Paradise News

Category: Business

  • CRS Govt partners with teams from Israel and Dublin to tackle the challenge of waste disposal in the state


    The Cross River State Govt has partners with two teams from Israel and Dublin to tackle the waste menace surrounding the state. 

    The flooding of waste in the state is not a new thing again especially here in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital.

    Addressing the issue, Gov Ayade disclosed this at the Lemna dumpsites in Calabar during an inspection, explaining that the challenge in Calabar was disposal and not waste evacuation.

    He said a new waste dumpsite will be created in Idundu, Akpabio LGA.

    Ayade further disclosed that he has increased his budgetary provision for waste disposal to meet the current challenges.

    And he also appeals to Cross Riverians to be patient while the State Government works out a solution.

  • CRS Govt partners with teams from Israel and Dublin to tackle the challenge of waste disposal in the state


    The Cross River State Govt has partners with two teams from Israel and Dublin to tackle the waste menace surrounding the state. 

    The flooding of waste in the state is not a new thing again especially here in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital.

    Addressing the issue, Gov Ayade disclosed this at the Lemna dumpsites in Calabar during an inspection, explaining that the challenge in Calabar was disposal and not waste evacuation.

    He said a new waste dumpsite will be created in Idundu, Akpabio LGA.

    Ayade further disclosed that he has increased his budgetary provision for waste disposal to meet the current challenges.

    And he also appeals to Cross Riverians to be patient while the State Government works out a solution.

  • Cross River State Residents Suffers Water Scarcity As 500 Million Dollars Water Board Staff Training Allocation Got Missing

    For over weeks now, indigenes and residents of Cross River State has stayed without water. One of the most important solvent that sustained life.

    According to inside information made available to our office on Thursday night before leaving Cross River State, the staff of Cross River State Water Board, especially water technicians are angry with their management over the disappearance of 500 Million Dollars.

    The money which was earmarked for staff training through the World Bank Assisted Project to Cross River State was deleted from the Water Board accounts following the expiration of the timelines of the project. The World Bank Assistance to CRS Water Board officially came to an end on May 31th, 2016. Although the money was available before the end of this period, staff agitated that the money should be used for the purpose for which it was made available. But the management who signed and withdrew or transferred the money into a different account, had a different opinion.

    There had been secret infighting between the Water Board Labour Unions and Management staff since.

    Interviewing one of the agitators who does not want to be mentioned, he disclosed to me that Engineer Elemi Bassey Etowa, Engineer James Ekabua both of whom are from Abi LGA may have signed the monies and shared among themselves or transferred into another account. “One thing very important is that the money disappeared”, he stressed.

    Other names mentioned are those of Engineer Timothy Ntamu from Bekwara and Doctor Godwin Oju Ijile. According to additional information provided by another source from the Water Board management team revealed that over 9.5 Million Dollars of World Bank Assisted Project of the Cross River State Water Board was withdrawn to run the elections of Senator Gershom Bassey. The source made it known to me that the water issues and challenges experienced throughout the elections period and couple of months after swearing in was as a result of financial misappropriation of funds at the CRSWB.

    It should be recalled that Senator Gershom Bassey was still the Chairman of Water Board several months after he was sworn in as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Recall too that the water shortages and the supply of untreated water following that period.

    Today marks exactly 16 days without water in Calabar. And technicians at the CRSWB are threatening war unless their staff training and other welfare issues are properly taken care of.

    According to this source, staff promotion, payment of contract staff, pending arrears, and overdue leave allowance are all issued on the table waiting for attention. While the management is having a party with 500 Million Dollars of staff training allocation.

    Where this will lead to is not known yet. But one thing they have promised is that they will cease the water because even treatment solutions have not been bought.

    Meanwhile residents in Calabar are walking long distances looking for water wherever it is available. Often, commercial borehole vendors comes to their rescue. Only God knows how long this will go on. Those who cannot afford the exorbitant charges of borehole operators patiently hang their hopes on God who sent down heavy rains to ease the water wahala.

    Reported by Ifere Paul.

  • Cross River State Residents Suffers Water Scarcity As 500 Million Dollars Water Board Staff Training Allocation Got Missing

    For over weeks now, indigenes and residents of Cross River State has stayed without water. One of the most important solvent that sustained life.

    According to inside information made available to our office on Thursday night before leaving Cross River State, the staff of Cross River State Water Board, especially water technicians are angry with their management over the disappearance of 500 Million Dollars.

    The money which was earmarked for staff training through the World Bank Assisted Project to Cross River State was deleted from the Water Board accounts following the expiration of the timelines of the project. The World Bank Assistance to CRS Water Board officially came to an end on May 31th, 2016. Although the money was available before the end of this period, staff agitated that the money should be used for the purpose for which it was made available. But the management who signed and withdrew or transferred the money into a different account, had a different opinion.

    There had been secret infighting between the Water Board Labour Unions and Management staff since.

    Interviewing one of the agitators who does not want to be mentioned, he disclosed to me that Engineer Elemi Bassey Etowa, Engineer James Ekabua both of whom are from Abi LGA may have signed the monies and shared among themselves or transferred into another account. “One thing very important is that the money disappeared”, he stressed.

    Other names mentioned are those of Engineer Timothy Ntamu from Bekwara and Doctor Godwin Oju Ijile. According to additional information provided by another source from the Water Board management team revealed that over 9.5 Million Dollars of World Bank Assisted Project of the Cross River State Water Board was withdrawn to run the elections of Senator Gershom Bassey. The source made it known to me that the water issues and challenges experienced throughout the elections period and couple of months after swearing in was as a result of financial misappropriation of funds at the CRSWB.

