Paradise News

Category: Opinion

  • Press Statement to Mark International Day to End Child Labour 2016 in Calabar by Edem Children Foundation

    PRESS RELEASE TO MARK WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR, 2016 BY ECF THEME: “End Child Labour in Supply Chains”. 

    Another June is here. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has set aside June 12th of every year to Mark World Day Against Child Labour. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour in both economic and military fields. 
    This year theme Day against Child Labour 2016 focuses on End Child Labour in Supply Chains. The supply chains – including agriculture and fishing, manufacturing and mining, services and construction, and whether global or national – may involve some of the 168 million children still in child labour. Eliminating child labour in supply chains is everyone’s business, and requires the commitment of governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations and enterprises themselves. 
    In Cross River State, Child labour denies girls and boys their rights – to be safe from harm, to quality education and vocational training, and to play and rest. Freedom from child labour is a fundamental human right and, alongside the other fundamental principles and rights at work, in particular freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it is indispensable for the achievement of decent work for all. 
    The specific target (8.7) of the new Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 on decent work and economic growth calls for immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery – including the elimination of child labour as defined in ILO Conventions No. 138 on Minimum Age and No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. 
    Child labour occurs in many occupations, in particular in the rural and informal economies, and in areas where labour market governance, trade unions and employers’ organizations are often weak or absent and in areas that labour inspectors lack the capacity to reach. In supply chains, child labour may be performed in small workshops or homes, making it difficult to identify and remedy. While many children may be engaged in child labour in the production of internationally traded goods or services, a much larger number work in producing items destined for national consumption. And human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms. To reach this target, collective action must accelerate progress and make better use of Existing knowledge and resources. Enterprises should pursue responsible business practices that respect human and other labour rights in the countries and communities in which they operate.

    In Cross River State, the prevalence of street hawking, as an aspect of child labour, abuse and neglect affects the educational factors. It is the exploitation of children, premature assumption of adult roles on the part of children; working long hours for low wages. In Rural/Urban Centres and Communities, in Cross River State Children work as domestic labourers, there are internally and externally forced into prostitution where they are transported within and outside the state for forced labour. 
    We condemn this heartless and senseless kidnapping of Physically challenged Children for Force Labour in Cross River State. We call on the Federal and State governments, to put an end to Child Labour and help save and protect the lives of our younger generation. 
    Multinational enterprises, as well as enterprises, Companies Operating In Cross River State should respect the minimum age for admission to employment or work in order to secure the effective abolition of child labour and should take immediate and effective measures within their own competence to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency.” 
    According to the latest figures, there are still 168 million children working and not attending school. Also in Europe there is still a lot to tackle the issue. It is often unclear whether child labour has been involved in the production of items that are for sale here. Companies should therefore have more insight into their supply chain and have pro-active policies to combat child labour. Should they fail to do this, then it is up to the government to introduce appropriate legislation. Therefore Stop Child Labour advocates for mandatory due diligence and reporting for companies at risk to make use of child labour. That is the only way consumers can eventually make a conscious choice. Stop Child Labour calls upon governments, companies and citizens to be part of the solution. Only together we can create a child labour free world. 
    To this end Edem Children Foundation (ECF) an Organization that focuses on Children, Women and Youths in Nigeria, to make positive changes in the lives of Children and young people in need in rural and urban communities of Nigeria and Africa in general with support from Safe Child Africa (SCA- UK) have established Child Rights Club in Schools in Calabar to broadcast and educate teachers and students on Child Rights Law and other related policy that is aimed at all round development of a child. 
    Let’s join hand to End Child Labour, Every Actions Counts. Together we can make a difference. 
    Victoria Ukpong 
    Sign
    Program Officer

    For further inquiries, contact Edem Children Foundation (ECF) as follows:

    Address: 23/25 Etinyin Abasi Street, 

    Off Atamunu Street, Calabar

  • Will UN World Child Labour Day awareness reduce the rate at which Children hawk in Calabar?

