Paradise News

Category: Politics

  • Textile union lauds Governor Ayade on Garment factory, seeks partnership

    Professor Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River State 

    By Emmanuel Ulayi 

    The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has lauded Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade for his foresight in the establishment of the Calabar Garment Factory, saying it is a landmark achievement in the nation’s quest to diversify its economy.

    The recommendation which was contained in a letter signed by the National Secretary of the Association, Comrade Issa Aremu to Ayade, maintained that the factory, when fully operational has the potential of transforming the economic landscape of the state and the country at large.

    Aremu who is also the Deputy National President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said: “We congratulate Professor Ben Ayade on the successful establishment of what is regarded as a world class garment factory in Calabar.” The union stated further that “The factory which is one of the signature projects of your administration aimed at creating mass and decent jobs for the good people of Cross River State is also reckoned to be the biggest in Africa with the capacity to employ about 3,000 workers, largely women.”

    According to the textile union, “With this singular project, your administration has commendably and practically moved in the direction of economic diversification favoured by Buhari administration and we will be glad to partner you.”

    Comrade Issa added that “As a leading private sector union affiliated to the NLC and Industrial Global Union with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, we are ready to cooperate with you in ensuring that the aim of establishing the garment factory is achieved.”

  • President Buhari’s ‘CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME’ Campaign and his Insensitivity to the Plight of Nigerians by Richard Romanus

    By Richard Romanus

    It is no longer news that, Nigeria Economy is on life support struggling between life and death. From the market women to the taxi drivers, husbands to breadwinners of families, writers to readers among others, the bad shape of the nation’s economy seems to be the reigning song on every lip.

    Sadly, the activities of the Government they ignorantly voted for,is not offering them hopeless talk less of hope as clearly seen in some of its programmes and policies.
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    If not, how do one explain the fact that, at a period where Nigerians are facing severe hardship, a period where some families can no longer afford school fees for their wards, a period where tenants are ejected on a daily basis by their landlords as a result of their inability to pay rents, a period where some families cannot even boast of one meal a day and a period where families are losing their love ones to the cold hands of death due to the lack of good medical care, is the same period, the federal Government is launching one crap called ‘CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME’.

    As a matter of fact, this singular action by a government that came into power with a promise of improving the living conditions of Nigerians is to say the least, wicked and a clear abuse of Nigerians sensitivity. It shows how insensitive, the APC led federal Government under the leadership of President Mohammadu Buhari is, to the plight of the poor masses.

    To start with, why on earth should change begin with Nigerians when their President is not showing good example and has not changed from his dictatorial tendencies of 1984? He wants Nigerians to change, yet the last time I checked, Nobody has cited his SSCE certificate inspite of all the controversies it generated rather, what he did was to hire SAN’s and lawyers to defend him in court. Hmmmm, this is a case of Mr President asking Nigerians to do for Nigeria what he cannot do.

    Furthermore, how does the ‘Change begins with me’ campaign reduce the price of a cup of rice that now sells for N150 a cup as against the 70-80 Naira it was formerly sold or the price of Indomie Super pack that now sells for N120 from N60? Infact, who CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME DON EPP?

    Does the Buhari administration need a Susayer to know that, it’s economic policies if any are not yielding results and his entire Economic team have failed, hence the need to look beyond party, ethnic and religious lines towards getting the right people that will remedy our present situation?

    Here is a country that is blessed with world class and respected Economist like Dr Okonjo Iweala, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, Shamsudeen Usman, Alex Otti, Tony Elumelu, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, Peter Obi among others yet, while they receive standing Ovation outside the shores if this country, back home, they are maligned, bastardised, mocked and ridiculed.

    For God sake, Islam will not cease to be what it is, if Mr President takes the bull by the horn by inviting some of these persons or other young Nigerians who have a deep knowledge about Nigeria’s Economy into whatever capacity he deems fit to restore our economy.

