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Tag: Cross River

  • SMEDAN, Cross River partner on job creation

    SMEDAN, Cross River partner on job creation

    Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),Alhaji Bature Umar Masari, has said the agency will partner the Cross River State government to create jobs.

    He lamented that previous governments neglected  SMEs.

    Masari, who spoke when a delegation of the government of Cross River State, led by the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mr. Chris Njah Mbu-Ogar, visited him in Abuja.

    In a statement,  Head, Public Communications Unit of the agency, Ibrahim Mohammed, said Ogar was at SMEDAN to discuss positive avenues of collaboration between the agency and the state government, particularly on the development and promotion of MSMEs in the state.

    According to him, this is because the state has been losing out on SMEDAN programmes.

    Masari said the agency had written to the governor on the partnership, stressing that it would go a long way in arresting unemployment and poverty.

    “I am glad that the governor is proactive to the people, he is leading because he has the desire to collaborate and implement his programme in manpower development. He is a wiling and committed partner,” he said.

    Masari explained that SMEDAN has partnership with so many states even before the last general elections and parades programmes such as the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) that focuses on products in each local governments of the country.

    He cited Oyo State as an example where the organisation has been going round the local governments, partnering and establishing small enterprises.

    “States should borrow a leaf from Oyo State to improve on the enterprises of the people. We also want the Cross Rivers State government to develop the Industrial Development Centre (IDC) in Ogoja as this would go a long way in developing MSMEs in the state,” he stated.

  • Cross River, Thai firm to build Rice City in Africa

    Cross River, Thai firm to build Rice City in Africa

    The Cross River State government and a Thai firm, Thai-Africa Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of what would be the first Rice City in Africa, in the Southsouth state.

    The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

    Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade signed on behalf of his state while Ms. Pantipa Dhangom, the Executive Director of the Thai – Africa Corporation, signed on behalf of her organisation.

    Since assuming office, Governor Ayade has pledged to make the state  the number one rice producer in the country.

    According to the MoU, Thai-Africa will be the core investor, who will develop the Rice City project in partnership with Cross River State government.

    Details of the project as highlighted in the MoU indicate that the Rice City will have a solar mediated and automated rice seedling and nursery propagation centre, rice plantation with irrigation infrastructure and mill including packaging and distribution.

    The centre will also have an Agriculture Training Centre, whic will oversee the development of various economic crop projects including but not limited to oil palm, sugar cane, cassava, maize, soya beans and more.

    It will also have a full mechanised site clearing, planting, weeding and harvesting equipment.

    Thai-Africa Corporation is to facilitate international funding for the execution of the various projects.

    The business relationship is expected to attract multi-billion dollars investment into Cross River State.

  • Cross River, Australia to collaborate on investments

    The Cross River State and Australian governments are exploring areas of investment collaborations.

    Australia, which is taking advantage of the peaceful investment climate in the state, is planning investments in solid minerals, agriculture, fabrication and energy sectors.

    Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Jonathan Richardson, spoke yesterday in Calabar, the state capital, when he visited Governor Ben Ayade.

    The envoy said Australia, which had pitched its business tents in parts of the country, was willing to collaborate with the state to develop some sites and turn them into viable business ventures.

    He noted that Cross River State was a secure and safe part of the country, making it more suitable for investment.

    Richardson promised to take advantage of the peace in the state to attract investors.

    The envoy said a group of Australian businessmen would visit the state for the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick-start various businesses of mutual benefits to both parties as well as create jobs.

    Ayade said the partnership with the Australian government would boost his administration’s economic agenda aimed at turning the state into an investment hub in sub-Sahara Africa.

    He said: “We would like to collaborate with the Australian government to explore existing business opportunities in the state, with particular focus on the establishment of a fabrication yard. This is very few in the country; existing ones are located in Lagos.”

    Ayade said the state planned to take advantage of the huge market in the sector and explore the Mining sector.

    He added: “From our investigation and findings, there is a huge deposit of gold and tantalite in commercial quantity at Uyanga, Akamkpa Local Government Area. This is why we are seeking competent miners to invest in this endowment to boost our revenue profile as well as create jobs for youths. This is even more important to us as a government.”

  • Ayade: Cross River ready for Buhari

    Ayade: Cross River ready for Buhari

    •Obong of Calabar excited 

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has restated the state’s readiness to host President Muhammed Buhari tomorrow for the inauguration of the construction work on its 260-kilometre six-lane super highway.

