The Lumine News

Category: Metro News

  • It Is Your Right To Access Information Freely – Says FOI Schedule Officer

     

    The Schedule Officer for Freedom of information FOI, at the NYSC state Secretariat Comrade Ogban Ogban has encouraged members of the NYSC Scheme to maximized the platform of the FOI Act make available to everyone by the federal government to access information From public office holders freely without hindrance.
    Ogban stated this during his sensitization lecture at the NYSC permanent orientation camp Obubra for the 2023 batch C stream 1 corps members deployed to Cross River State
    He Said the freedom of information Act, 2011 was passed by the national on the 24th May, 2011 and assented by president Goodluck Jonathan on the 28th, May, 2011.
    According to the schedule officer, the Act applies not only to public institutions but also to providing public services performing functions or utilizing public funds.
    He added that the act gives a person , group , association or organization the right to access information from government agencies, parastatals , federal civil service, private and public sector organization providing public services.
    Comrade Ogban further stated that the act builds on the the presumption of openness by placing on those who wish to to keep public information away from the people , the onuns to justify why they have to do so, Ogban explained.

  • Gov Otu Charges Corps Members To Contribute To The Development Of The State

     

    The Governor of Cross River State Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu has enjoined the 2023 Batch ‘C’ Stream 1 Corps Members deployed to Cross River State to contribute positively to the socio- economic development of the state.

    The Governor stated this today, 7th November 2023 during the official opening/swearing-in ceremony of 2023 Batch ‘C’ Stream 1 Prospective Corps Members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp Obubra.

    His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Otu who was represented by the Honourable Commissioner Ministry of Youth Development Hon. Odum-ljom Ukam said ” l charge you to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state which will stand you out at the end of the service year”, he opined.

    He reminded the newly sworn-in Corps Members that this is a period for them to make personal sacrifices and prepare themselves for the enormous challenges of nation building.

    The Governor said, his administration is people-driven, that will create a conducive atmosphere for Corps Members to operate, assuring them that their welfare will be given top priority.

    The Governor used the occasion to highlight the importance of the NYSC in contemporary Nigeria and emphasized that against all odds the Scheme has remained a veritable tool for national unity and integration.

    Earlier, while delivering his welcome address, the State Coordinator NYSC Cross River, Mr Zemoh Andrew said the three weeks Orientation Course is structured to prepare Corps Members for the compulsory one year national service.

    Mr Zemoh said Corps Members will be exposed to Camp activities such as Leadership training, Drills, Lectures , Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training programme etc to prepare them ahead for the future, encouraging them to be patriotic.

    Highpoint of the ceremony was the administration of Oath of Allegiance on the Corps Members by the Chief Judge of Cross River State Her Lordship, Justice Akon lkpeme who was represented by the Judge of State High Court Ugep Hon. Justice Emmanuel Odibu.

  • Gov Otu Appoints New SEMA Director General

    By Patrick Obia, CrossRiverWatch 

    The Governor of Cross State, His Excellency, Senator Bassey Otu, has approved the appointment of Rev. James Okon I. Anam as the new Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

    The appointment is contained in a press release signed and made available by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche charged the new appointee to bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new role and wished him the best in his service to the State.

    Ogbeche said the appointment is with immediate effect.

    Recalled that the former DG  Chief (Mrs.) Angela Ogeyi Odey was on October 30th, 2023 suspended with immediate effect by Governor Bassey Otu.

  • Sandy Appeal Against Otu: Court Of Appeal Reserves Judgement

     

    By Ndifon, Joseph

    The Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, has reserved judgement in the appeal filed by Prof. Sandy Ojang Onor and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the judgement of the Governorship Panel of the Cross River State Elections Petition, which affirmed the victory of Sen. Bassey Edet Otu in the Governorship Elections.

    A three-man panel of the court, led by Hon. Justice (Name withheld), announced this decision on Saturday, November 4th, 2023, after counsels for the parties adopted their brief of arguments and made their final submissions.

    Unsatisfied with the judgement of the tribunal, Sen. Onor had approached the higher court, citing 34 grounds of appeal in an effort to set aside the judgement of the lower court.