    It should be recalled that Senator Gershom Bassey was still the Chairman of Water Board several months after he was sworn in as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Recall too that the water shortages and the supply of untreated water following that period.

    Today marks exactly 16 days without water in Calabar. And technicians at the CRSWB are threatening war unless their staff training and other welfare issues are properly taken care of.

    According to this source, staff promotion, payment of contract staff, pending arrears, and overdue leave allowance are all issued on the table waiting for attention. While the management is having a party with 500 Million Dollars of staff training allocation.

    Where this will lead to is not known yet. But one thing they have promised is that they will cease the water because even treatment solutions have not been bought.

    Meanwhile residents in Calabar are walking long distances looking for water wherever it is available. Often, commercial borehole vendors comes to their rescue. Only God knows how long this will go on. Those who cannot afford the exorbitant charges of borehole operators patiently hang their hopes on God who sent down heavy rains to ease the water wahala.

    Reported by Ifere Paul.

  • Naira weakens as 1 Dollar now equals 357 Naira

    The Naira on Monday weakened further against the dollar at the parallel market, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. 

    The currency exchanged at N357 for a dollar as against N350 it traded on Friday. However, the naira maintained stability with the Pounds Sterling and Euro, trading at N505 and N397 to each of them, respectively. 
    Meanwhile, pending the release of modalities for the operation of the proposed flexible exchange rate, the official rate remained at N197 to a dollar. Traders at the market decried the delay in the release of modalities as proposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). They expressed optimism that a flexible exchange rate would rejuvenate the market.

  • Anchor Borrowers Programme on Rice Value Chains Stakeholders Forum To Hold In Calabar On June 7th

    The Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources has invited the Leadership of Rice Farmers Cooperatives across the 18 LGAs of Cross River State to a meeting on the Anchor Borrowers Programme on Rice Value Chains Stakeholders Forum with the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

    The release by the Information Officer for the ministry, Eteng Egri says the meeting will hold on Tuesday 7th of June, 2016 at 10am at Cultural Centre Complex, Calabar.

  • Cross River State To Produce 500,000 Metric Tonnes Of Cocoa Yearly

    Cross River State Government has set a target of producing 500, 000 metric tons of cocoa on a yearly basis to help in economic diversification.

    Speaking on the notion, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Augustine Eneji spake that PIND Foundation is on possible areas of collaboration and to review the foundation’s strategic partnership with Cross River Government.

    Also speaking was the State Economic Adviser and Vice Chairman, State Planning Commission, Dr. Francis Ntamu who revealed that the essence of the meeting is to access the benefits of the over ten years bilateral agreements between the State Government and PIND Foundation.

    He made the following statement: 

    “You can’t build a deep sea port or a super highway; projects that have long term benefits without strategic planning. This meeting therefore affords the State the opportunity to brainstorm with PIND Foundation in areas we can grow our partnership especially in agriculture.”

  • Cross River State To Produce 500,000 Metric Tonnes Of Cocoa Yearly

    Cross River State Government has set a target of producing 500, 000 metric tons of cocoa on a yearly basis to help in economic diversification.

    Speaking on the notion, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Augustine Eneji spake that PIND Foundation is on possible areas of collaboration and to review the foundation’s strategic partnership with Cross River Government.

    Also speaking was the State Economic Adviser and Vice Chairman, State Planning Commission, Dr. Francis Ntamu who revealed that the essence of the meeting is to access the benefits of the over ten years bilateral agreements between the State Government and PIND Foundation.

    He made the following statement: 

    “You can’t build a deep sea port or a super highway; projects that have long term benefits without strategic planning. This meeting therefore affords the State the opportunity to brainstorm with PIND Foundation in areas we can grow our partnership especially in agriculture.”

  • A disease known as ‘Tuta Absoluta’ is what is causing Tomato scarcity in Nigeria

    Over a month now the hike in price of tomatoes has reach record high due to a disease known as Tatu Absoluta. Less than 5 seeds of tomatoes were sold at the rate of N500 in Calabar and beyond as we all experienced lately.

    In a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, assured Nigerians that the government is working with a team of experts from the United Kingdom who will deliver specialised insecticides for the control of the disease.

    According to him, the disease has affected six tomato producing states, including Plateau, Jigawa, Kano and Katsina.

    He said Tuta Absoluta had high resistant to the commonly used insecticides and had the capacity of spreading to other crops like pepper and Irish potatoes.

  • Cross River State Widows Prays for Ayade as Garment Factory Recruits Staff

    The commissioning of Africa’s biggest garment factory, the Cross River Garment & Textile Factory by the wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari will soon commence and this widows are the happiest. 

    When Governor Ben Ayade said those who will work at the factory will be mostly women, with widows given special consideration, the widows took it to the shore and appraises the Governor for his support towards them.

    Their hopes spakles during the exercise at the U J Esuene Stadium, Calabar, when the Coordinator for the Southern Senatorial District and Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. RoseMary Archibong, said that, “The final screening will ensure that Cross Riverians particularly women are given equal opportunity no matter where they reside to participate in the exercise.”

    Some of the applicants who were optimistic that they will be employed, said at last their long wait will be over as they will finally gain seats in the factory to start work as the President’s wife is commissioning the facility soon.

    One of the applicants, Mrs. Beatrice Ekpe said she was very excited when she heard the announcement for the final screening exercise.

    “As a tailor; I know I will be employed because Ayade is a Governor that understands our situation and has provided us with this opportunity to make money to feed the family and I am very happy.”

    Continuing, Ekpe, who lost her husband 10 years ago, said life has been a struggle for her and her children.

    “I have been struggling to bring up the six children he (late husband) left behind till God brought Ayade with this garment factory. Today, I can now say that my struggles and hardship are over because I am starting work very soon in that factory.”