The Lumine News

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  • CORAfrica Pays School Charges For 40 Pupils In Northern Cross River

    CORAfrica Pays School Charges For 40 Pupils In Northern Cross River

    By Elijah Ugani 

    CORAfrica Nigeria as part of its mission to librate the most vulnerable children in the society has under its HELP-A-KID Programme, paid school charges for 40 pupils drawn from four local government areas in Cross River State.

    CORAfrica is a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, founded by Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue PhD. Over the years, CORAfrica has founded schools, supported students at various categories, provided livelihood intervention and support for women and Cameroonian Refugees in Cross River and Benue states, among other interventions.

    40 most vulnerable pupils in five primary schools in Ogoja, Yala, Bekwarra and Obudu Local Government Area, were reached.

    CORAfrica paid three terms school charges for all the 40 pupils

    See schools and pictures with the pupils attached.

    1. Sacred Heart Primary, School – Bekwarra LGA (10 pupils)

    2. Holy Child Convent Primary School, Ugaga Yala LGA (10 pupils)

    3. St John’s Primary School, Ukwortung – Obudu LGA (5 pupils)

    4. Government Nomadic Primary School, Ukwortung – Obudu LGA (5 pupils)

    5. Christ the king Primary School, Nwaranty – Ogoja LGA (10 pupils)

    CORAfrica is committed to providing and assisting the most vulnerable African children assess quality education.
    #Anticipatethesecondedition

    At CORAfrica, we are open to donations to sustain the gains of our interventions

    For donations and partnership, kindly contact:

    Founder/Chief Strategist, Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue PhD, contact on request
    Programme Manager, Elijah Ugani – 08121032474

  • The Cameroon-Ambazzonian War, And The Regional Impact On Mass Displacement And Insecurity In Nigeria, And The Call For Urgent Government Actions BY RICHARD INOYO

    The Cameroon-Ambazzonian War, And The Regional Impact On Mass Displacement And Insecurity In Nigeria, And The Call For Urgent Government Actions BY RICHARD INOYO

    The Cameroon-Ambazzonian War, And The Regional Impact On Mass Displacement And Insecurity In Nigeria, And The Call For Urgent Government Actions

    By Richard Inoyo
    December 12, 2023 | 09:36AM

    Understanding the conflict:

    The Cameroon-Ambazonian War also called the Anglophone Crisis by some writers, and the Ambazonia War or the Cameroonian Civil War by others have been ongoing for over 6years now.

    Chronically, it is an ongoing armed conflict between Cameroon Armed Forces and Ambazonian separatist rebel groups, part of the long-standing Anglophone-Francophone problem in Cameroon.

    Following the suppression of 2016–17 protests by Cameroonian authorities, separatists in the Anglophone regions (formerly collectively known as the Southern Cameroons) launched a guerrilla campaign and later proclaimed independence. Within two months, the government of Cameroon declared war on the separatists and sent its army into the Anglophone regions.

    Starting as a low-scale insurgency, the conflict spread to most parts of the Anglophone regions within a year. By the summer of 2019, the Cameroonian government took control of major cities and parts of the countryside, while the Ambazonian nationalists held parts of the countryside and regularly appeared in the major cities.

    Although, separatists have occasionally carried out raids into the neighboring Francophone regions of Littoral and West. Thousands of people have been killed in the war, and more than half a million have been forced to flee their homes.

    It is a public knowledge that Cameroonian government was supported by the Buhari administration in Nigeria, while at least one Ambazonian group is allied to Biafran separatists.

    Sadly, talks mediated by Switzerland in 2019 ultimately failed, and the Ambazonian leadership crisis has long complicated any diplomatic process.

    Separatist leaders who were extradited from Nigeria in 2018 were in 2019 handed life sentences by a military tribunal. Facing mounting international pressure for a global ceasefire, in July 2020, Cameroon began negotiating with these imprisoned leaders. The talks were held between Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and other imprisoned leaders and representatives of the Cameroonian government. The talks outlined a series of conditions for the Cameroonian government to accept that Ayuk Tabe said would create an “enabling environment” for substantial negotiations to occur.

    These talks ultimately failed, and fighting has long continued and the impacts are now affecting neighboring State like Cross River State in Nigeria. Three Local Government Areas (Boki, Obanliku and Etung) in Nigeria have been on the receiving end of the spilling conflict especially as regards the destructions of villages, kidnapping and mass displacement of Nigerian citizens living in those Local Government Areas due to the actions of Ambazonian separatists who are now turning these local government areas to their attack launching Garrison and as revenue points to raise money for their war efforts.

