Cross River
Port Harcourt DisCo insists NMMP meters not for sale
File Photo The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) says it is not selling to customers, meters provided free to electricity users by the Federal Government. PHED’s Acting Manager of Corporate Communications, Mrs Chioma Aninwe, disclosed this in a statement in Port Harcourt on Monday. The Federal Government had in October 2020 introduced the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), to eliminate arbitrary estimated bills that were given to unmetered customers by Distribution Companies (Discos). Through the scheme, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provided financing support to the Discos for the procurement of meters for customers from local meter manufacturers. Aninwe disclosed in the statement that “Our attention has been drawn to a publication alleging that PHED is direc...
CDD: Monitoring and evaluation vital in tracking fight against corruption
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says monitoring and evaluation is vital in tracking the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Speaking at a three-day monitoring and evaluation capacity-building workshop for Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) on Monday in Calabar, Idayat Hassan, CDD director, said monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a process that helps track the progress in the fight against corruption in the country. The workshop was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in partnership with the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reform (TUGAR). It also had support from the MacArthur Foundation. Represented by Emmanuel Akomaye, the centre’s project consultant on anti-corruption, Hassan said the CDD believes that it is important to bring all...
PDP governors inaugurate finance, legal affairs, legislative liaison committees
File Photo Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have inaugurated three committees of the forum, namely Finance, Legal Affairs and Legislative Liaison. This was one of the outcomes of the meeting of the forum held Thursday at the Conference Hall, Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja. A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State says the Finance Committee is chaired by Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and has as members Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo and Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom. The Legislative Liaison Committee has Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi as chairman, while Gov. Okowa, Gov Ifean...
Women’s Day: Nigerian government urged to look deeper into Leah Sharibu’s case
Sen. Bassey Ewa Henshaw (Cross River South 2003-2011) on Friday called for more equitable distribution of positions, responsibilities and opportunities irrespective of gender and social status to bring out the best in the citizens. Henshaw made the call in Lagos at the flag-off of activities to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day celebration by the Nigeria Girl Guides Association (NGGA). The event featured election of new executives of the NGGA. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is: “Choose to Challenge”. The International Women’s Day, held every March 8, is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. According to the lawmaker, giving equal opportunities to all will provide a sense of belonging to all and advance nationa...
Senator Saraki urges President Buhari to include opposition, others in fight against insecurity
A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include opposition parties and the international community in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria. He spoke with newsmen shortly after he met with a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, behind closed doors at his penthouse residence located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State. Saraki, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, was joined in the meeting by former Governors, Ibrahim Dankwanbo (Gombe), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shehu Sema (Katsina) and former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande Adeola. Speaking after about two hours c...
Coronavirus: Nigeria records 18 more deaths, 645 new infections
A total of 1,831 deaths have now been recorded from COVID-19 in Nigeria after 18 more people died on Saturday, health authorities have said. The 18 deaths on Saturday indicated a significant increase from the eight fatalities recorded on Friday. Nigeria also reported 645 new infections on Saturday, increasing the total number of known cases in the country to 151,553. This is according to an update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Saturday night. Low testing figures in many states has limited Nigeria’s ability to determine the true extent of the spread of COVID-19. A recent general fact sheet published by the NCDC showed that Kogi, Cross River and some other states were not conducting enough tests. More than two-third of the over 151,000 people infected by COVID-19 in Nigeri...
Cross River government demolishes over 200 illegal structures at Calabar market
The Cross River State Governnent on Sunday demolished over 200 illegal structures at the popular Ika Ika Oqua Market (Marian Market) along Marian road, Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of the state. Vanguard learned that most of the illegal structures owned by some traders not only obstruct vehicular movement but also constitutes huge nuisance because drainages have been blocked making the environment unhygienic. Speaking with newsmen on Sunday at the Ika Ika Oqua Market, the Commisioner for Environment, Hon Nfon Bassey, said the general clean up exercise was to make the market clean, hygienically excellent and safe as compared to markets of it’s kind. His words: “We are just doing a general clean up around the Ika Ika Oqua market. As you can see people have come to build shantie...
President Buhari writes Senate, seeks confirmation of service chiefs
President Muhammadu Buhari has written formally to the Senate for the confirmation of the appointment of the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and service chiefs. He has also sought the consent of the upper legislative chamber for the appointment of the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin (rtd) and erstwhile service chiefs as non-career Ambassadors. The two separate confirmation request letters were read on Tuesday at the resumption of Senate plenary after the Christmas break by the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan. The first letter dated January 27, 2021 read in part: “In compliance with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act. Cap A20 Laws the Federation of Nigeria 2004, I hereby forward for confirmation by the Senate, the app...
Rivers governor seeks end to external influence on NDDC
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has regretted the continuous interference of external forces who are not from the oil-rich region on the activities of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, noting that the act frustrates programmes of the commission. Wike, however, condemned the posture of some ethnic groups in the region that behave as if the commission belongs to them, clarifying that NDDC was set up to cater for needs of the states of the region. The governor disclosed this in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, after the visit of the Interim Management Committee of NDDC to Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday. The governor said people are abusing the entire region because the commission has wasted trillions of Dollars without lifting the mass...
Coronavirus: No positive corps member in Cross River camp – NYSC
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Cross River has refuted claims that some members tested positive for coronavirus at the ongoing orientation exercise. In a statement by Assistant Director Press and Public Relations unit Enuma Peter, the NYSC authorities declared emphatically “there is no COVID-19 positive Corps Members in Cross River State NYSC Orientation Camp.” The clarification followed reports alleging 13 Corps members undergoing Orientation Course in the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Obubra Local Government Area tested positive for COVID-19 in the state. The statement reads: “At no time was registered Corps Members tested positive as everyone was tested before admittance to the camp. The management of the NYSC would also like to use this opportunity to add that all orie...
Cult clash claims four lives in Cross River
Tebogo Letsie/Associated Press A clash between two cult groups has allegedly left four persons dead at Bakassi in Cross River State. Eyewitnesses said the clash started on Thursday with the killing of one person at Ekpri Ikang and has been raging till Saturday night. A resident of the Bakassi who gave her name as Etido said one person was killed on Thursday, one on Friday and two persons on Saturday. “I do not know the specific groups involved in the war but I can tell you that we have been experiencing regular gunshots and people running helter-skelter because of one group chasing members of the other group”. She said the killings on Friday and Saturday seem to be retaliation by members for the killing of their members by warring groups. She said many people in the Bakassi have been stayi...
Senator Saraki: Former governor committed to PDP victory in 2023
Former President of the Senate and Chairman, National Committee on Reconciliation and Strategy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki, has said that former governors under the platform of the party are committed to the victory of the PDP in the 2023 general elections. Saraki also said that although the PDP doesn’t make noise about who is joining the party, but many, even those, who left the party are coming back to join the PDP. Addressing newsmen shortly after meeting with the former governors in Abuja, Saraki said, “yesterday we met with one of our former Presidents. Today we are consulting with our former governors who are key stakeholders and leaders in their states. “There is no way we can talk about consultations and unity of the party without consulting them. We have b...