The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CALABAR

  • Tributes at funeral service of Bristow co-pilot in Calabar

    Tributes at funeral service of Bristow co-pilot in Calabar

    Tributes poured in as the  funeral service for the 26-year-old co-pilot of the ill-fated Bristow Helicopters, which plunged into the Lagos Lagoon on August 12, Peter Kayode Bello, took place at the St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Calabar, Cross River State, yesterday.

    The deceased was supposed to have been interred at the Hawkins Cemetery in Calabar, yesterday but his body did not arrive from Lagos as was expected.

    The body was released late yesterday after the ceremony in Calabar.

    A vigil mass, presided over by Rev Patrick Cochran on Wednesday evening, drew thousands of sympathisers.

    Delivering his homily at the mass, Rev Cochran called for support and prayers for the family.

    He said life was a gift from God. At the end, we all return to Him as Peter had,” he said.

    Parents of the deceased, Mr and Mrs Peter and Thelma Bello, said: “We thank God for 26 years, for the wonderful times we shared with you. We thank God for your life and all it meant to us.

    We can only live with these memories. We are confident, blessed that God has better plans for us because He is a good God. Lord, help us to know you more.

    All we wish and pray is that your death brings others to know who God is. God is sovereign. We love you, we miss you. Rest in the bosom of the Lord.”

    Bristow described him as a shining star.

    Base manager of Bristow in Lagos, Captain Ayo Stilo Oni, in a tribute, said tBello was one of the few cadets, who felt comfortable with the controls, especially for his experience.

    “He was never late for flights, never had an excuse not to fly…it was his passion.”

    Others who paid tributes,  praised him for his character and upright personality.

  • NLC, electricity workers protest in Calabar

    The Private Sector of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Cross River State chapter of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) yesterday prevented workers of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) from entering their office in Calabar, the state capital.

    They called for negotiations on the workers’ welfare.

    The protesters carried placard bearing various descriptions, such as: ‘PHEDC management, negotiate now”; “Stop enslavement of electricity workers”; “Give us our right to unionise”, among others.

    Chairman of NLC Private Sector, Mr. Kalu Imong, said the electricity company deprived the workers of their welfare and dismissing others arbitrarily.

    He urged the government to intervene in the matter, adding that PHEDC should call the union for negotiation.

    NUEE Chairman Daniel Asuquo said: “I am not striking; I am picketing. The picketing will last as long as PHEDC will see reason to call a round table conference and meet our demands before the company.”

    An official of the PHEDC, Mr. Jonah Iboma, said the company had not received any formal complaints from the workers and the union.

     

  • DPR seals petrol tank farm in Calabar

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday suspended operations of Finefield Petroleum in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for allegedly selling petroleum products above the depot price of N77.66.

    DPR Controller for Calabar and Eket, Mr Antai Asuquo,

    said the action was in line with Federal Government’s renewed fight against corruption in the Oil sector.

    He said: “We have concrete evidence beyond doubt that Finefield Petroleum sold product out at N87 against the approved N77.66. They asked their customers to pay into two different bank accounts. That is, as they pay the normal price into one account, they pay the excess into another.

    “That has been the practice in time past. They have been doing it and getting away with it. But the DPR says it is now time to do business as it should be.

    “If they want to continue doing business, then they should do it in line with government’s rules and regulations.

    “The product is being subsidised by government and there is no reason whatsoever why it should be sold above approved price. They must sell at the approved price of N77.66.”

    The controller said the company should return the excess funds to government while the remaining products in their storage tank should be sold to the public at approved depot price.

    He said the company would pay N2 million fine to the government for flouting its directive while its operations would be reviewed after all considerations and deliberations.

    Asuquo said: “we have sealed Finefield Petroleum today. It has some products in the storage which will be sold to the public at the approved depot price of N77.66 under DPR supervision.

    “After that, it will have to pay an appropriate fine to the government and its operations will remain suspended for a long, before we will review its case and take other decisions concerning the company.”

    The DPR chief condemned some marketers who buy products in excess of their storage capacities only to resell them in the open market, called “spot market”.

