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Cross River State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr has congratulated the Governor on his sixth year anniversary in office. Ekpenyong Jr congratulated Ayade in a special Inauguration Day message by saying his administration has brought impactful good governance to Cross Riverians. “On this day commemorating six years of your administration, I wish to eulogise  His Excellency, Senator Prof. Sir. Benedict Ayade for all his good works towards industrializing  the State ,” He said. “You have fulfilled the mandate given to you by God and the good people of Cross River State and completed major legacy projects for sustainable development in the State, in line with your industrialization and Agroeconomy”. “You have deployed an effective means for sustaining the economic potentials of the State, initiated programs and policies that better the lives of common man, and prioritised human capital development. Indeed, you are building a stronger Cross River State "Your Excellenc

By Emmanuel Onwuka Residents of Ikot Abasi Effiom, Ikot Ndarake and Ikot Oyom Village all in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Cross River State have praised the Senator representing Cross River South, Senator Gershom Bassey for providing functional solar street lights in their community. According to the Senator, the project is one of the many constituency projects lined up to be executed and would spread across all LGAs in the senatorial district. "One may have to look over his shoulder these days before muttering an unsavory word about the Senator. To do otherwise is to risk a slap of public displeasure. The man has performed and is still performing the remarkable – lighting up streets in his district." said a local resident. The street lighting is not just for the popular streets and highways that already has lampposts; it is rather the outback streets, the little known, the kinds that in political parlance should have streetlights by the year 2050. Bad roads, lonely road,

Cross River state has been commended World over for the proactive innovative management of the COVID-19 pandemic which is still ravaging parts of the world. It will be recalled that Governor Ben Ayade working through the Cross River state COVID-19 Response Taskforce headed by Dr Betta Edu started the policy and enforcement of the use of Face mask in public places by the general population tagged “No mask No movement” using face mask locally produced at the Cross River state Garment factory from local fabrics but made according to international safety standards, with over two million mask distributed within the state and to other states at the peak of the pandemic. This Public health policy that changed the global COVID-19 pandemic response was enacted by Governor Ben Ayade in Cross River state even ahead of the recommendations of World Health Organization and the Presidential Taskforce in Nigeria.  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has highly commended Cross River s

  Eneji Simon Ushie The Cross River State Government has commenced the second round of Covid-19 Vaccination exercise for Frontline workers as state received commendations as most proactive State during the first round of the exercise. Flagging off the exercise at the Ediba Primary Healthcare Centre Calabar, state Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu said Covid-19 is still much considered a pandemic with new strains emerging resulting in high mortality across the globe. She said aside maintaining laid down protocols, vaccination remains the most effective means of reducing Covid-19 related deaths and as such, the mass mobilization of eligible adults for the exercise. Dr Edu noted that the state government is commited to meet the estimated target population during the vaccination process  as it has been on the forefront since the heat of the pandemic adopting  preventive measures like the compulsory use of mask which resulted in the state recording one of the least cases in the country.

  The Cross River State Government wishes to inform the public on the commencement of the second round of the Covid-19 Vaccination exercise from Tomorrow, May 26th 2021 with a state flag off at the Primary Healthcare Centre Ediba by 10:00 am Prompt. All eligible individuals who have had their first doses are expected to return to their vaccination sites or the nearest  Government Healthcare facility for the second dose of the astrazeneca vaccine. Kindly check your vaccination cards for the date of your second dose and ensure you visit the health facilities to receive your second dose to gain full protection against COVID-19. The eligibility period between the first and second doses of the vaccine is between 6-12 weeks as advised  by the World Health Organization and other health regulatory bodies. Covid-19 Vaccination is free , safe and Effective.

  In line with the advancement of Gender Equality in Nigeria, the ministry of International Development cooperation headed by Dr. Inyang Asibong, in collaboration with the United Nations Spotlight Initiative, today the 25th day of May 2021 organized the Heforshe Initiative Launch in Cross River State. The spotlight initiative is a joint EU-UN multi-year programme to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and to realize a Nigeria where all women and girls live free from all forms of violence. It is currently being implemented in Cross River, Ebonyi, Lagos, FCT, sokoto and Adamawa States. One of the major outcomes of the spotlight is to address pervasive social norms and negative gender stereotypes with a significant male engagement component which is a key objective of the HeforShe campaign. "HeforShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality developed by UN women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change in the effort to achieve gender equality.

