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Tag: CALABAR

  • Lekki, Calabar ports strategic, says NPA

    Lekki, Calabar ports strategic, says NPA

    The  dredging of the Calabar Port is vital to the economy, the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) has said.

    NPA Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi is also working to ensure that the Lekki Deep Seaport becomes operational, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Captain Iheanacho Ebubuogu said.

    The Lekki Deep Seaport and Calabar Port are strategically important to  the country and its economy Ebubuogu said, adding that the country’s, coastal waterways, which are supposed to be a veritable means of economic transformation, have seen neglected

    Processes, he said,  were on to ensure that the Ibom Port gets transaction agents.

    “With the dredging, the economic activities, especially within the two zones, have sprung up again, creating massive employment opportunities in the area and in the whole country,” he said.

    He said the creation of more ports was in line with the Federal Government agenda in diversifying the economy, adding that a maintenance firm was appointed to manage the Calabar channel. He urged the private sector to fully tap into the inherent economic benefits.

    He lauded the Federal Government’s efforts in ensuring that life was brought back to hitherto comatose projects, such as railway system and inland waterways and assured that the Eastern rail line from Port-Harcourt -Maiduguri, which is under rehabilitation, would be completed.

    “ The Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi is working to make the port a transit point by  ensuring that the rail track at Lagos port is linked to the national line to reduce pressure on the road.

    “We all need to commend the efforts of the Federal Government in developing more ports across the country and the proposed change in the transport system to facilitate trade and boost the economy.

    “Nigerians will recognise the laudable efforts of the Federal Government by the time the Badagry and Lekki Deap seaports come on stream,” he said.

     

     

  • Boosting Niger Delta economy through Calabar NIWA jetty

    Boosting Niger Delta economy through Calabar NIWA jetty

    Getting an investor to revamp the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) jetty in Calabar, Cross River State, when it collapsed in 2010 was taxing.

    Many thought getting a company with the capacity and technical know-how to handle a repair of that magnitude to take interest in the project seemed far-fetched.

    Hence, it was surprising when an indigenous company, Lilywhite Nigeria Limited, came on board to finance and reconstruct the collapsed jetty.

    The Federal Ministry of Transport adopted a public-private-participation (PPP) arrangement in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of build, operate and transfer which gave Lilywhite Nigeria Limited the opportunity to become the concessionaire of the platform.

    Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Ogbonna Martins, said the jetty has become a major lifeline to the economy of the state, the country and other countries on the West African Coast.

    He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for giving indigenous companies the opportunity to render professional services, as it will bring holistic and unprecedented growth as well as development to the country’s economy.

    According to Martins, it was a miracle of sorts to many because no one believed that an indigenous company had the capacity to carry out a project of such magnitude.

    He said the mainstay of the jetty, regulated by National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), is purely export of made-in-Nigeria products.

    He revealed that Lilywhite Nigeria Limited is a maritime transport service company well vested in the business of conveying people and goods from neighbouring African countries including Cameroun, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea; Gabon and so on to other places.

    Martins said operations at the jetty, which currently provides jobs for about 2, 000 Nigerians who are mainly from the Niger Delta region and Cross River State in particular, has, in no small way, contributed to the economic development of the country.

    According to the CEO, with the platform, a lot of people have jobs and violence in the area has reduced drastically because a lot of young people who could have been restive are now engaged doing something meaningful with their time and lives.

    “This is my greatest joy. I am happy when I see people, especially the youth, engage themselves by doing something meaningful with their time because I know what growing up was like for me and I have not forgotten how tough it was. So, I take delight in ensuring that I encourage these young people to be useful to themselves and the society.

    “The made-in-Nigeria products such as plastic materials ranging from tanks, buckets and many others that are shipped through that platform on a weekly basis is worth several millions of Naira and is boosting our economy, especially now that the country needs to do more export than import,” he said.

    Martins said the Nigeria plastic industry worth billions of Naira and still growing, will only expand faster when the products are exported.

    “Lillywhite has been making this possible over time and this has brought a lot direct foreign investment as other investors now come to Nigeria to establish such companies because of the viability of the market.

