Paradise News

Tag: Cross River State

  • Photo Story: C’River NDDC Rep, Rt. Hon. Orok Duke attends APC South South Zonal meeting as Senate President heaps praises on Commission

    Photo Story: C’River NDDC Rep, Rt. Hon. Orok Duke attends APC South South Zonal meeting as Senate President heaps praises on Commission

     

    By Kelvin Obambon

    The Commissioner representing Cross River State in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, on Sunday attended the South South Zonal meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), held at Metro Hotel, Calabar.

    The meeting which was exclusively for bigwigs of the party in the zone was graced by the Senate President, Dr Godswill Akpabio and the Governor of Cross River State, Prince Bassey Otu.

    In his remarks, President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Akpabio, heaped praises on the NDDC, stating that “So far NDDC is doing a great job. It is now commissioning projects everywhere!”

  • Senate President rallies APC South South zone to support Tinubu

    Senate President rallies APC South South zone to support Tinubu

    The President of the Senate, Senator Godswll Akpabio has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South zone to continue to lend their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve his Renewed Hope agenda.

    Senator Akpabio made the call at the South South APC National Executive Committee meeting in Calabar, Cross River State on Sunday. The stakeholders’ meeting witnessed a large turn out of members from the six States in the region.

    According to Senator Akpabio who paid special tribute to the former Senate President, Dr Joseph Wayas, the South South was strategically positioned in the national scheme of things after 45 years of having held the position of the Senate President in the Second Republic.

    “We need to be focused and aim at one vision and when we have that in mind we shall succeed. Here is the South South zone, sitting together. Every section is represented and nobody is left behind and we have to work in the same spirit.

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    “President Tinubu has assured us that he will never forget the South South region. That is why we have to continue to support the administration to succeed because if he succeeds, we all succeed together. For we lawmakers we were not elected to go to Abuja and fight but to bring the dividends of democracy to our people.

    “The votes that the President obtained in the Presidential election from my Senatorial District alone was more than the votes he garnered in the entire five States of the South East zone combined together.

    “From this zone, five states out of six were able to contribute more than 25 percent of the votes during the Presidential election of 2023 for President Tinubu. Don’t take this for granted because our party was not the dominant party in the zone before the election.

    “That shows that if you are committed you can turn things around in your Senatorial District and your Federal constituency and your Local Government Area. With struggle we can reach our destination. And that is the reason why we are gathered here today,” he said.

    Senator Akpabio urged the stakeholders to gear up for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State and implored the party to work hard to win the election so that the South South APC can add another State to Cross River State in the zone.

    The Governor of Cross River State and the Coordinator of the APC in the zone, Senator Bassey Otu said the South South APC must work hard to increase the strength of the party in the zone.

    “As a person this meeting means a lot to me because the Almighty God detests loneliness. He said it is not good for the man to be alone. I read the President’s lips. He said it is not good for Governor Otu to be alone in the South South region. We are here to turn this into reality,” he said.

    Governor Otu thanked the President for the ground breaking of the Lagos- Calabar coastal highway and said the zone will continue to support the President to achieve great successes in his administration’s developmental initiatives

    Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the South South Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, thanked party stakeholders for their unwavering support for the party. He thanked the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio for his physical presence at the meeting, describing him as “a lover of the South South and unifier of the nation.

    “Let me on behalf of the zonal leadership, thank the members of the 10th Senate and President Bola Tinubu, for their confidence in our own, Senator Akpabio for the office of the President of the Senate. There couldn’t have been a better choice for the position,” he said.

  • Nigerian Immigration Service Commends NDDC for Solar-Powered Lighting Installation

    Nigerian Immigration Service Commends NDDC for Solar-Powered Lighting Installation

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Cross River State Command has expressed its profound appreciation to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the recent installation of solar-powered lighting around its premises. This commendation was conveyed in a letter dated May 23, 2024, and addressed to Hon. (Chief) Orok Duke, the NDDC Commissioner representing Cross River State.

    The letter, signed by PC Ogbodo, the Comptroller of Immigration Service, praised the NDDC’s commitment to enhancing the security and visibility of the NIS command through the provision of sustainable energy solutions. The installation of solar-powered lights has significantly improved the operational environment of the command, ensuring better safety and efficiency during nighttime operations.

    “We are sincerely grateful for the prompt fulfillment of your promise to provide a reliable and sustainable source of energy,” the letter read. “Your support and commitment to our agency’s well-being are deeply appreciated.”

    The NIS Cross River State Command highlighted that this intervention by the NDDC underscores the agency’s role as a responsive and interventionist body dedicated to supporting governmental institutions and enhancing public safety.