    Sen. Onor and the PDP, represented by their lawyers led by Dr. J. Y. Musa, SAN, urged the court to uphold the appeal and set aside the judgement of the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal, which had previously dismissed their petition.

    Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sen. Bassey Otu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), through their respective lawyers, have requested the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking merit.

    Sen. Onor, who secured the second position in the election, argued in his 34 grounds of appeal that the tribunal had made legal errors and reached an incorrect conclusion when it dismissed his petition.

    The court also re-affirmed the victories of Sen. Jarigbe Agom and Barr Godwin Offiono as winners of the Cross River North Senatorial and Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency Elections respectively.

  • C’River Deputy Governor Gifts Long-Distance Walker One Million Naira Cash

     

    The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Hon Peter Odey, today, 2nd November 2023, welcomed Mr. Agbor Joseph Ejini popularly known as ‘Joe Sweet’ in his office with a cash gift of N1m.

    Odey celebrated Mr. Ejini for the great feat of walking from Obudu to Calabar as a show of solidarity and celebration of the emergence of Sen Prince Bassey Edet Otu and Peter Odey as Governor and Deputy Governor, respectively.

    The native of Utugwang in Obudu Local Government Area of the State, who is a musician and skitmaker, had composed songs used in the gubernatorial campaign and promised that he would walk from Obudu to Calabar if His Excellency Sen. Prince Bassey Otu and Rt. Hon. Peter Odey emerged as winners.

    Speaking after his meeting with the Deputy Governor, Mr Ejini said “I have never been so happy in my life. I thank the Deputy Governor for acknowledging what I have done and for gifting me the sum of One Million Naira. I pray that God will bless him and give him wisdom”. He added that he would use the cash gift to upgrade his musical career and create opportunities for youths in his locality.

    It would be recalled that the artist who embarked on a seven-day journey on foot from Obudu to Calabar from Wednesday, 18th October, arrived Calabar on Tuesday 24th October, 2023. Joe Sweet, the passionate supporter of the new administration was received by the Chief of Staff, Hon. Emmanuel Ironbar, on behalf of the Governor, Send. Prince Bassey Otu.

    The artist, on arrival in Calabar, presented both the Governor and his deputy with portraits as well as a victory song he recorded in their honor.

    © Ukongikwen Adie

  • Illegal Levies: C’River Commissioner For Education Suspends Two School Principals

     

     

    Senator Stephen Odey Ph D , Cross River State Commissioner for Education payed unscheduled visit to Government Secondary School State Housing Estate Calabar Municipality, and West African People’s Institute (WAPI) Calabar, the visit was due to the incessant complaints from parents and guardians about the schools’ illegal levies collection.

    The Commissioner discovered upon his arrival at Government Secondary School, State Housing Calabar, that the the School Principal was found wanting in the collection of illegal and unapproved levies, a parent who was in the school to pay the levies further confirmed by saying how much she paid contrary to the Ministry of Education approval. In further confirmation, the Commissioner went into JSS 3, JSS 1 and SS 2 classes and discovered how much that they have been paying as illegal levies.

    Meanwhile, the Commissioner has ordered the suspension of Mr Esang Usang, the Principal of GSS State Housing, pending further investigation into the matter, and the Vice Principal Administration, Mrs Effiom Uduak Orok, was immediately directed to take over as the Acting Principal.

    In a related Development, the Principal of West African People’s Institute(WAPI), Mr Owoh Effiong was also suspended following the evidence/records of illegal levies he has been collecting which he admitted himself. Records available on comparison, shows clearly that the Principal was faulty. Similarly, the Vice principal Administration, Mrs Emem A. Ijang has been directed to take over as the Acting Principal following an interview conducted on the spot by the Commissioner among the school three Vice Principals, pending further investigation by the Ministry of Education.

    The commissioner further warned other school Principals to stick only to Government approved levies to avoid sanctions as he also urged parents not to hesitate to report any School Principal acting outside the Ministry of Education directives.

    #Office_Of_The_Commissioner_For-Education

  • Gov Otu Suspends Cross River SEMA DG, Directs Her To Handover To The Most Senior Director

    The Cross River State Governor has suspended the Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Mrs Angela Odey.