    Ayade spoke during his inspection of ongoing preliminary work at the site of the groundbreaking ceremony.

    He described the President’s planned visit to the state as “an epoch because it represents the fact that he will identify with any state that has a clear vision, irrespective of party line or political calculations as much as you do all that fits into his core values.”

    The President’s visit is significant in more ways than one, he added.

    “The President confirmed that he is not just coming, but to him it is a home-coming because he was one of the few generals that fought for the emancipation of Gakem, Bekwarra Local Government Area during the civil war and has traversed all that terrain. So, it is a terrain that he knows very well and he understands the value of our proposed projects and that is why he is personally committed to its actualisation,” he said.

    Ayade added: “As he performs the groundbreaking for the 260 kilometre superhighway, we are challenged to ensure its completion so that he can commission it. It is a strong commitment he has given and I am sure Cross Riverians are anxiously waiting to receive him on Tuesday.

    “Our President is long done with politics just as I have and he is now facing governance and that is why he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    The Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V, and other traditional rulers in the state, in separate interviews, expressed their delight at the President’s visit and promised to drum up support for the project, which they described as a catalyst to the socio-economic development of the state.

    The Obong, who could not hide his excitement at the visit and the effort so far put in place by the governor, said: “I am equally happy that our state governor has started showing signs of dynamism and as somebody who has the interest of the people  at heart because he has started very well. He is using his contact well because we will support this idea to ensure that it comes to fruition.”

    Chairman, Traditional Rulers Council and Paramount Ruler of Bakassi, where the deep seaport is to be sited, HRH Etiyin Etim Okon Edet, said: “The super highway and the Deep Seaport project in Bakassi shows clearly that this government is poised to change the story of his people.

    “We have been abandoned for so many years. The Deep Seaport which is domiciled in Bakassi will signal to the whole world that the neglected people of Bakassi now have a saviour and messiah in the person of the governor of Cross River State. We take his government as our government because our people believe that he will be the one to take us out of the woods.”

  • Cross River youths urged to develop businesses

    Cross River youths urged to develop businesses

    Cross River State has often been generally regarded as slow in terms of businesses.  But a group of young people, led by Mr Stanley Nsemo, believes the tide can be turned with the right attitude to business.

    •Mr Nsemo
    •Mr Nsemo

    At a programme tagged Aspire Calabar held at the Channel View Hotel in Calabar, Nsemo, who is the managing partner of White Chapel and Partners, said the aim was to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people in the state

    Nsemo said: “What we are trying to do is a collaboration between a few young men that have grown up here in the state and looking for an opportunity to give back to the state by helping young people to inspire them to aspire to be more. We are trying to communicate to young people to come up, get entrepreneurs, become enterprising and do things differently and stop waiting for things to

    “We have committed ourselves to mentorship, to build a few young persons in business. So we would pick 10 of their proposals, and give them a hundred thousand for each of them and groom them into business ideas that are workable and profitable to add values to the state.  If we can successfully do town people every year, that would be a huge contribution. We intend to groom 10 young people every year.

    “We pray that the government would see what we have done. The government has done so much so far. We are working with the entrepreneurship development centre, EDC. They are providing training. They already have a subsidized training curriculum that we are assessing for this 10 people.”

    He continued: “Governor Ben Ayade is on the right track. The focus that he has on entrepreneurship is what we are looking for. We are luck to have a governor that understands that it is a business enterprise that drives the development of any state and as long as we have good ideas your state will grow.

    “There is problem in the country and it is because most young people feel the society owes them too much. Now that is not to say the society does not owe them. It owes them the enabling environment to grow and be good citizens, but your development and growth comes from within. You must push yourself. As young people, this is the opportunity they need to see others like themselves that have been able to break free of the shackle of thinking that people have to look after you. Start small think big. When you start like that opportunities would present themselves to help you scale up your business.”

    Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Mr Bassey Ewa Henshaw encouraged the youth to be bold and hardworking as nothing good comes easy.

    General Manager, Investment Funding and Credit, Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, Mr Louis Ibok, said there was a need to inspire young people to start and run their own businesses as a way of pursuing their dreams and contributing to society.

    “If the youth gathered here because they need to start businesses, we need to also highlight what they need to do to leverage the opportunities available in the state so their businesses can start and grow as a means of solving unemployment and poverty issues within our society.

    “Generally speaking business can thrive in any climate. All you need to do is learn what the variables are and how you can adapt your business model to whatever is happening at a particular time.”

