Month: April 2023

Sen. John Owan Enoh has felicitated the Muslim Ummah on the celebration of this year’s Eid. In his message to the Nigerian Muslim community,he expressed gratitude to God Almighty for making it possible for them to successfully conclude the observance of the holy month of Ramadan.

He said,”The significance of this important period should not be lost on us. The holy month of Ramadan is spiritually rewarding. I therefore urge our Muslim community and indeed all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit and lessons of the sacrifice made by Prophet Mohammed and work for the unity, peace and progress of our country.”

He enjoined Nigerians to shun all divisive tendencies and to use this period to reconnect and demonstrate true love to one another.

He said that although this year’s celebration comes at a time our country is facing formidable challenges, he was confident that we will overcome these challenges with commitment and unity of purpose.

” Although our tongues may differ but we are united as a country by a common purpose. We should therefore emphasize and promote those things that will unite rather than divide us.”
Sen. Owan Enoh also called on political leaders to eschew politics of bitterness and come together to work for a united prosperous country.

He noted that having successfully concluded all elections, the time has come for all Nigerians to come together and join hands to build a country that all of us will be proud of.

While congratulating the Muslims for their perseverance and commitment throughout the fasting period in the spirit of Eid, he prayed that this period will usher in enduring understanding and peace in our country.

Culled From the Official page of Sen. Owan Enoh

His Highness Chief Akin Ricketts, the Board Chairman of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA empowered over 300 people with different items.

The empowerment was to drive home economic prosperity amongst young and unemployed people, widows, the disabled and physically challenged persons in the society.

Over 70 motorcycles, 50 Sewing Machines, 100 Solar Powered Streetlights, 20 Wheelchairs for physically challenged persons, 50 Grinding Machines and 5 Welding Machines to beneficiaries across the 13 council wards in Yakurr LGA.

Empowerment is part of Chief Akin Ricketts’s yearly corporate social responsibility and empowerment scheme.

Speaking during the ceremony, the NPA Boss advised Cross Riverians to support and embrace the incoming government as there are a lot of good things this government will provide.

“I have a strong belief that the incoming administration in Cross River State will bring a lot of good things, therefore, the people should not expect less. Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu is a good man and the father of empowerment in the Southern Senatorial District. He has promised that his administration will run an empowered kind of leadership. I believe too that this will help drive entrepreneurial growth in the State”.

“This empowerment is coming at a time where political campaign has come and gone, and truly reflect the true character of Chief Akin Ricketts who doesn’t want to be seen as empowering people for political campaigns and support,” one of the beneficiaries of a Grinding Machines observed.

Chief Akin has been so generous to Cross Riverians. He has been empowering youths, women, physically challenged persons and the downtrodden in the society.

The event in its second edition is a joint empowerment initiative of Chief Akin Ricketts and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Intervention Scheme are designed with the sole aim of bridging the unemployment gap as well as the Federal Governments Self Employment/sustenance Strategy.

Beneficiaries were full of praises and prayers for Chief Akin Ricketts.

The Executive Chairman of Obanliku Local Government, Evang. Hon Mrs. Margaret Inde matching words with actions and in line with her administrative blueprint for the LGA has constructed a bridge in Amana, Becheve ward of Obanliku.

Hon Margaret Inde noted that the construction of the bridge was aim at drastically reducing the suffering of her people, especially in some parts of Obanliku where people are disconnected from mainstream economic activities due to lack of good road network, hence the construction of the Amana Bridge to fill the gap.

Speaking further, the Council Chairman reiterated her resolve to completing all projects initiated by her administration even as she assured completion of some abandoned projects by previous governments. She also stressed that Obanliku people should continue to support her administration as she mentioned that “going forward, I will be taking a review of my administration achievements and challenges as a way of appraising our administration.

Speaking, some community leaders expressed their satisfaction regarding the speedy completion of the project, saying that Hon Margaret Inde’s administration has kept to her campaign promises. “We are also appreciative of the quality of work, especially the height of the bridge. It is a nice job”, they added.

The Amana Bridge is a major bridge linking Amana community to Akwaya-Cameroon and other neighbouring communities of Obanliku and Benue State. The bridge, until before its completion was a nightmare to villagers and traders, especially in the raining season due to overflow, making it impossible for smooth life operations and businesses to strive.

Hon Inde called on the contractor to expedite action and ensure the bridge is backfill before the raining season set in.

