The Lumine News

Author: News

  • TETFUND Completes Inspection Of The Institute Of Management and Technology, Ugep

    By Admin

    The Tertiary Education Fund TETFUND, responsible for funding of tertiary institutions in Nigeria has completed the inspection of the state owned Institute of Management and Technology, Ugep in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    This however comes on the heels of the enlistment of the institute as a beneficiary institution, facilitated by the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee in TETFUND, Sen. Prof. Sandy Onor.

    Speaking after the three day rigorous inspection, the leader of the delegation, Mallam Yahaya applauded the level of infrastructural development of the institution and pledged the reflection of the various concerns raised by all stakeholders during the inspection visit.

    The delegation was led by the Registrar of the institution, Dr. Emmanuel Yarie and the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Elvis Okon Jnr. on a courtesy visit to the palace of the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ofem Ubangha Eteng and the Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Council, Hon. Ofem Ebri Obeten.

    The duo of the Obol of Ugep and the Chairman of Yakurr local government Council, thanked the team for undertaking the inspection of the state owned Institute of Management and Technology located in their land and requested that the intervention in the institution commence in earnest.

    Recall that since inception of the institution in December, 2012, this is the first time that the Institute of Management and Technology will get any intervention from TETFUND.

    When contacted, the senator representing Cross River Central senatorial district and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on TETFUND, Sen. Prof. Sandy Onor, expressed satisfaction with the efficacy of his people oriented representation at the red chambers, which has yielded this result of inspection and the subsequent intervention by TETFUND.

    The lawmaker maintained that he will stop at nothing to ensure that Cross River State gets all its entitlements, due and quota from TETFUND.

  • #EndSARS Protest Is Not Just An Indictment On The Nigerian Police Force, It Is A Call For Change In National Polity – Fr. Peter Abue

    By Admin

    As the demand by the Nigerian youth to end all forms of harassment, intimidation and brutality against the citizenry through the instrumentality of the Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS, by the government that whose role is to protect lives and properties, a revered teacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Ogoja and Parish Priest of St. Thomas Aquinas parish, Igoli-Ogoja, Cross River State Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Peter Obele Abue has stated that the #EndSARS protest is not just an indictment on the Nigerian Police Force, but a call for a change in national polity.

    Fr. Obele took to his verified Facebook account to share his thought tagged: “GIVE BACK”

    “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (Matt. 22:21). A lot of interpretations have been given to this statement of Jesus and sometimes, without reference to the source. Politicians have used it to say that Christians should not meddle with Politics. Christians have used it to argue that the state should not interfere in religious concerns. The actual words that Jesus Himself used were “give back” and although He was speaking in a particular context of the society in which he lived, His words are still relevant to us today. His words were an answer to the basic economic, political, and religious questions that bothered the people of his day against the backdrop of the oppression of the Romans authority over the Jewish people. And Jesus replies to them using the phrasal verb, “give back.”

    “The ordinary man on the street of Nigeria is using Jesus words to argue that they must be given what they hav a right to and that brings us to the ugly situation prevalent in our country today. The youth of Nigeria are demanding that what has been taken away from them be given back. The question is: what has been taken away from the youth and citizens of this country? Nigerians are saying that their freedoms, their right to live and move about in peace has been trampled upon by the Nigerian police under the auspices of the so called Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and so calling for its abrogation #EndSARS.

    “#EndSARS in Nigeria is not just an indictment on the Nigerian Police Force, it is a call for change in our national polity. As the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have said today “The Nigerian government must realize that what the youths on behalf of Nigerians clamour for under the code name #EndSARS is a total reform of the entire Police Force and not a change of name. They call for a reform of our government institutions and a reform of our entire nation. They are asking for a system that will be hard on crimes and criminals in the society within the ambience of the law. While at the same time treating every human being, citizens and visitors alike with respect and dignity”.