    Director Davandy Group of Companies, Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong, “The message is that when you want to start a business, go about the documentation, have business plan, do painful research, try to raise finance and then go into your business. Hire the right people and also have a sense of conviction about what you are going to do because there will be challenges.”

  • ‘No Cross River pilgrim killed in Hajj stampede’

    The Cross River State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has said no pilgrim from the state was among the dead in this year’s Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia.

    Head of Islamic Affairs in the State Department of Religious Matters and Coordinator of the 2015 Hajj operations, Mallam Bello Audu, told reporters in Calabar, the state capital, that he had been in touch with the 37 pilgrims from the state, adding they were “hale and hearty”.

    Audu said: “We give glory to Almighty Allah that no pilgrim from the state was missing when a head count was done for the 37 pilgrims from the state in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. We also thank Governor Ben Ayade, who has promised to always listen to Muslims in Cross River State and give them their rights.

    “That nothing happened to the pilgrims from Cross River State shows that the governor’s prayers have been answered as a good believer and a man of God.

    “We regret the loss of lives at Jamarat. As Muslims, we condole with the affected persons and their families in Nigeria and in other countries with prayers that Almighty Allah will grant the dead Aljanna Firdaus (Paradise) as well as grant the victims’ families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

  • Cross River workers begin indefinite strike today

    Cross River State workers will today begin an indefinite strike, following government’s alleged inability to meet their demands.

    A bulletin circulated by Organised Labour Action Committee stipulated that their demands included the salaries of local government workers, teachers, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) workers, allowances and other salary-related payments.

    The bulletin reads: “Labour says bailout funds are meant for the payment of salary arrears, outstanding gratuities/pensions and deductions from salaries.

    “Comrades, this is our stand. Our demand is that the government offsets these payments; if not, please, sit at home as from October 2.

    “Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are grounded: no activity, no funding. (It has been) one-man show; no Exco. Boards, commissions and agencies have not been formed. Promotion of civil servants has been stalled. Salaries are paid in parts, no release of deductions from salaries. Civil servants are made bad debtors to banks and loan vendors. All we hear is noise and sirens. Comrades, we are tired of waiting.”

    After a botched meeting with the Governor Ben Ayade, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) State Chairman John Ushie said the governor did not grant them audience to sort out the issues until they resorted to the strike.

    Ushie added: “The strike is organised by the joint council, but as affiliates, we are supporting them. So, we just came out from a meeting with the government of Cross River State. We met with the deputy governor and it was smooth. It was going well in the way of negotiations; he pleaded that we should meet with the governor. We waited for a long time. But when he came and met us, he expressed disappointment because he said he had done a lot for Cross River and thought the workers would appreciate that. He said we did not.

  • Cross River workers begin indefinite strike on Friday

    Workers in Cross River State will on Friday embark on an indefinite strike following Government’s inability to meet their demands.
    Bulletins circulated by the Organised Labour Action Committee Bulletin indicated their demands included salaries of local government staff, teachers, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) staff, weighed in allowances and other salary related payments.
    They were shocked that the government claimed that the bailout funds they received was to offset loans acquired.
    “Labour says bailout funds are meant for payment of salary arrears, outstanding gratuities/pension and deduction from salaries.
    “Comrades this is our stand, our demand is that the government offsets all these payments if not please sat at home from October 2, 2015.
    “MDAs are grounded, no activity, no funding. One man show, no exco. Boards, commissions and agencies not formed. Promotion of civil servants stalled. Salaries paid in parts, no release of deductions from salaries. Civil servants are made bad debtors to banks and loan vendors. All we hear is noise and sirens. Comrades, we are tired of waiting,” the Bulletin read.
    After a botched meeting with the Governor Ben Ayade, Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade John Ushie, said the governor never granted them audience to sort out the issues until they had to resort to strike.
    “The strike is organized by the joint council, but as affiliates we are giving them the covering fire, so we just came out from a meeting with the government of Cross River State. We met with the deputy governor and it was smooth and it was going well in the way of negotiations and he pleaded we should meet with the governor.
    “We waited for a long time and when he came and met us he expressed disappointment because he said he has done a lot for Cross River and thought the workers would appreciate that but we did not. We let him understand that it was not true that workers don’t appreciate that he has paid salaries and paid net, because salaries are based on gross. But this other ones remaining are statutory. So if they are statutory and they are made from salaries, there is a need to remit that.
    “So check off dues should go to the union, loans from bank go the bank, then the computer scheme should to the company that supplied the computer, because Labour had given an approval to that in conjunction with government. So if government now sureties us and we now surety our workers, that money should go to where we they are supposed to go, otherwise, it would amount to double deductions.
    “We also let them know things are difficult for workers. Workers are getting loans from banks. That is how they are managing to survive, because the salaries we collect today in the service cannot take us.
    “Therefore these workers access loans from the bank and for the fact that the state government has refused to remit loans that were deducted from them to the banks, the bank has refused to give them loans. Many of them have come to my office to cry. So we appeal to the government to release what is due the workers. That is not government money. It is the money of the workers. That is what we are asking for. It is not something new.
    “We as workers of Cross River State appreciate the government. We are ready to cooperate as Labour, but that we are ready to cooperate does not erase the fact that what is supposed to be done right is not done and we keep quiet. It is not an issue of getting offended that we did not appreciate him, the truth is that there is a disconnect, no communication. We have sought audience severally with the governor to no avail. Since he assumed office this is the first time we are meeting. And if it was not because of the strike action, we would not have been able to meet with him,” Ushie said.
    Chairman of the State Joint Service Negotiation Council, Comrade Thomas Igbang, said the meeting they had with the governor ended in a stalemate because “we did not come to any agreement on issues we raised with the government.”

