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Tag: CALABAR

  • 2019: INEC warned against compromise

    The senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Southern Senatorial District seat of Cross River State, Prince Bassey Otu, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against compromise to avert violence and bloodshed.

    Otu, who spoke with some reporters in Calabar, said he had to stress this against the background that his opponent in a rival political party had been boasting that in spite of whatever happens in the field, he was going to buy over the electoral umpire to announce the results in their favour.

    He said, “This is why I believe you, the press, have a major role to play in this. Though we would make sure we man-mark everything around here, you have your role to play, which is to advise them to avoid compromise. Right now what we are hearing is that our opponent is boasting that they would use money to buy INEC and they would change results for them. You have to stress this so that INEC would know the dangers of that.

    “There is need for them to allow sanity to reign because for any society to make some progress, they has to be some semblance of proper electoral process, if not we are going nowhere. As we get closer to the process, you must start hammering INEC straight because this time they would be putting their lives totally in danger. My fear is that in all baskets it is not all eggs that are bad. There would be few innocent ones who have no reason whatsoever to suffer what would befall them, but in a situation that there is calamity there has to be casualties, but we can only reduce the number by you advising them on time because my opponent is going about telling people, that he is not ready for any election on the ground, all he knows is that he would use his money on INEC and then prepare for court. This would not go down very well this time.”

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    Speaking on the crisis within the APC in the state, Otu, who is the chairman of the peace and reconciliation committee of the party said, “It is true that we do have a little bit of problem in the party, but it is not such that can impede the process of moving forward, in every family there must be disagreements. We are in the process of trying to make sure that we settle all those issues. We put down a framework that by the time we finish the job, though we are little distracted because of the season of politics, by the time we settle down to our job, I believe APC is going to be one family.

    “We would do very best that we can before the election proper. We have already started engaging some of the stakeholders and we feel except for those who are directly engaged in primaries now, which we would allow them to finish what they are doing, the moment they finish, we would also engage them. The sum total is that the issues are not such that they cannot be resolved. There would be a nexus at some point, because we are living in a society where there is law and order and as a party we do have guidelines. We have serious organs of the party do resolve issues like this. It is not out of place to find things like this, but I believe the most important thing is the belief in APC as a party moving forward. Nigeria at this stage needs a party like APC to continue so that the dividends that have started trickling in would be sustained.”

  • Police arrest 20 suspected cultists in C/River

    The Cross River Police Command on Monday said it has arrested 20 suspected cultists across the state between August and September

    Mr Hafiz Inuwa, the state Commissioner of Police, who spoke with our reporter in Calabar, said that the suspects were arrested for carrying out illegal activities and engaging in cult wars.

    He said 11 of the suspects were arrested on Aug. 23 in Ogoja local government area of the state during a cult war between the Vikings and Klans confraternity.

    “Also, on Aug. 29 2018, a team of patrol men from X Squad Unit of the State Headquarters during a stop and search in Calabar accosted a tricycle conveying two suspected cultists and they were immediately arrested.

    “And on Sept. 2 2018, we got a tip-off that cult members belonging to Skylo confraternity unlawfully assembled behind Union Bank in Calabar.

    “Operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad swiftly raided the area and seven suspected cultists were arrested,’’ he said.

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    Inuwa said that the suspects have confessed to belonging to Skylo confraternity cult group, adding that efforts were on to arrest other fleeing suspects.

    He explained that items recovered from the 20 suspects include four locally made pistols, one live cartridge, three machetes, one dagger, one tricycle and others.

    According to him, the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.

    The Commissioner warned those planning to engage in violence ahead of the 2019 general election to steer clear of the state, saying that the police would deal with anybody that engage in any form of criminality and thuggery before, during and after the polls.

  • C/River: Ambassador shelves governorship ambition

    …backs Owan-Enoh

     

    The Nigerian Ambassador to Uganda and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, Dr Nya Asuquo, has shelved his governorship ambition and given his support to Senator John Owan-Enoh, who is aspiring for the top job in the state.

    Asuquo told reporters in Calabar on Friday that he decided to drop his own ambition after careful consideration.

