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Tag: Cross River

  • Cross River holds maiden outdoor investment forum

    Cross River holds maiden outdoor investment forum

    In its bid to drive investments to improve the economic fortunes of the state, the Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRISAA) has held the maiden edition of the Outdoor Investment Forum.

    The Director-General of CRISAA, Mr Stanely Nsemo, said the aim was to invite all the outdoor operators in Nigeria to Cross River State and identify the myriad of opportunities that are in the state.

    Nsemo said it was time to do things differently and instead of just driving revenue, the agency was also creating opportunities for young people in the state.

    He said: “We understand that the country is in a recession, we understand that we are competition with other states, but giving these advertisers and operators opportunities to see what values to bring that the state is indeed ready to open up and partner with the operators. Their investments are secure in Cross River State.

    “The economy of the state unlike many others, is upward bound, because we have actually been dealing with our economic woes for a long time, before all of these happened. So we are looking forward to having the operators come and partner with us and help us build a more vibrant outdoor sector.

    “One of the things we are looking at is local content. Most of the things that we would be done going forward, would be done from the local content perspective. So fabrication, changing of different displays would be done from a local content perspective. We are looking to drive these skills sets within our community and then grow the skills within our young people. That is what we believe would drive development in our young people.

    “The governor had said we should focus on fabrication, so going forward, what we are looking at doing is looking at how CRISAA as a body can partner with private organizations to establish fabrication workshops. Workshops that would create, make and invest things in the advertising industry. It is a whole new concept. We are now leading the trajectory in advertising outdoor. So this is what we believe is a difference in what we are trying to do. The kind of skills we generate are lifelong skills – skills that would be translated to economic value over time and not just within this bad economic period but also in other economic sectors.”

    The Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu, said the forum was to underscore the critical position of outdoor advertising in national development and its importance the state.

    “Since assumption of office, the present administration has displayed in words and actions, its unrivalled desire to deemphasize dependency on federal allocations through a deliberate industrial drive that will create multiplicity of benefits to all Nigerians and other nationals, residing in and doing business in the state.

    “As a result of the healthy industrial climate, coupled with the relative peace and serenity that abounds in the state, we have witnessed a huge influx of investors into the state, desiring to intervene in different sectors of the state’s economy.

    “The positive scenario will definitely impact on you as operators of outdoor advertising as apart from the huge employment opportunities that will be created in the industry, you will also, play defining roles in getting our various products across the country to the generality of end users, though various outdoor advertising windows.

    “However to ensure proper coordination of outdoor advertising and ensure the maintenance of basic minimum industry standards, the present administration will partner with its Advertising and Signage Agency to ensure appropriate regulation of your activities.

    “The management of the Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRISAA) has accordingly been directed to redefine the agency as an outdoor regulatory body which will not be specifically focused on setting tariffs and revenue collection, but will also be involved in maintaining standards, creating jobs, transferring skills and building a fabrication industry that will cater for our indigenes and the nation at large,”

    Esu said the state’s serene business environment coupled with an encouraging annual growth rate of 4.03 per cent and an annual GDP growth rate of 6.33 per cent will guarantee maximum profit earnings for investments.

    The General Secretary of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria, Femi Ogara, commended the state for the initiative, saying it was pro-active in the face of the economic challenges in the country today.

  • Unending battle for the soul of Cross River PDP

    Unending battle for the soul of Cross River PDP

    The exit of ex-Governor Liyel Imoke from office has thrown up a new twist in the battle for the soul of Cross River State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    Still reeling from the shock of the recent mass defection of some of its key members to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Cross River State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is silently contending with a fresh crisis, impeccable sources have revealed.

    The state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, and the Senator representing the Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, John Owan Enoh, are alleged to be at daggers drawn over the soul of the party in the state, with the personality clash said to have polarised the party’s executive council and the state cabinet.