    In a bit to cop child labour in our society, the United Nations (UN) has set aside June 12 every as World Child Labour Day (WCLD). 

    The Day highlights the plight of child labourers and its attendant effect on the society.

    This year, the day is marked with the theme “End Child Labour In Supply Chains“.

    It’s everyone’s business, as a lot of people have the opinion that a different chain of supply can do away with child labour I’m our society.

    Thinking, our children should be our source of success. As the popular saying says, “Children are the Leaders of tomorrow“.

    Is it because of our economy melt down or our level on education in our society that makes most of us parent to push our children to do things they are supposed to do?

    For according to records, about 168 million children across the globe are engaged in child labour in all fields of human endeavour, ranging from Agriculture, Manufacturing to Construction. Children indeed are engaged in paid and unpaid domestic works for third party or employer.

    This children often times are vulnerable to Exploitation and largely appreciated. Arguably, many parents especially the low income earners still stress the need for assistance by the children to help the family. When we asked, may says:

    “When there’s no market, we’ll give them something to help so can fast sell for them”. 

    “While others says they’ll never allow their children to sell on the road side hawk things generally.
    “Other also said, some aunties and guardians maltreat this children since they’re not of their own and it’s child abuse”. 

    However, most children found along the streets of Calabar, Markets and shopping centres hawking or labouring seem to be indifferent about their situations as they say they are helping out. Only a few says they do not wish to labour.

    One of the child said with tears rolling that his eyes that:

    “His mother died since 2005 and he was brought up by his father. When I got to 15 years, father could not send me to school again, so I decided to leave the house to hawk instead of staying they to be killed by hunger and maltreatment”. 

    Many child activists has condemned child labour and wish to be discontinued.

    Children have the right to enjoy their fundamental human rights as stated by the laws. Let’s make the child a child and not a force and a premature adult.

    Let’s end Child Labour Today!

  • Cross River: A Safe Haven For Criminals Under Ayade By Inyali Peter

    Before Prof. Ben Ayade took over the mantle of leadership as the third democratically elected governor of Cross River State in the current democratic dispensation, the state was regarded globally as the most peaceful in Nigeria.

    Calabar, the capital city of the state was a hub for tourists and a safe haven for fun lovers. Globally, Calabar was regarded as a place to stay, relax and sleep with your two eyes closed.

    Amongst other achievements of the past administration led by Senator Liyel Imoke, the peaceful nature of the state under his watch ruled supreme. Imoke was celebrated nationally for ensuring that throughout his eight years, the state was not on the news for bad reasons security wise.

    Under Imoke, all government officials including himself denounced their membership of any unlawful group publicly. In fact, public denouncement of illegal group was a major condition to be part of his well respected and revered cabinets.

    His relationship with the leadership of the security agents in the state was superb. In fact, at a time, senior officials of the armed forces and other paramilitary officers were rumoured to engage in serious lobbying to be posted to the state because it was a common opinion that Calabar was a relaxation point for them.

    However, just within one year after Imoke left office for Ayade, Calabar and indeed the entire state have become a safe haven for criminals of all kind.

    Whereas, at a time where Cross Riverians are battling to overcome the spread of some unknown diseases occasioned by  the sudden growing refuse dumps and nay hygienic condition of the environment, the challenge of security has again berthed. Robbers now operate freely in broad day light within and outside the Calabar metropolis.

    Kidnapping has become the order of the day. It is almost like a crime now not to hear news of either business mogul or Don being kidnapped. In most cases, even after a ransom is paid, the criminals still proceed to murdering the victims.

    As if that is not enough, cult activities which was once killed and buried under Imoke regime has resurrected fully without challenge under Ayade. Cultists have taken over Calabar south, killing themselves in broad daylight like the state house of assembly have enacted law to legalise killing in the state.

    Since the Ayade’s administration came on board, over ten people have been butchered like chicken and it seems the governor is enjoying it because he has done nothing about it.