    For instance, Obanliku, a Local Government Area in Cross River State (famous for its mountains), that is 207 miles from Calabar and 293 miles from Abuja has suffered heavily from the actions of Ambazonian separatist fighters who have long invaded their communities and turned same to military bases while terrorizing, killing, kidnapping the people and setting their villages ablaze. Pregnant women, children, elderly citizens, the disabled, the sick and injured have suffered unprecedentedly from the invasion and destruction of a community like Belegete in Obanliku by Ambazonian separatist fighters.

    The visible absence of the Nigerian Military to protect these communities is further endangering the besieged Local Government Areas, with tens of hundreds displaced from their ancestral homes and some people killed. We are yet to see the Cross River State House of Assembly even prioritizing or deliberating on these matters nor any Senator or House of Representatives Members interceding for the security and humanitarian actions a community like Belegete needs urgently. This is so sad as the people suffer ethnic cleansing and mass exodus in the hands of the occupying Ambazonian separatist fighters.

    Citizens’ Solution Network is calling on the Nigerian Government and the Cross River State Government to provide urgent security and humanitarian relief materials to Obanliku as several communities suffer from mass displacement and their decoupling from their farms and means of livelihoods. Children, Pregnant Women, Elderly Citizens and those injured need urgent medical support and humanitarian assistance because they desperately need it along with security of their communities so that they can return back. We don’t need to wait for hundreds to be slaughtered before the Nigerian government and its representing officials live up to the oath of protecting our people.

    We call on the Nigerian President_ Mr. Bola Admed Tinubu, and The Governor of Cross River State, Senator. Prince Bassey Otu to act and bring the needed assistance and security the people in Obanliku need urgently. We ask all Nigerians to do what they can to support humanitarian and medical efforts in ways they can.

    Thanks

    Signed

    Richard F Inoyo,
    Country Director,
    Citizens’ Solution Network

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Richard Inoyo and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

     

  • C’River Deputy Governor Departs Ogoja For Calabar, Stops At Ochong- Obubra For Sunday Service

    C’River Deputy Governor Departs Ogoja For Calabar, Stops At Ochong- Obubra For Sunday Service

    The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, and his entourage, on Sunday, 10th December, 2023, made a stop at the St. Eugene Roman Catholic Parish in Ochon (Obubra LGA) where he joined other worshippers to thank God for a new week.

    Rt. Hon. Odey, who was on his way back from the funeral of Mrs. Janet Ateb (Née Ayade), used the opportunity to support his old friend, the parish priest, Rev. Fr Christian Ihemase.

    Hon. Odey was accompanied on the visit by the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr. Alphonsus Eba, member representing Ogoja State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Thomas Aruku, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Zana Akpagu, former Commissioner for Industries, Mr. Peter Egba, the Head of Personal Staff to the Deputy Governor, Dr. Chris Ojikpong, amongst other dignitaries.

  • UNICROSS Graduate Excels in NYSC Camp, Wins One Million Naira

    UNICROSS Graduate Excels in NYSC Camp, Wins One Million Naira

    Okpo Chibueze, a graduate of Department of Animal Science in Obubra campus of UNICROSS has excelled in Port Harcourt camp of National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) by clinching the top position in the Accesspreneur business pitch contest held in camp.

    His success came by delivering a compelling defense of his Pig Farming business pitch, aimed at addressing food insecurity.
    Sponsors of the competition rewarded him with the sum of one million naira.
    Kudos to UNICROSS and congratulations to Okpo on this well-deserved achievement.

    – UNICROSS Media Team

  • Ogoja Diocese Welcomes V.C. For Development From USA

    Ogoja Diocese Welcomes V.C. For Development From USA

    The Catholic diocese of Ogoja recently hosted the Vice Chancellor for Development of one of America’s famous Catholic Universities, The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio State, Mr. Stephen Rasche.

    Mr. Rasche was in Ogoja following another recent visit to the USA by the Vicar General of Ogoja diocese and Chairman of the Further studies Commission, Fr. Peter Abue.

    In August 2023, in his travels, Fr Abue had appealed to Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio, USA through Mr. John Stilley to enable a partnership that would enable the upgrade of The diocesan Thomas McGettrick Institute of Technology (TMIT) possible and faster.

    In his interaction with the University Council headed by Fr David Pivonka TOR and his Council, Fr Abue discussed the Partnership, which would attract funding towards this initiative and open more doors for other project areas in the diocese.

