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Tag: Cross River

  • Cross River police commissioner vows to clamp down on cultists

    Cross River police commissioner vows to clamp down on cultists

    In the wake of the cult killings that has ravaged Calabar, the Cross River State capital, in the past week, Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, has vowed they will not rest on their oars until the problem is decisively dealt with.

    Addressing reporters in his office yesterday, Inuwa, said the police is determined to go after cultists and their sponsors that have made they city unbearable for residents.

    He assured that anyone caught in this regard would be dealt with within the provisions of the law irrespective of whoever it is.

    “My Command is on top of the situation. We are not just sitting down,” he said.

    Highlighting some of the Command’s achievement in combating crime in the state recently, he said 15 persons were arrested for various crimes including armed robbery, cultism, car snatching, piracy, dealing in adulterated cement and causing threat to law and order.

    Also recovered in connection to these crimes were three local made pistols, two beretta pistols, three 9mm live ammunitions, two matchetes, one axe, one Murano SUV, one Toyota RAV4 SUV, one Toyota Corolla car and two Mack Trucks.

    He said the suspects who had confessed to their crimes would be charged to court.

    Inuwa assured members of the public that the Command “has the capacity, capability and wherewithal to deal with any miscreant who may dare to harass, intimidate and instill fear in the minds of Cross Riverians.”

    He sued for the public’s cooperation, support and understanding, in providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of hoodlums and crime perpetrators.

     

  • Ex-SDP chair in Cross River dies

    Ex-SDP chair in Cross River dies

    A former Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Cross River State, Dominic Edet Bassey, is dead. He died on March 1. He was 65.
    Popularly called Mavenco, he was until his demise an elder statesman.
    His son, Edem Dominic Bassey, said his father was an astute businessman, a seasoned politician, a philanthropist and a Christian of the Catholic faith.
    Said he: “My late father was the chairman of the SDP from 1991 to 1993, and was part of those who contributed to the success of the then Abiola presidential election.
    ”He joined the likes of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, John Odigie-Oyegun and Ndubuisi Kanu to fight for democracy. He contributed to ensuring Donald Duke emerged as governor of Cross River. He was involved in the politics of the state. His death is a great loss to us and the state. He was a mentor to a lot of people.”
    A notice of bereavement signed by Edem showed the opening of mourning house will be at Mavenco Estate on April 5. There will be visitations and a vigil mass at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Calabar on April 6, while a funeral mass and internment at Mavenco Estate will hold on April 7.

  • Ex-SDP chair in Cross River dies

    Ex-SDP chair in Cross River dies

    A former Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Cross River State, Dominic Edet Bassey, is dead. He died on March 1. He was 65.

    Popularly called Mavenco, he was until his demise an elder statesman.

    His son, Edem Dominic Bassey, said his father was an astute businessman, a seasoned politician, a philanthropist and a Christian of the Catholic faith.

    Said he: “My late father was the chairman of the SDP from 1991 to 1993, and was part of those who contributed to the success of the then Abiola presidential election.

    ”He joined the likes of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, John Odigie-Oyegun and Ndubuisi Kanu to fight for democracy. He contributed to ensuring Donald Duke emerged as governor of Cross River. He was involved in the politics of the state. His death is a great loss to us and the state. He was a mentor to a lot of people.”

    A notice of bereavement signed by Edem showed the opening of mourning house will be at Mavenco Estate on April 5. There will be visitations and a vigil mass at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Calabar on April 6, while a funeral mass and internment at Mavenco Estate will hold on April 7.