    Read Also: IPAC calls for removal of Gov Otu’s SA on Inter-Party Affairs

    Hon. (Chief) Orok Duke and the NDDC have been recognized for their proactive efforts in addressing the infrastructural needs of security agencies in the Niger Delta region. The successful implementation of the solar-powered lighting project is seen as a significant step towards improving the working conditions of the NIS personnel and boosting their morale.

    The letter concluded with the warmest regards from the Comptroller of Immigration Service, expressing optimism for continued collaboration between the NDDC and the NIS in future initiatives aimed at enhancing security and development in Cross River State.

    Feelers suggest this commendation from the Nigerian Immigration Service highlights the positive impact of the NDDC’s interventions and its commitment to fostering sustainable development across the Niger Delta region.

  • IPAC calls for removal of Gov Otu’s SA on Inter-Party Affairs

    IPAC calls for removal of Gov Otu’s SA on Inter-Party Affairs

    …Says office should be reserved for experienced party leader

    By Kelvin Obambon

    The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Cross River State chapter, has called for the removal of Hon. Nkoyo Otu, the Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Inter-Party Affairs, saying she lacks the capacity and experience to hold such an office.

    The call was made in a 6-point resolution drawn by an enlarged general meeting of IPAC, held Wednesday, 12th June, to mark the 2024 Democracy Day, which was chaired by the State Chairman of IPAC, Engr. Effiom Okon.

    For not having the experience of leading a political party, the group urged Governor Otu to replace Hon. Nkoyo Otu with someone from IPAC who is a leader of a political party.

    “Our observation is that the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the State Governor, Mr Nsa Gill, was appointed from NUJ as well and the the Special Adviser on Labour was also appointed from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) because every organisation understands its dynamics, and uses that to their advantage to communicate if need be.

    Read Also: Governor Otu’s first year in office? Absolutely miraculous – Archbishop Josef Bassey

    We appeal that IPAC should not be an exception. Our appeal is that an SA Inter-Party Affairs should be appointed from amongst our party leaders.

    “Nkoyo Otu lacks the capacity and experience to lead political parties having not been a party chairman.

    “The period she interfaced with our women leaders, we got reports that she invited them against party leadership.”

  • Governor Otu’s first year in office? Absolutely miraculous – Archbishop Josef Bassey

    Governor Otu’s first year in office? Absolutely miraculous – Archbishop Josef Bassey

    A renowned father of the Christian faith and Grand Pontif of God’s Heritage  Centre Worldwide, Archbishop Josef Bassey, has spoken glowingly of the Governor of Cross River, Senator Bassey Otu’s impact on the state and its people since he mounted the saddle, describing his first one year as “absolutely miraculous.”

    The Archbishop made the assertion during a media interaction in his office in Calabar.

    “Governor Bassey Otu’s one year in office was miraculous in many ways. As a privileged citizen of the state, I am aware of what the state of the state was. Nothing was working, we witnessed eight years of total robbery and destruction of every thing of value in the state. Nothing was spared, our institutions, assets, values, standard operating systems of governments, etc. Cross River state was taken backward by at least 100 years. The gains of all previous governments where eroded while the state was being plundered to death. So I know like many informed Cross Riverians do that the Governor inherited a dying state, empty treasuries with virtually all bank accounts in red and a huge dead burden. It was a most tragic situation. I wept for years watching the decimation of what was once a most glorious and enviable state.

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    “It is therefore amazing that in one year, the  Governor Otu administration has been able to  breathe life into virtually every facet of the state. I see a tireless work at restoring, rebuilding and rebirthing taking place everywhere: the civil service, education, health, ease of doing business, infrastructural rehabilitation and development etc

    “This is simply nothing but a miracle in progress, and I appreciate God for it, because the prayers of the saints over the years for the deliverance and redemption of Cross River from the hitherto comatose situation we found ourselves has been answered. We can only pray and believe God that in the following years, with Governor Otu continuing in that same direction, Cross River will enter into her most glorious day,” the revered cleric expounded.

    He prophesied that under God, with the massive infrastructural interventions going on in  the state  as well as other farsighted policies, programmes and projects the present administration is carrying out, Cross River, before the end of Governor Otu’s  tenure, would have been transformed to its truest status as a paradise of sort in Nigeria.

    Archbishop Bassey, who is also the leader of Cross River State Christian Leaders Forum, reiterated that the present administration has put up an uncommon  show of maturity in leadership in the last 12 months, bolstering that, “I have not heard the Governor come to the public to complain about the troubles of the state or the countless disasters he met on arrival. That means that Cross Riverians are blessed with a governor who clearly understands that leadership is about  responsibility.”