    Both Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS), Ohio and the proposed Thomas McGettrick University (TMU), Ogoja would have missions to educate Nigerian priests/seminarians through a rolling mentorship programme with FUS personnel. The topics for the programme would include: Building financial reporting processes, Designing Budgets and Projections, Admissions and Enrollment Modeling, Campus Master Planning as well as Legal and Compliance Matters. The concept would be for the Priests to spend time in each functional area and learn how FUS operates in order to come back and build up TMU.

    The Thomas McGettrick University Project was a mandate by the Bishop of Ogoja diocese Most Rev Donatus Akpan to the Further studies Commission of the diocese headed by Fr Peter Abue to oversea modalities that would ensure among other things, the upgrade of the present TMIT to the status of a university by raising funds to meet the requirements of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    In his response to the Bishop and the team of selected Priests who welcomed the august visitor, he emphasized the willingness of the Franciscan University of Steubenville to support the initiative of the diocese and mentioned one of the key stakeholders John Stilley who is particularly interested in this partnership.

    He thanked the Bishop for receiving him and promised to set to work to make this vision possible in the nearest future.

  • Commissioner For Humanitarian Affairs Pledges More Support For Refugees In Cross River State

    Commissioner For Humanitarian Affairs Pledges More Support For Refugees In Cross River State

     

    In a significant move towards supporting refugees and host communities, the Honourable Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in Cross River State, Mrs. Helen Isamoh-Egodo, PhD, actively participated in a conference organized by the UNHCR in collaboration with the Global Refugees Forum, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and other key partners, during which she pledged the Cross River State Government’s support for refugees, IDPs and other vulnerable individuals in the state. The event focused on the ‘Global Compact on Refugees).

    Expressing gratitude towards UNHCR, the Commissioner emphasized the crucial role of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in refugee management. She explained that since its establishment in August this year, the ministry has prioritized safeguarding, protection, and social assistance for vulnerable individuals, including refugees and IDPs in the state.

    She highlighted the ministry’s commitment to alleviating the burdens faced by refugees and ensuring their well-being. The commissioner stressed the importance of addressing refugees’ basic needs through sustainable engagement, including livelihoods, food, and financial assistance. She urged collective efforts to embrace and provide for refugees, emphasizing the significance of human comfort and the need for a united approach to replace their current challenges with relief and support.

    ” …I want to commend the UNCHR for organizing this workshop on Global Compact on Refugees.Our ministry, is assigned with the responsibility of providing protection and social assistance to all vulnerable people, including the refugees and the IDPs and I am particularly excited about his Excellency, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu’s commitment to the welfare of refugees in the state. Apart from the fact that he has provided palliative for refugees, their welfare has also been captured in the state budget.”

    The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, Honourable Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Helen I. Egodo, Commissioner for International Development and other government Functionaries, Directors, and other stakeholders.

    Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs,
    Cross River State

  • C’River Deputy Governor Flags Off Global Compact Refugees Meeting In Calabar

    C’River Deputy Governor Flags Off Global Compact Refugees Meeting In Calabar

     

    By Ukongikwen Adie

    Cross River Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, today, declared open the Global Compact On Refugees high level meeting holding at Transcorp Hotel in Calabar.

    The Global Compact On Refugees is a United Nations High Commission programme to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard refugee rights and their well-being, ensure also that everyone can exercise the right to return home voluntarily, intergrate locally or to resettle in a third country.

    Rt. Hon. Odey, in his opening remarks, extended the sincere gratitude of the state governor, Sen. Bassey Otu for convening the gathering which offers a platform for dialogue and collaboration.

    “As a State, our commitment to the principles of the GCR aligns with our national ethos of unity in diversity. We believe that together, we can address the challenges faced by refugees or forcibly displaced persons. This is why Cross River State is happy to play host to 52, 000 out of the over 84, 000 registered Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. Our administration will not only continue to provide land in various host communities; we are also committed to improving security and social infrastructure within these communities to promote peaceful co-existence and integration between the host communities and persons concerned,” the Deputy Governor remarked.

    Odey commended the UNHCR for their role in providing technical expertise to guide nations on the path of GCR implementation, while urging them to strive to build a future where the rights and dignity of refugees are protected.

    Earlier, the Head of Sub Office, Ogoja-UNHCR, lrene Omondi, said the primary objective of the meeting is to take stock and discuss practical ways to support the Cross River state government in the implementation of the pledges and objectives of the GCR through a comprehensive refugee framework approach in Nigeria ahead of Global Compact on Refugees Conference holding in Geneva later this month.