  • Cross River Chief Judge dies at 62

    Cross River Chief Judge dies at 62

    The Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice (Obol) Okoi Ikpi Itam, is dead.  A family source said he passed away in the early hours of yesterday after a brief illness.
    Wife of the deceased, Chief Magistrate Helen Itam, said her husband took ill on Friday and was taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) where he died.
    “He complained of feeling somehow in his body and decided to go for check up at a private hospital from where he went to UCTH when the illness became worse,’’ the wife said.
    She described her late husband as a caring and loving person who would stop at nothing to cater for the entire family.
    Consoling the family, Governor Ben Ayade, accompanied by his wife Dr Lynda, Speaker John Lebo and members of the state executive council described the late chief judge of the state as “a wonderful, peaceful man who would always go for the option of peace.”
    The governor likened the death of Itam to “a brick falling on you from the mountain top.”
    He recalled considering the cordial relationship between his family and the deceased’s as well as the cordiality shared between the executive and judicial arms of government in the state.
    Ayade stated upon hearing the deceased’s challenging health he made frantic efforts to move him overseas for treatment, a move which the cruel hands of death did not allow the late chief judge to benefit.
    ”The worst thing that can happen to you is to have a man that you just had a meeting between the executive and judiciary to resolve all challenges on a good note and two days later, you are told that he is no more.
    “There can’t be a greater shock than this and that is the way of mortals which shouldn’t have been,” the governor stated.
    An emotional Ayade said: “I have always accused death for not knowing who to pick. Why won’t death go for the kidnappers?
    “Why won’t death go for those who bring pain and agony to the people? Why will it be somebody who administers justice, bring tranquility, peace and order in the society?’
    ”Death doesn’t even have eyes. It doesn’t even have a sense of feeling. If it does, it would have known that it made a very wrong choice,” he stressed.
    He said the death of the chief judge has showed the nothingness in the world, urging the family to be consoled by the legacies he left behind.
    Born on 18th May 1954 in Ugep Urban in Yakurr Local Government Area, Itam served as Chairman Public Funds and Property Recovery Tribunal, Cross River State 1992- 1997, Judge High Court of Gambia 2000, Judge Advocate  for Gambia Armed Forces  General Court Martial between 2001- 2004, Acting Chief Justice of Gambia 2002, Justice of the Gambia Court of Appeal 2003- 2004 and Chairman Presidential Commission of Enquiry into the Administration activities of the auditor General of Gambia in 2001, among others.

  • Cross River among states with highest bus fares in February

    Residents of Abuja, Cross River and Adamawa paid the highest bus fares than their counterparts around the country in February, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report.

    The comparison is based on the latest report by the NBS’ Transport Fare Watch in February, which covers bus journey within the city, intercity and state per drop on constant routes.

    It also covers charge per person; air fare charge for specified routes, single journey, journeys by motorcycles (okada) per drop and water way passenger transport.

    The report said that an Abuja resident paid an average of N257 for bus journey within the city in February.

    ‘‘Average fare paid by commuters for bus journey within the city increased by 0.01 per cent month-on-month and by 50.42 per cent year-on-year to N122.85 in February from N122.83 in January.

    ‘‘States with highest bus journey fare within city in February were Abuja N257.50, Cross River N223.33 and Adamawa N200.

    ‘‘The States with lowest bus journey fare within city in February were Borno N68.75, Yobe N60 and Plateau N78.57.’’

    The report stated that average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity dropped by 1.31 per cent month-on-month and increased by 26.00 per cent year-on-year to N1, 411.87 in February from N1430.63 in January.

    It added that states with highest bus journey within city in February 2017 were Abuja N4, 566.67, Adamawa N3, 350.00 and Niger N2,337.50.

    The report, however, said that the states with lowest bus journey fare within city were Kano N850.00, Ebonyi N750 and Abia N683.33.

    ‘‘Average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey dropped by 0.24 per cent month-on-month and increased by 27.34 per cent year-on-year to N30,718.10 in February from N30,793.43 in January.

    ‘‘States with highest air fare in the month were Edo N40,000, Borno N35,878 and Cross River N35,758 while states with lowest air fare were Kano N25,227.56, Kaduna N23,308.48 and Katsina N21,000.

    ‘‘Average fare paid by commuters for journey by motorcycle per drop dropped by 0.31 per cent month-on-month and increased by 24.53 per cent year-on-year to N93.93 in February from N94.22 in January.’’

    Meanwhile, the report said that states with highest journey fare by motorcycle per drop in February were Rivers N152.50, Abia N151.25 and Edo N150.83.

    It further said that the states with lowest journey fare by motorcycle per drop in the month were Ekiti N53.67, Zamfara N54.09 and Niger N58.00.

    According to the report, average fare paid by passengers for water way passenger transport dropped by 3.84 per cent month-on-month.

    It stated that the fare increased by 19.29 per cent year-on-year to N569.68 from to N592.68.

    ‘‘States with highest fare by water way passenger transport in February were Bayelsa N1,933.33, Delta N1,633.33 and Cross River N1,700.00.

    ‘‘The states with lowest fare by water way passenger transport in February 2017 were kebbi N220.00, Gombe N150.00 and Borno N117.89,’’ it added.

  • 130,000 pupils for Cross River feeding project

    THE Cross River State government has announced that the feeding of 130, 000 pupils in about 1, 100 public pre-primary, primary and junior secondary schools in the state would begin  in six weeks. The aim, according to government, is to drive pupils’enrolment in schools and ensure a high nutritional value.