    This development is however not too strange to some persons who had predicted that with the serious migration of jobs seekers from all part of the state to Calabar immediately Ayade was sworn into office to battle for appointments and jobs which are nowhere to be found was a serious security trait.

    Within his first three months, Ayade announced that he lifted the 23 years old embargo on civil service employment in the state. When this news filtered in, thousands of youth who are not even qualified for civil service jobs relocated without plans to Calabar. Ayade is yet to act on the lifting of the embargo as till date, no recruitment into the civil service.

    As expected in a government that almost everything is fraudulently perpetuated, Ayade accommodated most of these migrants as volunteers. Then, you see them dressed in hired suits hovering around governor’s office doing nothing. Some where lucky that their names were reeled out for appointment but many months later, these people have no means of livelihood as their salary is a story for another day.

    The shame of returning to their roots without anything to show after parading themselves as governor’s boys have led many of them to suffer and being smiling. Some have taken the bull by the horn by engaging in any illegal activity to survive while trying to maintain that standard as governor’s “boys”.

    The security challenges confronting the state may not be unconnected to this reality considering the fact that the silence from the government over the development.

    Again, the problem might just be that the state is under police. It is under police not because the state police command is lacking in number but because government officials have shared them amongst themselves.

    In a state where you have two governors, Ben and Frank Ayade with two first ladies, a nonfunctional deputy, over 1000 SAs and SSAs, 24 assembly members and senior legislative aides all entitled to more than one security aides, the poor masses would be left to their faith.

    The number of police guards for Ayade, his brother Frank and the two first ladies alone is more than the entire number of police posted to two local governments area in the state. In fact, the Ayade’s family alone controls sizeable number of police such that the command is now obviously suffering from shortage of man power.

    Calabar is one of the easiest cities to police because it has a single route in and out and the town is not too large but the over dependent on securing government officials leaving the poor vulnerable to all sorts of attacks has limited the policing powers of the gallant Nigeria Police officers in the state thereby giving rise to criminal activities.

    Away from the security issues in Calabar which is the heart of the southern senatorial district of the state, other senatorial districts are not spared in this government’s negligence to protection of lives and properties.

    In the northern senatorial district, Obudu, Ayade’s country home to be precise, armed robbery and cultism have taken centre stage. I was told reliably that, anything above 7PM in Obudu is now too late and a big risk that only the strong survive the consequences. Yet the governor is junketing from one state or one country to another doing what only he can explain.

    In the central senatorial district of the state, there have been wanton killings going on as a result of unending communal war. For the past two months, the Obubra and Yakur people have known no peace. An entire community has been sacked, farms destroyed and properties worth billions of naira damaged.

    It took our digital governor two months to reluctantly set up a panel to investigate the cause of the incessant war between the two LGAs after several innocent Cross Riverians have lost their lives to the war.

    A cup of garri now sale for N50 or even more as the Obubra and Yakur people who are the major supplier of garri to the state capital cannot either process again because their cassavas farms have been destroyed. Even those who manage to process, they can’t convey it to Calabar especially from Obubra as the Yakur warlords have taken charge of our highway.

    To show how insensitive Ayade is to the issue of security, Cross River state was the only state in the federation that didn’t have their governor in attendance when an emergency security meeting was called by the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo early this week. The funniest but annoying thing is that, the governor has been in Abuja where the meeting held. What he was doing during the meeting that was more important than the security meeting has left people wondering.

    How we got to this level is a big question that has left many pondering. It has never been this bad.

    Tourism which has become the mainstay of the state’s economy is been threatened by the upsurge in crime rate.

    This is a test of leadership for the governor because he needs to show more seriousness in combating this menace. He must mandate all his cabinet members to publicly denounce their membership of illegal groups.

    His relationship with security agencies at this point must be strengthen. Our dear governor should release some of the security agents detailed to him and his family members to the command to beef off public security.

    As the chief security officer of the state, the governor should mandate the police to collaborate with other security agencies to bring the people causing restiveness to book.

