Happy Birthday Your Excellency. The Entire Health Family appreciates and cherishes the visionary leadership you bring to the State.

I, my family and the entire health sector celebrates your remarkable achievements in the health sector and that’s why we refer to you as the ultrasonic Pro-health Governor. Happy birthday as we wish you long life and good health, to continue delivering the much needed selfless services to the state through your endless support to the State Health Sector.

We continue to value your courage in the ongoing efforts to making sure that Cross River State beyond healthcare hub becomes one of the developed states in Nigeria, and continue to have global recognition in terms of the unprecedented Agro-industrialization drive in the state. You are truly the game changer.

May Almighty God, who has kept you these years till today, continue to use you
to accomplish his will for our land and our people and may he lift you up to the national leadership in due time. Amen. Happy Birthday “The Ayade of Africa”

Dr Betta Edu
Commissioner for Health
Cross River State.

Happy birthday to a Admirable, Amiable and Adorable, Digital Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Senator (Prof) Governor Benedict Ayade at 52 you have exhibited uncommon wisdom, remarkable vision and exemplary leadership in all sectors of the state.

Thanks for being our Greatest Asset.

May Almighty God who has kept you these years till today, continue to use you to accomplish His Will for the state and beyond, Amen.

Hearty Cheers Your Excellency!!!!

Dr Inyang Asibong,
Hon Comm for International Dev/Donor Support

For and on behalf of MIDDS and Family.

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), South South,  felicitate His Excellency, Senator Prof Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River State on the Special occasion of his 52nd BIRTHDAY.

We celebrate and  honour you,  a great personality, an exemplary leader,  and a renowned Farmer  not only in Cross River State, but in Nigeria and Africa at large. You have exemplified Rice Farming as the bedrock of sustainable development.

You are a detribalized Nigerian, born to your  parents in Kakum Community of Obudu, providing quality service to Cross River State and the Nation at large.

On assumption of office as Governor  in May 2015, you commenced the implementation of policies on the development of the  Agricultural sector with emphasis on Rice Revolution. Your re-election in 2019 with an overwhelming victory at the polls trumped up your focus in agro Industrialization as a basis for the economic transformation of the people of Cross River State.

Your leadership style is driven with inelastic humility, with commitment to uplifting the common man from the shackles of poverty, as exemplified in your creatively packaged G - Money Initiative which is aimed at making Millionaires, by creating wealth for the  citinzenry  and employment for the youths through agro Enterprise. Indeed, your giants efforts and iconic governance architecture has towered you higher than your peers in the comity of Governors in Nigeria.

Rice Farmers continue to celebrate you, in your dedicated efforts in establishing the first ever in Africa; The Rice seeds and seeding factory and the ultramodern Rice mill in Ogoja, amongst the several agro Industrialization projects in the State.

 As you mark your 52nd birthday today, we wish you an amazing day!. As the prayers of the present and future generations remains for your good deeds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOUR EXCELLENCY.

Emmanuel Anoh
National Vice President (RIFAN South South)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AN INTELLECTUAL GURU

The Management and staff of the Ministry of Local Government Affairs join other Cross Riverians to congratulate your Excellency, Sen (Prof) Ben Ayade on the occasion of your 52nd birthday celebration.

We celebrate an intellectual guru who has served humanity passionately. Your  indelible mark on the lives of the rural dwellers is an indicator that your leadership is a call to serve mankind. You have proven beyond doubt that the welfare of the rural populace is of extreme priority to you, we applaud the equal distribution of projects spread across the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River State. Your benevolence and good thoughts geared towards improving the lives of the rural dwellers is very visible and highly appreciated.

We honour you our icon, our genuine prayer is that God keeps you in sound health to see many more fruitful and rewarding years.

52 hearty cheers to a great mentor and achiever.

Hon. Stella Oreme Odey
Commissioner Ministry of Local Government Affairs
Cross River State.

RT. HON JARIGBE AGOM CELEBRATES HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF CROSS RIVER, PROF BEN AYADE ON HIS BIRTHDAY.

The member representing Ogoja/Yala federal Constituency, Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom has celebrated the executive Governor of Cross River State, Senator Prof Ben Ayade on the occasion of his 52nd Birthday celebration.

Ayade who clock 52nd years today has received warm and kind words across the state, and the Ogoja/Yala pilot, Hon Jarigbe wasn't left out.

Hon Jarigbe celebrated the governor on behalf of his family and The good people of Ogoja/Yala federal constituency, prayed that, the good Lord continue to protect his Excellency.

In same vein, the People of Ogoja /Yala, supporters, and lovers of Hon Jarigbe's leadership trajectory, joined the Honorable member in congratulating His Excellency on his birthday.