    He said the department had devised several measures to tackle acts of malfeasance in the system, including diversion of products.

    Asuquo said: “We noticed that some marketers come to buy products far above their storage capacities, using multiple licences. These people buy and recycle the products in what they call ‘spot market’. We are introducing measures such that all depots will only sell to customers who pay from the customer-registered account.

    “This will eliminate processes whereby touts present DPR licences to collect products and resell at spot market. This will also reduce diversion of products drastically.”

    According to him, the DPR has said any diversion of petroleum product would attract a fine of N200 per litre, as part of measures to discourage marketers from diverting products.

    Asuquo said the DPR would rid the Oil sector of corruption in line with the current administration’s change mantra.

    He said: “Our workers are in the field to enforce the sale of petrol at the approved price of N87. We are also calibrating their meters to ensure that if they dispense one litre, it is one litre.

    “It may take time but we are equal to the task. If we get any filling station that violates these rules, we will deal with them accordingly.”

    Finefiled’s Depot Manager, Mr John Omoruyi, described DPR’s allegations as false.

    He said: “We were not even told that anybody is coming to us. He is supposed to come and inform us what he observed. But there was nothing like that. He just jumped into the depot.

    “We sell at N77.66. I do not understand what he is talking about.”

    The manager condemned the bulk purchase of petroleum products among marketers.

    He said his company would address the matter.

    Finefield Petroleum is one of the several tank farms in the Calabar Free Trade Zone.

     

     

     

  • DPR seals petrol tank-farm in Calabar

    DPR seals petrol tank-farm in Calabar

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Tuesday suspended operations of FINEFIELD Petroleum Calabar for allegedly selling petroleum products above the depot price of N77.66.

    Mr.  Antai Asuquo, DPR Controller Calabar and Eket, said in Calabar that the action was in line with the Federal Government’s renewed fight against corruption in the oil sector.

    “We have concrete evidence beyond doubt that FINEFIELD Petroleum sold product out at N87 as against approved price of N77.66.

    “They asked their customers to go and pay into two different First Bank accounts. That is, as they pay the normal price into one account, they pay the excess into another.

    “That has been the practice in time past. They have been doing it and getting away with it but the DPR says it is now time to do business as it should be.

    “If they want to continue doing business then they should do it in line with government’s rules and regulations.

    “The product is being subsidised by government and there is no reason whatsoever why it should be sold above approved price.

    They must sell at the approved price of N77.66, ‘’ he said.

    The controller added that the company must return all excess funds to government while the remaining products in their storage tank should be sold to the public at approved depot price.

    He further stated that the company would pay a fine of N2 million to the government for flouting its directive while their operations would be reviewed after all considerations and deliberations.

    “The FINEFIELD petroleum that we have sealed today (Tuesday), have some products in their storage which will be sold out to the public at the approved depot price of N77.66 under DPR supervision.

    “After that, they will have to pay appropriate fine to the government and their operations will remain suspended for a long while before we will review their case and take other decisions concerning them.

    The DPR condemned some marketers who bought products in excess of their storage capacity only to resell them in the open market called “spot market”.

    He disclosed that the department had devised several measures to tackle various forms of corruption in the system, including diversion of products.

    “We noticed that some marketers come to buy product in excess far above their storage capacities, using multiple licences.

    “This people buy and recycle it in what they call spot market. We are introducing measures such that all depots will only sell to customers that pay from the customer registered account.

    “This will eliminate processes whereby touts present DPR licences to collect products and resell at spot market; this will also reduce diversion of products drastically, ‘’ he said.

    According to him, the DPR has stated that any diversion of petroleum product would attract a fine of N200 per liter, as part of measures to discourage marketers from diverting products.

    Antai said the DPR would do everything possible to rid the oil sector of corruption in line with the current administration’s wind of change.

    “Our staff are in the field to enforce the sale of petrol at the approved price of N87 and we are also calibrating their meters to ensure that, if they dispense one litre, it is one litre.

    “It may take time but we are equal to the task; if we get any filling station that violates these rules, we will deal with them accordingly, ‘’ he said.

