all prospective candidates.

    Efforts made by NAN to speak with JAMB officials in the state were not successful as protesters blocked the entrance to the JAMB office.

    NAN reports that petty traders were making brisk businesses through the sales of food, sachet water, biscuits and banana, as a result of the delay being experienced by prospective UTME candidates in JAMB office.

     

  • JAMB candidates protest cumbersome registration process

    JAMB candidates protest cumbersome registration process

    Prospective candidates for the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) examination frustrated by the cumbersome registration process blocked a major road in Calabar on Wednesday morning in protest.

    The prospective candidates who blocked off one lane of Marian Road just opposite the JAMB office urged that something be done about the registration process.

    The situation led to diversion of traffic, resulting in unusual traffic jams in adjoining roads.

    Policemen and other security operatives were sent to quell the situation. They managed to diffuse the tension and the process of registration continued.

    One of the protesters who did not want to be named said, “To register, you first of all create a profile with JAMB with an email address. Then JAMB would send a confirmation to the email address and you now click on the link of that confirmation and it would send you to JAMB portal and from there, you create a profile, which you would print out and do a Remitta, which you would take to the bank to pay N700 for. You make this payment alongside the N5, 500 in the bank for the JAMB form. So the total is N6, 200. You now bring that Remitta back to JAMB Office for registration. You can see how crazy the crowd is here. It is the same thing when you go to the bank. The process is too cumbersome and stressful. We beg them to make it easier for us.

    “For the bank to even sort out your pin is something else. I tried to almost two weeks ago and until now I have not been able to complete the process. We are paying cybercafé charges, transportation up and down and sundry charges here and there, and most times you would not even succeed for what you went for, it is a big problem for us and something should be done about it as soon as possible. I would advise that this kind of process is not continued during the next JAMB registration.

    “Why don’t they just revert to how it was done before where you just buy your form, fill it and return or even if they want to change, they should rather make the process easier than the previous one instead of making life difficult for us.”

     

  • Anyansi urges contractor to hasten work on Enyimba Stadium

    Anyansi urges contractor to hasten work on Enyimba Stadium

    The Chairman, Enyimba FC of Aba, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, has called on the contractor handling the Enyimba Stadium to hasten work on the project to enable the team to return to their base.

    Anyansi-Agwu, who made the call on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar, commended Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia for his untiring effort to see that the team returns to its base.

    He said: “I thank the governor of Abia who has been putting in a lot of efforts to mak sure that we return to Aba.

    “So, we are very grateful to him, I call on the contractor handling the job to hasten up construction so that the team returns to its fortress’’.

    According to him, Enyimba has not performed well this season because they are playing away from home.

    He added that their opponents had taken advantage of that in most of their matches.

    “We have not done so well this season due to a lot of factors.

    “We are playing in Calabar and this gives opposing teams the impetus to prepare, knowing that we are playing away from home and this has been an added advantage to them.

    “This is unlike when a team is coming to Aba, you are already one goal down before coming.

    “But here in Calabar, they feel it is a neutral ground. These are some of the difficult situations we find ourselves in,’’ Anyansi-Agwu said.

    He said that, as soon as the stadium was ready, Enyimba would return to Aba to continue with their exploits.

    “We are a team with pedigree and a lot of flash-points. We have never been into any tournament just for participation.

    “We always want to win a trophy and when you win a trophy then you can now talk of representing the country.’’

  • NULGE demands local government autonomy

    NULGE demands local government autonomy

    The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) took to the streets of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Friday to demand for politician, financial and administrative autonomy of local governments in the country.

    National President of the Union, Mr Ibrahim Khaleel, addressing members at the Freedom Park in Calabar before embarking on the rally said the country so diverse that the only way to ensure an inclusive government for all is to ensure the autonomy of the government that is close to the grassroots.

    According to him, local governments are dying in silecne under the “excruciating control” of state governments, and it is unacceptable.

    He called on lawmakers at the state and national levels, as well as the presidency to treat the issue urgently and ensure that autonomy is returned to the local governments.

    He said local governments are supposed to be the third tier of government according to the constitution, but this is not the case as it merely operates as a “department of the state government.”

    According to the Union, a situation where government selected leaders for local governments was wrong, and the called for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for them and not state electoral commissions.

    He said the rally in Calabar Friday was the first and for the South-south region of the country. Others would hold at Lagos (South-West), Kano (North-West), Taraba (North-East), Enugu (South-East) and in the Federal Capital Territory subsequently.

    President of the Calabar Branch of the Union, Mr Godwin Ayendi, said autonomy for local government would translate to grassroots development, guaranteed democracy, guaranteed national security and improved livelihood for rural dwellers.

    Presidents of the union in other states of the South-South charged members to mobilize support for their national president to achieve the objective of autonomy.

    The rally by the members, who carried various placards to drive home their point, ended at the State House of Assembly, where they were received by the Speaker of the House, Mr John Gaul Lebo.