    “Senator John Owan-Enoh has had an unblemished record in public service. He is driven by a strong passion to leave a positive and lasting impact on the lives of his people who he served with distinction.

    ” His humility, compassion, live for his people are qualities which has not gone unnoticed by even his most implacable critics. Senator Owan-Enoh sees public office as a vehicle of social engineering and an opportunity to make the difference in the society. In this regard, his selflessness and commitment to noble causes have won for him plaudits and set him apart as a compassionate leader.

    “His staying power is the people. The centrality of the people to his politics derives from his understanding of political office as a privilege and opportunity to serve. With this in mind, he has never taken the support of his constituents for granted.

    “I therefore implore all Cross Riverians to mobilize and vote for him so that together we may bring back the glory of our Cross River State,” he said.

    He expressed confidence that the State would be taken over by the APC in next year’s election.

    He also called for support for President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • My presidential ambition a rescue mission – Donald Duke

    A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Donald Duke, says his ambition for the office of President is a rescue mission to save Nigeria from doom.

    Duke, who said this while commissioning the secretariat of the party in calabar, said it was time for Nigerians to wake up and take governance from the hands of incompetent leaders.

    According to Duke, the present leadership in the country has put the nation in danger because 85% of the population cannot have access to quality education, health care, employment opportunities, infrastructural development.

    Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, said has resulted in hopelessness in the land.

    “The SDP as a party is on a rescue mission from the danger the country is into because there is no positive hope for Nigerians. We have come put the country in a right direction therefore SDP is prepared and committed to take hold of the country come 2019. We have come to build, recover and restore our dear country from the bad leadership of the so-called APC and PDP ideologies,” Duke said.

    The presidential aspirant stressed that the country is in dire need of visionary and transformational leadership and for this to be achieved, Nigerians must come out and vote for leaders who have their interests at hearts, as well as the growth and development of the nation in general.

    Cross River State governorship aspirant of the party, Mr Eyo Ekpo, called for massive support and co-operation from Cross Riverians and Nigerians in general in the rescue mission of SDP in 2019.

    Ekpo, a lawyer, added that the state needs a change in government, if it will maintain it pride of place in the country.

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    “You are all aware that good governance is gone in Cross River State and with the rescue mission of SDP in the state I am assuring you all that the lost glory of the state will be recovered and restored come 2019. We have a lot of work to do as party faithful and SDP is an alternative because the party will give Cross Riverians and Nigerians an option”.

    The state chairman of SDP, Ikpi Ibor, said the party is prepared to take over the leadership in the country and the state following its vision and mission as well as ideologies.

    “SDP is the only option for Nigerians because the party is anchored on good leadership,” Ibor said.

  • Protests rock C’River PDP over automatic tickets

    …mass defection looms

     

    Protests rocked the Peoples Democratic Party Secretariat in Cross River State on Monday following reports that the National Working Committee of the party has decided to give automatic tickets to National Assembly members.

    With the development, there are indications that there would be a mass defection of more of the party’s stalwarts and supporters across the state to other political platforms in the state.

    Hundreds of placard carrying youths as well as National Assembly aspirants at the party secretariat in Calabar said they were going to resist the decision of the party.

    Some of the placards read, “We reject imposition of candidates”, “Automatic tickets will kill PDP in Cross River”, “Farewell to PDP in Cross River”, “Danger awaits Cross River PDP” among others.

    Addressing reporters an aspirant to the Senate seat of the Southern Senatorial District and former chairman of the party in the state, Ntufam Ekpo Okon, said they would be forced to seek other alternatives if the decision is not reversed.

    Okon, who was flanked by other National Assembly aspirants, said, “We are members of the PDP. Even the name of the party is anchored on the people and democracy and therefore we would stand firmly against it. We will not blink and allow this to go on unchallenged. We are conversant with democratic values and the content of the constitution of our party. We have read the guidelines for these primaries, the process of nomination party primaries and we did not just jump into this. We have been members who have paid our dues. Now the process have started, we paid our nomination forms and paid all fees required only for us to be called and told that the NWC of our party has taken a position to direct all incumbent members of the National Assembly should be returned unopposed. That means even if we go through the congresses, we do not stand any chance because they would send names that they have decided to send.