    It is sickening, nauseating and above all annoying to note that we have a President who considers each and every decision he takes as final not minding the impact of such decisions on the people. It is also sad that, virtually all the things Governor Ayo Fayose and Mr Femi Fani Kayode said about President Mohammadu Buhari during the heat of the 2015 general elections, is what is playing out and the president is not showing any form of pretence. No CHANGE!

    I align myself totally with Senator Ben Murray Bruce and Dr Oby Ezekwesili who had blamed the country’s Economic woes to the hurried implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the President’s wrong approach to the War Against Corruption. President Buhari should have known that keeping money out of circulation in a recession and putting so much pressure on the Naira as a result of withdrawals by foreign investors who wanted to keep their money save and secured as a result of His one sided anti Corruption fight will have an adverse effect on the country.

    I like to ask,where is all the acclaimed recovered loots this administration claimed it has recovered? In which bank accounts are there kept? What is the total amounts so recovered? And why is the government borrowing when we have recovered so much?

    Like the former President, Goodluck Jonathan remarked on October 15,2009 at the Nigeria investment forum in far away Abu Dhabi,UAE ” if the Goodwill exists and the right approaches are used, all can be winners in the development process “. It is therefore imperative on President Mohammadu Buhari to urgently go back to the drawing board, re-examine some of his policies, bring the right people on board irrespective of their party, religion and ethnic inclination for the overall development of our country.

    Enough of the blame games Mr President. Nigerians are tired and fed up with your incessant lamentation. It is time for you and your  team to offer solutions not blame the past administration for your failures. Beside, Nigerians expect that you read out your blue print and timelines going forward in this administration.

    It is now time for you to take responsibility and begin to act while Nigerians think of what to do to you and your party come 2019 because truly truly, THEM DEY VEX.

    Richard Romanus is a Public Affairs Commentator from Oderegha in Obubra LGA of Cross River State. He can be reached on 08117135257.

  • NANS National Financial Secretary call on all Institutions without a Democratically Elected SUG to Conduct Elections

    By Prince Charles

    NANS NATIONAL FINANCIAL SECRETARY CALL ON ALL INSTITUTION WITHOUT A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED SUG TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS OR FACE THE WRATH OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS.

    ASSURES NIGERIAN STUDENTS OF ACCOUNTABLE NANS……

    Newly elected Financial Secretary of NANS, Comr Godspower Ikechukwu Okorie aka. Aluta Worwor yesterday in Awka while addressing some online publishers call on school management across the country to reinstate suspended SUG bodies and immediately conduct elections as the new leadership of NANS under the stewardship of Comr Aruna Kadiri is ready to take appropriate measures that will consolidate the already created damages done so far by the respective school management.

    “We are ready to mobilize Nigerian Students all over the country to those affected institutions if our appeal is not heard. We specially call on University of Calabar and University of Lagos to immediately initiate a peace move that will ensure end to this lingering crisis.

    As a body controlling 40.1 million Nigerian students our aimed is to protect their interest and restore peace between management and students  in our learning citadel.

    For the NANS Factional crisis, Comr Okorie noted that he and Aruna Kadiri of UNIBEN were duly elected as Financial Secretary and President respectively at Old Parade Ground, Abuja at the expense of DSS operative who maintain peace and orderly during the convention process. We Promise to take back NANS to campus. We have no faction, intact the runners up Comr Sheriff Zadok Emeka Eboh of UNIZIK and 2nd runners up Comr Igwe Ude-umanta of EBSU had since congratulated the President elect and reaffirmed their support to one united NANS, said Okorie Santos.

    OKORIE IKECHUKWU
    NANS NATIONAL FINANCIAL SECRETARY

  • AYADECARE Health Insurance to Prevent Catastrophic Health Expenditure – Betta Edu

    The recent signing of the Cross River Health Insurance Bill into law has been described as a people-oriented policy deliberately packaged by Governor Ben Ayade to protect Cross Riverians and other Nigerians resident in Cross River from going through a catastrophe health expenditure that would further impoverish them.

