Category: Featured

By Joseph Etta

Fear has gripped Civil Servants in Cross River as impending sack of staffers employed between 2015 to 2019 looms.

A very dependable sources told Daybreak that the Cross River State Government may likely retrenched staffs on it’s payroll who were employed between 2015 to 2019, reason is not far fetch from the lean resources which has made the government unable to pay staff salary.

Our sources, a director in state civil servant commission who prefers to speak off records said the circular went out and was hurriedly withdrawn for fear of protest.

He observed that the state economy is bleeding under poor finance, salary are hardly paid regularly, the government is staggering under heavy debt and lean purse.

Daybreak investigation revealed that over 1,500 teachers were sacked secretly last 2 months ago.

However, the chairman of the Local Education Board – John Ode denied it, but an insider confirms that it’s true. It will be recalled that in our earlier report, Daybreak has reported that Legislators in the State House of Assembly were owed 3 months salary including other entitlements.

A stakeholder, former permanent secretary in the state, Ebri Itam, in an interview with Daybreak confirmed the retrenchment report saying that it’s not far from the truth, “the state is very broke” the money coming in from the Federal allocation monthly cannot even pay salary and the internally generated revenue is not encouraging either.

The elder state man is worried about the governor’s lifestyle which he noted is very exorbitant, you can see his entourage with 20 cars in the fleet. Do you know the cost of fuel for those fleet of cars in a month, it can be used to rehabilitate 2 to 3 10Km roads in a month.

By Joseph ETTA

Tax officers from the Cross River State Board of internal revenue who were on their official duty to Marian market were mobbed on last Thursday at the Marian market, along Marian road in Calabar.

The market situated along Marian Road, Calabar is one of the largest market in the heart of Calabar town. The market was engulfed with fire disaster which razed down 32 shops in A line area of the market.

The traders stated that their grouse is the Calabar Municipality Area Council, who collects levies and sell ticket daily, day in, day out throughout the year who totally neglect and abandoned them to their own fate.

According to Traders Association president, Etim Inyang said “We drove them out of the market to show our displeasure particularly over the non-insensitive and non-challant attitude of this Administration towards the plight of the people in this state.”

He observed that since fire gutted the market last year and razed down 32 shops, no government official or agencies has visited the scene of the incident or showed concern to the plight of the people ‘’I have never seen a Governor as insensitive to the plight of the people like Ben Ayade, he is never bothered by the plight of the people only to speak big grammar all over the place.’

The market Association, who had been selling in the market for the past 20 years said he remembered vividly well that when Donald Duke was in Government and the Watt market gutted fire, he personally visited them and the government supported them with financial assistance to rebuild the shops. This government is bad, they turned deaf ears to the sufferings of the people, all they know is pay tax, and the tax is too high, he added.

Our Reporter

Ike Oyeama and Elozonam Ogbolu have been evicted from the Big Brother season four.

The duo were evicted during the live show on Sunday night.

Elozonam became the 19th housemate, while Ike the 20th housemate to be evicted from the Big Brother Naija 2019 house.

Speaking with host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and stage, Elozonam said that he enjoyed his time in the house.

He added that the relationship between him and love interest Diane was platonic and that they would decide more after the show.

Elozonam was the last of the four new housemates introduced on July 30 to leave the show.

Others were Cindy, Enkay and Venita, who were evicted along the way.

Meanwhile, Ike’s eviction caused Mercy to break down in tears as the lovebirds were inseparable from the first week.

He told Ebuka that he did not regret his decision to give Mercy his coins so she could purchase immunity for the final week.

He added that he wanted Mercy to win and was certain she would do well in the last week of the show.

Meanwhile, only six housemates are left for the battle to get the Grand Prize worth N60 million as the show enters the final week. (NAN)

Our Reporter

Stakeholders in agriculture on Sunday urged Lagos State Government to review and enforce fishing laws for both artisanal and cultured fishing in the state.

In a communiqué issued after a one-day agricultural summit, the stakeholders urged the state government to upgrade existing Fish Farm Estates with modern infrastructure, especially the Ketu Ereyun Fish farm.

“We want the government to facilitate the emergence of business model that would make farm estates attractive to investors and operators,” it stated.

According to the communique, the state government should help fish farmers get single digit interest loan for the acquisition of inputs and production assets under the Fishery Value Chain for the growth of the sector.

The stakeholders also urged government to introduce the ‘Cage and Pen Fish Culture Technology’ into the state fishing system to encourage private sector participation.

” There is the need for the adoption of improved technology in order to attract youths to farming,” it stated.