    “As the only indigenous maritime service company that covers the West African coast line, we want to ensure that made-in-Nigeria goods are exported to other countries. But our major goal is to promote made-in-Nigeria products by making sure they get to these places. By so doing, jobs will be created for the teeming unemployed youths across the region and beyond.

  • MBGN: Contestants storm Calabar

    MBGN: Contestants storm Calabar

    •As State Government hosts Queens

    Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Sunday, was agog as 37 contestants, drawn from the 36 States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital, and Abuja, stormed the otherwise sleepy state for this year’s edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) Pageant.

    Scheduled to hold at the 5, 000-seat capacity Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), the organisers of the event, Silverbird Group, have promised the best ever.

    In a carnival-like atmosphere, Cross River residents stormed the Margaret Ekpo International Airport to receive the bevy of beauty.

    Speaking to newsmen shortly on arrival at the airport, Manager Entertainment, Silverbird Group, Mr. Alozie Uzoukwu said: “The most beautiful and cleanest state in Nigeria, is hosting this year’s Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant. I promise you a world-class package that will depict real entertainment.”

    As part of activities to ensure that the queens are fully acclimatized, the Cross River State Government organised a cocktail dinner, in which the girls were serenaded to scintillating mixture of drinks, music and dance.

    The event which took place at the Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, Tinapa, Calabar, had in attendance the Cross River State deputy governor, Professor Ivara Esu, who represented Governor Ben Ayade, Vice President of Silverbird Group, Guy Murray-Bruce as well as top government functionaries.

    Governor Ayade, who was represented by his deputy, Professor Ivara Esu, described the MBGN as a worthy venture in which the state was proud to collaborate with.

    Acknowledging the international status of the pageant Governor Ayade said: “The Most Beautiful Girls in Nigeria pageant has come to be a major international and national event which is why the state is collaborating the group to take full advantage of to showcase its enormous tourism offerings.”

  • MBGN contestants storm Calabar

    MBGN contestants storm Calabar

    Calabar, the Cross River State capital was last Saturday agog as 37 contestants drawn from the 36 States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital, Abuja stormed the otherwise sleepy state for this year’s edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) Pageant.

    Scheduled to hold at the 5, 000 seat capacity Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), the organisers of the event, Silverbird Group, have promised the best ever.

    In a carnival-like atmosphere, Cross River residents stormed the Margaret Ekpo International Airport to receive the bevy of beauties.

    Speaking to newsmen shortly on arrival at the airport, Manager Entertainment, Silverbird Group, Mr. Alozie Uzoukwu said: “The most beautiful and cleanest state in Nigeria, is hosting this year’s Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant. I promise you a world-class package that will depict real entertainment.”

    In his words, Calabar has always been a unique place and this event cannot be an exception in terms of content. “It will be the best show we have ever organised. Mind you, we are also introducing a unique feature in this year’s show. It is the Mother-Daughter Pageant show which is slated for 17th October before the grand finale of the MBGN on the 24th, he said.

    Offering further insight into this year’s event, Uzuokwu adds; “We are bringing to the stage an exceptional bond that exists between the Silverbird and Cross River with a view to sustaining a peaceful coexistence.”

    With the theme of this year’s pageant centered on Climate Change, producer of the show, Juliet Hagarmen noted: “We are molding a queen that will challenge her counterparts at the global arena during the Miss World and Miss Universe Event. So, we are putting up a show that will be accepted internationally.”

    Special Adviser, Governor’s Office and Event Management, Mr. Ken Akhla, disclosed that the state is collaborating with Silverbird Group to package the event to show to the world its innate features of hospitality, warmth and receptiveness in Nigeria.

    Shortly after assuming office, the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf the state government for a 4-year-hosting right with the pageant organizers, Silverbird.

  • FG dispels Ebola outbreak in Calabar

    FG dispels Ebola outbreak in Calabar

    The Federal Government on Friday dispelled speculation of a suspected fresh case Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Calabar, Cross River, and urged Nigerians to observe good hygiene behaviour.

    Mr Linus Awute, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, allayed the public fear of the rumour while briefing newsmen in Abuja.

    Awute said the rumours have been making round since Wednesday Oct. 7, until government agencies concluded investigation of the case.