Congratulations and happy Birthday H.E.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently directed the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) to stop further collection of electricity bill under the estimated billing system. The regulatory agency has therefore placed limits on estimated bills that can be issued by Discos to unmetered customers. This is good news to consumers who have been inundated with estimated bills. If the order is strictly enforced, it is likely to be a game changer in the beleaguered power sector.

The directive entitled, “Order on the Capping of Estimated Bills in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” took effect from February 20, 2020. The order repealed the Estimated Billing Methodology Regulations 2012 as a basis for computing the consumption of unmetered customers by the Discos.

NERC also ordered that henceforth, all unmetered R2 and C1 customers should not be invoiced for the consumption of energy beyond the cap stipulated by it. In addition, Discos should ensure that all customers on tariff class A1 in their franchise areas are properly identified and metered not later than April 30, 2020. It pointed out that customers would not be liable to pay any estimated bill issued if the Disco failed to supply meters. However, apart from R2 and C1 customers, all other customers on higher tariff classes must be metered under the framework of Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulation or any other financing arrangement approved by the commission.

Also, the agency explained that customers whose current estimated bills are lower than the prescribed energy cap should remain so without any upward adjustment until a meter is installed by the Disco. But, it warns that customers, who reject the installation of a meter on their premises by a Disco, will not be entitled to electricity supply, and therefore, will be disconnected. Such customers will only be reconnected with the network with the installation of a meter.

We welcome the new policy abolishing estimated billing and hope that it will bring sanity to the troubled sector, which has witnessed many operational hiccups since the privatisation of the power sector. The management of NERC has done well by issuing this latest directive to the Discos and we urge them to obey the new order. Doing so will enable them deliver seamless service to electricity consumers.

To address the power sector challenge, there is need to close the metering gap, which is put at five million. We recall that NERC had last year put in place measures to accelerate metering through the establishment of MAP. The agency also established Customer Complaints Offices in 25 states of the federation to quickly attend to customers over increasing complaints, and assured that it will not tolerate exorbitant charges for electricity consumed or not.  Despite the assurance, estimated billing by Discos persisted. Available data shows that the metering gap in the country remains high at about five million, compared to the total customer size of about nine million. This represents about 58 per cent deficit in metering.

It was in a bid to solve the problem of estimated billing that in 2018, the House of Representatives conducted a public hearing on a bill sponsored by the then Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, to criminalise estimated billing by Discos. It came on the heels of numerous complaints by consumers that they were being extorted by the Discos. Our position aligns with the directive by NERC that consumers need to be protected from the high-handedness of the electricity providers.

We believe that the provision of prepaid meters will make energy consumers to effectively manage their consumption. To eradicate estimated billing, there should be massive provision of prepaid meters. Last year, NERC estimated that electricity consumers should pay between N36, 991 and N67, 055 for installation and maintenance of the meters. We believe that if consumers are provided with prepaid meters, they will pay for the tariff without being prompted to do so.  Apart from meeting the metering needs of electricity consumers, there is urgent need to improve the power supply in the country. Many firms have either closed down or relocated to other West African countries as a result of unstable power supply. Some firms run on generators, thereby increasing the cost of production, which they pass to consumers.

Therefore, the government and electricity distribution companies should strive to meet the country’s power needs. Currently, the national energy requirement is between 40, 000MW and 60, 000 MW, while generation is less than 5, 000MW. The Discos should show more commitment to meeting the power needs of consumers instead of hiking tariffs.

Press Release

16th February, 2020

Project1000 Celebrates her National President.


Project1000, a solution driven citizenship forum made up of Yala Urban professionals has celebrated her National President, Mr. Ebriku John Friday on the occasion of his birth day.

The forum who is recording significant progress under the leadership of Mr Ebriku, couldn't curtail her joy than shower encomium on her National President.

Mr Ebriku who is the First President of the forum, came into power 31st of August, 2019 and has been actively and coordinatedly displaying capacity in taking project1000 to an enviable height.

Mr. Ebriku is humane, kind, compassionate and all encompassing. He is the former GM Chairman's office, Leadership newspapers. As a journalist, Mr Ebriku on numerous occasions has demonstrated high level of love and accommodation to many including our dear forum by advertising and publishing stories on national newspapers free of charge. He is an editor of repute. Mr. Ebriku is also the publisher of theleaderng.com, a blog created to promote and projects people and their work. As a mediapreneur, he founded the Ehub Media Nigeria Limited, where he seats as it's current Chairman.

Mr Ebriku is happily married to his BEST Mr Abigail Ebriku John Friday.

