by By Elijah Ugani
The wife of the Cross River State Governor and the Founder of Mediatrix Development Foundation, Dr. Linda Ayade has restated her commitment to providing humanitarian services to Cameroonian Refugees in the state through her pet project.
She made the commitment today, October 20th 2022 when she visited the Head of Ogoja Sub Office, Mr. Tesfaye Bekele.
In her words “As part of Mediatrix mandate to provide succor to vulnerable people in the society, and having partnered with other sister UN agencies to implement other projects, we are particularly very pleased for this partnership because we are serving humanity by providing livelihood support for the refugee. Putting smiles on the faces of the refugees gives us joy and we are committed more than ever as we move into the next phase of the implementation”
She commended the coordination of UNHCR in providing support for the Refugees in the state, and used the opportunity to present the Kisime Noodles to the Head of Sub Office, Ogoja.
On her part, the Commissioner, Ministry of International Development Cooperation, Dr. Inyang Asibong acknowledged the partnership that had existed between UNHCR and the Cross River State Government, and noted that, government will continue to provide the necessary support needed for the smooth and peaceful coexistence between the Refugees and the host community members.
Asibong stated that Cross River State hosts about 70 percent of the total refugees in Nigeria, and having Mediatrix in the forefront providing series of interventions for the vulnerable before the Cameroonian Refugees situation.
She reiterated government position to give Mediatrix and the UNHCR the needed support to ensure delivery of its mandate in the livelihood intervention
The Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency SEMA, Princewill Ayim, commended the collaboration between the state government and UNHCR.
Responding, the UNHCR Head of Ogoja Sub Office Mr. Tesfaye Bekele, thanked the wife of the Governor for finding time out of her crowded schedules to visit him.
He commended the support of the state government to UNHCR by providing the land for Cameroonian Refugees as well as providing the needed security.
He maintained that communication needs to be strengthened going forward and stated that the partnership between UNHCR and Mediatrix have been very rewarding.
Others present during the visit was the Chief Operating Officer of Mediatrix Development Foundation, Mr Jeffrey Adamade and the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Reporting Officer, Mr Olamide Onifade.