    “It does not even end at that. They pretended as if we were going to have congress to elect adhoc delegates. And meanwhile did not do any congresses anywhere in the 196 wards of Cross River and wrote lists of delegates to support that charade. The truth of the matter is that it is unfortunate because it means that PDP, as a party, has learnt nothing. All that befell PDP in 2015, one would have expected that PDP would have come out of this situation wiser. But if this is what PDP has chosen to do, it is not acceptable and it is not going to go down well with us and we will not accept it. We are members of the party and insist that let they be level playing field. We are ready to contest on a level playing field. That charade called congresses of Saturday, anyway it did not hold, they just sat down and wrote down names, would not hold, must be cancelled forthwith, and let us do a democratically conducted exercise, supervised by INEC, let us ensure our party members make a choice.

    “Look at APC. They are doing direct primaries. If I remember after the 2015 windfall that finished us, the Ekweremadu committee recommended a direct primary. We jettisoned all that. Today even the indirect primaries we cannot open our hearts and do the right thing.

    “These days people who are holding office, you don’t want to access them on their acceptability. You force them on the electorates and party members. If this was the case, why didn’t you make the pronouncement and stop selling forms. You sold forms, collected money from us and now turn round to and shortchange us it is unacceptable.

    “We want the party to reverse itself on this dangerous process and do the right thing. If they don’t, we will consult with our people and do the needful. I am running an election. It is my aspiration but it is an aspiration that goes beyond me. There are so many people, big and small who have become part of this aspiration. If they say I should move to another party I will move. If they say I should stay, I would stay. One thing is sure that I would stand with the people.

    “We have told our supporters to be calm. Even at time PDP had absolute control of the political space in Nigeria, this level of impunity never happened. That you get to a point where just sit down and blackmail the party, threatening that if they don’t give them the ticket and because of that the party would surrender the will of the membership to them. I challenge them that if they defect they will only make big headlines in the newspapers, not impact in the field. I challenge them.”

    Other National Assembly aspirants who were with Okon include Meil Inyang, Edward Ogon, Saviour Nyong, Don Claimz Enahme, Dr Godwin Amanke among others.

  • Ayade directs SUBEB to recruit 2500

    Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has directed the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to commence immediate recruitment of 2,000 primary school teachers and 500 security men across the State.

    Dr Stephen Odey, Executive Chairman of SUBEB, who made this known at a press briefing in Calabar on Monday, said it was in a bid to address the dearth of teachers at the basic level.

    “From what we experienced when we conducted our personnel audit and subsequent visits to schools for monitoring and inspection, we discovered that some schools from primary one to six have only two or three teachers.

    “This is unacceptable. For us to have qualitative and quality education, teachers are very key.

    “Since we came on board in October 2015 till now, we have recorded over a thousand retirement and death cases, so we need to replace these teachers.

    “When I approached the governor on this, he graciously approved the recruitment of 2000 teachers and 500 security men”, he said.

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    The board chairman commended the government for creating job opportunities for the teeming unemployed in the state.

    According to him, since the inception of SUBEB, no governor in the state has approved the recruitment of 2,500 persons in one fell swoop for the board.

    He said that the approval would improve the basic education sub-sector in the state.

    “With this approval, 2,500 persons in Cross River will be taken off the streets and will be gainfully employed.

    “This is in line with this administration’s policy of providing food on the table of its citizens,” he said.

  • Husband, wife sell only son in Calabar

    The Cross River State Police Command has arrested one Mr Daniel Bassey and his wife, Magdalene, for selling their two-year old son for an undisclosed amount in Calabar.

    Addressing reporters in Calabar on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, said the couple was arrested when the wife reported at the Efut Divisional Headquarters that her husband took their only son, Moses Bassey, to an unknown person in Port Harcourt through one woman simply known as Mummy and collected an undisclosed amount of money.

    “The suspect was later arrested. During interrogation, it was revealed by Daniel Bassey that the complainant, Mrs Magdalene Bassey, mother of the baby was party to the transaction. The duo are now in police custody to unravel the cause of this inhuman action and possible prosecution,” Inuwa said.