    On incessant communal war, the governor should strengthen the relationship between the traditional institution and the government as well as empower community relations officers to frequently interface with community leaders that they represent to avert issues deteriorating to war.

    Cross River state must as a matter of urgency, necessity and great importance return to her former status as the most peaceful state in Nigeria because Cross Riverians will stop at nothing until this is achieved.

    Written by Inyali Peter 

  • See The Tricycle Waste Collectors A User Suggest For Cross River State Waste Management (Photos)

    It’s not a new thing how dirty Calabar, Cross River State has become in the past few months, which has been trending on media and the likes. But, yet the issue has not been tackled despite complaints and emergence of Waste-Bourne diseases.

    Few days back, the Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade made a statement of bringing agencies from Israel and China to tackle the issue surrounding the waste management in the state. Anyways, a Cross River Born named Ifere Paul has something special to offer. It’s called, Waste Collectors Tricycles.

    This waste collectors are cheaper to manage and easy to operate. They cost lesser than what it’ll take to bring in foreign waste agencies.

    Paul says:

    “He can arrange an IoU for 200-1000 pieces for any State in Nigeria, especially my State Cross River”. 

    With this tricycles, the state can employ more people to move waste to dumpsites easily. Or don’t you think so? For it’ll also create more jobs for the unemployed youths in State.

    See photos of the machines below…

    Contact Ifere Paul on Facebook @ www.fb.com/ifere.paul for more. 

  • See The Tricycle Waste Collectors A User Suggest For Cross River State Waste Management (Photos)

    It’s not a new thing how dirty Calabar, Cross River State has become in the past few months, which has been trending on media and the likes. But, yet the issue has not been tackled despite complaints and emergence of Waste-Bourne diseases.

    Few days back, the Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade made a statement of bringing agencies from Israel and China to tackle the issue surrounding the waste management in the state. Anyways, a Cross River Born named Ifere Paul has something special to offer. It’s called, Waste Collectors Tricycles.

    This waste collectors are cheaper to manage and easy to operate. They cost lesser than what it’ll take to bring in foreign waste agencies.

    Paul says:

    “He can arrange an IoU for 200-1000 pieces for any State in Nigeria, especially my State Cross River”. 

    With this tricycles, the state can employ more people to move waste to dumpsites easily. Or don’t you think so? For it’ll also create more jobs for the unemployed youths in State.

    See photos of the machines below…

    Contact Ifere Paul on Facebook @ www.fb.com/ifere.paul for more. 

  • Mother and Child died during childbirth – May it never happen to your family in Jesus name

    It’s a joyful thing when a man and a woman finally confined in themselves an endless which in turn will take them to the church, mosque, etc for marriage.

    Then after marriage, pregnancy follows which usually sparkles the home including extended families and friends. Both  parties suffers the pain during the period of nine months, most specifically the woman. All the sleepless night, pains, worries, etc.

    Finally, during child delivery, the mother and child ends up dying within a period of Birth. Just few seconds to minutes after which they’ve struggled for nine good months….. It’s just a thing no man want to face, including you and I.

    But, this woman with her child lying in the coffin below never wanted it, but death couldn’t let them. Think about it, if you were happen to be the husband or a family member, how will you fair in such situation?

    See photos below and drop your comments…

    May it never happen to you or family member in Jesus name, Amen. Our women shall give birth like the daughters of Hebrews, Amen.

  • Mother and Child died during childbirth – May it never happen to your family in Jesus name

    It’s a joyful thing when a man and a woman finally confined in themselves an endless which in turn will take them to the church, mosque, etc for marriage.

    Then after marriage, pregnancy follows which usually sparkles the home including extended families and friends. Both  parties suffers the pain during the period of nine months, most specifically the woman. All the sleepless night, pains, worries, etc.

    Finally, during child delivery, the mother and child ends up dying within a period of Birth. Just few seconds to minutes after which they’ve struggled for nine good months….. It’s just a thing no man want to face, including you and I.