    Director-General, Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu stated this while answering questions on a topic, “The Role of Cross River State Primary HealthCare Development Agency in the Implementation of the Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme: AyadeCare” on 105.5 Paradise FM on a programme tagged “Ayade’s Cross River” anchored by Beatrice Akpala and Solomon Asha on Thursday in Calabar.

    Dr. Edu who explained that the “AyadeCare” is the Cross River health insurance scheme put together to assist the state achieve universal healthcare as soon as possible and act as a form of insurance for the citizens of the state and other Nigerians living in Cross River, by ensuring that every political ward in the state do not just have access to healthcare but to quality healthcare through putting in place sustainable and smart form of healthcare financing in place for the interest of all.

    “It is to act as a form of social Insurance for our people, involving pulling resources together such that we can protect citizens and persons resident in Cross River from going through catastrophe health expenditure that would further impoverish them. Cross River State led by Senator Ben Ayade is working hard at ensuring that we can achieve universal healthcare and secondly that every ward will not just have access to healthcare but have access to quality healthcare, and is helping us to ensure this by having a sustainable and smart form of health financing put in place”.

    On the role of her agency, she maintained that “basically the role of the Cross River state Primary Health care Development Agency has been one of sensitization right from the onset, just as governor Ayade takes his time to do things step by step. Initially when he came into office he disclosed his intention to have a health insurance scheme in place to afford our people quality healthcare, and then he started by asking us to go to every community in Cross River to sensitize them on the need to buy into the health insurance scheme, help them have a clear understanding of what it mean by pulling our risk together and benefitting together.

    “If we have to individually pay for our healthcare you know what the cost is right now with inflation everywhere and the price of everything going up and then no money available for social services, there must be an alternative, there must be something sustainable, and this is what Governor Ayade was driving at right from the onset. We have gone through the 196 Wards of the state, sensitizing the people, talking to them, getting to hear what their fears are and allaying some of the fears which they raised during the discussions, some around the fact that they have done some insurance stuff before, some with the national, some with the private insurance companies and they have not kept to their own part of the bargain.

    We assured them that this system is going to be a very transparent and clear one, is going to have both the international community involve in it such that everyone can have confidence and trust that if you pay one thousand (N1000) naira every month he/she can be able to receive this care. After this sensitization, we step up by working with the State House of Assembly to put this through the legislative arm, and the Bill was sponsored by Hon. Dr. Ekpo-Ekpo Bassey, a medical doctor who know the important of Cross River achieving universal health covering before any other state in Nigeria. The bill went through the normal process, the three reading and two days ago, we had the final stamp on it, the final step which meant that we were actually at the end of the tunnel which was the assenting to that bill by the Governor. This is one of the greatest achievements of the governor Ayade’s administration”.

    The DG primary healthcare Development Agency said that the N1000 is for every cross Riverian living in the state and those outside the state who feel that they have relatives in the state that their support will help protect and guarantee better healthcare for them as well as other Nigerians in Cross River, explaining that the agency is still sensitizing the people on the need to buy into the health insurance scheme.

    “By sensitization, we just want to break it down to the barest minimum to help them understand it clearly, it is as simple as saying if you are diabetic or hypertensive and you have to buy a tablet or one drug or the other every day for one month, how much would that cost you, certainly it weighs more than N1000. Let say two people in one household are down with malaria and you have to get two packs of anti-malaria which will be N1200; so you have a scheme that says pay just one thousand and you have all of these cover for you. This basic sensitization to help our people understand how important and how sustainable the scheme is what we started with, and beyond this there will still be further deliberations with different stakeholders and interests groups across the state.