    He said efforts were on by the police to ensure that the baby is recovered.

    Daniel Bassey, who was paraded alongside his wife and 78 other suspects, admitted to the crime.

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    He said he was 27 years old.

    Daniel, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, said he did it because of economic hardship.

    Daniel who said he has two children, said the boy was his second child. His first child, a girl, is three years old.

    His wife, Magdalene, who said she was 22 years old and from Bakassi local government area in Cross River State, admitted that she consented to the act.

    She said she agreed to it so they could solve their financial problems.

    The police Commissioner, Inuwa, who paraded 80 suspects for various offences, said they had seized 11 firearms, N92, 000 cash and recovered two vehicles.

    He said security was everybody’s business and appealed to members of the public to be patriotic by shearing timely and useful information to help the police do their job better.

  • LAUTECH crisis: ASUU resists ‘commercialization’ of education

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU ), Calabar Zone, has described the abdication of the responsibility of funding the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho by the co-owners, Oyo and Osun States, as an introduction to the commercialization of education, which should be resisted.

    Addressing reporters in Calabar, Cross River State, on Tuesday, the Zonal Coordinator, Dr Aniekan Brown, said the ramifications of commercializing education “are very negative both in the short and long terms.”

    Reading from a statement signed by himself and chairpersons of ASUU of the universities within the zone, he said, “It is regrettable that that institution has become an uncanny and typical metaphor of the neglect of public education in our country Nigeria.

    “The brazen abdication of the responsibility of funding of LAUTECH by the co-owners, Oyo and Osun States, is a shocking new low even in an environment where the neglect of public institutions is fast becoming a norm.

    “In some time past, even within our clime, the situation of LAUTECH would have been considered an aberration and a shameful moral condition, if not a taboo of some sorts. But to dramatize the serious moral crisis that we face, the governments of Oyo and Osun States carry on as if nothing has happened even in the face of a jointly owned university becoming comatose due to lack of funding.

    “Right now, the workers are owed arrears of salaries upward of one year and very little is being done to address the situation. The workers are practically writhing in pains and penury, suffering all kinds of deprivations.

    “The lowness of their morale cannot be overstated. For the students, the situation is no better, as the needed environment for meaningful teaching and learning has been willfully destroyed.

    “This is all because the university has become entirely dependent on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for survival, the impact of which is on the students and their parents who have been compelled to pay outrageously high and unaffordable fees, even in the face of the present precarious economic situation. This is unacceptable and should be dutifully rejected.

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    “It is unimaginable that a university could be allowed to suffer this fate, while its visitors are busy establishing new ones. This painful irony is a challenge to our nation. It is also sad that university teachers could be allowed to face this pestilence and humiliation at the instance of the Governors of Oyo and Osun States.

    “ASUU Calabar Zone condemns in totality the brazen irresponsibility going on in LAUTECH, a university that is now a moral scar on the conscience of our nation. There is no more terrible a way of darkening the future than killing education as is the case in LAUTECH.

    “We therefore draw the attention of well-meaning Nigerians to the show of shame in LAUTECH and urge all to call the governments of Oyo and Osun States to order. The Visitors to the university must live up to their responsibility of funding. They must recognize that education is a public good; and they must go beyond the issues of ownership and discharge their responsibilities to Nigeria and Nigerians.

    “Allowing the staff to go without being paid salaries for about a year, refusing to carry out any physical development in the institution and directing officers of the university to all proceed on leave while the present ones are all in acting capacity is a mockery of the university system taken too far, which should not be tolerated.

    “By refusing to subvent the university, thus making the institution wholly reliant on IGR, is an introduction of commercialization of education, the ramifications of which are very negative both in the short and long terms. ASUU Calabar Zone calls on progressive forces across the country to reject in strong terms what is happening in LAUTECH. The future we desire as a nation “lies in the sacrifices we have the courage to make today. Confronting what challenges that future is a responsibility that we cannot afford to shirk from. We have a duty as Nigerians to come to the rescue by not allowing Oyo and Osun States to kill LAUTECH.