  I have international and national contact, connections, and network that is unprecedented in this part of the country, stemming from 32 years of law practice, social advocacy for human rights, transparency, and accountability.  I have more than ten years of experience in political party management and administration and three years working in the highest echelon of the Federal government of Nigeria.  I was the secretary of the Joint Inter party merger committed that negotiated the formation of APC, and the job exposed me to huge political leverage and network that includes interaction with the highest levels of political connection and network within the governing party.  I know the inside intricacies of National Politics, having been an active player for more than a decade. I know the intricacies and mechanics of the working of the Federal government. So I will naturally and inevitably tap and utilize all these contacts, connections, and networks if you elect me into the Senate of t

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Cross River State Chapter and former Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla has criticised the People’s Democratic Party’s opinion that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has done nothing for Cross River State. Obono-Obla stated this in reaction to PDP’s statement on Governor Ayade’s defection to APC. Recall that Cross River State Governor officially left PDP, under which he was elected, and defected to APC, on Thursday, May 20, 2021. Reacting to a statement by PDP, that  the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has done nothing for Cross River State to justify Ayade’s defection, Obono-Obla said that PDP is standing logic on its head to contend that Cross River State has not benefitted under the  APC-controlled Federal Government “the truth is,  Cross River State in the six years government of President Buhari has benefited immen

  For over  8 years since the launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in 2013,  Government across the globe have taken delibrate measures in tackling Pregnancy related deaths  which is among leading causes of death among women. In Cross River State, efforts are being taken all year round, with awareness, sensitization and practical demonstration in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary health facilities to educate  women alongside their spouses on  the need to adhere to pregnancy protocols in order to prevent avoidable deaths. At the lunch of the 2021 Safe Motherhood Initiative in Calabar the Cross River State Capital, Wife of the state Deputy Governor, Her Excellency, Mrs Omotunde Ivara Esu charged women to take advantage of pocket friendly health Services in the state as a means to boost their health. She urged mothers to seek adequate information and care from professionals instead of relying on fictions and traditional belief which she said, endangers lives of both mothers and their unb

The Cross River State Government has stated its commitment to keep mothers safe from conception to delivery. With approximately 3000 Women dying everyday from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria, the government of CRS under the amiable leadership of Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade has continued useful interventions targeted at reducing the rate of Maternal Mortality in the State. The wife of the Deputy Governor Her Excellency Mrs Omotunde Ivara Esu, the Health Commissioner Dr Betta Edu, the DG of the CRSPHCDA Dr Janet Ekpenyong,  wife of speaker Hon. Imabong Eteng, the Chairman of Calabar Municipality Hon. Efeffiong Nta and wife Mrs Theresa Eke among other health stakeholders/ partners in the State all took part in the Safe Motherhood sensitization event which will be replicated across the state this week. The aim of this event was to carryout massive sensitization campaigns on the importance of safe pregnancy and childbirth with skilled birth attendants which will h

Director General of Ayade Home Healthcare, High Chief Dr. Genevieve Barnaby has described the recent defection of Cross River State Governor, Senator Prof Ben Ayade from PDP to APC as a pathway to the centre to attract more developmental strides to State especially in the Healthcare sector and AYADECARE programs. She revealed that the atmosphere in the state is stable and the people are excessively happy for the path the Governor has chosen after alot of distraction ranging from court cases and external factors interference in the politics of Cross River State. "I can tell you, there is no instability whatsoever in Cross River State. Is it instability in terms of development, in terms of good governance, or in terms of how the programmes are going on? What you call instability exist in the mouths of people who are frustrated and politicians lacking in vision. Let them show us what they did when they had opportunity at the national level or even at the state level. We are waiting f

  It's Over 18 months after the first case of Covid-19 was recorded with millions of deaths already accounted for, even at that,  many still consider one of the world's most deadly pandemic a hoax, with it's vaccination even considered a conspiracy. These challenges have drawn wide arguments among the traditional Community, religious and social classes with strong resistance on the mandatory observance of laid down preventive protocols and even worst to say, the acceptance of vaccines. In this light, the Cross River State Government through the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency recently partnered with United Purpose Nigeria to train Community leaders, Community influencers and social mobilizers in the three Senatorial districts on the need to step up enlightenment campaigns in their various Communities on the effects of Covid-19. Speaking in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State at the flag off ceremony, Director General of the Cross River State Primary

  By Kingsley Agim The Special Adviser to the Governor on Cocoa Development and Control, Ntufam (Dr.) Oscar Ofuka, recently extended his philanthropy to street kids (Skolombo) and an orphanage as part of activities to mark his birthday in Calabar. Expressing gratitude to God for the gift of life, good health, bountiful blessings and other niceties of life, the Bendeghe-Ekiem-born politician noted that he deemed it necessary that this year's anniversary of his birth (13th May) culminated with reaching out to the needy in the society. Ntufam Ofuka, who treated hundreds of kids to a sumptuous meal and other assorted gift items at their popular rendezvous in front of the Cultural Centre Complex, also advised them to shun crime, drug abuse and all other vices capable of distorting the moral fabric of the society. The Cocoa Development and Control boss also expressed excitement and a sense of fulfilment at the sight of beaming smiles on the kids' faces, adding that “I can never be sa