    Talks are on with the labour which forms the formal sector to see how they can buy into it and everyone who is working in that sector to buy into it; you can’t over-emphasis the need of those from the informal sector to buy in which will involve cooperatives, Churches and different groups buying into what is already ongoing. Beyond this, individuals, politicians etc. are encourage to buy into what is going on. You could pick up a health bill for 100 persons’ in your community to ensure that they have access to quality healthcare. We would equally be expecting some gifts and donations from philanthropist individuals, partnership from donor agencies, the World Bank and the government which the commitment is already there to ensure that the state healthcare insurance kicks off immediately and meets its target of providing universal healthcare to Cross Riverians”.

    She assured cross Riverians that the administration of Senator Ayade meant well for them as regards the State Health Insurance, stating that it is based on this reality that while signing the bill into law the governor clearly said that the health insurance funds will not be handle by government nor its agencies, because government is not a health insurance company stressing that the process for the selection of Health maintenance Organizations (HMOs) would be supervised by International partners, while government will insist that they would be HMOs take qualitative healthcare to the door steps of the people .

    Dr. Edu stated that the leadership with ethics policy of Ayade’s administration came to bear in the final document of the Health Insurance law as those less than 18 years, pregnant women, the physically and mentally challenged as well as the very poor and indigent persons are exempted from the monthly health insurance premium of N1000 but are entitled to full medical benefits and allay the fears of those already paying health insurance premium at the national or private health insurance companies that discussion and modalities would be put in place to ensure that such persons also enjoy from the state health insurance, as the programme is comprehensive covering all aspects of medical, while the payment comes from above, adding she thanked all the foreign partners for assisting in the various programmes of the agency for their support.

    Speaking further on the benefits associated with the state health insurance, Dr. Edu explained that the Cross river Health Insurance, AyadeCare is a form of risk sharing, that guarantees that at any point that oneself, one’s brother/sister parents or any Cross Riverian is sick, that person or persons do not need to have money in his /her pocket but can just walk to the nearest health facility and access healthcare free of charge at the point of utilization.

    “As you pay this token you are giving a shoulder for another person to lean on, sacrifice is a contribution which you will benefit, they will benefit, we sharing the risk, sharing the benefits, we are preventing individuals, families at this point where we have an economic recession from going into a state where we would say they have catastrophe health expenditure and they are now impoverished. You know some time people come down with illnesses like cancer and the family spend so much to take care of them that impoverished not just one generation but it cascade down to yet another generation, that is what this form of health financing can help us overcome, that is what the Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme, AyadeCare can help us to overcome.

    For us the watch word is universal health coverage, health access, we want everyone to have access to healthcare whether you are in the rich middle or low cadre, whichever class, we want you to access healthcare that you deserved. What the AyadeCare stand for, what the state insurance scheme stands to achieve for Cross River State is beyond party, is beyond Ayade himself, beyond the government of Cross River State. Our healthcare insurance for us as a people, by us as a people, it is a brother giving a shoulder to another brother, its sacrifice to ensure that everyone can live healthy and make productive contributing to our state. We call on every one , if you are a politician in any party, this is beyond party lines , let’s all buy into the state health insurance, let’s get our families, friends, members of our wards insured as part of empowerment is to ensure that your people are healthy”.

    On her achievements since she assumed office, Dr. Edu said, explained that she started Special Adviser on Primary health and community health and part of what her first assignment was to liaise with the Federal Government to put together an Agency and by March this year, governor Ayade after going through all the recommendations and appropriate steps, the agency was established with the Board put in place which hitherto has been dragging for five years going.

    She disclosed thus, “We have been able to step up our immunization coverage on several immunizations exercises to the 100 percent mark which we were greatly commended by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Most of the primary healthcare centres when we came on board were all in a very abysmal state and we decided that rather than going on to build more primary healthcare centres and putting in much more money, why don’t we limit ourselves to making what already exists functional. So we first of all went about getting out one primary healthcare centre in every ward in cross River state such that you can ensure that 3000 persons can have access to quality healthcare.

