CROSS KOPA YAKURR

The Vice Chairman of Yakurr Local Government, Cross River State, Hon (Mrs) Obia Lawrence Basey advised Corps members to always take a stand and dedicate their all to it. This was during an interview conducted with her by the Publicity CDS group, Yakurr LGA, on Thursday, December 1st, 2016. Mrs Lawrence, a mother of three, who said she’s from a humble background, also urged Corps members to be dogged and persistent in following their dreams because success is guaranteed only if they are. The interviewers, Lawal Temitayo, the group’s president and Seriki Adebimpe, the secretary, took turns to ask her several questions bordering on her educational background, political career, pipeline vandalism, state of the nation among others. The interview, which started around 8:15 and ended at the top of the hour, was at her private residence at Donald Duke Way, Ugep. Others present at the interview were Solomon Tutu, Anoma Uche and Ajao Azeezah who are equally members of the said CDS group. By: ...

It was an exciting morning on Thursday, November 10th, 2016, when the Medical and Health CDS group organised their first sensitisation programme at St Patrick Technical College, Ugep. The speakers slated for the day were Ms Wuarola, Otukwa Armstrong and Maledo Collins and they spoke in that order. The first speaker, Ms Wuraola, took them through Depression and how it could be prevented. Her speech was followed immediately by Armstrong’s who taught the eager students problem solving methods and decision making techniques. Mr Collins, the CDS group’s President, did a thorough session on the Principles of Mental and Emotional health. The principal of the School, Father Clement Akpanke, couldn’t’ be happier with the new knowledge and right orientation the students had gotten as the visiting Corps members were duly appreciated. The sensitisation started by 8am and the students and some teachers of the School were in attendance, apart from the Corps members. By: Sol...

The Education CDS group in Yakurr LGA organised a seminar, their first sensitisation in 2016, at Girls Secondary School, Ugep on November the 18th. According to the reports made available by the group’s President, Awonuga Oluwaseun, to one of our correspondents, the sensitisation programme which was held with SS2 and SS3 students of the school had only one speaker to expound on a conventional but interesting topic "Striving to achieve academic excellence." Ms Emanualla Ogugua, the sole speaker for the day, took the students through academic excellence and the need for the students to achieve it. She also pointed out the importance of university education and how “the economy is run by solution providers” who are smart people and, of course, mostly university graduates. The students were then charged to overcome whatever challenges they face during this academic sojourn. Apart from the students, the 45-minute sensitisation which took place at the school hal...

These are the top five stories you should monitor today. N4.7bn fraud: Obanikoro to ‘testify’ against Fayose – EFCC Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has agreed to  testify against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his aide, Mr. Abiodun Agbele  on the alleged distribution of N4.7bn collected from the office of the National Security Adviser. 2. Rivers re-run : l have video evidence of CP plotting to rig – Wike Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike says he has  in his possession a video recording of how the Commissioner of Police in the state, Francis Odesanya intends to rig  the Dec. 10 re-run election. 3. Rivers Police kill 3, foil attack on airline The Rivers Police Command on Monday  foiled an attack on an airline in Port Harcourt, the state capital. 4. Ebonyi govt. begins seizure of foreign rice The Government of Ebonyi has set up a  taskforce to begin the confiscation foreign rice in markets in the stat...

Good afternoon, great minds. I dearly appreciate your incisive contributions during the meeting on Monday. The Publicity CDS executives, which I head and am constitutionally obligated to report to, met and made some important decisions. It's then imperative to acquaint you with the resolutions so deservedly made. It was emphatically averred that the Dinner is a Publicity CDS event and therefore be organised by its members. However, other CDS groups would be contacted whenever their contributions are needed (as the event cannot be organised without their members) and it's hoped that they'd be generous in doing that. For progress sake, however, it was PROPOSED, as part of our mandate to create easy publicity frameworks for Corps members in Yakurr LGA, that there'll be a Projects/Events Week wherein INTERESTED CDS groups with major projects or events to organise could come together and implement. Apart from the ease the organised nature with which the projects would be i...