  • I’ll earn your trust, Ayade tells Cross River residents

    I’ll earn your trust, Ayade tells Cross River residents

    Cross Rivers State Governor Benedict Ayade yesterday assured the people of the state that he will earn their trust through good governance.

    Ayade spoke at an interdenominational service at the St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Calabar, the state capital, as part of events to celebrate Nigeria’s 55th Independence anniversary.

    The governor urged the people to have faith in him but not trust.

    He pledged to earn their trust through purposeful leadership.

    Ayade said: “With time and patience from you, I will earn your trust by the achievements I will record. But, please, don’t trust me until I earn your trust.”

    The governor was presented with a holy Bible and rosary.

    Ayade said he inherited a “state rich in character and quality men”.

    He added: “I believe I inherited a wealthy state with great potentials. The potentials need to be nursed and harnessed. I come with the intellect, the capacity, humility and fear of God to harness all of these resources for the betterment of the people of Cross River State.”

    Ayade said he had a clear picture of the direction he was taking the state‘.

    The governor noted that he had kept to his promise to pay workers’ salaries before the 25th of every month.

    According to him, salaries have been paid frequently on the 25th of every month, despite the meagre resources available to the state.

    He said Cross River had not borrowed in the face of the current financial challenges.

    Ayade called for a reversal of the nation’s privatisation policy.

    The governor described it as unacceptable because it did not augur well with the true African philosophy of providing a shoulder for fellow brothers to lean on.

    He added that Nigeria’s current state of development does not support privatisation.

    Ayade listed the reasons for his stance on tax exemption for low income earners.

    The governor said his background played a vital role in shaping his philosophy of governance.

  • Death toll on Cross River road: 43 in 8 weeks

    Death toll on Cross River road: 43 in 8 weeks

    Another eight persons lost their lives Friday in a ghastly autocrash along the Okurikang axis of the deplorable Calabar-Itu Highway in Cross River State

    Eye witnesses said the accident involved a truck and four other vehicles.

    The incident which occurred at about 10.30 brings to 43 the number of lives that have been lost on the federal highway in the past eight weeks.

    The eye witness said the driver of the truck who was carrying scraps and heading to Aba lost control and rammed into four other cars killing some of the occupants.

    The Sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) in Cross River State, Mr. Ikechukwu Igwe confirmed the incident saying, “five vehicles were involved, a truck and four other vehicles and by the time we got there two had already been removed.

    “On the whole eight people died and three people were injured. We took the three injured people to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) first and on our way back to pick the dead ones, we noticed that the police had already evacuated the dead bodies. But our men are there clearing the road and we have made some recoveries including money”.

    Among the dead ones he said include, “one female adult and seven male adult. Two male adult and two female adult are in the hospital now”.

    On the immediate cause of the accident, Igwe said “for the fact that they said a truck was involved means that he was reckless. You know how they drive along that road. Right now the vehicles are in the bush. For the fact that he ran into all the four vehicles, it is either he lost control or he was speeding but I am going to get the details”.

    He appealed to “motorists to be patient” especially as we enter the “ember” months.