    After earmarking these primary health centres we wanted to begin our intervention with, we selected the first four and as we speak, we have completed that, two of which the wife of the present, Mrs. Aisha Buhari came in person to commission at Ikom, Itayep and Ajijinkpo all in Ikom LGA with the wife of the governor, Dr. Linda Ayade. Beyond this, we have repaired and fully refurbished the primary healthcare centres at Anengeje and the primary healthcentre at Bedia in Obudu, we have done the primary health centre in Biase LGA which is still awaiting commissioning. Our target is to get at least one functional primary health Centre in every ward which will serve as the hub for other primary healthcare facilities in that ward, it will serve as the referral point and anything that goes above that centre then it will be refer to the secondary level of care which is the General hospitals in the various locations. Beyond this we have been able to bring in solar power panels for our immunizations and coaching equipment, solar electricity into our maternity wards, labour rooms, emergency areas in about 50 primary healthcare centres across the state with support from “We care solar and pathfinder international.

    Last two months, Governor Ayade employed 18 medical doctors and sent them to the 18n LGAS of the state to boost health services in these LGAs, so they can give some assistance to the midwives, nurses and other medical personnel already working at this level. We had several donations from several sources ranging from solar refrigerators for our vaccines which is to keep them potent to the point we can deliver them to our children to prevent our children from coming down with vaccine preventable diseases. We had other donations that have help to improve healthcare at the primary healthcare level.

    We are far from where we want to be but we have the support of the Governor, Senator Ben Ayade and we are working with partners to see how we can even at this point of economic downturn where [people are pulling out from social services because they do not generate revenue for government, we have a committed governor who is rather putting into social services, who is pro-poor, who is pro–health striving to improve the healthcare delivery in Cross River. We know that if they have good health, then they can become productive and it will also rob off positively in our economy in general”, Dr. Edu concluded.


    Watch Video Below…

  • Effective Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policies can Stimulate Nigeria’s Economy – Ceeja Ojong

    ON THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE COORDINATION OF MONETARY AND FISCAL POLICIES TO STIMULATE THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY

    By Ceeja Ojong

    Monetary and fiscal policies contain the standard tools for macroeconomic management. Broadly, monetary policy looks to manage and control the inflation rate, interest rates and exchange rate as well as growth of money base. Whereas fiscal policies revolve mainly around the control and management of government expenditure, taxation and borrowing.

    Depending on the objectives of macroeconomic management or policy design at any one time period these policies could be expansionary or contractionary or a combination of both. Expansionary policies usually entail increased government expenditure, reduced taxation, lowering of interest rates, increase in money supply and increased borrowing, etc. Contractionary policies would usually represent the opposite picture.

    Stimulus packages for jumpstarting economies already in recession or depression or going into recessions are designed around expansionary fiscal and monetary policies following the Keynesian orthodoxy. A lowering of the interest rates may be also desirable in such situations.

    However, expansionary monetary policy could conflict with the overly concerns of most Central Banks with satisfying their most important objective of maintaining price stability in the economy implying they try to deploy all the tools in their kit to rein-in inflation.

    In doing so, they also respect the economic wisdom that says inflation rates must not be higher than interest rates if we are not to dampen investments and further ruin prospects for recovery or growth. So, this is why the CBN sets the MPC rate (monetary policy rate) which approximates to the benchmark interest rate (short-term) at defined intervals to be higher than the inflation rate.

    Nevertheless, higher interest rates could in themselves discourage investments since the cost of funds in the economy will become too high for prospective borrowers or users of funds. Again, it is to be noted that inflation itself is only an intermediate target or goal. The final goal is to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth and in some cases a modest rise in inflation rate is to be expected in situations of accelerating economic activity or increasing growth rates.

