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Ex-militants Praise Amnesty Training Programme
FROM ANIETIE AKPAN, CALABA
AFTER initial hiccups, ex-militants undergoing amnesty training programme at the Obubra camp in Cross River State, have settled down for lectures.
Many of them on Monday said the training programme was the best thing that has ever happened to them. They however appealed to the Federal Government to keep faith with the amnesty package by giving them further training abroad.
The ex-militants, who were busy singing religious songs while others were finalising their documentation, said any attempt to truncate the amnesty programme would send them back to the creeks.
The head of the expatriate training team and Chairman of the Global Non Violence Board and Senior Fellow of Emory University, Atlanta, United States, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, said with what is going on at the Obubra camp, "Nigeria is going to show the world how to come together and rather than use their arms to hold weapons, they are going to use their arms to embrace each other.
"Some of those who were causing disturbances came to us and said they were ready to pass the exams. We thought it was not going to be possible, but in just two hours, they had learnt everything. I could not believe it. We grilled them, we asked them questions and they answered very well. Nigerians are really smart. This is why I spend my time here as an investment to humanity and I predict that Nigeria would be the model and example for the UN to apply this approach to countries in conflict all over the world.
"Those who are going to help with the training would be Nigerians. We have Nigerians who would help us do the training. Seventy ex-militants have been hired now. They are working. We have 140 Nigerians who are in other professions working here too."
Source: The Guardian, 7th July 2010.
Cross River Signs N8 Billion Calabar Market Contract
Calabar — Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has given reasons why the popular Watt Market in Calabar South Local Government Area and Ika-Ika Oqua Market in Calabar Municipal council are to be relocated.
According to Imoke "after the state government had signed an N8billion agreement with Blue Waters Development Company Ltd, on a new Calabar Central Market in Governor's Office, Calabar, Wednesday, it had earlier been noticed that the markets have become over crowded and out grown their infrastructure , which calls for a proper management, irrespective of their sanitation status as the cleanest markets in Nigeria."
He added that government embarked on a Public Private Partnership, PPP ,which is unique in many ways to carry along the consultant and market associations as stakeholders.
Imoke noted that the consultant has the capacity to finish the project because of its access to banks and financiers, which will entail it building and operating the markets within the stipulated time.
He explained that the new market is intended to tackle the challenges posed by Watt and Ika-Ika Oqua markets, with modern facilities as it will be monitored to ensure a classic PPP project, while assuring the total cooperation of government to ensure it is realized.
He described the signing of the agreement as significant to the state to deliver infrastructure for development because as Calabar metropolis expands, there is need also to provide it with a befitting market that meets the needs of the people.
Prof. Jerry Gana, Director Blue Waters Development Company Ltd and a former Minister, speaking on behalf of the company, described the proposed market as a well planned site, with beautiful structure, which will create wealth and generate jobs to make the city second to none in Africa.
He added that it will be made of 4,500 shops, which will include retail shops, cold rooms, warehouses, abattoir and a car park.
Gana said given the company's track record, it will build a modern market that will rival any modern market elsewhere, as they will not give anything less, adding that the present administration in the state will leave the project as a good legacy of pride.
Source: Vanguard, 24th June 2010.
Cross River May Probe Councils Over N54b Allocated Revenue
From Anietie Akpan, Calabar
Chairmen and other officers of local governments in Cross River State, may soon be asked to account for over N54 billion paid to their respective treasuries in the past three years (2007 to 2010) from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Already, some of the council chairmen, the councillors and other officers are itching to go for a second term or higher offices but sources close to The Guardian said the state government may likely institute a probe panel to look into the affairs of councils in the past three years given their level of affluence and this may terminate their ambition.
Hint of the mass probe came, when the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke addressed the Peoples Demcracic Party (PDP) caucus members in Calabar last weekend. He flayed the local government councils for not doing anything despite receiving more money now than ever before.
Visibly angry, Imoke said despite receiving such huge amount of money, "they are unable to show achievements, rather elected officers now build hostels, hotels and estates in cities and rarely show up in their constituencies, and when they do, they do so by sneaking in and sneaking out in the night."
Meanwhile reports from the office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments in the state have raised various audit queries against the councils in its report as at December 31, 2008.
The audit report signed by the Auditor-General for Local Governments in the state, Mr A. M. Ayine, also frowned seriously at the way and manner councils in the state spend internally generated revenue.
For instance, in the case of Calabar South, he said "it is worrisome that in spite of the great revenue generating potentials in the council area, only N8.383 million was recorded as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for a whole financial year (2008)."
Accordingly, he said, "we recommend that appropriate structures/machinery be put in place by management, to efficiently and effectively collect and account for IGR in the council area, especially in the markets and motor parks."
Source: The Guardian, 29th April 2010.
7 armed men attack The Nation's reporter in Calabar
By John Ighodaro
CALABAR — Armed men, in the early hours of Sunday, broke into the apartment of the regional correspondent of the Nation Newspapers, Mr. Kunle Johnson, in Calabar and robbed him of items worth thousands of Naira.
According to Mr. Johnson, the seven-man armed robbery gang had come to his residence at about 2.30 a.m. and remained in the apartment for well over one hour unhindered.