The Speaker, Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eteng Jonah Williams celebrates with the entire Muslim faithful in the state and across the country, on the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan Fast. In a statement signed by the Media Adviser to the Speaker, Hope Obeten, Rt. Hon. Eteng Jonah Williams also wishes faithful Muslims abundant rewards and blessings, praying that the Almighty Allah give them long live to witness many more of Ramadan. The Speaker admonished Muslims to continue to support the State and Federal governments with prayers to overcome challenges of security, pandemic and economy to bring about more developments across all sectors. "I wish to heartily congratulate our brothers and sisters in Islam on the occasion of the successful completion of Ramadan Fast and 'Eid-El-Fitri, as we celebrate, I urge everyone, regardless of your religious beliefs, to continue to keep the peace and to live in unity with one another,” Mr. Speaker said.  Expres

Over 300 refugees from the Republic of Cameron as well as some members of their host Communities in Calabar South Local Government area have received free medical care courtesy of the Cross River State Government and the Nigerian Red Cross Society. The exercise which was part of the 2021 World Red Cross Day Celebration offered services ranging from blood sugar level check, optometry, blood pressure check, dental services,mental health services, vaccination Among others . Speaking to beneficiaries at the newly constructed Primary Healthcare Centre, Garden, the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong urged them to make health facilities their first point of call during medical emergencies instead of the practice of self medication. She encouraged them to observe simple etiquettes of good living which include, eating good and balanced diets, observing appropriate amount of rest daily, regular health check up and the maintanance o

   Cross River state government is set to deploy digital medical drones to hard to reach areas of the state. The drones will supply drugs and other medical essentials  to such areas. To this effect, the government is partnering a drone delivery company, Zipline. Speaking Monday during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Zipline officials in Calabar, the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade said Cross River was playing a special role in the heath sector, stating that "in 90 days, we will start the delivery of essential drugs to hard to reach areas facilitated by drone delivery systems.” Assuring Zipline officials of necessary support to carry out their assignment, the governor said: "I want to thank the entire team, I want to thank you for your commitment to this course and we are here to provide you all the necessary support to see that you start on a strong footing.” He expressed optimism that going forward, Zipline will be a major stakeholder in quality healthcar

  By Kingsley Agim Consistent with the present administration's determination to make quality health care services affordable and accessible to all, the Cross River State Health Insurance recently took its advocacy drive to the Calabar United Commercial Driver Association to solicit buy-in and eventual enrolment into the Ayadecare Scheme.  Speaking to the leadership of the Drivers Association in a meeting held at 1, Barracks Road, Calabar, the Director-General of the Cross River State Health Insurance Agency, Sir Godwin Iyala described the Association as "an important part of the society that must be included in the scheme of things for the desired impact to be felt. The Director-General took his time to enlighten the Drivers on the nitty-gritties of health insurance and enjoined the body to accept the beneficial idea, adding that at a time when the economy of the country has been grossly affected by the covid-19 pandemic, catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures on health-rela

  Cross River State Partners with Zipline to Distribute Medical Supplies Statewide with Drone Delivery Service, Cross River state Will Be First State to Use Drones to Deliver Medical Products Within the South-South Region of Nigeria   Zipline Will Help Improve Access to Health Care, Create Efficient Delivery System of more than 1,000 Facilities Statewide. Considering the over 430 hard to reach communities in Cross River state, this innovation will strength the health sector and ensure universal access to Medical supplies!   The Cross River State announces a partnership with Zipline, the world’s first and only national-scale drone delivery service, for on-demand delivery of medical supplies, including hundreds of vaccines, medications and blood products, to health facilities across the state.   Zipline plans to initially build two distribution centers to facilitate deliveries to more than 1,000 health facilities that serve millions of people across the state. These distribution centers

  Cross River State Government in partnership with the World Bank has trained one hundred and eight youths as enumerators for the Social safety net programme. The State Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Dr Inyang Asibong while flagging off the traning of the enumerators exercise in Calabar ,said their responsibilities was to  locate and identify the very poor and vulnerable citizens across the state. *Asibong*  said the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) will supervise the  enumerators who will move around communities  to identify the visibly poor and vulnerable citizens  inline with the State Government  policy under *Professor Ben Ayade*. She urged all the stakeholders ,especially the local Government Chairmen to take ownership of the process and building of the social register. "The  National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) is a World Bank project in partnership with the Federal and State Government  to train youths as e