    Part of the perplexity that now exists is the sterilization of funds in the CBN by way of the TSA (Treasury Single Account) rather than releasing the money to create more value through the multiplier process in the economy. The key idea of the TSA was not to tie down the funds in the CBN as to crowd out private sector investments or increase the cost of loanable funds in the economy, but mostly to ensure that the government has a clear picture of its cash position on a daily basis and to be able to deploy the funds to its priority areas on a needs basis.

    Add all of these to the drastic drop in foreign exchange earnings, divestment of foreign portfolio investments and cut-back on foreign direct investment (FDI) and unfavourable terms of trade vis-a-vis the huge appetite for forex from the domestic economy then one would not envy the CBN Governor’s tough task at the moment.

    The economic situation is further complicated by the fact that most contract quotations as included in the budget estimates and the exchange rate assumption for the National Budget were pegged at the rate of N197 to US$1 that has now depreciated to about N306 to US$1. The implication here is that the 2016 National Budget may not be implementable at the expected  level of activity. The obvious reality is that there are no additional earnings to augment for the nominal value increases especially in capital budget items arising from exchange rate depreciation against the 2016 Budget target rate.

    What is now actually needed for our country is policy harmony and effective coordination of fiscal and monetary policies. I doubt that any such robust framework is existent at the moment.

    We do as well need not only innovative and visionary leadership but also serious financial engineering and macroeconomic wizardry to get us out of the woods.

    May God bless Nigeria!

  • Cross Riverians accuse Obla, Agba of undermining Ayade



    By Liberate Cross River State

    Indigenes of Cross River State have lambasted the duo of Obano Obla, special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari and Jedy Agba, former Group managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC over what they termed attempts to blackmail Governor Ben Ayade and undermine his good works.

    It was reliably learnt that Agbawho decamped from the Peoples democratic Party, PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress APC following his fears that he would be prosecuted for his alleged involvement in corruptly enriching himself has vowed that Ayade’s Super Highway and Deep seaport projects would not see the light of day unless he is ‘settled’.

    According to some of the indigenes, Abga who hails from the same local government with the incumbent governor, has shown hatred for the people of Cross River State and ensured that the citizens did not benefit from position of authority even as NNPC boss.

    In the words of one of the indigenes who graved anonymity, “In other clime people in position use their position to trigger development to their state or areas but for the duo of Obano Obla and Jedy Abga, their pass time has been to undermine their state, Cross River, in their frustration to undermine all the wonderful works the very purposeful Governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade is carrying out in the state.

    “For Jedy Abga who is an Obudu man like the incumbent Governor, in his desperation to please his paymaster, after his defection to the APC as a result of the several corruption cases against him, he has been funding the opposition and the armies of lame armchair critics peddling false report about the governor and the state. The former GMD in the nation’s petroleum agency who had never employed a single Cross Riverians in the agency except his son after he left the NNPC. all the while he was in NNPC, has never added value to any Cross Riverian.

    “In fact, he despised seeing Cross Riverians. This guy whose father is the traditional ruler of Obudu where the governor hails from cannot boast of any meaningful development to the areas courtesy of his position in NNPC. Embarrassingly, there is no decent road leading to the palace of his father who is the traditional ruler.

    “He has become a milking pipe for Obla who takes advantage of him by defrauding him massively in the pretext that he would shield him from the EFCC. Obla, rather than use his present position to bring development to Cross River State his home state, is using the position to hunt the state and the governor in his quest to blackmail him to be patronized.

    “He has vowed that if he is not settled, the super Highway and deep seaport, the signature projects of the governor, Ben Ayade, will not see the light of day. However, Cross section of Cross Riverians have condemned their mischief and desperate act as ungodly”.

  • Eid-El-Kabir: Governor Ben Ayade Canvasses Attitudinal Change


    By Ulayi Emmanuel

    Cross River State governor, Senator Ben Ayade, has called for an attitudinal change from Nigerians in order to pull the country out of the current economic recession.