It was an eventful morning on Thursday, 24th November 2016, as the Anti-corruption CDS group took their Sensitisation to Apostolic Secondary School, Ugep, where they expounded on the evils of corruption. The audience, which comprised mainly Senior school students were taken through topics on corruption and integrity. Taking the lead, after Mr Yerima, the CDS’ President, gave the opening speech, was Mr James. He familiarised them with what corruption is. Mr Taiwo Bukola then took to the stage to talk about the effects of corruption and ditched out few solutions. Ms Jumbo Christiana, the last scheduled speaker, came on board and did the recap of what had been discussed in addition to giving gifts to students who did well. Mr Lawal Temitayo, the Publicity CDS President, who went to cover the event gave a short but emotional talk on how corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of our nation and the urgent need for us, particularly our generation, to change our ways. The closing remark...

1| Some Corps members serving in Asarama Community, Andoni Local Government, Rivers state were reportedly robbed and two of them raped by suspected militants. 2| Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia has started reporting at EFCC office for questioning after her 'phony hospital visit' was exposed. She was one of the judges accused of corruption. 3| The spokesman of the PDP 2015 Presidential Elections Publicity team, Femi Fani-Kayode, has been re-arrested by operatives of the EFCC for corruption allegations. His wife was also detained few days back for attempting to withdraw from a frozen account but was 'rescued' by Ekiti Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose. 4| The trials of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, have been streamlined and are to be conducted in one court for speedy prosecution. He was accused, among other things, to have illegally siphoned arms monies running into billions of dollars. 5| Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has said that corru...

It was a sorrowful nightfall for two members of the National Youth Service Corps last Wednesday in Asarama Community, Andoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, after they were robbed and raped by suspected militants. The victims were said to be in bed at their unsecured lodge in an isolated part of the community when the gunmen broke into their rooms to rob and rape them. The operation which started at midnight lasted for more than two hours, with two female corps members raped, and phones, food stuff, clothes, shoes, money among others carted away. One of the victims who didn’t want her name in print in a telephone conversation with The Nation explained that the gunmen numbering seven wore face caps except for the ring leader, who was hooded. She said the gunmen hinged their actions on the failure of the government to pay them their dues. “The gunmen broke the door with their legs. No burglary proof or protector. We were about seven in the lodge. We had fiv...

It was a moody afternoon on penultimate Saturday, 15th October 2016, when a recently deceased NYSC official in Cross River State, Late Mr Ewa was buried. The NYSC official who worked at the state secretariat in Calabar until his death was said to be a man of great character. Meanwhile, the corps members and NYSC officials in Yakurr LGA, the deceased's hometown, called for calm and ‘sober reflection’ as the entire family and the scheme mourn the ‘unanticipated death.’ This was contained in a condolence message signed by the president of the Publicity CDS group in the local government, Mr Lawal Temitayo. Present at the burial were the State Coordinator, Mrs Ifeoma Anidiobi, Local Inspectors for Yakurr and Abi Local Government, Mr Dominic Brown and Mr Sunday Ejim , other NYSC officials, Corps members and the deceased’s relatives. The burial was done at his family residence at 42 Ediba Road, Ugep.

It’s with heavy heart that we, corps members and NYSC staffers, in Yakurr Local Government condole with the Ewa family that just lost a dearly loved rare gem. To us, he’d forever remain an iconic leader who not only taught but lived integrity and national integration. We believe he’d not be happy if we suddenly change and live the travesty of all that he strove hard to teach. That’s why his unanticipated death calls for sober reflection. We pray to almighty God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the harrowing loss. Signed: LAWAL Temitayo A. (S.A.L.T.) President, Publicity CDS Group, Yakurr LGA.

Congratulatory greetings to our seniors in Khaki. On behalf of every member of Publicity CDS group, Yakurr LGA, we, the executives, felicitate with ALL Corps members, particularly those in Yakurr, that are winding up their service year today. We pray that the almighty makes this, for you, a leap into astounding greatness and tremendous success. Lastly, we enjoin you to continue being law-abiding citizens and believers in the project, Nigeria. A united, great and prosperous #NewNigeria is possible, it begins with us! Thanks. Signed: LAWAL Temitayo A. (S.A.L.T.) President.