    “I want to, on behalf of Cross River State Christian Leaders Forum, Cross River Project Stakeholders Roundtable, Calabar Charismatic Episcopacy, and God’s Heritage Centres worldwide, wish the Governor greater wisdom, strength, good health and favour of God, as he continues to pilot the affairs of the state in this second year and the remaining years of his tenure.”

  • NDDC Donates Dumpsters to Cross River State Government

    NDDC Donates Dumpsters to Cross River State Government

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has recently made a notable contribution to the Cross River State Government by providing dumpsters to aid in waste management within the state. This intervention was documented on June 10, 2024, at the State House of the Government of Cross River State.

    The dumpsters, prominently painted in blue and labeled “Donated by NDDC,” were delivered on a large flatbed truck. The donation is part of NDDC’s ongoing efforts to support environmental sustainability and public health initiatives in the Niger Delta region. The dumpsters are expected to significantly enhance the state’s capacity for efficient waste disposal and management.

    Located against the backdrop of an under-construction building, the new dumpsters signify a commitment to improving public infrastructure and services. The Commissioner representing the state at the board of the NDDC, Otuekong Orok Otu observed that the initiative underscores the NDDC’s dedication to addressing the environmental challenges faced by the region, particularly in urban centers like Calabar.

    Otuekong Duke added that “The provision of these dumpsters is anticipated to streamline waste collection processes and reduce the incidence of indiscriminate dumping, thereby fostering a cleaner and more sustainable urban landscape.”

    Read Also: SA General Duties, Barr Ekpenyong Akiba, Celebrates Democracy Day With Constituents

    State officials have expressed their gratitude for the donation, acknowledging its potential impact on maintaining cleanliness and promoting a healthier environment for residents. This contribution aligns with broader efforts to modernize waste management systems and tackle the growing concerns of urban waste.

    Our correspondent learnt that the NDDC’s intervention reflects a strategic approach to regional development, focusing on practical solutions to pressing local issues. As these dumpsters are put into service, it is expected that they will play a crucial role in improving sanitation and environmental conditions in Cross River State.

  • SA General Duties, Barr Ekpenyong Akiba, Celebrates Democracy Day With Constituents

    SA General Duties, Barr Ekpenyong Akiba, Celebrates Democracy Day With Constituents

    By Jimmy Jackson 

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on General Duties, Barr. Ekpenyong Akiba has assured Cross Riverians of Governor Bassey Otu’s resolve to deliver democratic dividends to the people.

    Barr. Akiba gave the assurance at his home town in Akpap Okoyong, Odukpani local government area, where he had gone to celebrate with the people during the 2024 Democracy Day.

    Accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the Calabar Urban Development Authority, Chief Ayi Etim, he described governor Otu as a true democrat and lover of the people, assuring that the state was in good hands with governor Otu at the helm of affairs.

    “Today we came here to assure you that our state is fast rising and rapidly improving. The only thing expected of you is total support so that our governor and those working with him can take us to that destination of greatness.

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    “In the spirit of democracy, the governor directed everyone to go back to their political wards and celebrate with the people at the grassroot so everyone can feel the dividends of democracy.

    “I am so excited with the warm reception you have given us, this goes to tell how much you appreciate the good works of our dear governor and we count on you to continue to give such support.“

    Also speaking, Chief Ayi Effiong appreciated the people for their support for the governor, pledging that the dividends of democracy will get to everyone.

    Highlights of the event were cultural display, games and many other side attractions.

  • Every Cross Riverian is entitled to access NDDC free medical outreach in Akamkpa – Rt. Hon. Orok Duke

    Every Cross Riverian is entitled to access NDDC free medical outreach in Akamkpa – Rt. Hon. Orok Duke

     

    By Kelvin Obambon

    The Commissioner representing Cross River State in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, has said that every Cross Riverian is entitled to access the free medical outreach that would be carried out by the Commission from the 16th – 22nd June, 2024 at the General Hospital, Akamkpa.

    Duke stated this Wednesday in Calabar during an interview with journalists.

    According to the NDDC Commissioner, “the medical outreach is strictly an NDDC project approved by the presidency. It’s been on for 15 years, long before we enter the office. As the Commissioner and Rep of NDDC I can’t fold my hands and watch anybody usurp our duties or hijack a federal government project.

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    “Every Cross Riverian is free to attend the programme on the 16th – 22nd June in Akamkpa. It is not restricted to three local government areas. I represent the three senatorial districts so the three senatorial districts are suppose to benefit from every programme that we have.”

