— CRSG warns residents
By Onwa Ekor, Calabar
Having uncovered plans by some aggrieved youths in the state to join forces with their colleagues in other states to protest massively from August 1, 2024, over the current hardship experienced in the country, Cross River government has advised the citizenry not to join in the said protest.
The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Erasmus Ekpang, gave the advise in a statement made available to journalists in the state recently.
He Sympathized with residents over the untold hardship which has brought huge sufferings to many families due to high lever of inflation and skyrocketing prices of goods and services with less disposable income
According to Ekpang, “protest has never been the best solution to resolving any problem including the current hardship in the land,” reasoning that, “the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, since coming on board one year ago, has taken proactive steps by introducing palliative schemes intended to provide succour to different segments of the society towards fostering economic growth and improving the quality life of citizens.”
The Commissioner enumerated instances of government’s intervention aimed at alleviating the suffering of the masses to include but not limited to the following.
“Under the Cash Transfer Unit domiciled in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, N1, 328,280,000.00 have been disbursed to 17,138 beneficiaries across the 18 local government areas.
“Under the Small and Medium Enterprises, NG-CARES, has disbursed grants ranging from N100,000.00 to N400,000.00 to 2,136 Enterprises in the state.
“Under FADAMA domiciled in the Ministry of Agriculture, farm implements for different value chains of rice, cassava, poultry, piggery, aquaculture have been distributed to over 73,634 beneficiaries,” Ekpang disclosed.
He added that other interventions to cushion the effects of the economic challenges includes, the recently launched Livelihood Grant programme implemented by the Cash Transfer Unit which witnessed over 4,000 poor and vulnerable individuals getting between N50,000 to N200,000 each, even as 20,898 poor and vulnerable youths were enrolled and paid six months stipends amounting to N1,253,880,000.00 while over 100 canoes and fishing boats were built and distributed to youths of riverine communities including grants worth over N2bn.
He recalled the huge destruction recorded during the October 2020 END-SARS protest which saw the burning and massive vandalization of Cross River Newspaper Corporation, Ministry of Information headquarters, state warehouses, General Hospital Calabar, Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital, Tinapa Resort, Cross River Basin Authority, Ministry of Works building, WAEC, CICC and NIMC offices, among others.
Ekpang said: “You all are aware the state is yet to recover fully from the aftermath of these destructions, accordingly, government will not fold its arms and allow any misguided group or individuals to destroy our state which is being reshaped by Governor Bassey Otu.”
The Info Boss further intimated that security agencies have been “directed to be on red alert to checkmate any untoward behaviour from any section of the state,” imploring all law abiding residents “to go about their normal businesses without any fear of molestation.”
Accordingly, Ekpang reassured all residents that the President Bola Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda, as well as the People First administration of Prince Bassey Otu, are working round the clock to improve on the economic fortunes of the people.