  By Uchino Amatey The Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board (CR-SUBEB) has recently held a stakeholders sensitization meeting on the implementation of the 2019 School Based Management Committee-School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP) projects in the state. The one day meeting which held at PCN Primary School Akim, Calabar, had in attendance all Education Secretaries of Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), Desk Officers SBMC-SIP of Northern, Southern and Central Senatorial Zones, amongst others. Addressing participants during the meeting, the Board Secretary, SUBEB, Mr Cyril Itam extended gratitude to UBEC for the SBMC-SIP Initiative. He stated that the programme affords States the opportunity to have more infrastructural development in schools, especially in hard to reach Communities. According to him, “I thank UBEC for introducing what I may call an expanded programme. It is common knowledge that SUBEB annually accesses matching grant and you know we have over

  The State Government and the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong have been applauded for their immense contributions towards the revitalization of primary Healthcare, as they work towards making it the most preferred destination for medical emergencies among citizens. The commendation was made by members of the Forum of Local Government Nurses and Midwives who paid her a courtesy visit in her office to Felicitate with her on the numerous achievements being recorded in the Cross River State health sector. Speaking on behalf of the team, the National President of the Union, Comrade Obafemi Agbede described the state Government's  achievements as giant and monumental noting that, if every state in the federation  can emulate Cross River's operational guide, the goal towards Attaining Universal Health Coverage will be actualized in a record time. He called on the Government to continually Improve on the welfare of nu

By Trinity Jesam As part of the plans to ensure communal growth and development across the State,  a non-governmental organization, "No Sidon Look," is set to embark on a need assessment tour of Local Government Areas in Cross River State. This development was announced by the Director-General, Comrade Portrait Peterson, during a recent briefing with journalists in Calabar. Comrade Peterson said the assessment tour is necessitated by the organization's mandate which dwells on grassroots development and to ensure that the masses at all levels enjoy the dividend of good governance while also ascertaining the relationship between the grassroots and the council chairmen and its Legislatures. It was also gathered that the assessment tour of LGAs across the state will include physical check on all the projects executed by Local Government Chairmen on their successful one year in office in a bit to showcase the projects of the council, creating awareness and sensitizing the mass

  The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency , Dr Janet Ekpenyong has assured Cross Riverians of quality and improved healthcare services as enrollees of the State health insurance scheme will soon begin to enjoy  access to health  services across the state. The DG was speaking at the Conference Hall of the Cross River State Health Insurance Agency during a capacity building meeting and workshop  organized to boost staff capacity  as well as improve cooperate marketing skills for the scheme which targets all Cross Rivererians in the state. Dr Ekpenyong noted that, for trust to be established by beneficiaries and to ensure the renewal of services by enrollees, the quality of service among other benefits of the social health scheme remains paramount, an indicator that, the state is enroute it's course to Attaining Universal Health Coverage in the nearest future, hence the need to offer world class services at all times. "If people can wal

Governor Ben Ayade's desire to see his citizens especially young growing kids remain healthy and alive has taken a different format as the State Governor Sen Prof Ben Ayade through his workaholic Health Commissioner Dr Betta Edu has reinstated the governments commitment to ensuring that no child in the State dies of Malnutrition and in a bid to make this a reality, the Honorable Commissioner for Health Dr Betta Edu working with a large network of community tracers (finders) and health workers are rescuing and treating malnourished children in their hundreds. The active search strategy in Cross River state now has helped in the discovery of over 234 severely malnourished kids so far living in remote parts of the State as well as the State capital. Dr Edu who took the BBC round the State briefed them of the State Government support and speedy interventions that has so far helped in saving the lives of so many kids and in a desire to keep doing more, the Governor has directed that all

  The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong has disclosed that the state Governor, Senator Ben Ayade is commited towards achieving an Open Defecation Free State in the nearest possible through the provision of basic infrastructures across the state. The DG made the disclosure at the conference hall of the National Orientation Agency, Calabar during the flag of ceremony of the one day sensitization and capacity building exercise for Community Mobilization Officers towards Achieving an open defecation free status. Dr Ekpenyong pointed out that, achieving maximum results in areas related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene could drastically reduce cases like diahorea, cholera and other common diseases which accounts for more than half of clinical cases in health Facilities. Dr Ekpenyong further stated that deliberate measures are being put in place by the state government in actualizing an open defecation free state which include,