    The state Coordinator and Special Adviser of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Mr Gabriel Okulaja, spoke during a workshop organised by his office in collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investment Programme of the Office of the Vice President.

    “We also have to enhance the value chain which has to do with the agricultural sector. We want to grow a local economy that would ensure we have sustainable communities,” Okulaja said.

    He continued: “We are to start feeding children in schools in about six weeks. A lot of work has been done. The first level is getting the schools, which we identified. We have also identified the number of vendors we need. The programme provides for a number of people to be fed by a number of vendors. A vendor is supposed to do a maximum of 150 per day. We have agreed on the state implementation framework, and the menus. We now go into the next level, which is the final screening of the vendors, which relates to their medicals and a training based on the outcome of this workshop.

    “An estimated number of pupils has not been fixed yet. We are still verifying the numbers. But what we have captured is about 130, 000. That is for the entry level. The final number would be out in about two weeks. Benefitting schools will be about 1,100 schools across the state. We are looking at nothing less than 1,000 vendors.”

    A communiqué at the end of the workshop signed by Chairman, Etaba Okpa Etaba, and secretary, Sir Demort Achor as well as six other members, called for the establishment and domestication of a policy for the state home grown school feeding programme.

    They also called for the supply of improved seeds and seedlings, fertilisers, agro-chemicals to small-scale farmers and building capacity on improved farm practices to boost local production of agricultural produce, among others.

     

  • Ndoma-Egba vows to change public perception of NDDC

    Ndoma-Egba vows to change public perception of NDDC

    The Chairman of the Governing Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba says steps are being taken to change the negative perception of the commission by the public.

    Ndoma-Egbe said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He regretted that the public image of the commission was not encouraging, adding that It would no longer be business as usual.

    According to him, members of the commission are being accused of collecting kick backs from contractors of the commission before paying them for contracts executed.

    “The story in the public is that the commission collects 10 to 15 per cent from contractors to get their payments for jobs executed.

    “This is absolutely wrong, if it is true, getting such payments from contractors would have become an industry by itself.

    “There is no reason why contractors who have met conditions for payment should not be paid without any gratification.

    “We are coming on board at a very challenging time.’’

    According to him, we must rebrand the commission and change the public perception of it as a slush fund, and this we must do through our honest work and single minded focus and discipline.Ndoma-Egba also pledged to reposition the board to enable it play its role effectively in the administration of the commission.

    He explained that the NDDC under his leadership would no longer serve as a place where things would be done without adhering strictly to set rules and order.

    “The bane of the commission seems to stem from the mentality of the leadership that once they are appointed, it is their turn to rip off the agency.

    “But the new Board and Management of the commission have understood where we are coming from and what the people expect from us and we have decided to depart from the ugly route of the past,’’ he said

    To this end, Ndoma-Egba said that on assumption of office, the management immediately swung into action by taking measures to put their house in order and change the way things were being done in the commission.

    He said this was done to show their seriousness and desire to stick to accountability and to ensure the much needed development.

    The chairman said the management assembled key members of staff and development partners for a retreat in February.

    This, he noted was part of efforts by the commission to reposition it for effective service delivery.

    “The three-day retreat, with the theme; “Collaboration for Sustainable Development”, held in Onne, Rivers State, and was attended by members of the Governing Board, directors, and strategic stakeholders from within and outside the region.

    “The retreat made it clear that the new Board and Management are solely dedicated to integrity, efficiency, transparency and accountability,” he stated.

    Speaking on abandoned projects in the region, Ndoma-Egba blamed the budget process for being “largely responsible for the spate of abandoned projects in the region.’’

    “The approach to projects has been ad hoc, arbitrary and self-serving, with very little end-user content. Many projects appear strange to beneficiary communities.

    “The projects are imposed on them and it creates crisis of ownership.

    “It will be apt to expect that with the combination of the chairman and the managing director in the saddle, a new era of rapid physical development driven by accountability will for once dominate the affairs of the commission.

    “Indeed, those who have taken time to look into the books of the commission are quick to point out that the amount of money received by the intervention agency since its establishment in 2000.“It is not commensurate with the quantity and quality of projects in the nine oil producing states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Imo, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers.