    Mr. John Omoruyi, FINEFIELD depot Manager, expressed surprise at the action of the DPR and described the allegations as false.

    “We are not even told that anybody is coming to us. He is supposed to come and inform us what he observed but nothing like that; he just jumped into the depot.

    “We sell at N77.66; so I do not understand what he is talking about, ‘’ Omoruyi said.

    He, however, condemned the bulk purchase of petroleum products by marketers, saying that the company would address the matter.

  • Glitz as Rotary gets new president in Calabar

    Glitz as Rotary gets new president in Calabar

    It was all glitz and glamour as the Rotary Club of Calabar-Tinapa District 9140 installed its 7th president for the 2015/2016 year.

    The Monty Suites Conference Hall in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, venue of the ceremony, was filled with excitement as the immediate past president, Rotn Ottobang Akpan, handed over to Rotn Nse Paulinus Tom.

    The event also featured the induction of new members, inauguration of the board of directors, presentation of service awards and a lecture on the management of prostate cancer.

    Accepting the mantle of leadership, Tom said he looked forward to utilising all the offers of support from past presidents and the entire club whose advice and guidance has brought about what they were witnessing on the day.

    He expressed gratitude to the District 9140 for the leadership orientation for all club presidents for the 2015-2016 rotary year.

    He invoked a spirit of collectivism and giving so that they can work to address those primary challenges within the six areas of focus of promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education and growing local economies.

    His words: “It is a difficult task for me alone, but a simple job for us all. As usual, every Rotary year has its theme. For the 2015-2016 we have been challenged to BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD. This is because we started life as a gift to our parents and family; it is now time to extend same to our various communities. I for one, identify with this theme. This identity is borne out of my realisation that giving is not the exclusive right of the rich in materials, but the rich in heart and we can all adopt this nature of giving change to the world.

    “As club president, I will urge you all to come on board with me in giving the three Ts of (Time, Talent and Treasure) of Rotary to the world. It is my benefit that from our giving, we shall restore many disorganised dreams, we shall bring back smiles to frowning faces, we will reduce child mortality rates in our communities, and we will help save our mothers from death in the course of bring joy to our families.”

    Akpan said the club was able to execute some projects, such as an Ebola Virus prevention awareness and literacy project, where sanitary and learning materials were distributed to St Theresa’s Primary School, Mbarakom; St Theresa’s Primary School, Awi (both in Akamkpa Local Government Area) and the Presbyterian Primary School on Tinapa Road.

    Others, he said, included the presentation of items to the motherless babies home in Uwanse; an educational grant of over N100, 000 to a blind undergraduate of the University of Calabar to support his education; hosting a rotary club from another district during the rotary exchange programme among others.

    He said as a club, the challenge to their existence has been membership growth.

    He charged the new president to be courageous as leadership has never been smooth sailing.

    He noted that volunteers (Rotarians) were unlike employees because they are not paid and yet have to contribute their time, talent and resources which is a higher sacrifice.

    “Hence, volunteers should be treated with utmost respect and recognition. I have no doubt that with your pragmatism and humble disposition you will achieve more,” Akpan advised.

    He charged members to give their support to the new president.

     

  • Firm urges support for N20b Calabar port dredging project

    The Managing Director, Calabar Channel Management Limited (CCM), Mr. Bart Van Eenoo, has urged those who lost out in the bid for the dredging of the Calabar Port, which his company won to be honourable in defeat and support it for early completion of the project for the benefit of Nigerians.

    CCM is the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising a consortium of companies led by Niger Global Engineering & Technical Company Limited with world number one dredging company-Royal Boskalis and Westminster Dredging that is dredging the Port and is expected to maintain the Calabar navigation Channel.

    A statement issued ostensibly in reaction to call by Nigerian Shippers Council to probe the dredging contract, explained that there was nothing fishy about the contract as “the entire contract followed due process, obtained all the necessary approvals and vetting of the agreement by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) before its execution”.