    But, this woman with her child lying in the coffin below never wanted it, but death couldn’t let them. Think about it, if you were happen to be the husband or a family member, how will you fair in such situation?

    See photos below and drop your comments…

    May it never happen to you or family member in Jesus name, Amen. Our women shall give birth like the daughters of Hebrews, Amen.

  • Easy and Natural ways to grow back Bald hair

    Bald hair or baldness also known as alopecia is caused by fungal infections, trauma, iron and nutritional deficiency, autoimmune diseases, radiotherapy and many others. But, how do we cure this menace that has been for decades. 

    Many have suggested snake oils, bla bla bla, all those things don’t work unless you go for a hair transplant just like Manchester United and England striker, Wayne Rooney, that’s if you have money.

    Here is good advice for those going Bald. Take a Firm Hair Brush and brush your SCALP and hair while washing your hair. The Brush stimulates your scalp to encourage BLOOD CIRCULATION which in turn stimulate your Hair Follicles, improving Hair Growth and at the same time removing all dead skin and Flakes off your scalp. 
    Good advice for those suffering from Dandruff as well. Forget about all those expensive so called “”Snake Oil”” remedies.
    Try it and give us shout out using the comment section below. 

  • Men, what will you do if you find out your girlfriend is a man?

    Let’s face it for the fact that things are now turning upside down, men transforming to women and women to men. But what will you do if you find out your girlfriend is a man or your boyfriend is a woman? 

    According to KLTV report, A 21 year old Texas College football player, Carlton Champion Jr. met his 24 year old girlfriend and fell quickly in love with her. His new girlfriend was Tyrone Lee underwood who went by the name Tyra. The couple had been chatting for several weeks on a dating mobile app and quickly fell in love but hadn’t met each other face to face.


    Tyra had a feeling that Champion was cheating on her and decided to end the relationship by text. Because Champion was so in love with Tyra, he sent a text to her apologizing saying he would make it up to her.

    Champion was seen on surveillance camera leaving his College dorm at about 2 am.
    Tyler Police were called by neighbours who said they heard multiple gun shots in the area and a suspicious vehicle. When Police got there, they found a Toyota Camry off road and a dead black male behind the wheel who had been shot.

    Police interviewed Underwood’s friends and checked her computer and found out that the last person she chatted with was Champion.

    The campus surveillance video also showed Champion returning to his college dorm just 15 mins after he had initially left, wearing a black leather jacket. The jacket was tested and it came out positive for blood.

    He was promptly arrested on Thursday and charged with murder.

    He is being held at Smith County jail and his bail has been se for $1million.

    Please be specific, if it you were you, what will you do? 

  • US Presidential Candidate, Donald Trump Says Some Teachers Should Have Guns in Classrooms

    This piece of article was published on TIME, so we thought we could share it. 


    Donald Trump on Sunday said some teachers in the U.S. should be armed with guns inside their classrooms.

    The presumptive Republican nominee, who was recentlyendorsed by the National Rifle Association of America, made the comments during a Fox & Friendsinterview in which he was asked to respond to Hillary Clinton’s remarks about his stance on gun control.

    “I don’t want to have guns in classrooms, although in some cases teachers should have guns in classrooms, frankly,” Trump said. “Because . . . things that are going on in our schools are unbelievable.”

    “I’m not advocating guns in classrooms,” Trump added. “But remember in some cases . . . trained teachers should be able to have guns in classrooms.”

    Clinton on Saturday attacked Trump in Florida during an appearance at the Trayvon Martin Foundation’s Circle of Mothers event, which is held for mothers who have lost a child to gun violence, according to the Miami Herald.

    “He’d mandate that every school in America allow guns in classrooms,” Clinton told the crowd. “That’s no way to keep us safe. If you want to imagine what Trump’s America will look like, picture more kids at risk of violence and bigotry. Picture more anger and fear.”

    [TIME]