    Present at the briefing were chairperson of the University of Calabar, Dr Tony Eyang; University of Uyo, Dr Daniel Udo; Akwa Ibom State University, Dr Imeh Okop, Abia State University, Dr Ochi Ejimofor; Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Dr Ogugua Egwu: and Ebonyi State University, Dr Ikechukwu Igwenyi.

  • 2019: Lawmaker urges youth to shun violence

    Mr Hilary Bisong, a lawmaker representing Boki II State Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly, has warned youths to shun thuggery and acts of violence during the upcoming 2019 polls.
    Bisong gave the advice on Wednesday in Calabar when students of tertiary institutions from Boki Local Government Area of the state paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
    He said that that the youth constitute a larger percentage of the Nigerian population, hence the need for them to be agents of change and crusaders for good governance and development of the country.
    The lawmaker charged the youth to participate actively in the 2019 general elections and avoid any acts of violence and temptation of being used as thugs by politicians.
    “As the 2019 general elections draw closer, I want to charge you to shun all forms of violence and acts capable of truncating your future.
    “As students, you are not expected to associate with any act of violence and thuggery. I want to charge all of you here to be agents of change and crusaders of peace’’, he said.
    The lawmaker advised the students to shun cultism and drug abuse, stressing that as students, they should be dedicated to their studies.
    Earlier, the President, Federation of Boki Students Association, Miss Praise Obanghe, said that the association was impressed with the lawmaker’s performance in office in the past three years.
    Obanghe said that the association came to identify with the legislator and also commend him for his free computer training programme, skill acquisition programme, education support fund for students and his empowerment outreach to his constituents.

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    “In the past three years, you have represented the good people of Boki II creditably. The different educational programmes and financial support you have given to students is immeasurable.
    “We have come to donate these campaign stickers to you as a way to support your campaign and give you the assurance that we will canvass for more votes for you in 2019’’, she said.
    Also speaking, Mr Vincent Dibang, Special Assistant to Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River on Community Relations, commended the students for investing their money to print campaign stickers in support of Bisong.
    Dibang charged them to participate actively in the 2019 general elections by getting their Permanent Voter Cards.

  • Doctors warn against patronising quack bone setters in Cross River

    Residents of Cross River State have been warned to stop patronising quack bone setters whenever they need bone treatment.

    Head of Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, University of Calabar, Prof. Ngim Ngim, gave the warning in Calabar during a public enlightenment campaign on the need to care for the human bones.

    Ngim said that visiting quacks for bone problems had caused severe damages to many individuals.

    According to him, the road walk was to sensitise the people as part of the activities lined up to celebrate the Calabar Orthopaedic Week 2018.

    He explained that the purpose of the Calabar Orthopedic Week 2018 was aimed at discouraging people from doing harm to their bones by patronising quack health practices.

    “The essence of this road work is to sensitize the public and invite them to the main event which holds on Wednesday at the Unical International Conference Centre.

    “The programme is also to serve as an enlightenment forum to reachout to our people on issues relating to orthopaedic problems.

    “Our aim is to discourage people from doing harm to themselves by patronizing quack health practices particularly in this era.

    “We want to achieve a degree of awareness that will let people to come to the University of Calabar Teaching hospital and see specialist whenever they have their problems.

    “Most of them usually end up in the wrong place before they come to us. And before they come to us, many things would have gone wrong.

    “By that time even when we have done the right thing, the whole thing may still not be too good due to the damages they have done to themselves at first by visiting quack healthcare practitioners”, he said.

    He called on all Nigerians to always visit the Orthopaedic Department at the Teaching Hospital for their bone problems, adding that some people travel abroad for cases that can be handled locally.

    Chairman Local Organising Committee of the week, Prof. Tony Udosen, said the aim of the programme was to sensitize the public on the importance of taking care of their bones and visiting the right hospital for treatment.

    “It is purely a public enlightment to create awareness on issues relating to bone diseases; ranging from injuries from accident, congenital problems that people are born with, ageing problems, and many others”, he said.

    The public enlightenment took place at the main gate of the University of Calabar, Mary Slessor roundabout, Watt Market and the popular Etim-Edem park.