  • Border communities in Cross River seek electricity supply

    Border communities in Cross River seek electricity supply

    Residents of communities in Cross River State bordering Cameroon have appealed to the government to restore electricity, to improve economic activities.
    They spoke in interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nfum, Etung Local Government, yesterday.
    Mr. Augustine Agbor-Attah, the clan head of Nfum, told NAN the community did not have electricity in the last three years.
    He said the situation affected people’s lives, adding that the community lacked social amenities and infrastructure.
    Agbor-Attah said besides electricity, they needed potable water, hospital and schools.
    His words: “In terms of infrastructure, we are lacking a lot. We don’t have water, electricity, schools and hospitals.
    “This is an international border town. We are supposed to have basic amenities, including hotels, but we are lacking these.
    “The officers manning the border post do not even have good accommodation. The roads need to be expanded because of the terrain.’’
    Mr. Emmanuel Ndum, the youth leader of Ajassor, said business did not thrive because of lack of electricity.
    He said since high tension cables were connected in 2014, nothing had been done to provide electricity.
    “The people have been complaining of non-supply of power. They want the government to complete the project, to give them a sense of belonging.
    “We have been using generators. This is not good for the environment. A litre of petrol is N160, ’’ Ndum said.
    Another resident, Mrs. Veronica Ntui, said the community needed warehouses, to promote business.
    “We need warehouses in this town. This is a border community from where goods go out and come into the country daily.’’
    A businesswoman, Ms. Patience Okoronkwo, told NAN running a business in the border community without electricity was very expensive.
    She said she recorded low profit because a good percentage of the profit went into buying of fuel to keep her generator running.
    “It is very difficult to sell drinks without electricity, especially now that the weather is hot and every customer wants a cool drink.
    “I appeal to the government to look into our plight and give us electricity because we paid bills regularly before this indefinite blackout,’’ Okoronkwo said.

  • ‘Cross River hasn’t met guidelines for super-highway’

    The Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) has said the Cross River State government cannot resume work on the proposed super-highway because it has not met guidelines set by agency.

    A statement by its Director-General, Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi, alleged that if the project continued without proper EIA and Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) BAP, it will create environmental and social hazard on the people.

    It advised the state government to adhere strictly to provisions of the EIA Act and suspend construction plans.

    The statement reads: “Contrary to the claim that the Cross River State government has met all guidelines, the belated EIA report was full of errors and inconsistencies.

    “A revised EIA and BAP from the state government was submitted last January to the FME, which was passed to relevant stakeholders, including NCF, for further review. It was observed that the revised reports were fraught with inconsistencies, misrepresentations, falsification and errors. The observations were recently conveyed to the FME.

    “The threat by the state government to continue with the construction without an approved EIA goes to show the level at which it is unwilling to abide by the laws governing major development projects. It should be stated here that all such projects all over the country are obliged to follow the EIA Act.

    “No mention was made of over 185 communities that will be totally displaced from their ancestral lands and the vast acreage of forest land that will be destroyed.”

    According to reports, Commissioner of Information Mrs. Rosemary Archibong, described the Federal Ministry of Environment’s effort to ensure that due process is followed as “thwarting the state government’s effort”.

    She said though it had strived to meet all demand to ensure a take-off of the project, the government was still battling with approval one year after.

  • Cross River NUT launches coop

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Cross River State has launched a multipurpose cooperative society to alleviate the financial problems of its members.

    At the inauguration of a complex for the society on the NUT premises in Calabar, Chairman of the union, Comrade Eyo Nsa Itam, said the society would save teachers from paying exorbitant interests on loans.

    “Most of our teachers have been prisoners in the hands of shylocks.  You see teachers get loans and paying outrageous interests. So we decided to pool our resources together to see how we can assist our teachers get loans to solve their problems at little or no interest. We want to impact on the lives of our members,” he said.

    The union’s National President, Comrade Michael Alogba-Olukoya, praised the state government and the state NUT wing for the development.

    “Cross River State is one of those states we are proud of in this country because they are good ambassadors. This is a giant step towards uplifting the status of teachers.

    “This cooperative is for the teachers to make hay while the sun shines. It is a rescue welfare scheme. These days when you go to the functional bank or microfinance bank, the interest rate is always so high. Here we can be our brothers’ keepers, pooling our resources together to help ourselves. It is starting as a multipurpose credit society for now. It would grow to become microfinance bank,” he said.

    Commissioner for Education, Mr Godwin Eta, described the development as a result of hard work, cooperation and demonstration of capacity that shows the leaders of the union at both the state and national level were working together to achieve for their members.

    He said the government would continue to work with the union to promote teachers’ welfare and develop education.

    “The governor is a professor and deputy also is a professor. So, they are taking education very seriously and have stepped up our ranking. The governor has given approval to promote teachers from level 16 to 17. We have never had that in the state. Many more will come,” Eta said.