He is a philanthropist and encourager of good deeds. It is saner to say that, Mr Ebriku is practically living his life for others.

We at Project1000 couldn't curtail our joy than to celebrate our amiable, capacity, loving, workaholic president.

Happy birthday Mr President. We wish you many years of celebration sir.

Chief Press Secretary II
ADOGA, Michael Oyi

Hon. Okpechi Friday

Life indeed, is a thing to celebrate though it may not be rosy all the times. Again, birthdays make us realize that we never came to the world on our own.

Over the years, I've come across people of different categories, character traits and individualities. In every stage in life, I've always been blessed with individuals of impeccable personality.

At this very stage, the wisdom and dept of understanding found in this very personality is amazingly outstanding.

Today, I join the host of the universe to celebrate with an outstanding lawmaker, a mentor, and a performer.

A man of impeccable charisma, a representative per-excellent, an ardent and eloquent lawmaker (both in words and character). He is jovially exceptional, visionary, courageous and above all, committed to good governance.

All hail Rt. Hon. Okpechi Friday Gabriel  (FG)

Happy Birthday to you Sir. May you continue to soar higher beyond the skies. I wish you fruitful years ahead and a closer walk with God

Congratulations to Rt. Hon. Okpechi Friday Gabriel, the member representing Obubra 1 State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly.

Signed,
Jake Clifford, Head of New Media

January 11,2020

The Cross River State Director General of Due process and price intelligence Bureau,Hon.Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba, has described the Cross River State Commisioner for Local Government Affairs,Hon.Stella OREME Odey, as a role model and a strong support for good governance, saying such support had manifested in the giant strides recorded across all sectors in the state.

The Director General, said this on Saturday in a statement issued to felicitate with the Commisioner on her birthday.

He further  described Hon.Stella as a humble and compassionate Woman who combines decency and commitment to excellence, adding that, “In personal and public life, she has been able to worm her way into the hearts of so many Cross Riverians.”

Eba while describing the Commisioner for women Affairs as a role model, a detribalized Cross Riverian and shining star in the state political firmament, said she was one in a million in humankind.

“Hon.Stella is a detribalized Cross Riverian who has traversed the length and breadth of the state, helping the less-privilege people, seeking the emancipation of women and the youths for an egalitarian society through her office.

“Her undying love for the downtrodden, the deprived and the ordinary folks across the state is widely acknowledged, while her unflinching backing for Sir Benedict Ayade's administration has helped tremendously in the fulfilment of its electioneering promises to Cross Riverians,” Eba said.

Eba, however, prayed that God gives Hon.Stella the strength to enable her to continue to work  for the betterment of her fatherland as savoured the joy of the occasion of the celebration of her birthday.

“As you are savouring the joy of this occasion, it is my prayer that God Almighty strengthens you so that you can continue working  for the betterment of your fatherland,” he said.

I wish to extend my congratulatory message to you openly; Dr Inyang Asibong on your new office as the  Commissioner for International Development Cooperation/Donor Support  after serving meritoriously recently with the Cross River State Ministry of Health. Medical and non medical staff from the Health ministry will miss you and your personality for leaving an outstanding legacy especially as you change the narrative in the Ministry from the *MinistryofHell* to the real ministry of Health. You created the harmonious relationship between top hierarchies where they was no power tussles and indifferences.

You were Labour friendly and  you open up 3 schools of Nursing and three schools of midwifery that were closed down, you built three General Hospitals through public Private Partnership (PPP) and gave  boasts to three General Hospitals, one from each Senatorial District where Intra modern Eye center, VesicoVaginal Fistula and Recreation centre were built among others laudable achievements. Just as the staff were expecting your return to continue your good leadership style, their expectations were cut short as the Governor had assigned you to serve in a different capacity in view of your versatile capabilities and leadership prowess.

Your new position is as a result of your immense commitment and dedication to serve where God will be taking you and not by displaying inglorious intentions. just like Abraham in the Bible who chooses direction over intention of Lot his brother,your direction and not intention determines your destination.

Am happy you have the capacity and what it takes to perform brilliantly in your new office and position.
As the Lord chooses you today through the digital Gov of Cross River State, Gov Ben Ayade, He will inspire you with the right things to do on the new level you found yourself.
You won't just be opening door to your new office, you will be opening the door to life new opportunities that make you go global like the  likes of Dr (Mrs ) Ngozi Okonjo  Iweala Former Nigeria Finance Minister and World Bank development economist and Dr Akinwumi Adesina  ,former Agriculture Minister and currently, President, African Development Bank who are now global figures who have impacted the world

once again, Congratulations!!

Coco-Bassey Esu