    In his Eid-el-Kabir message signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, Governor Ayade said: “While I congratulate all my Muslim brothers and sisters across the country on this year’s Eid-El-Kabir, I want to particularly ask everyone of us for an attitudinal change and to use this moment to engage in sober reflection on the state of affairs in our country.”

    According to the governor, “today we find ourselves in a recession occasioned by economic downturn, but it is a time such as this that we must task our intellect, creativity and inventiveness and navigate our way out of the woods.”

    Governor Ayade appeal for the collective support of Nigerians to join hands with the government so that the country can pull through its current challenges.

    While rallying support for President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor urged: “As devout faithful, let us harness our creative energies, our love for one another towards the development of the country by aligning with our President, Muhammadu Buhari to help realise the dream of the founding fathers for a better Nigeria for all.

    “As we celebrate, we must not be unmindful of the lessons of Eid -el-Kabir, which are sacrifice, peace and love for our neighbours which are the hallmarks of a true Muslim.

    “You have always demonstrated good examples by exhibiting the true teachings of Islam, I want to, however, urge our Muslim brothers and sisters in Cross River to continue to join hands with people of other faith to sustain the prevailing atmosphere which has made our state the most peaceful in the country and the best investment destination in the country.

    “May the Almighty Allah fill your hearts with His love as you celebrate in peace,” Governor Ayade entreated.

  • CRS Deputy Governor Launches Volunteer Obstetricians Scheme at UCTH, Commit State to Reduce Maternal Mortality

    Cross River State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivara Esu on the 8th of September, 2016 at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) launched a society of gynaecology and obstetrics of Nigeria (SOCON) program “Volunteers Obstetricians Scheme (VOS).

    VOS is a scheme of SOCON in partnership with Federal Ministry of Health and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and other state partners aimed at impacting on pregnant women in the rural areas and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Speaking, the deputy Governor who was ably  represented by the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Inyang Asibong said the program is coming in when the high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality is increasing in the state while lauding SOCON for the initiative, she hopes to partner with them to battle maternal morbidity and mortality in the state.

    She went further to tasked the volunteers to go into the field, get accurate data and provide their technical assistance to health facilities accros the state. Dr Asibong officially inaugurated the VOS team.

    Also speaking, Her Excellency, Dr Linda Ayade who was represented DG Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (CRSPHCDA) Dr Betta Edu in her statements noted that VOS is very vital to the reduction of maternal mortality in the state.

    She went further to disclose effort of Cross River State Government on revitalizing primary healthcare in the state so as to provide basic obstetric care for women in remote areas. This according to her was made possible by the visionary Governor of the state, Sen (Prof) Ben Ayade who has just signed two vital bill into law in a space of one month, first the state primary healthcare development agency and State Health Insurance Scheme laws. She said all this laws were spearheaded by the Chairman House Committee on Health, Hon (Dr) Ekpo Ekpo Bassey. She explained that through the Ayade Care (SHIS) there will be a sustainable source of funding for health care which will cater for our women and ensure Universal Health Coverage in CRS. People in the rural areas will have access to 24 hours healthcare services at functional PHCs, general hospitals and specialist world class hospitals in the state.

    According to her, part of the state effort to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality is the recent recruitment of medical doctors for PHCs across the state to support the few midwives and nurses in handling complicated cases that will lead to death of woman or baby. Finally she said the VOS program she help with community sensitization to reduce the growing rate of unskilled birth attendants.

    Earlier speaking, Deputy CMAC UCTH, Dr Ogbu Ngim who was representing CMD said the program has received full back up from federal ministry of health while urging the state to consolidate on it as an alternative to tackling the growing rate of maternal morbidity and mortality in the state. She tasked the organization to monitor the process and ensure its fully implementation in the rural areas.

    House Committee Chairman on Health, Hon ( Dr). Ekpo Ekpo Bassey lend his voice by assuring SOCON the initiators of VOS program of legislative back up. He said their major concern have always been the growing rate of maternal morbidity and mortality in the state. “That is why we have successfully passed two effective bills on health into law, the creation of State Primary Healthcare Agency and State Health Insurance Scheme. He lauded SOCON for the wonderful initiative while he prayed for the success of the scheme.