By the time the robbers left the apartment, Mr. Johnson's HP Pavillion lap-top, two Nokia handsets and 37 thousand Naira had gone with them.
The robbers, according to him, also went into his kitchen, helped themselves to his soup and also drank some bottles of malt in his fridge before leaving the apartment.
His words: "The robbers armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols scaled the high fence bordering the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, side of the road into the compound.
"They then broke down the burglary proof on my kitchen door. How they did that, I do not know. That was how they entered my apartment.
"Inside the kitchen, they took time and forced the kitchen door open, headed straight to my bedroom where two other armed robbers pushed my window open and asked me to go and open the bedroom door."
for them".
"After following their instructions, they quickly tied my hands and legs and robbed me of about N37 cash, my HP Pavilion lap top (Notebook), and 2 Nokia handsets".
Mr. Johnson said the robbers turned his apartment upside down as they searched for more valuables to take away.
He said his neighbours who got to know about the operation, alerted the police who arrived the scene after the robbers had left.
Source: Vanguard, 28th April 2010.
C'River Communities Count Losses To Windstorm
From Anietie Akpan, Calabar
A WINDSTORM, the latest in the series of natural disasters ravaging central and northern parts of Cross River State has rendered 12,000 people homeless.
The latest incident, which occurred last Friday swept across six local councils in the Northern Senatorial zone and destroyed property worth millions of naira, including over 600 homes.
Public and private institutions such as schools, churches, council secretariats and electrical installations as well as communication masts were also affected.
The councils are Ogoja, Yala, Bekwarra, Obudu, Obanliku and Boki. In some of the schools and churches, people now learn and worship in the open. Some of the schools affected are Federal College of Education, Obudu; Iyie-Kunkan Primary School, Bekwara; Community Secondary School, Bamaji, Boki; Government Secondary School, Ukpa, Bekwara; Stadium parametre fence, Obudu and St. Peters Primary School Okuku, Yala.
One of the victims in Okuku, Yala Local Council, Mr. Oko Onah whose 25-room building was de-roofed said the storm had rendered about 55 occupants of the house homeless.
Onah, 68, said the storm had destroyed his only source of income and that he was incapable of rebuilding the house.
This pathetic scenario cuts across the entire affected villages. Another victim, Mr. Atinikongye Agianbede, who lost a 13-year-old son, Master Joseph to disaster when a building collapsed on him, said though he accepts disasters as an act of God, the family is heavily grieved by the loss of their promising boy.
Some farmers affected by the storm described it as a drawback in their economy having to contend with trying to put back their shelter and carry out their family activities with little or no resources. They appealed to the federal and state governments for assistance.
At the Federal College of Education, Obudu, about 21 buildings were damaged including sporting facilities, pavilion, offices and staff quarters.
The provost of the school, Dr. Joseph Effiom Edem Ntibi said the colossal damage was far beyond what the institution could cope with and called for government's help.
A combined team of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has already visited the affected areas.
The South-South Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Umesi Emenike, who was represented by the Head of Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Godwin Tepikor said the disaster was a challenge to both the federal and state governments.
The Director-General of SEMA, Mr. Vincent Aquah urged the victims to view the incident as an act of God and promised that efforts would be made to bring relief to them.
Source: The Guardian, 24th April 2010.
Imoke tasks Committee on land use, transparency
TOM MOSES, Calabar
Members of the newly inaugurated Land Use and Allocation Committee in Cross River State have been advised to ensure transparency in the allocation of land to members of the public.
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River state gave the advice while inaugurating the six-man reconstituted committee in Calabar
He charged the committee to ensure the restoration of rights in land as provided for by the law to rightful owners at all levels and ensure enforcement of the Land Use Act.
Represented by the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Bassey Oqua, Imoke said that land allocation issue had posed a serious challenge to government over the years and advised that land as one of the most sensitive resources available to man be handled with care to ensure that at all times, the overall interest of the people of the state was protected.
"The primary purpose of the committee is to facilitate the availability of land for development to all persons, corporate bodies, institutions and government. "The aim is also to bring about rapid socio-economic change in the state", he said.
He reminded them of Section 2(1)(a) of the Land Use Act, which stipulates that in the urban areas, all lands should be controlled and managed by the governor on the advice of the Land Use and Allocation Committee and charged them to discharge their duties within the ambit of the law.
The Chairman of the committee Mr. Gershom Henshaw expressed delight over the choice of members of the committee and assured that they would work assiduously to ensure that value was added to land in the state while appealing to government to give it a free hand to carry out its assigned duties.
The terms of reference of the committee include to advise the governor on matters concerning the management of land in urban areas of the state, advise the governor on matters connected with the resettlement of persons displaced from their abode by the revocation of their rights of occupancy on grounds of overriding public interest and to determine disputes that may arise as to the amount of compensation payable for the improvement on land upon revocation.
The six-man committee has Mr. Gershom Henshaw as chairman, Mr. Magnus Anya, George Neji, Innocent Icha, Livinus Ngboki and Aloysius Ene as members, while Mr. Joseph Adie is to serve as secretary.
Source: Daily Champion, 22nd April 2010.
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