Tag: Cross River State

By Christian Njoku

The Government of Cross River in collaboration with the Vehicle Inspection Office, (VIO) has made moves to curb revenue leakages and over taxation of motorists by flagging-off the 2024 Motor Ordinance Test (MOT) in the state.

The flag-off of the MOT which was carried out in the complex of the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure was done in collaboration of both organisations on Monday in Calabar.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MOT was a national document issued to motorists annually as certification for vehicle safety and  road worthiness.

Speaking to NAN on the document during its unveiling, Dr. Paul Bepeh, Director Road Traffic Services of VIO said the state decided to launch the document early because it was a national document.

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According to him if the state does not launch it in time, other states would take advantage of it and make the revenue even meant for Cross River.

Reacting to the issue of making VIO and the state Ministry of Works responsible for the enforcement of the document, Bepeh said “you don’t have to give out a government revenue point that government had the capacity to handle to an individual.

“People are running away from Cross River because of taxation, this is why the governor in his wisdom said the MOT should go back to where it can be supervised.

“This means that we will not use touts to enforce this document because we have used touts in the past to enforce revenue collection and this has brought very bad name to the government.

“Now in Cross River, there is only one department that has the right to interface with the road traffic rules and regulations and that is the Vehicle Inspection Department; we are to enforce, regulate it to ensure that government revenue gets to it.”

He added that for 2024 they were trying to plug revenue leakages in the state by achieving and surpassing their financial target with the MOT, so all hands must be on deck.

On his part, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure Mr Ankpo Pius said the MOT was a yearly ritual for motorists domiciled with the VIO while the VIO was domiciled in the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure for them to superintend.

Pius said the document was meant for all motorists because it gave them power to operate, adding that those that refuse to get the document would have to pay a fine when apprehended.

He added that to check revenue leakages through duplication of the document by vendors, there would be an authorized seal of the head of VIO in the state.

However, Mr Emmanuel Etim, one of the MOT vendor who spoke to NAN said the revenue leakages were not usually from them as they were given specific number of documents and returned commensurate amount to the government.

(NAN)

By Kelvin Obambon

The Cross River State Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have flagged of the 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Based Violence in the state.

Addressing a press conference to officially flag off the event in Calabar on Saturday, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Edema Irom, stated that the 16 days of activism is a yearly event which begins on the 25th of November and ends on 10th December.

According to her, the day was set aside by the UN to commemorate the brutal murder of 16 women from the Dominican Republic who were killed for their activism against gender based violence.

“It is with a sense of duty and responsibility that I address you on this journey we have jointly undertaken as a people with a united purpose. Today we join the world over to begin activities marking the 2023 16 days of activism against gender based violence with theme UNiTE! INVEST TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

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“It also marks the World Day for HIV prevention on 1st December, International Day for Persons with Disability 3rd December and ends on 10th December which is the International Human Rights Day.

“Today we honour all those who have fought and sometimes paid the ultimate price for an end to violence against women and girls the world over including Nigeria. We honour them because they paid the noble price for some of the privileges and freedoms women and girls are enjoying today. Yet there are still more freedoms we long for, looking at the gender inequality gaps, the discrimination suffered by women and girls with disabilities, the stigma and rejection suffered by women and girls living with HIV and AIDS, women and girls who are displaced, the constant increase in cases of sexual violence and harmful traditional practices still ongoing such as the child marriage, female genital mutilation etc,” she said.

Speaking further, the Commissioner disclosed that “More than 1 in 3 women experiences gender based violence in their life time. More than 5 women or girls are killed every hour by some one in their family. Less than 40% of Women who experience GBV seek help of any sort. Violence against Women and Girls remains the most pervasive human right violation around the world. Its prevalence is now being further increased by the crisis of climate change, global conflict and economic instability.”

Irom also stated that her ministry in collaboration with GBV response and prevention actors in the State have a line up of activities within the 16 days to advocate for an end to all forms of violence against women and girls.

She, however, thanked the state government for ensuring that certain legal provisions such as the violence against persons prohibition (VAPP) law and the disability rights law are in place.

“We are also commending government and especially the judiciary for having designated an additional family court for hearing of cases. This is a good start and we are very grateful, but just like Oliver twist we wish to ask for more. We are calling for support for the passage of the 5 gender bills at the national assembly by our national legislators, the provision and release of funds at the state level for the implementation of the VAPP, the CRL, Disability rights laws and other laws that prohibits VAWG in the state.

“We call on the media to publicise existing legislation for public knowledge as well as prosecuted cases, we call on the security agencies and other ministries, departments and agencies saddled with prevention and response activities to respond more swiftly to cases of SGBV in the state. We call for the sexual offence register domiciled in the citizens rights department of the CRS ministry of Justice be made functional and accessible, we call for speedy dispensation of cases of VAWG in our courts.

“We call on our ever supportive traditional leaders and institutions to ensure HTPs do not take place in their communities. We call on communities to have in place by-laws that will support the implementation of the VAPP, CRL, Disability rights law and other legislation that support an end to VAWG in the state. We will not fail to thank our non state actors such as the NGOs and CBOs in the state for the great work they have been doing in responding to issues of VAWG in the state. The technical support, material and financial support etc. We call for capacity building and collaboration from state and non state actors to support efforts aimed at bringing issues of gender based violence to its barest minimum if not eradicating it completely in the state.

“We are all here as actors working in the space of gender to flag this year’s activities off in one spirit. Despite some discouraging trends, there is more proof than ever that violence against women and girls is preventable.

“Once again, we are grateful to the Governor of Cross River State, HE Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu for providing an enabling environment, we are also grateful to all the partners in the state for such massive support. Together we shall bring an end to VAWG/SGBV in the state,” she concluded.