Tanko Ashang, SAN, Cross River State Commissioner for Justice and state Attorney General has bagged Career Excellence Award.

The award which was given to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Obanliku Chapter conferred on Barr Tanko as a career achiever who has worked rigorously to the peak of the Legal profession.

Presenting the award, the President of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Obanliku Chapter, Comr. Prince Adie popularly known as Argentina described Barr Tanko Ashang an outstanding lawyer who knows the rudiments of his job to have attained the pinnacle of the legal profession.

Argentina further mentioned that the award was also in recognition of Tanko’s excellent performance in uplifting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in Obanliku, through scholarship at all levels of education and community infrastructural development.

Barr Tanko while receiving the award in his Calabar office, thanked the youth organization for their thoughtfulness, assuring them of his continuous support for the development of Obanliku.

The learned silk used the opportunity to enjoin the youth organization to engage in community development programs like Youths Submit at various ward levels to deepen the sensitization on the need for youths to get educated and also engage in entrepreneurship, saying that these are more beneficial to personal and community development, than being politically driven.

Coss River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade has described the state’s governor-elect, Senator (Prince) Bassey Otu as the best material for the state.

The Governor spoke at the State Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Calabar while receiving Prince Otu, his deputy, art. Hon Peter Odey, the National and state Assembly members-elect of the APC who came to show him their Certificates to Return.

According to Ayade, “in traditional Nigerian politics, you install your boy, a puppet so that you can control him afterwards, but here in Cross River, we went for the best; our governor-elect, (Prince) Senator Bassey Otu is the best.”

The Governor insisted that credit for the success of Senator Otu at the governorship election should go to God “because all praise belongs to Him on this victory. Let us give God the praise. I give my gratitude to God for being able to have a successor, not just a successor but a successor from the Southern Senatorial district.

“We came out victorious even when people stood against our Back to South agenda”

He said his fervent wish and prayer for the incoming governor is for him to outperform and outshine him in office.

“I know Bassey Otu has a good heart. I know he has a spirit of enterprise, the power of innovation, so l encourage him to be a super shining star so that Ayade would just look like a joke where you are.

“I believe that we have got a very good man in Senator Bassey Otu. Otu is the finisher, the polisher of the solid foundation we have laid; he has the understanding of the gargantuan master plan of Cross River State.

“It is my wish to see you do much more than I have, while l sit back to provide any kind of support you so wish.

“You have to prove that the Back to Bouth agenda was not political but spiritual. I wish you much better the circumstances of service which l went through. I don’t wish you be a governor with the circumstances and finances that l met”, the Governor said.

Further admonishing the governor-elect, Ayade said: “I believe that we have gotten a very good man in Senator Bassey Otu. Ayade’s regime would come to nothing, Otu is the polisher and finisher and has the understanding of the gargantuan master plan of Cross River State.

“You must show that all of us that put our destinies in your hands made the right decision.”

Earlier, the governor-elect told the Governor that he and other elected politicians on the platform of the APC “are here to thank you for standing by us. For all you have done, Your Excellency, may God continue to bless you”

Senator Otu who once represented Cross River South Senatorial district in the Senate assured that his administration will complete projects the outgoing administration will leave behind.

The Presidential Elect Bola Tinubu has finally received a petition from Obi. Where as the APC says it is planning to respond to the petitions within the stipulated 21-day period. Babatunde Ogala, the Legal Director of Bola Tinubu-Kashim Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has confirmed that the President-elect’s camp has officially received notices of the petitions filed by Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the election tribunal.

The named oppositions had accused Bola Tinubu of dodging the petitions and approached the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), seeking permission to serve the petitions on him through substituted means.The three-man panel of the court led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, directed that the petitions should be served on Tinubu, through his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). APC receives petition on behalf of TinubuAPC has stated that they are planning to respond to these petitions. According to reports, the APC has up to 21 days to respond to the petitions. Ogala confirmed the receipt of both petitions on Tuesday, March 27, 2023, stating, “Yes, we received copies of both Atiku and Obi’s petition yesterday (Tuesday).”

The APC’s legal adviser, Ahmad El-Marzuq, confirmed that the ruling party had been served with the copies of the petition and is planning to respond. “Of course, we have received the copies of the petition and we are planning to respond. We are on top of the situation,” he said. As the APC prepares its response, many Nigerians will be closely watching how events unfold in the coming weeks.