    He said the losers in concert with a cabal in the sector were not happy with the progress made by his company to dredge the Calabar Port which in the past, remained a drain on the national treasury and have resorted to the campaign of calumny and falsehood.

    He said activities at the Calabar Channel were similar to those at the Bonny and Lagos Channels and wondered why the losers would single out “Calabar Channel to constantly put it in bad light even when the contract is being executed by a consortium made up of world class dredging companies.

  • Why Calabar Port must work

    SIR: There is no gain saying the fact that Calabar Port is very strategic to the economic development of Nigeria.  When functional, it will increase the volume of vessel traffic and cargo throughput in the port, decongest Lagos ports and reduce cost of doing business for Calabar-based businessmen who spend additional transport cost to take delivery of their consignments in Lagos and Onne ports.

    It is for these reasons that former President Goodluck Jonathan, on November 17, 2014, flagged off the operations of Calabar Channel Management (CCM), a joint venture company between Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and a consortium of companies led by Messrs Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited, for the dredging of the Calabar Port. Recall that previous Federal Governments had made several investments to dredge the port to ensure safe navigation, but such efforts had proved abortive with billions of naira sunk.

    Despite the landmark achievements by CCM in the dredging as alluded to by all the stakeholders, including the NPA, it is learnt that CCM has not been paid by the NPA since inception of the project. Not even the usual mobilization fee, required in such contracts; a situation which gives room for concern.

    The action of the NPA management has raised concerns by maritime watchers who wondered why the management would allocate little funds to the Calabar Channel dredging project which has massive infrastructural outlay which includes the on-going capital dredging campaign. Though there seems to be a new dawn at the NPA with the recent appointment of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the Managing Director, who wants to change things positively, there is said to be a cabal lobbying him to toe its line in order to frustrate the operation of these ports.

    Maritime watchers are of the opinion that the Calabar Port project must not be allowed to go the way of previous contracts. They want President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene urgently so that all encumbrances and those directly and remotely frustrating the project are removed for the full realization of the Calabar Port.

    They call on the president to put the issue on the front burner as he reels out his economic blue print for the country soon.

     

    • Princewill Umoh

    Calabar

     

  • Ayade: Calabar garment factory to generate 1,000 jobs

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade said yesterday the Calabar garment factory will generate over 1,000 jobs when completed in August.

    Ayade addressed representatives of the host communities at the project site on the Goodluck Jonathan bypass.

    He said: “Upon completion, the Calabar garment factory is expected to generate about 1,000 jobs, the bulk of which would be women, particularly widows.”

    Ayade said the inauguration of the factory was one of the projects he designed to celebrate his first 100 days in office.

    The governor said the equipment for the factory had been procured, adding that the project would be a major employer of labour.

    He said: “Apart from women, the factory will also provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths roaming the streets.”

  • ‘Calabar Int’l Convention centre best in Africa’

    ‘Calabar Int’l Convention centre best in Africa’

    The project coordinator of the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), Mr. Reginald Longdon, has described the centre as the best in Africa.

    He commended the vision of the Cross Rivers governor, Liyel Imoke, for establishing what he called a one-stop conference centre in the state.

    The project, he said, is an iconic edifice that will serve as a catalyst to drive the tourism offering of the state government.

    Longdon, who spoke ahead of the unveiling of the project tomorrow, said no conference centre in the whole of Africa comes close to the CICC in terms of facilities, aesthetics and ambience.

    He confirmed that 22 bookings from across Africa have been made to use the facility, with 12 confirmations.

    Longdon said the centre has a main auditorium with a sitting capacity for 5000 during conferences, workshops, seminars, and annual general meetings.

    “We have flexible auditoriums with sitting capacity for 5000 and the main auditorium can seat 2000 at a time but the whole thing is not just about the building but the vision which will drive the tourism potentials of the state and also open up Tinapa,” he stressed.

    He said upon its final completion, the centre will be linked with 1.4 kilometers of rolling stock to Tinapa through a monorail whose coaches arrived at the state capital, Calabar, two week ago.

  • How well do you know Nigeria?

    How well do you know Nigeria?