    He said the ministry monitored the latest speculation and found out that it was a case of the death of a 21-year-old student of the University of Calabar.

    He said the deceased patient was brought into the causality ward of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) by the mother and other family members on Oct. 7.

    Awute said the deceased was admitted at about one o’clock in the morning and was investigated clinically and tested in the laboratory to determine his ailment.

    “He was admitted with bleeding, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin rashes and mouth lesions. His temperature on admission was 37 degrees centigrade and vital signs were stable.

    “The parents said that the patient had never travelled out of Calabar, on the basis of signs and symptoms; a tentative diagnosis of viral Hemorrhagic fever to rule out Lassa fever was made.

    “Some of his family members had a history of chicken pox a week to his falling ill,’’ the permanent secretary said.

    Awute said that the deceased was treated with antipyretics and antibiotics during the course of his illness and he also received intravenous fluids.

    “Sadly, at exactly 8.15 p.m., seven hours post-admission, the patient passed on,’’ Awute said.

    According to him, 15 health workers and eight patients who had direct or indirect contact with the deceased patient were quarantined.

    He added that other hospital workers were provided with thermometers to monitor their temperature twice daily.

    The permanent secretary said that blood sample collected from the patient was taken to Irrua Lassa Fever Specialist Hospital for laboratory confirmation of the cause of the disease.

    “Tests were run on the blood sample throughout the night and this morning the result confirmed that the deceased was negative for both Ebola and Lassa fever viral diseases.

    “Additional tests using next generation sequencing methods are currently being carried out at the Redeemers University African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Ede, Osun state.

    “This is to confirm which virus must have caused the infection and death and the result is expected on Monday Oct. 12, 2015,’’ he said.

    Awute urged Nigerians to collaborate with the federal ministry of health and the entire healthcare teams to report any suspected case to avoid reintroduction of Ebola into the country.

    He said this incidence has once again demonstrated that the fight against Ebola must be a perfect team work based on effective collaboration between government and other stakeholders.

     

  • Ebola scare: FG dispatches medical team to Calabar

    Ebola scare: FG dispatches medical team to Calabar

    The Federal Government has dispatched a team of medical team to Calabar, Cross River state ascertain the suspected Ebola scare.

    The accident and emergency ward of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital has been shut down following an Ebola Virus scare.

    The scare was as a result of the death of a patient, who died at about 2pm, after symptoms related to the deadly Ebola virus manifested before he finally passed away.

    Reports say the patient, whose identity could not be ascertained, was brought in from Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State on Tuesday with high body temperature while at the same time was vomiting, stooling and bleeding from nose.

    The patient died shortly after samples were taken from him for investigation.

    However, the   Federal Ministry of Health has ruled out the case of Ebola, saying that it suspected that the patient could have died of Haemorrhagic fever.

    Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, Director National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) told our reporters that a team has been dispatched to Calabar to verify the case.

    He also said that the government is awaiting the result of the laboratory investigation.

    Nasidi also assured Nigerians that there was nothing to fear about as appropriate measures have been taken to protect the people and even those who might have had contact with the patient.

    He further said that the Federal Government team is already on ground to assist the state.

    The Hospital accident and emergency ward has already been quarantined in order to curtail any spread in the eventuality that it was a case of Ebola.

    Chairman of Medical Advisory Committee, who also doubles as the Deputy Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Queenet Kalu, according to report has said that the patient was suspected to have died of Haemorrhagic fever.

    She said, “Yes, we had a patient that was suspected to have died of Haemorrhagic fever but it does not call for panic as everything is under control. There is no need for the public to be scared of EVD as it is not confirmed.”

    The patient it gathered was brought in on Tuesday vomiting, stooling and bleeding from the nose and mouth. He however died around 2pm and his body has been quarantined while the ward was shut down.

    Nigeria had its first dose of Ebola disease on 20th July 2014 when one Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian stole into the country after been affected with the deadly disease. But the country’s medical team rose up to the occasion to curtain it’s  spread, with minimal casualty as the country recorded seven death.

  • Navy arrests 15 suspects, ‘illegal’ vessel in Calabar

    Navy arrests 15 suspects, ‘illegal’ vessel in Calabar

    Men of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) yesterday arrested 15 men for “illegally” operating a fishing trawler on the Calabar, Cross River State, waterways.