    This is happening on the heels of the defection of former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma Egba (SAN), who led over 1,000 PDP chieftains, including a former governor of the state, Chief Clement Ebri, a former Senator, Bassey Etu, former representative of Cross River State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr. Paul Adah, an ex-PDP state chairman, Ambassador Soni Abang, a former governorship aspirant of the PDP, Mr. Goddy Jedy-Agba, a former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Mr. Fidelis Ugbo, a PDP governorship aspirant in the last election, amongst several others to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They were received by the National Chairman of the ruling party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, at a well attended event which literally shut down Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

    The defection, which took place on February 13, was just a mere formality as the former PDP chieftains had broken ranks with the former ruling party, following the acrimony that trailed the party’s primaries for governorship and National Assembly seats.

    While the then governor, Liyel Imoke, had favoured Ayade to succeed him to the displeasure of other notable aspirants, including Jeddy Agba and Ugbo, he also opted for John Enoh as replacement for Ndoma Egba, who wanted a fourth term ticket to the Senate.

    Incessant complaints by the aggrieved parties, coupled with the several interventions by the Presidency, former Senate President, David Mark and the national leadership of the PDP failed to sway Imoke to shift ground. Eventually, the former governor had his way. From that point, the PDP in the state became badly fractured. The climax of the disaffection by those disenchanted led to their defection to the APC about two weeks ago.

    The new twist

    With Ndoma Egba, Ebri and others out of PDP, a fresh battle for the soul of the party in the state has ensued, this time between the incumbent governor, Ben Ayade and Senator John Enoh.

    The governor, according to sources, is allegedly peeved that the lawmaker is surreptitiously plotting to take control of the state PDP in order to undermine his administration and scuttle his alleged second term ambition in 2019. Enoh, it was alleged, has his eyes on the governorship in the next three years and is already putting necessary structures in place to actualise his plan.

    A source said: “In the last few months, not a few PDP members in the state, comprising of exco members and members of the House of Assembly have been accusing the governor of underfunding the party. Commissioners are also not left out. They are not happy with their salaries put at N250, 000. These commissioners are leaders in their respective constituencies and need funds to oil the machinery of the party, otherwise they may find it hard to remain loyal to the governor, who is likely to run for a second term come 2019.”

    Enoh steps in

    Sources disclosed that it was this seeming lacuna that Enoh decided to fill by quietly funding the party, while also reaching out to some commissioners and other key chieftains of the party in the state who are allegedly broke and are desperately looking for financial bailout.

    Enoh, it is believed, has deep pocket to fund the party without breaking sweat. Until his election into the Senate where he is currently the Chairman, Committee on Finance, he was an influential member, three term member of the House of Representatives and the Chairman, Committee on Appropriation for two terms.

    Ayade plots counter move

    Relying on intelligence report that his control of the state PDP is being seriously challenged by Enoh, the governor is alleged to be plotting his counter moves to cut the senator to size. One of such moves, sources say, is the likely sack of commissioners in the cabinet, whose loyalty to Enoh has been established.

    However, sources say the governor is not willing to bow to the demands of aggrieved party members for more funding, arguing that the “current financial position of the state cannot accommodate such luxury at this period.”

    Imoke remains neutral

    As Ayade and Enoh allegedly make moves and counter-moves to outwit each other, The Nation gathered that the immediate past governor, Liyel Imoke, has refused to take sides, preferring to stay neutral, because according to a source, the two warring parties are his close political associates.

    The former governor has also rebuffed entreaties from concerned party members to initiate reconciliatory moves, since according to him, what is playing out between Ayade and Enoh is a “mere disagreement” that has been blown out of proportion by “external forces.”

    As this battle for the soul of the state PDP intensifies, it remains to be seen who between the governor and the senator would emerge victorious.

  • ‘Super highway ‘ll help Cross River National Park’

    ‘Super highway ‘ll help Cross River National Park’

    THE conservator of the Cross River State National Park, Mr. Yakubu Mohammed Kolo (Assistant Conservator General),  has expressed delight over the plan of the Cross River State government to construct a super-highway from Calabar to Obudu. He said this will aid accessible to the park.

    His words: “There are lots of benefits that we are going to derive from the superhighway. Right now where our tourist camp is located, Erokut Tourist Camp, is just about three and half kilometres from the road, therefore, that is an advantage to us in terms of easy accessibility to the camp by both park staff and tourists. It will also be useful in our marketing drive.