By Kelvin Obambon

The Orange Fellowship, an offshoot of Hit FM’s Orange Show, has produced 20 graduands in the 2023 cohort. The all-female fellowship that started in 2020 spotlights issues of violence against women and girls, gender inequality, patriarchy and advocacy for women inclusion in leadership at all levels of human endeavour.

Speaking during the close out ceremony for the 2023 fellows, held at the American Corner, Parliamentary in Calabar on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer of Hit FM, Mr Patrick Ugbe, said the Orange Fellowship has grown bigger this year than it was last year.

According to him, “The Orange Show runs on radio – Hit 95.9FM. At Hit FM we have a philosophy. We have a belief. We have this maxim: ‘Radio You Can Feel and Touch’. We are a lifestyle station. So we try as much as possible to take whatever programme we have to the community. I encourage my presenters, my on air personalities, my producers to come up with events that they can do within the ambit of their shows. That gave rise to the Orange Fellowship Programme as a spin-off from the Orange Show.”

Mr Ugbe said what the fellows have learned within the three month duration of the programme would transform them into becoming better citizens and to also continually develop themselves, declaring that “this is what will stand them out in the society.”

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The keynote speaker at the event, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Itam Abang, who spoke on leadership, said women have great leadership potential more than the men, as they are more likely to produce results whenever given responsibility.

She said that for them to rise to the challenge of leadership they must educate themselves and have a better grasp of contemporary issues and opportunities that exist in the society.

Hon. Abang stressed the need for young girls to seek mentorship and inculcate in themselves worthwhile values from their various homes. While charging them to be ambitious, the keynote speaker equally urged them to discharge their civic responsibility, especially by taking part in the electoral process, as through this they can make their voices heard and aspire to various leadership positions.

The former lawmaker said that leadership entails hard work and integrity, and that there is no shortcut to success, adding that the success that comes through cutting corners is only but ephemeral. She admonished the graduands to see sacrifices as part of the process towards becoming a successful leader, and that the graduands should be ready and willing to embrace it.

She then urged graduands of the Orange Fellowship to replicate the knowledge gained throughout their training by impacting positively on their immediate environment. This way, she maintained, people can see the beautiful side of the Fellowship in them and seek to participate.

On her part, the convener of the Fellowship and presenter of the Hit FM’s Orange Show, Mrs Abenmire Adi, said initially participants of the fellowship were drawn from tertiary institutions within Cross River, but now girls in tertiary institutions from across the country can take part in the fellowship.

“Response to the fellowship has been massive. We have hundreds of applications coming in every year but we have to pick out just 20 fellows to be part of the programme so we can focus and give them the best. They go through 3 months fellowship programme, and in this 3 months they are taken through courses on data driven advocacy, ICT, leadership, sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexual and gender based violence, and basically issues around Sustainable Development Goals, but particularly Goal 5. We hit more on Goal 5 which is gender equality.

“We also try to bring them up to speed with what is happening across the world in these spaces so that they have the skills and expertise to go into the world and explore just like their male counterparts across the globe are doing. We want to see more girls in the campuses take up more positions, not just as vice but the number one position.”

She said that the graduands must achieve 95 percent attendance, take all the assessments for each course and then write an e-book on feminism, personal development and leadership before they could graduate from the fellowship.

The event climaxed with the presentation of certificates to the graduands and awards to outstanding peer educators.

By Christian Njoku

The Women’s Wing of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) has called on Nigerian Women to learn to build peaceful and harmonious homes.

The group popularly known as the Rosicrucian Order disclosed this during its 2023 Sisters of the Rosy Cross, (SIROC) National Conference held in Calabar; from Thursday Nov. 16 to the late hours of Sunday Nov. 19.

The conference which had the theme: “Harnessing the Principle of Cosmic Abundance for Home and Business” saw women from the four zones of the order in Nigeria, the eastern, western, northern and Edo/Delta zones converge in Calabar.

Speaking on the theme of the conference, Ms Eunice Attah, National President of SIROC, said while women should learn to build harmonious homes, they must also learn to coexist peacefully with others irrespective of ethno-religious differences.

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Noting that the increase of insecurity in the world was as a result of lack of love, Attah said people must learn to love and be at peace with themselves and share this love with their families to build a harmonious home and society.

“Peace  they say begins with oneself, before thinking of extending peace to the next person, the giver of peace must first of all be at peace with his or herself,” she said.

Speaking with Ms Eunice Otete, National Deputy Coordinator of SIROC, she said once a home was built on the bedrock of peace and harmony, it cascades to the society and produces a harmonious society.

According to Otete, the aim of the women conference was to educate  women on the importance of building stronger spiritual relationship with themselves, God, their neighbours and to improve their health and wellbeing.

“Our organisation is an educative, so we learn everyday, however, the process of being a rosicrucian woman is much more difficult for the women due to all the house chores and taking care of the home.

“So when the women have the time to sit-down to study and meditate, they are already tired, meaning a woman needs more will power and determination to grow in the order.

“This is why annually, we bring the women together to learn, meditate, develop new life skills that improves their general wellbeing and that of their families and environment,” she said

Similarly, on his part, Mr Egenenius Idiodi, Administrator of AMORC for the English Speaking Jurisdiction of West Africa, said the conference was a time for women to learn new skills that makes them better and also to pray for the wellbeing of the nation.

He added that as an organisation, they understood the roles women played and the value they brought to the society, so, the conference was one of the ways to celebrate them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women were trained in different economic skills like ice cream, Greek yogurt and parfait production while those who had products exhibited theirs.