Delta quarantines 32 over lassa fever The Delta State government has quarantined 32 people, following the death of a medical doctor in Asaba. Also placed under surveillance were 11 persons from the immediate family of the deceased, 18 persons at a private hospital where the deceased was first admitted, and three others. Making the disclosure, yesterday, Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Azinge, said the government had shut and fumigated both the late doctor’s private hospital at Umuaji and the hospital where he had been treated at Bonsaac both in Asaba. The practitioner, whose identity is yet to be revealed, hails from Anambra State and died on Thursday, August 18, 2016. Source : The Guardian

‘Nigerian judges work less than four months a year’ When all the days they go on holiday and vacation are computed, judges in Nigerian courts work just about 104 days in a year, The Guardian can reveal. Out of 365 days in a year, judges do not sit during weekends -104 days; public holidays -10 days; annual court vacation- 60 days; Christmas vacation-14 days; Easter vacation -14 days; conference week- seven days as well as Fridays, which are usually reserved for judgments to 52 days. When the figures are summed up, they add up to 261 days, implying therefore that judges sit only for 104 days, when 261 days are deducted from the 365 days in a year. Besides, in an election year and during staggered elections, high court judges who are members of election petition tribunals, are away for 180 days, amounting to six months. Cases in the courts manned by such judges are adjourned sine die as judges are said to be away on national assignments. Similarly, appellate courts conce...

Police rescue 13 chained children, others The Lagos State Police Command at the weekend rescued 13 children and 15 adults chained and locked up at the Oke-Ira area of Ojodu in Lagos. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Owoseni, acting on a tip-off, had deployed operatives at the Area ‘G’ Command Headquarters, to the scene. The initial intelligence report was that a teenager was chained up in the house at Oyingbo Unity Estate, Olamidun Close, Yakoyo, Oke-Ira, Ojodu. A subsequent search of the residence by the police revealed 27 others apart from the 17-year-old the police had gone to rescue. Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police, said: “The command received a report through Area ‘G’ Command Headquarters, Ogba that a child was chained in a house at Oyinbo Unity Estate, Olamidun Close, Yakoyo, Oke-Ira, Ojodu.” Consequently, a team of policemen was m...

The 22 members of the Benue State House of Assembly who collected money to purchase Prado Sports Utility Vehicles have started refunding the money to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. This was revealed on Monday by the Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Benjamin Adanyi. It would be recalled that some members of the Assembly were recently invited and grilled by the EFCC in Abuja over alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the purchase of vehicles for members of the House. Adanyi, in a chat with reporters in Makurdi, stated that the issue that led to their invitation by the EFCC was not an issue of corruption but procedure, stressing that the amount meant for the purchase of the vehicles for the 30 members in the House was N375m and not N750m as published in the media. He said, “The issue that involved the EFCC was the issue of procedure. Somebody had petitioned the supplier about certain transactions that were being conducted, it was when investigations were goi...

Nigerian footballer Michael Umanyika has been reported dead during training with Azerbaijani First Division club Zaqatala PFK. The 20-year-old midfielder was reported to have suddenly stopped and fell during training while all efforts to revive him proved abortive. Umanyika joined the Azerbaijani top flight in 2015 where he made 20 appearances for the team during the 2015/16 season. However, the midfielder slumped during his first training session after returning from spending holidays in Nigeria. His death has been confirmed from the club’s website as well as their social media pages. Source: Today NG

Father identifies Chibok girl kidnapped by Boko Haram The father of one of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped from the remote area of Chibok more than two years ago said he recognised his daughter in a video released by Boko Haram on Sunday. A spokesman for the Bring Back Our Girls movement, set up to demand the return of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014, said he was “certain” of the identities of 10 other girls seen in the footage. “When I heard her voice, I realised she is my daughter,” Kanu Yakubu told reporters in Abuja. He was referring to Maida Yakubu, whom he identifies as the girl seen in the video choking back her tears as she describes an air strike by the Nigerian armed forces. The girl speaks in the Chibok dialect. Bring Back Our Girls spokesman Abubakar Abdullahi earlier on Sunday said at least one of the girls had been recognised by a member of the movement. The number of girls identified from the video has now risen significantly, he ...