    “For us in Nigeria today, the first lesson is clear; it was Caesar’s image on the coin, so “give back to Caesar” implies a moral and civic duty first for the State to give back to its citizens what belongs to them. The state does not give back by sustaining a delapidated system; failing to care for its law enforcement department, encouraging the brutalization of citizens and denying them their rights. Citizens also give back to Ceaser (the State) by looking out for the common good, paying taxes (the same coin) and contributing their best as civic workers. Citizens do not give back by breaking the civil system and arguing all the time that the system is corrupt.

    “More importantly still, Jesus says Give back to God what belongs to God. This means nobody has the right to dominate or oppress others, for we are all created in God’s image. The brutalization of human beings by the police including exploitation of youth, women and children, are ways of stealing the human person from God. We must give back to God what belongs to him by treating others with dignity. Its time we begin to review our ways as a nation, making amends and ending all forms of inhumanity especially that pepertrated by the State on innocent citizens. Just as the coin must be returned to its owner, the emperor, because it bears its image, so we must return to God the creature that bears its image (read Gen. 1:27). #EndSARS”.

  • G F O Orim Foundation Pays Hospital Bill For Abandoned 22 Years Miss Theresa Who Delivered Triplets

    By Elijah Ugani

    As part of its intervention programme, the G F O Orim Foundation has unseated the hospital bills of an abandoned 22 years old Miss Theresa Emmanuel Odey who delivered triplets prematurely at the Sacred Heart Hospital, Obudu.

    The foundation has concluded arrangement in line with the referral to move Miss Theresa and her two surviving children to Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital on Monday next week for intensive care.

    Miss Theresa was admitted at the hospital and delivered the triplets prematurely on Wednesday, 14th October, 2020. Sadly, one of the triplets died yesterday, Friday 16th October, 2020 due inadequate intensive care.

    Miss Theresa hails from Utugwang in Obudu local government area of Cross River State.

    She was abandoned when she became pregnant and the man is said to have gone into hiding. Her mother is a peasant farmer who barely pays her bills.

    All thanks to the good Samaritan was keen about the future of the children, and drew the attention of The Lumine News to the situation and we immediately put a call to G F O Orim Foundation to the heart touching situation.

    When contacted, the Chairman of G F O Orim Foundation, Hon. Martin Orim who is also the Chief of Staff to Governor Ayade, and visited Miss Theresa at the hospital in person, noted that the situation is such that “I was touched when I saw this lady and her two surviving children, as the foundation will ensure the survival of these children. No one knows what they will become in future, we will do our best and hopefully, God will do his part”

    He thanked the management of Sacred Heart Hospital, Obudu and all the staff who had worked tirelessly to ensure the safe delivery of the triplets and charged them to continue the good work.

  • NITDA To Make Cross River State An IT Hub

    By Admin

    The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi has promised to make Calabar, Cross River State one of the Regional IT Hubs the Agency is set to establish across the Country.

    The DG, who is a Massachusetts trained tech expert disclosed this on the 13th of October 2020 when the Director General, Cross River State Border Communities Development Commission (BORDERCOMM), Mr. Noel Ugbong led a delegation of his team to NITDA Headquarters, Abuja.

    Mr. Ugbong facilitated the DG, NITDA who is barely one year in office and extended the Governor’s goodwill message as well as commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing this young, vibrant and tech savvy business-minded youth as Director General of the Country’s IT regulatory Agency.

    Mr. Noel Ugbong praised the Agency for the post-graduate Scholarship program and noted that “It is only NITDA Scholarship that gives equal value to all the States which is very commendable”

    The BORDERCOMM Director General commended the Agency for the Smart Agriculture programme and requested the DG to extend the Programme to Cross River State especially now that the State is one the leading States in the Green Revolution.

    Mr. Noel Ugbong used the opportunity and appealed to the Agency to equip the Skills Acquisition Centres recently handed over to Cross River State border Communities by the Border Communities Development Agency Abuja.