    Parading the suspects and the vessel at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory Jetty in Calabar, ENC’s Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir said they were arrested at the Calabar Fairway Buoy.

    Those arrested included 14 Nigerians and a Ghanaian, who allegedly had no documents.

    The FOC said the vessel was on sea without relevant documents, thus posing security threats to the area.

    He said: “From security point of view, it can be taken over by pirates. This can become a problem for others. This ship is not on any of our cleared lists to be on the sea.”

    Abdulkadir said the suspects and the vessel would be handed over to the relevant authorities, after investigation.

    The vessel’s captain, Martin Baleta, who said he was from Badagry, admitted he was operating without relevant documents.

     

  • Day security agents raided Calabar brothel

    Day security agents raided Calabar brothel

    They did not expect it. So, it hit them hard. By the time the dust settled, 54 suspected prostitutes and 58 men suspected to be their customers were arrested in a raid carried out by the Cross River State Security Adviser, Mr Jude Ngaji, at Peace Garden Hotels located at No 1 Old Odukpani Road by Flour Mill, a popular red light district in Calabar.

    Three women suspected to specialise in recruiting unsuspecting young girls into prostitution were also arrested, Ngaji said.

    He said the raid was carried out between 11pm on Monday to 2pm on Tuesdayin  collaboration with State Area Command of the Nigeria Police where the girls, aged 13 to 25 and were caught in “compromising positions” with the men.

    •A room raided in the hotel
    •A room raided in the hotel

    Ngaji, who took reporters on a tour of the raided hotel, which was in poor sanitary condition, yesterday, said the girls were from Cross River and various neighbouring states, he said.

    He said the raid was necessary as the state frowns at prostitution, especially involving underage girls, and also that the place was a hideout for criminals. These he said were not good for the tourism profile of the state.

    His words: “We also arrested three women who normally bring these girls from other states and tell them to come and be nannies in Calabar and when they arrive, they are forced into prostitution.

    “These are the women who collect money from customers and supply the girls to service them. We also found CCTVs which we believe is used to monitor the girls so they don’t hide money or collect numbers from customers.”

    Ngaji said the government would not relent in its fight against prostitution and criminality. He said the matter has been transfered to the police for appropriate action.

     

     

  • For Mary Slessor, twins invade Calabar

    For Mary Slessor, twins invade Calabar

    The name Mary Slessor is synonymous with the stoppage of the obnoxious culture of killing of twins in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. Hence it really was not out of place as twins from all works of life, under the aegis, Mary Slessor Twins Club International gathered in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, where the Scottish woman first landed the country in 1876, to commemorate her to sustain the legacies she stood for, in a one day memorial symposium.

    Founders of the Club, also known as Twins Foundation, Twin Ene Cobham and Twin Mkpang Cobham, said the symposium is to immortalize the woman and also to appreciate her for all that she did and the magnanimous show of love she showed by stopping the killing of twins.

    They said it also provided the opportunity to gather twins from all works of life from one umbrella where they can express themselves as one mind and a sense of purpose, developing themselves and the society.

    “If not for her coming, what we are experiencing today would not have come to pass. So we appreciate God for bring her to this part of the country and that is why we have this symposium to brainstorm on the way forward, immortalising her by promoting and sustaining her legacies. Her legacies are so enormous. We started the organization in August 23, 2002. We have been moving strongly although not without some challenges, especially financially. We have been working with some government agencies and the private sector and we believe the best is yet to come.

    “Though we have twin organizations all over the country and the world, ours is unique because we are celebrating the woman who stood and sacrificed her life to stop the killing of twins so it is very significant for us to that we honour her,” they said.

    Chairman of the event, Elder Eyo E. Okon, noted that Slessor was a selfless person, lamenting this was a quality that leaders in the country today lacked. He urged that if justice is to be done to the Scottish woman’s memory, then the ideals she stood for should be sustained, even as the twins commemorate her.

    Chief Executive Officer and the secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation in a paper titled the benefits of the Post Mary Slessor Centenary Celebrations to the Socio-Economic Applications: The Twins Perspective, said “the legacy of Mary Slessor must survive for us to build the same platform of the same shared dreams for stakeholders, partners and descendants.”