    “We also believe that the road will assist greatly to open up some of the rural areas as well as mobility of people. To this extent, it is a good project. However, there is need for the state government to adhere strictly to all the environmental issues that bother on the construction of the road, especially, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

    “While we crave for development, there is need to balance development and conservation as this can be made to serve complementary roles. We are pleased that the state government understands our position that the road be re-aligned completely outside the Cross River National Park, as well as provide a buffer between the road and the park.”

    Kolo also said the park is aligning with the tourism vision of the state government.

    He said: “When I arrived here and I realised that though there was a working relationship between the Cross River National Park and the Cross River State Tourism Bureau (CRSTBU) the park did not benefit much from its publicity programmes. The park is a major ecotourism asset in the state. It should be incorporated in the marketing of the state as the country number one tourism destination.

    “On our part we are developing some facilities to cater for the leisure needs of the various categories of visitors to the park.

    “At the moment, we have constructed 35 chalets, a student hostel, a restaurant, jeep tracks, nature trails, and camping sites at Erokut Tourist Camp. There are plans to construct a 500 seater conference facility in the camp this year as well as a canopy-walk-way in the very near future.

    “Again, we are collaborating with CERCOPAN for the release of some species of monkeys to the park, as Erokut Tourist Camp has been chosen for this programme. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed between the National Park Service and CERCOPAN. The experts are already on ground surveying the best location at the camp for the relocation. It is instructive to note that this project will be the first of its kind in West Africa. Furthermore, the release of these monkeys is done under best the IUCN best standards”

    However, Kolo said the challenge the park was funds to carry outs its plans and projects and managing relationship with the host community.  There was also the challenge of manning the vast park and keeping out loggers and poachers from the park. He said: “We will continue to engage the communities in dialogue as the park holds a great promise to the people. There is need for patience and understanding between the park and the communities. The resources belong to the people. The park management is only a trustee

  • I will ensure justice in Cross River, says Attorney-General

    The Cross River State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Joe Ushie, has promised to ensure that justice is served to all.

    In an interaction in his office in Calabar, Abang said he was in the state to render service.

    He said: “I have great plans for the ministry and for the growth of the profession in general. There is a lot to be done. The governor trusted me to give justice, andjustice I would give.

    “I want to provide an enabling legal environment for the legislature and executive and judiciary to work and the beneficiaries of this would be of course the common man. That is my vision. There a lot of innovations I am brining to the table. I have sent a team to understudy the judiciary in Lagos. I want to set up the office of a public defender and a citizen’s mediation centre, which would be removed from the Ministry of Justice.

    “Domestic issues, landlord issues, truancy and so on would be dealt with here. All these issues that should not take people to court, they can go there and ensure that we have lawyers there who would render these services to the public free of charge because we realize that it is not everybody that has money to hire lawyers. So as part of the governor’s contribution to the people of Cross River State, they give you the go ahead to establish that office, so the public can go there and ventilate their rights and wrongs, especially for those who cannot hire lawyers.”

    He said he met a ministry with a lot of potentials which with proper motivation would ensure over the best that it can.

  • UK to engage 20, 000 farmers in Cross River

    The Department for International Development (DFID), a United Kingdom government department, has disclosed that it would engage no fewer 20, 000 farmers in Cross River State in agriculture by 2018.

    The Team Leader of DFID, Dr. Jerry Lacey, who stated this during an interview with journalists in Calabar, said Cross River State already has 33 per cent of DFID’s interest in the Niger Delta region.

    The area of focus according to Lacey would be financial intervention to farmers for the expansion of agriculture with emphasis on oil palm production and possibly the new direction of the state government which is rice and banana production.

    Lacey further said that Cross River State is one of the front runners in the new Nigeria because of her commitment to the core values of good governance and human integrity.

    He said, “If Cross River State must be active player in the palm oil business, the state must restructure in line with what Indonesia has done with regards to palm oil export. We will accord the state the same assistance we gave to Indonesia.

    “Over 9000 people whom we are working with now are already in Cross River and about 10, 000 to 20, 000 would be Cross River State-based between now and 2018.”