The communique recommended the deployment of modern technologies along fishery value chain, stressing that the number of people dealing fishing was depleting due to ageing.

The stakeholders also urged the government to promote and protect fish value chain by collaborating with the private sector through activity such as the Annual Sea Food Festival.

The communique called on the state government to create an enabling environment for stakeholders in obtaining certification of their products from regulatory bodies, especially for export purposes.

“There is the need to reduce tariff on importation of fish feed and as a matter of urgency work with the private sector on the establishment of a fish feed factory in Lagos State.

“Government should look into technology that can facilitate freezing catfish to preserve it for sale and provide online markets for stakeholders in the fishing sector,” it said.

About 120 participants attended the summit oganised by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture.(NAN)

Our Reporter

The Lagos State Government (LASG) says it has strengthened its emergency preparedness against emerging infectious diseases through the implementation of policies on bio-security and bio-banking.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi , said this on Sunday in Lagos.

He said that the Ministries of Health and Justice were working assiduously to review the relevant state laws pertaining to the policy.

He said that this was in preparation for the development of bio-security and bio-technology policies along the THEMES agenda of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration.

That bio-security procedures are designed to protect the population against harmful biological or biochemical substances.

Bio-banking refers to the process by which samples of bodily fluid or tissue are collected for research use to improve understanding of health and diseases.

Abayomi said that the state had inaugurated a 12-member governing council which comprised of experts and specialists from various disciplines.

He said that these include: bio-banking, bio-security, molecular biology, public health, ethics, security, law, and anthropology.

The commissioner said that the council would provide governance and regulatory frameworks that would ensure a bio-secure environment in the state.

He added that biological samples and data emanating from the state would be collected, stored and accessed in ways that they would be beneficial to the state.

The commissioner said that the council would ensure that knowledge gained from the samples and data accessed would be shared to increase the state’s medical biological knowledge economy and improve emergency preparedness.

“The council shall pay attention and exercise oversight functions on issues of international treaties that protect society from biological threats and the subject matter of changing ethical paradigms,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state had instituted the one health paradigm to be part of the national and global health security networks and the global knowledge economy.

He stressed that the advent of the Ebola virus disease had opened a new chapter, which revolves around bio-economy and preparedness for emergencies.

“Lagos State is rapidly expanding into a mega city that is experiencing multiple biosecurity threats which require proactive strategic mitigation and counter measures,’’ he said.

Abayomi said that the council would look at the spectrum of activities from the state’s vulnerability, institutions, resilience, capacity to respond, samples, data and ability to derive knowledge from indigenous environment and knowledge systems.

The commissioner added that members of the council would undergo an intense modular training and orientation phase for one year to prepare them adequately for the task ahead.

He said that the members of the governing council are; Prof. Akin Abayomi, the State Commissioner for Health; Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health; Prof. Akin Osibogun, consultant community engagement and environmental impact assessor.

According to him, others include: Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, Consultant clinical microbiologist; Prof Adebayo Onajole, a data consultant; and Dr Babajide Martins, representative of the Ministry of Justice. (NAN)

Our Reporter

Mr Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), on Sunday advised Nigerians to focus more on being united, jettison ethnicity and religous bigotry.
Runsewe who gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that ethnicity and religious bigotry were dangerous cankerworms and the major factors disuniting Nigerians.
According to him, the nation’s 59th independence anniversary should be a strong turning point for Nigerians to come together.
He said that they should face the reality and believe in the nation’s immerse potential which cut across all sectors of the economy.
He said that individuals, regardles of their ethnic groups and religions, must come together and make the nation greater than it was.
” I congratulate Mr President and the entire people of Nigeria at this time, I wish us the best for the future of this great country.
” I must let Nigerians realise at a time like this that we must respect the fact that we have gone through some challenges.
” But we must all realise that nobody becomes a champion without going through some challenges, we should put those challenges things behind us and let us forget issues of sentiments, religion and tribes.
” Let us come together in unity as a force to move this great country forward because the question of where individuals come from will not help anyone,” he said.
Runsewe urged Nigerians to stop projecting other cultures better than the nation’s saying that Nigerian culture is richer, modest and in all sense more attractive than other cultures.
He said Nigerians must promote the nation’s culture of respect, decent dressing, hardwork, diligence, loyalty, truthfulness, selflessness and for all the citizens to achieve remarkable success individually and collectively.
” We should all use the anniversary as a way forward in coming together and united to achieve common goals.
” No other culture should be seen better than ours, if we do not promote our culture nobody will help us to promote it.
” We must all come to terms with our culture, stay proud of it, practise it and then come to understand the strength of our culture,” he said (NAN)