    “The benefits of investing in the venerated name and legacy of Mary Slessor are awesome. Spiritually, she beckons a stepping-stone for our evangelism, a catalyst for breaking religio-ethnic barriers and a cornerstone of reference in terms of faith, courage and responsibility.

    “Mary Slessor is also a living legacy that brings continuous socio-economic wealth to the church, the catchment states and Nigeria, as she brings all to the realization of man’s ultimate spirit and ability to overcome every conceived spiritual and environmental challenge or obstacle.”

    Also presenting a paper on the Legacies of Mary Slessor in Time and Space, Rev Ubong E. Eyo of the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, University of Calabar, said the path of honour is not always trod by those who were born into greatness but by those who irrespective of their birth made positive indelible marks in the lives of people. Such, according to him, could be said of Mary Slessor.

    “The boldness of traversing the jungle of Africa by this Scottish woman need not go uncelebrated. In the dark and thick forest of Africa were different customs which were inimical to the welfare of human society, and Mary Slessor delivered the people from those customs,” he said.

    Among her legacies, he said inhumation, which she fought against human lives accompanying dead kings of chief, stopping the killing of twins, acting as a judge and her mission work of professing the gospel. He noted Slessor was never married as she gave all of her life to helping people.

    He urged that her legacies be sustained at the personal level, the institutional level and also through the fight for gender equality.

    Represented at the event were the Obong of Calabar and the Muri Munene of the Efuts, who urged the Foundation to get bigger and stronger ad whatever should be done on Slessor’s behalf, must be properly done.

    Mary Slessor was born on December 2, 1848, near Aberdeen, Scotland. She was the second of seven siblings. She came from a poor family background and lost her father and four of her siblings at an early age. By 1859 when she was only eleven years, she began part-time work in a weaving mill and by 1862 was working full-time. She later became very active in church activities and in May 1875 offered her services to the Foreign Mission Board. Her heart was set on Calabar, but so eager was she to be accepted that she said she would be willing to go to any other field. Her personality, and the accounts given of her character and work, made such an impression on the officials that they reported favourably to the Board, and she was accepted as a teacher for Calabar. After training in Edinburgh, she set sail in the S.S. Ethiopia on 5 August 1876, and arrived at Old Calabar in West Africa in September of the same year. She died on January 13, 1915.

  • HACR to host Calabar Hospitality Fiesta

    The Hoteliers Association of Cross River (HACR) has announced plan for the host of the maiden edition of the Calabar Hospitality Fiesta (ALHOSFI) 2015.

    As revealed by the Chairman of the HACR, Mr. Charles Ogar, the event is a collaboration with Celebrity Planet 9JA, organizers of Miss Hospitality Beauty Pageant.

    ”The intent is for it to be the largest and most comprehensive business and leisure event for the hospitality industry in Cross River State,” said Ogar, adding that “this is the first of its kind in the state”.

    It is billed to take place between October 28 and November 1 at the Municipal Garden, Calabar.

    Hoteliers Association of Cross River, which is a registered corporate body and the umbrella association for hotels and other tourism establishments in the state, according to him, ”seeks to promote and protect the business interests of members.”

    Therefore, the chairman disclosed that ”CALHOSFI is an initiative that seeks to accomplish the following: Provide networking opportunity for hospitality business practitioners; provide access to high value customers; provide sales and marketing platform; reviewing the state of the industry through interactions; and showcasing company products and services in the industry.

    “It would witness the showcasing of the beauty and talents of young Cross Riverians; showcasing the comparative advantage of our God’s given diverse cuisines and culinary delicacies, while some of the activities slated for the five-day gathering include courtesy calls, city walk, welcome reception, food fair/exhibition, talk shops, beauty pageant and gala night.

    ”It’s going to be a colourful event that will span through more than five days of business and social interaction.  Above all, it’s hoped that this will metamorphose to a fulfilling business and pleasure event in our tourism calendar that will attract traffic to our hotels yearly,” said Ogar.

    Ogar lamented the poor economic nature of the state, especially that of hospitality which he said has been affected by low tourist traffic to the state.