    Lacey disclosed that the key focus of DFID in the Niger-Delta region was to develop agriculture, adding that the department’s major program in the region at the moment has about 25, 000 beneficiaries.

    “At the present time, the main programme actually has had about 25, 000 beneficiaries in the Niger Delta area and Cross River State is the largest single contribution as it accounts for 33 percent of the development we have to make in the region,” he stressed.

    He commended Governor Ben Ayade for the pacesetting initiative in transforming the state and assured that DFID would support his effort.

  • Four Catholic nuns killed in Cross River auto crash

    Four reverend sisters of the Catholic Church were killed in autocrash along the Nkarasi/Alok axis of the Ikom/Ogoja highway in Cross River State on Tuesday, The Nation gathered Wednesday.

    Two other reverend sisters, who were critically injured, were rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ikom.

    The six reverend sisters were in a Toyota Sienna car from Ogoja local government area to Biase local government, when the unfortunate incident occurred, it was learnt.

    The vehicle was driven by one of the Sisters.

    An eyewitness said the accident occurred when a truck carrying soft drinks lost control and veered into their lane causing a head on collision.

    Also on Monday a truck filled with granite lost control along 8 Miles in Calabar and veered off the road, killing four people.

    Another unfortunate accident occurred along the Beebobsco axis of the Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar on Tuesday, when a bus caught fire killing one man.

    An eye witness said the bus suddenly caught fire, but all the passengers managed to escape, except the ill-fated man, who was believed to have a bad led and sitting close to the petrol tank.

     

     

  • Ayade suspends commercial drivers’ levies

    Ayade suspends commercial drivers’ levies

    Cross River State governor, Prof Ben Ayade, Wednesday suspended all levies paid by commercial drivers in the state.

    The governor gave the order when members of the Unified Commercial Drivers Association in the state protested alleged the impounding of their vehicles, multiple taxation and a levy hike in his office in Calabar Wednesday.

    Ayade who sent the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Tina Agbor, to speak on his behalf said, “All your cars will be released. All the levies would be suspended, until the governor gets the papers and looks at them properly. When that is done, we would tell you what to pay.”

    Chairman of the Association, Pastor Thomas Effiong Okon, who led the protesters, said, “We have always been supportive of the government. We have registered without complain. We gave government the support. We are not outsiders but part and parcel of the system. But it is an abnormality for people to sit on us because of their political appointments.

    “On Monday we woke up and we saw our tickets had risen to N500 daily from N400. The N400 was even too high for us and we were even negotiating how to sort it out and the next thing it was just increased like that. As a peace loving person I met the State Security Adviser (SSA) on Monday, the issue was the same and they impounded our vehicles.

    “We were with the SSA, Commissioner for Transport, the Department of Public Transportation (DOPT), and the Area Commander and sat down to sort out the issue because we don’t want to embarrass ourselves because this state is our state. They promised us yesterday that something was going to be done and it would go back to normal, but we discovered this was a falsehood.

    “That is why we are here today to see the governor to tell us because we are over taxed. There is multiple taxation, multiple enforcement, so many government agencies are collecting money from taxes on daily basis.”

  • I will ensure justice in Cross River, says Attorney-General

    The Cross River State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Joe Ushie, has promised to ensure that justice is served to all.

    In an interaction in his office in Calabar, Abang said he was in the state to render service.

    He said: “I have great plans for the ministry and for the growth of the profession in general. There is a lot to be done. The governor trusted me to give justice, andjustice I would give.

    “I want to provide an enabling legal environment for the legislature and executive and judiciary to work and the beneficiaries of this would be of course the common man. That is my vision. There a lot of innovations I am brining to the table. I have sent a team to understudy the judiciary in Lagos. I want to set up the office of a public defender and a citizen’s mediation centre, which would be removed from the Ministry of Justice.

    “Domestic issues, landlord issues, truancy and so on would be dealt with here. All these issues that should not take people to court, they can go there and ensure that we have lawyers there who would render these services to the public free of charge because we realize that it is not everybody that has money to hire lawyers. So as part of the governor’s contribution to the people of Cross River State, they give you the go ahead to establish that office, so the public can go there and ventilate their rights and wrongs, especially for those who cannot hire lawyers.”