    He posited that if NITDA provides the centres with IT equipment and technical support, it will go a long way to create wealth, IT solutions and control migration. He further briefed the Agency of the steps Cross River State has taken geared towards advancing IT solutions and expertise which NITDA can leverage on.
    Amongst which is the Tinapa Knowledge Centre and available optic fibre across the length of the state.

    Mr. Noel Ugbong appealed to NITDA to provide Internet support to Obudu Mountain Resort which is Nigeria’s number one Tourism Flagship.

    Responding, the enigmatic DG of NITDA assured the DG, BORDERCOM that his Agency was on the verge of creating regional IT Hubs across the Country. He stressed that Calabar has the enabling facility for easy takeoff, the Agency will Consider making it a regional hub. He promised to extend the smart Agriculture programme to Cross River State after the pilot program in Jigawa State.

    The Deputy Director IT Infrastructure Solutions, Dr. Muhammed Saidu thanked the BORDERCOMM team for the visit and commended the Governor of Cross River State for the tax exemption in the State.

  • Peter Akpanke Makes List Of Hon. Jarigbe Agom’s Campaign Council

    By Elijah Ugani

    Barely 24 hours after Mr. Peter Akpanke dissociated self from the campaign council of the factional candidate of the PDP in the October 31st 2020, CRN senatorial district rerun election, he has been nominated into the campaign council of Rt. Jarigbe Agom’s campaign council.

    Mr. Peter Akpanke is the President/Founder of The Akpanke’s Foundation, a nonprofit and humanitarian organization that has touched the lives of most vulnerable persons in the northern senatorial district and is said to have a broad support base across the district.

    He is said to be a staunch supporter of the Member of Parliament, who he believes is a pathfinder and the hope of the northern senatorial district of our dream.

    Though, Mr. Akpanke cited non compliance with with Democratic tenets by Dr. Stephen Odey over his inclusion into his campaign council, it is a known fact that his attachment and support for the MP is the major reason for his dissociation.

    This is however the first time since the return to democracy in 1999 that two persons are laying claims to the party ticket.

  • Peter Akpanke Dissociates Self From 2020 PDP Campaign Council For Northern Senatorial District

    By Admin

    A front line supporter of Rt. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe for the Cross River Northern Senatorial District, Mr. Peter Akpanke has dissociated self from the publication of a faction of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, supporting Dr. Stephen Odey.

    In release made available to The Lumine News and signed by Mr. Peter Akpanke, indicates that he was never consulted and that the action of the mischief makers violates every known democratic tenets, principles and practice.

    Akpanke however noted that he has no intention to join issues with any person or group of persons and called on the public to disregard the publication which has the intent of misleading the public.

    The release reads in full “My attention has been drawn to a misguided and purported list circulated in the social media under the Finance sub committee as member of a campaign council.

    “For the purpose of the records, I wish to state categorically that I was not at any point consulted to be part of any campaign council, and therefore dissociate myself from any form of membership of any campaign council.

    “My name as contained in that document violates every known democratic tenets, principles and practice. However, I have no intention whatsoever to join issues any person or group of persons.

    “The general public is hereby intimated to take note and disregard the purported publication of my name as a member of the Finance Committee of the campaign Council. This was done to mislead the public”

     

  • Police Rescues Pregnant Teens, Babies From Alleged Baby Factory In Cross River

    George Odok Jr

    Cross River State Police Command has rescued three pregnant women and two babies from an alleged baby factory in the state.

    The State Commissioner of Police, CP Abdulkadir Jimoh, disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar.

    He said a team of policemen in the state led by him rescued the victims when the team stormed the residence of one Madam Ima-Obong Asuquo in Obot Udonna village in Akamkpa LGA on October 13 2020.

    The Commissioner said the rescue operation took place at about 3.40hrs following a tip-off.

    The commissioner said three pregnant teenagers, Blessing Francis, 19, Blessing Okon, 19, and Blessing Solomon, 21, were rescued during the operation by his men.

    He confirmed that two children, Bright Solomon, two years old and Michael Etim, 7 years old were also rescued.