    Duke, however said he would ensure Cross River is not shortchanged in the sharing and allocation of projects in the interventionist agency, stating that he is working towards drawing the Commission’s attention to the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons in northern part of the state.

    He argued that as the only APC-controlled state in the South South geo-political zone, Cross River ought to be given a place of importance, adding that the state governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu has so far shown leadership and unwavering commitment to improving the welfare of the people, hence the NDDC should complement his efforts and encourage him.

  • Only 5% of Nigerians are truly enjoying dividends of democracy – PFN Scribe

    Only 5% of Nigerians are truly enjoying dividends of democracy – PFN Scribe

    By Christian Njoku

    Bishop Emmah Isong, Publicity Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has disclosed that though Nigeria has enjoyed uninterrupted democracy for 25 years, only about five per cent of Nigerians have enjoyed democratic dividends.

    Isong made the assertion on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar while reacting to the June 12, Democracy Day celebration in Nigeria.

    It would be recalled that after a long spell of military dictatorship, Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 and have had five democratically elected president since then.

    The publicity secretary who doubles as the Presiding Bishop of Christian Central Chapel International (CCCI) said the five per cent that have enjoyed democracy in Nigeria are the politicians and those in the corridors of power.

    Read Also: Last Prophet, MC Daiok, Fada Kane & Chaliebaz unveiled as THINK CROSS RIVER Ambassadors

    He said although some of the Nigerian politicians have proven themselves to be different, the present democratic system in the nation favours the politicians, little wonder they are elected or appointed into an office and they want to sit tight.

    According to him, “the problem is not actually with democracy as a system of government but in the deterioration of morality and fear of God in the hearts of the leaders.

    “Most Nigerian politicians who win elections today forget their manifestos immediately they take their oath of office,” he said.

    Speaking further Isong said Nigeria needs a new kind of democracy with lots of constitutional adjustments and adaptability to suit its peculiar African culture.

    He said Nigeria cannot continue in a democracy where during elections, politicians arm thugs who go on rampage with weapons and people run into their houses to hide and at the end positions are filled with the worst Nigerians.

    He alleged that many who get leadership positions in Nigeria are dropouts with forged certificates, the elections are rigged, the electoral umpires and judiciary are coerced and the security agencies compromised.

    “We must not deceive ourselves the best Nigerians don’t go out during election days not to talk off contesting, it is the worst most hardened and corrupt of us that are emboldened and assimilated into the political system.

    “Nigeria needs to go back to the report of the Sovereign National Conference of 2014 where all Nigerians came together to talk about issues like revenue sharing balance in region, equity, constitutional change and adopt its resolutions.

    “If we must move forward as a nation, issues of equity and justice, immunity clause in our constitution among other issues needs to be looked into or else we will continue to go around in circle and not more forward,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Last Prophet, MC Daiok, Fada Kane & Chaliebaz unveiled as THINK CROSS RIVER Ambassadors

    Last Prophet, MC Daiok, Fada Kane & Chaliebaz unveiled as THINK CROSS RIVER Ambassadors

    By Jimmy Jackson 

    The Think Cross River initiative of the Cross River State Government has unveiled Friday Awade (Last Prophet), MC Daiok, Fada Kane and Chaliebaz as Ambassadors of its project.

    The unveiling was held today in Calabar, the Cross River State capital with media personalities present to witness the event.

    The Convener of the project, Edem Darlington, who is the Deputy Chief Secretary to the governor, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu intimated the press that the project is to awaken the consciousness of the State and also project its potential to the world.

    Edem said “the Think Cross River Project is for all Cross-Riverian and residents to at all times think about the state not just by mere words of mouth but by actions to bring back the glory days of the state.

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    “Cross River is blessed with a lot of potentials and resources and it’s time we join hands with the government to ensure that the lost glory is restored” he added.

    The ambassadors who spoke after the unveiling thanked the convener and the State Government for finding them fit and promised to ensure that the Initiative will be a success because they believe so much in the state.

    The Think Cross Initiative was unveiled by His Excellency, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu on May 29, 2024 while marking his 1 year in office as the governor of the State.

    The initiative which is to promote Cross River is geared towards the good governance of his Excellency and the transformation currently being witnessed in the state.

    Present at the unveiling were the Special Adviser to the governor on event management, Mr. Effiong Ekpenyong, Special Adviser on General Duties, Barr. Ekpeyong Akiba, and the Special Assistant on Communication, Nathaniel Otaba, amongst others.