    Presentations on birth preparedness ‘a veritable tool in preventing maternal mortality and way forward were taken by Prof John Ekabua and Prof E.E.J Asuquo. Others presenters at the event were Prof Eric Archibong Dr Ekot who is the head of VOS CRS, NMA chairman, MWAN president Dr Nchewi Ani and Dr Akpanika.

  • Governor Ayade signs Cross River State Health Insurance Bill into Law (Photos)

    Desirous of ensuring quality and affordable health care across the broad spectrum of the citizenry, Cross River State governor, Prof Ben Ayade, today , signed into law the state’s Health Insurance bill.

    Tagged: “AYADECARE“, the law seeks to provide medical insurance cover at primary, secondary and tertiary levels for the old, the young, including the weak and the strong in the state.

    When it comes into operation, the law also provides for a mandatory monthly fee of N1000.00 from every adult citizen and resident of not less than 18 years.

    Performing the ceremony at Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office Calabar, Ayade disclosed that the intent of the bill will ensure that “the strong pays for those who are medically challenged,” adding that “the law provides very expressly that a minimum of N1000.00 monthly, will be paid by every Cross Riverian as well as those residing in the state.”

    Continuing, the governor explained that “the N1000 becomes your insurance for that month and that gives you access to full medical attention including diagnosis, transplant, surgeries among others.”

    Ayade who described the bill as most spiritual, noted that “it derives its origin from a true communitarian African culture which enjoins us to provide a shoulder for others to lean on.”

    He added that “there can be no bill that is more humanitarian, human focused, sensitive and delicate like this. It is a message for all including residents in the state as they are captured in the bill, for we believe in the love for strangers and visitors.”

    On the management of funds accruing form the scheme, Governor Ayade explained that “government rose to the task in order to protect the vulnerable, sick, physically challenged and the weak,” maintaining that “the administration, as part of its policies, will have nothing to do with the funds that will emanate from the scheme, but will help to enforce payment.”

    While urging the state legislators to set up an operational committee that will draw the modality, the governor quipped: “Today, the medical challenges of our citizens have been taken away and placed on this platform that every one of us will now contribute to support our people.”

    He intimated that the law which provides for primary, secondary and tertiary medical services would ensure the setting up of specialist health care centres across the three senatorial districts of the state to provide for the medical challenges of the citizenry.

    Speaking on on the international dimension of the new law Governor Ayade further disclosed that “this is the kind of bill that the World Bank, United Nations, UNICEF will be quick to fund and support.”

    On the action plan, the governor charged the committee that is yet to be inaugurated to: “Let us first start by creating the infrastructure which is to set up an action team so that everybody gets involved. Think of where in the Central, North or South are we going to set up these three medical centres of excellence. Once that is identified, the mechanism for collection starts, the design of the medical centres follow.” According to him, “once that is done, the world-class group will start the design and construction. All of these, of course, will be outside the control of government because I don’t want this government to be involved in touching a dime from this fund.”

    Watch photos from the signing of the bill below…. 

  • Governor Ayade Orders Immediate Payment of Local Government Workers’ Salaries

    Cross River State governor, Professor Ben Ayade has issued an ultimatum to those saddled with the responsibility of payment of salaries to local government workers to ensure that the outstanding two months salaries are paid between today, September 7, 2016 and tomorrow, September 8, 2016 or face immediate sack.

    The governor, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, blamed the delay in the payment of salaries to the local government workers on the on-going biometric exercise, which he decried has now dragged for too long.

    “This biometric exercise has gone on for too long, on account of which the workers have had their salaries withheld. The workers have suffered enough and I cannot let this continue. I will rather pay a ghost worker than let the workers continue to suffer because of the exercise,” the statement quoted the governor.