    He said he met a ministry with a lot of potentials which with proper motivation would ensure over the best that it can.

     

  • 11 houses burnt, 15 injured in C’River communal conflict

    11 houses burnt, 15 injured in C’River communal conflict

    At least 15 persons have reportedly sustained bullet wounds, while 11 residential buildings were burnt following an alleged invasion of Oyoba village in Wanikade by the people of a neighbouring community, Ihetazi in Wanihem, Ukele North in Yala local government area of Cross River State.

    The invasion, which resulted from a boundary dispute, caused the displacement of over 130 persons including women and children.

    A visit to the area revealed destruction of foodstuff including yams, rice, garri, economic trees and household property such as sewing machines, electronics, as well as motorcycles and bicycles.

    Also destroyed were sources of water such as streams and wells, which were poisoned with chemicals, debris and rocks.

    Chief Christopher Okoko of Oyoba, whose property was also destroyed by the invaders narrated that their attackers came on Saturday, January 23 at about three o’clock in the afternoon, when most of the villagers were in the community market about a kilometre away and carried out the wanton destruction.

    According to him, those who dared to challenge them were shot and wounded while the elderly, children and women were chased away from the village.

    He said fifteen persons that sustained bullet wounds were being treated in various hospitals and clinics.

    Chief Okoko described the attack as senseless and barbaric, stating that the invaders have lived for ages as brothers and have inter-married.

    He said their action was capable of destroying the cordiality between the two communities.

    A youth leader, Mr. Mathias Egede described the invasion as an act of war and that the security agents should bring the culprits to book.

    He stated that the destruction of homes, yam barns and seed silos in an agrarian community depicted an intention to annihilate the community.

    A woman Helen Idah, who spoke from where she was taking refuge with her children and relatives, said she feared for the lives of those who were married either side of the divide.

    She urged the leaders of the warring communities to resolve the matter amicably to restore peace and guarantee economic and social progress.

    Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. John Inaku, who assessed the damage described the destruction as massive and condemned the action.

    While calling for peace, he expressed concern over the state of the internally displaced persons and assured of government’s intervention.

     

     

  • Labour Party chairman slams defectors in Cross River

    Labour Party chairman slams defectors in Cross River

    The chairman of the Labour Party in Cross River State, Mr Austin Ibok has slammed defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) describing them as despicable.

    Ibok said in Calabar, “I wonder if most of the defectors would have considered joining APC if the 2015 presidential elections was won by the PDP. I also wonder if they will remain in APC if their future political ambitions is not realised or the appointment they hope to get from the center is not given to them.”

    He posited that if they are any set of people the APC must attend to first in terms of appointments and empowerment, it is the original APC members who kept faith with the party in the midst of nothing.

    Ibok, who also doubles as the Special Adviser to the governor on Inter Party Affairs described the defectors as fair weather politicians who seek to gain from a party than contribute to make the party more formidable.

    He urged leadership of the APC to be very careful with the defectors even as he hopes that those of them moving to APC today will not dump the party if the party loses power in future.

    “The defectors especially those from Cross River State are the same people who have milked the state dry in the past 16 years in the various positions of responsibility they attained. They are merely looking for another opportunity and platform to continue to unleash their wicked tendencies as the defectors seem to have forgotten in a hurry how their new found party rose to power. It was was sheer hard work, perseverance, patience and commitment that gave APC its victory – a feature that is completely lacking in the new entrants,” he said.

    He also noted that those picking holes in his appointment as Special Adviser on Inter Party Affairs that his appointment is as a result of the desire of the governor to run an all inclusive government where members of the opposition can also play a prominent role.

    He said his appointment has not in any way stripped the party of its position as the most credible alternative platform.

    He said the role of the opposition was to offer constructive criticism on government programmes and projects when it is anti people, offer solutions, as well as commend them when they do right.

    “The role of the opposition is basically to checkmate government in order to help them deliver on their campaign promises, a role the Labour Party will continue to play,” he said.