    The reason for the suspension as at the time of this report is not yet known.

    Critics has complained of the appointment released by the SEMA DG.

  • Nigeria’s Potential In Gas And Renewable Energy Is Vast And Must Be Harnessed Effectively – Agom

     

    The Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, DSSRS, has stated that Nigeria’s potential in gas and renewable energy is vast, and must be harnessed effectively by all relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas sector.

    The lawmaker made the remark earlier today as he attended the 2nd edition of “Domestic Gas And Gas Infrastructure Summit (DGGIS’23)” organized by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and the Association of Local Distributors of Gas.

    Senator Jarigbe, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas, also stated that he is acutely aware of the pivotal role that the gas industry plays in the economic growth and energy security of the nation.

    The summit themed: “Building A Sustainable, Resilient Gas And Renewable Energy Sector In Nigeria And Beyond” also witnessed the presence of the Hon. Minister for State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo, the President of the ACCI, Dr. Abubakar Al-Mutaba, and other stakeholders in the energy sector.

    TEAM JARI MEDIA.

  • Cameroonian Refugees Commends CORAfrica, Describes Founder As God Sent

    By Elijah Ugani 

    Cameroonians who flee their homes due to the crisis that continues to ravage their country are taking refuge in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria have described Children of Rural Africa (CORAfrica Nigeria) and its Founder Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue as God sent.

    The refugees in Adagom 3 settlement took turns to eulogize the Founder/Chief Strategist of CORAfrica, Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue , for his love, passion and desire to see that their children get the needed knowledge to prepare them for the future.

    They made the commendation at the Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) meeting at the newly founded John Bosco Academy compound on the 25th October 2023

    They noted that despite the fact that CORAfrica is not being funded by UNHCR, the organization is able to provide an eight classroom block, provide a bus to carry their children from their homes to the school and return them after school. This can only be imagined.

    Some of the refugees mentioned that CORAfrica, citing the school closer to the settlement eased their truama as most of them could release their children to go to school because of the nearness of the school to the settlement. They averred that the provision of the school bus has made it very enticing as no child wants to stay back home because they want to enter the school bus.

    They prayed for God to continue to open doors and provide for the founder to enable him to continue to assist them, even as they wished him long life.

    Responding, the Founder/Chief Strategist, commended the refugees for embracing the school and sending their children to be grommed for the future. He noted that the success and failure of the children depends on both the parents and teachers of the children and called on parents to play their roles by preparing the children early enough for school.

    CORAfrica had in 2020 conducted a survey and found out that the number of children of school age who stay back from school was very high compared to those who go to school at the time.

    In order to bridge the gap, CORAfrica has now founded the John Bosco Academy Adagom, cited about 2KM away from the Adagom 3 settlement. The school currently has an enrollment of over 600 pupils, 80% of them being refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.

  • Mediatrix Supports Immunohistochemistry For Women In Calabar During The Calabar Go Pink Day 2023

     

    Mediatrix Development Foundation joined Pink Africa Foundation and Global Partners over the weekend in Calabar to mark the annual Cancer Awareness Month which is celebrated every year. This year’s celebration was officially flagged-off by the Wife of the Governor Cross River State, Her Excellency, Rev. Mrs Eyoanwan Bassey Otu on Wednesday, 18th of October 2023 with free HPV vaccination for 250 girls pupils/students between the ages of 9-14 years in selected schools in Calabar, Cross River State. The vaccination exercise was supported by ACT Foundation.

    The Mediatrix team leveraged on this year’s 5km-Go Pink Day Walk to share various Information, Education and Communication Materials on Cancer. The walk began at the Millennium Park through Mary Slessor and ended at Calabar Municipal Council premises where goodwill messages were received from partners while participants received free medical examination/screening of breast, prostate and cervical cancer.

    Mediatrix Development Foundation will take the awareness to Central and Northern Cross River in the coming months and sustained through her school-based intervention to increase awareness on HPV before the national launch for vaccination coming in February 2024.

    #Mediatrixfightcancer
    #CalabarGoPinkDay23
    #ResetCancer
    #BreastCancerAwarnessMonth