    She seized the occasion to recognize the tremendous leadership Nigeria and Cross River State has shown in responding to the refugee crises by ensuring that refugees have access to essential life saving services, including livehood opportunities where possible. She added that despite her own challenges, including the additional strain of hosting a large number of refugees, Cross River state continues to support refugees.

    On behalf of the Nigerian representative of UNHCR, Chansa Kapaya, she affirmed the full support of UNHCR in Nigeria for the GCR and their continued commitment to working closely with the Cross River State government under the able leadership of Governor Otu to implement the GCR on refugees by ensuring that the needed national systems and structures are in place.

    The meeting which had the Commissioner for International Development Corporation and that of Humanitarian Affairs in attendance, drew stakeholders and participants from CUSO International, Ministry Of Women Affairs (MOWA), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Police Force and representatives of Commissioners of Finance and Information.

  • Why The Next Governor Of Kano State is Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna BY OKOI OBONO-OBLA 

    Why The Next Governor Of Kano State is Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna BY OKOI OBONO-OBLA 

     

    I always advised social media denizens or even people who don’t know the mechanics and intricacies of the law not to comment on it. issues concerning judgments of courts or law or election tribunals.

    But the age of techno apologies to Wole Soyinka has made it possible for everybody to become a lawyer and attempt to interpret judgments of courts even without reading them to digest the reasoning of the judges; to evaluate how they assess the evidence adduced by both parties during trial.

    After evaluating the evidence he put it into the mythical scale of justice he holds in his right to weight, and you see which side the scale tilts.

    After that, the judge will apply the law to those facts before he delivers his judgment.

    When you read the judgment of the tribunal and that of the court of Appeal and grasp it well you will see the predilection of politicians to be so desperate for power that most times they disregard rules, regulations and the law with recklessly abandoning all decency, all in a frenzied bid to grab power by all means.

    Then when they reach the cul de sac they expect judges to close their eyes to their murder of the law and proceed to use sentiments to wriggle them out.

    But judges are blind to public opinion sentiment and emotional outbursts of the social media mobbers.

    Governor Kabir Yusuf was a member of the PDP and a governorship aspirant in the party. Kano State.

    When it dawned on him that he would not grab the party ticket he recklessly and quickly made a volte-face and hurriedly joined the NNPP and grabbed its ticket.
    He didn’t know that APC political intelligence was scooping him to gather hard evidence against him.

    By the time Governor Yusuf was purportedly given a ticket by NNPP; the period prescribed by the Electoral Act for political parties to submit the list of their candidates to INEC had closed.

    What is the implication of all this?

    Simple; at the time Governor Kabir Yusuf purportedly joined NNPP and filed his nomination under its platform, he was not a member of the party.

    Membership in a political party is a must for anybody who wants to be a governor of a State and is indeed a fundamental constitutional requirement he must fulfil.

    Section 177 (1)(c) of the constitution makes it obligatory for someone to be a member of a political party that wants to sponsor his election.

    This is the provision of the constitution that Governor Kabir Yusuf NNPP brazenly and with ignominy breached which the Court of Appeal found against him.

    Governor Yusuf and NNPP had a bad case.
    Even at the Tribunal, they called one witness. This witness strangely told the Tribunal that it should use all the documents rendered by INEC to decide the case!!

    The documents tendered by INEC demonstrated that the results sheets were not stamped and signed by presiding officers at more than 16,000 polling stations.

    That will amount to a sheer waste of precious judicial time to appeal this judgment to the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court is an appellate court and ordinarily would not substitute its findings with those of the trial court and intermediate appellate court save in rare cases.

    The Supreme Court will not disregard the findings made by a trial court that hears the case, or observe the demeanour of the witnesses during cross-examination save in exceptional circumstances.

    I have not seen any exceptional. circumstances that will cause the Supreme Court to do otherwise in the case of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf & NNPP versus INEC & APC!
    Governor Kabir Yusuf and NNPP should just throw in the towel, period.

    @ Okoi Obono-Obla

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Okoi Obono-Obla and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • Save Our Souls: University of Calabar’s Unjust Tuition Hike Sparks Outcry BY OGAR EMMANUEL OKO

    Save Our Souls: University of Calabar’s Unjust Tuition Hike Sparks Outcry BY OGAR EMMANUEL OKO

    Save Our Souls: University of Calabar’s Unjust Tuition Hike Sparks Outcry

    In a shocking and frightening development that has echoed across the academic community, the University of Calabar’s administration, amidst a series of unfavorable policy changes, has opted to increase tuition fees by a staggering 200 percent. This surge has not only sparked widespread public criticism but has also placed the education of financially disadvantaged students in peril, leaving them grappling with the stark possibility of discontinuing their studies due to the astronomical fee hike.