Nigeria’s men basketball team D’Tigers got their first victory in Rio as they outclassed Croatia 90-76. Croatia started the game as the better side winning the first quarter 28-21. However, Nigeria’s Mike Umeh was the star of the quarter scoring 10 points. The second quarter resumed with D’Tigers taking control of the game as they scored 12 straight points to lead 33-29. Croatia roared back but Nigeria held on to lead 43-39 at half time. D’Tigers came into the third quarter believing they could do it; and they absolutely blew the Croatians away scoring 27 points as against their opponents 17. In the fourth quarter the Croatians fought back but D’Tigers held on to secure a historic victory. It was a total team performance from the D’Tigers as Mike Umeh ended the game with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists; while Ebi Ere had 14 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Ike Diogu had double figures with 10 points and 12 rebounds, Josh Akognon a...

The Chief of Air Staff, (CAS) Vice Admiral Sadique Abubakar has said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will soon launch an operation in the South-South part of the country to protect its Oil and Gas infrastructure including the people of the region against activities of vandals. Abubakar stated this yesterday in Abuja while addressing Officers and Airmen shortly after the force quarterly route march at the Mogadishu cantonment Abuja. He said the main focus of NAF at the moment is to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria in the South south and to ensure that oil and gas infrastructure are not destroyed by any group or group of individuals, adding that challenges in the northeast has been substantially addressed. The Air Chief said Officers and Airmen must be in the best of forms in terms of health and physical wellbeing to be able to address these challenges the Nigeria state is currently facing. He said “The challenges of today require a very sound mind in a sound body and t...

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has just issued the statement below reacting to Boko Haram’s new video accusing it of killing some of the abducted girls in air strikes. Read full statement below. The Defence Headquarters on Sunday said it was examining the latest video from Boko Haram group purporting to show some of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. Some girls wearing headscarves, in the video, were seen behind a Boko Haram militant who demanded the release of fighters in return for freeing the girls. The militant also claimed that some of the girls have been killed in air strikes. The Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar disclosed that the military is examining the video clip to verify its authenticity. He said: “Currently we are studying the video clips to verify its authenticity and analysing the comments of the speakers in the video especially the terrorist member and the girl that spoke in mother tongue.” General Rabe also disputed...

The following photos explain the selflessness and desire to help as displayed by a batch B corps member whose place of primary assignment (PPA) is at Community Secondary School, Ekori. Awojulu Emmanuel Sunday ( CR/15B/3074) took his time out to repair quite a number of desks while also teaching the students how to easily fix them on their own. It was not a commissioned project however, but it's definitely worthy of appreciation. See photos below.           

All batch B corps members are to make a compulsory payment of N1,500 to the office of the CLO starting from Thursday, 11th August 2016. The payment will serve as cost registration for NYSC Foundation as well as Cross Kopga magazine which will be given to corps members during the passing out ceremony. N500 goes for NYSC Foundation will N1000 will go for the annually published magazine.  - From the office of the LI.   

The Educational CDS group of Yakurr local government, on Thursday 4th August 2016 flagged off its free vocational training offered to the general public interested in learning hand crafts ranging from Ankara craft , Bead making, Soap making, Air freshner making among others. The group began the scheme on the 26th of July 2016, with class subjects such as Mathematics , Chemistry , Biology, Literature-in-English, among others.  The initiative is a very laudable one as it comes to interested participants at no cost at all. Students from various schools across Ugep gathered at Dr Okoi Arikpo memorial secondary school for the exercise. In an interview with our correspondent, the president of the group , Mr Femi Akinnubi (CR/15B/3069) stressed the importance for serving corps members to get innovative and leave an impact in the lives of the people even before the end of the service year. He further quoted the comtinous admonitions of the local government inspector which demands the need ...

The Federal Government has begun the digitisation of Federal Civil Service, which will soon link all the federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) under a common platform. The Minister of Communications, Abdulraheem Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the commissioning of the Infrastructure for Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS), Digital Service Centre Knowledge Acquisition Venue (KAV) in the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF). Shittu explained that the reason for the digitalisation, is to reduce the cost of governance and enhance the capacity of civil servants to discharge their duties and contribute to national development. The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Architect, Sonny Echonu, said it was an opportunity to deepen broadband penetration, enhance security and systematic growth apart from other economic benefits to the country. The Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Wi...