  • President Buhari Addresses #EndSars Protesters Across The Country

    President Buhari address #EndSars protesters across the council

  • Senator Imoke Constructed Interlocking Kerbs To Safeguard Other People’s Lives, God Used His Good Work To Save His Life – Eko Atu

    God rewards good works.

    I need to tell this story especially for those of us who find ourselves in position of authority, or hold one office or the other in trust for the people.

    I recall when Imoke came onboard as governor, he awarded the contract for the interlocking kerbs from the bottom hill to the summit of the Obudu ranch resort.

    This was to further secure the lives of visitors to the ranch who use their cars up the ranch. It could be recalled that so many lives have been lost on the Obudu ranch mountain road either due to break failures or other mechanical faults.

    So it became necessary to assure visitors of their safety while commuting up and down the ranch.

    H E, then Senator Ben Ayade had lost the Mum and as usual with Imoke, went to Obudu to first attend the vigil night and the church service the next day.

    We left Calabar a little late for Obudu. I drove with H E, the Deputy Governor in his car; while Senator Ndoma Egba drove with H E Imoke.

    We had a good time out with H E, then Senator Ayade who given his sociable nature ensured everybody on the convoy was well taken care of.

    We departed Obudu a little late that night to sleep over in the ranch so we could come for the church service the next day.

    For some of us who have visited the ranch especially going up the ranch at night will attest to the fact that the ranch at night becomes foggy. Midway on our journey up the ranch, H E, the deputy governor looked back in the foggy weather and said to me that he can’t sight the headlights of H E cars.

    He then asked his driver to make a U turn, but it was dangerous given that the whole place had become so foggy. We got down and started trekking back to see if we could sight the headlights of H E’s convoy.

    We had trekked for some 30min down the hill, when we sighted the headlights of the convoy. When we reached where the cars were, we realized there had been an accident involving H E. Apparently, the driver had slept off and the car was going into the ditch. The CSO who was Infront manuvoured the steering and the car came crashing on the kerbs.

    H E had a fracture on his right hand which kept him away from work for several weeks because he needed an operation.

    I just remembered that incident and I ask myself, if those kerbs were not in place; the obvious may have happened.

    So when you are in office or position of authority, build that health centre, because you may never know if the first aid you need to survive in an emergency would be provided by that facility. Build that school because the child who goes to that school, might become a medical doctor tomorrow who might save your life.

    God rewards good works, and because Senator Imoke had constructed those interlocking kerbs to safeguard other people’s lives, God used his good work to save his life.

  • Micro Projects: CSDA Intervenes In 350 Communities Of Cross River State

    No fewer than 350 Communities across the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River state have benefitted from the State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) Projects.

    The Cross River State Government, World Bank Assisted project is a Community Driven Development (CDD) and intervention mechanism designed for improving empowerment, service delivery and local governance through empowerment of people in the local communities.

    Speaking during a post completion and Project sustainability workshop organised by the Agency in Calabar, the Commissioner for International Development Corporation, Dr Inyang Asibong said that over 900 community projects in all the 18 local government areas have been executed.

    According to Asibong, the Agency has empowered more citizens at the local government levels, with improved service delivery, accountability, transparency and effective communication in the last five years of Governor Ben Ayade’s administration more than ever.

    The commissioner while encouraging the beneficiaries to sustain the assets created in their various communities, warned that Government will not provide further support to any community who fails to maintain and sustain previous projects in their domain, including health centres, boreholes and classroom blocks.

    The Board Chairman of the Agency, Sir Toni Ikpeme commended the communities for implementing thier projects according to standards and specifications. He encouraged them to apply community level strategies to maintain and sustain the assets.

    Also Speaking at the event, the Acting General Manager of the Agency, Mr Fidel Udie commended Governor Ayade for funding the Agency to provide support to Communities especially in the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.

    The workshop had relevant line MDAs in attendance, with beneficiaries from several communities where issues of home grown sustainability strategies were discussed, such that benefits can be guaranteed over a long period.