    Education is a fundamental right, and the astronomical increment in tuition fees undermines the university’s commitment to providing accessible and affordable education. The management’s decision appears to disregard the socioeconomic realities faced by many students and their families in this biting ‘tinubuic’ economy.

    Students are protesting. Parents and guardians are alarmed. Concerned Nigerians are worried and disturbed. The protests at the university’s gate by concerned students are a poignant expression of the frustration and despair caused by this unilateral decision. It is a call for justice and fairness, a plea for the right to education without undue financial burden.

    It is imperative for the university’s management to reconsider this ill-timed decision in the interest of maintaining peace and order on the campus. The occupation of the university’s gate by protesting students serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of such a drastic and unpopular policy. The risk of escalating tensions leading to lawlessness is a road no educational institution should tread.

    This is not merely a matter of policy; it is a matter of social responsibility. The university has a duty to nurture an environment where learning flourishes, unencumbered by financial distress. A rollback of the tuition fees to their previous status is not just a demand for fairness; it is a plea for the preservation of the very essence of education.
    Undoubtedly, there is consensus that the Federal Government inadequately funds the university. Consequently, many inefficient and unscrupulous administrations resort to disproportionately raising tuition fees as a relentless and arbitrary strategy to alleviate the financial strain on the institution, employing draconian and unsympathetic measures to enforce these increases.

    In conclusion, we at the RABBIT PUNCH implore the University of Calabar’s management to heed the voices of the students and the broader community. Revert to the previous tuition fees to ensure that education remains a beacon of hope rather than a privilege reserved for a select few. The potential consequences of disregarding this call for justice are far-reaching, and it is in the best interest of all parties involved to find a solution that prioritizes the welfare of the students and upholds the principles of accessible education for all. If this humble solicitation is waved with the sleight, we shall be compelled to explore other measures under the precinct of the law to make this plea more louder and clearer.

    Comr. Ogar Emmanuel Oko
    RABBIT PUNCH

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Ogar Emmanuel Oko and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • Citizen’s Solution Network Condemns Hike In UNICAL School Charges, Calls On FG To Interven

    Citizen’s Solution Network Condemns Hike In UNICAL School Charges, Calls On FG To Interven

    Citizens’ Solution Network’s Press Release on University of Calabar demonic Fee Hike

    4th December, 2023 | 15.30pm

    We are in receipt of the University of Calabar’s Management documents showing the new hike in fee that took the fees of the University between N110,000 and N155,000 for fresh and old students cutting across medical, science and non science courses.

    While we received this information with intense displeasure knowing that have been directives from the Federal Ministry of Education and The Presidency few months ago that had declared new fee hike illegal and as something that won’t happened in tertiary educational institutions.

    Today, that memo containing the directives have be flagged down and the Management of University of Calabar has gone ahead with the unbearable and unacceptable hike in fee charges.

    Citizens’ Solution Network condemns this hike in the strongest terms and reject it completely. We are seizing this moment to ask the Nigerian President and the Minister of Education to reverse this hike in school fee through clear directive to the Vice Chancellor and Management of University of Calabar, as well as to all tertiary institution Management and their VCs and Provosts.

    Nigeria currently represents 15% of the global population of all out of school children and the statistics need not get any worse. We presume the President is against fee hike, hence we ask that the hike be reversed.

    Nigerians are suffering extremely as due to the fuel subsidy removal as admitted by the President on the 4th paragraph of his 2024 Budget Presentation Speech at the National Assembly recently, additional burden in form of fee hike will only make an already dire national situation worst.

    The country needs not push its youthful population outside of the four walls of the university, and into an arm struggle that may cost the nation unprecedented setbacks and national security.

    In the absence of a listening government, an alternative pathway for arm struggle may become more attractive as a corrective step, and nobody is certain that public arms in the care of the military and police, won’t end up in the hands of citizens who have had enough and feel they have been abandoned while their natural resources are been exploited by an insensitive government.

    We ask that urgent and immediate steps be taken to end this hike in fees.

    Thanks

    Richard F Inoyo,
    Country Director,
    Citizens’ Solution Network