  The Islamic State (IS) militant group has announced that its West African affiliate Boko Haram has a new leader. Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who was previously spokesman for the Nigerian-based Islamists, is featured in the latest issue of an IS magazine. It does not say what has become of the group's former leader Abubakar Shekau. He was last heard from in an audio message last August, saying he was alive and had not been replaced. Boko Haram, which has lost most of the territory it controlled 18 months ago, is fighting to overthrow Nigeria's government. Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000 people dead, mainly in the country's north-east. In the interview in IS's weekly Arabic magazine al-Naba, Mr Barnawi said his group "remained a force to be reckoned with" and said it had been drawing new recruits. He described the group's battle against West African states as a war fought by Muslims against "apostates" and "crusaders". Who is Abu Mu...

In this whole national conundrum, one would rather think it would be impossible to see anyone associating with it. It’s then surprising to see those who are happy and even celebrate these acts of economic terrorism. They see all these atrocities through ethno-political spectacles. They’re still bitter their candidate lost in the polls last year and have consequently been on an auto-criticism mode. Any positive feat by this administration saddens them while a travesty of that gladdens them. Therefore, these attacks are solaceful to their weary hearts! In another category are those who have set out to exploit the situation to their advantage. In a recent news report that came to the consternation of many Nigerians, some South South Governors sans those of Edo and Cross River states allegedly, and shamelessly so, offered to ‘end' the escalations citing the drop of investigations into the corrupt activities of the bigwigs in the region as the criterion. How preposterous!...

UGEP New Yam festival (LEBOKU New Yam Festival) is held every year in the month of August, to honour the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the land. Nobody eats new yam until same had first been offered to these powers. New yam festival celebration differs in name and structure from one community to another. It takes the coloration of the very community it is celebrated at any given time. It is not surprising neither is it out of place because Cross River is a melting pot of culture and languages. This, merely lends credence to the fact that many communities in the state speak different dialects, hence the diverse culture. “Umor Otutu” Ugep, with an approximate landmass of 141/2 square kilometers, accommodating a sizeable, number of 148 villages and a population of about 205,823, before the 21 century. ‘Umor Otutu” christened Ugep by the early demographers and anthropologists like G.I. Jones Pitchard among others, is the largest native town east of the ...

Italian champions Juventus have confirmed the big money arrival of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli. “Juventus Football Club can today confirm that it has purchased the registration rights of Gonzalo Higuain for €90 million, payable in two financial years,” the 2014/2015 UEFA Champions League losing finalists announced on their official website on Tuesday. “The player has agreed a five-year contract with the club.” The Argentina striker, 28, scored a record 36 Serie A goals last season for Napoli. Higuain has been subject to a lot of speculations and rumors all along and will definitely be delighted to wear the famous black and white Jersey for the 'Old lady' this coming season.

The local government inspector for corps members serving in yakurr local government area,  Mr Dominic Brown has picked a date for the monthly clearance.  The clearance for the month of august will hold on the 1st day of august,  2016. It'll be the first time that clearance will hold on a Monday as the LI gets set to oversee his 3rd clearance with the serving corps members. The time is of course from 9am at the Yakurr LG council, Ugep.

Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has been named in Nigeria's final 18-man squad for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The 29-year-old Nigeria captain is one of the squad's permitted quota of three players over the age limit of 23. Watford's Odion Ighalo, Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City and Arsenal's Alex Iwobi miss out having not been released by their clubs. The men's tournament - won by Mexico at London 2012 - begins on 3 August, two days before the opening ceremony. Those selected for the Games would miss much of the English pre-season and potentially the start of the Premier League and this has proved a sticking point between clubs and country. With many teams not releasing players goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, who plays in South Africa, is the only other overaged player on the Nigeria list for The Games. However, Mikel is excited by the prospect of playing in Brazil, posting on his Instagram page: "First part of Chelsea pre-season done. Off to Atlanta to j...

Times have changed. Human beings, understanding the regularly renewed time-induced imperative for civilisation, have always developed, with ingenuity, coping cum adaptive strategies for survival while concurrently adopting sophisticated methods and technologies to surpass the environment. We erect structures wherein we put our kids and call them schools, we put some adults on our payroll and name them teachers, we even create various platforms for unbounded networking and socialisation and we pigeonhole them social media. In essence, we have over the years and more particularly in this information age, Century the 21st, built systems and institutions that regularly acquaint us with appropriate rules of engagement together with standardised and acceptable socio-behavioural scripts and patterns. However, and understandably so, there are people who deviate from and even fight this social order. Their actions and demands hinge them on a long, crowded and motley continuum whose both extre...