3 Medical students die on boat cruise.

Three of 14 medical students from different medical schools in Nigeria have drowned in waterways in Calabar, Cross River State, while having a boat cruise.It was learnt that divers from the Nigerian Navy were able to rescue 11 of them after the boat capsized Saturday afternoon.
The students were said to have converged on Medical School Calabar for the 2023 Nigeria Medical Association Health Week.
He said the three drowned students were from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and University of Uyo.
He said, “The 2023 Nigeria Medical Association Health Week and the Medical School in Calabar is hosting this year’s health week. Students across medical schools in Nigeria came to Calabarjust to have their annual health week.
“As part of their social activities, the plan was to go to Marina Resort and visit the Slave History Museum. Some of the students decided to go on a boat cruise. The boat capsized when they were about to move to Tinapa.
“There were 14 persons including the driver of the boat on board. Eleven of them came out safely while three of them – two from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and one from University of Uyo – drowned.

“The navy haa been trying to see how they can retrieve their bodies. They told us to come tomorrow (Sunday) perhaps the bodies would have floated by then.”
The boat was reportedly derailed by high waves as soon as it left the Marina Resort jetty.
“The boat capsized due to the high wave on the Calabar Channel and the 14 passengers, including the driver were involved.“Fortunately, the Nigerian Navy patrol teams were nearby so their divers were able to rescue 11,” a source from the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory said. Credit:daily trust.

Unicross to the world

The University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has emerged as 7th, best University in Nigeria and 37th in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the latest ranking by the Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings, which have been developed specifically to assess the impact of universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the region, UNICROSS attain the feat amongst 88 Universities across 20 Countries in the region.

This first edition ranks 88 universities across 20 countries. Although an additional 33 institutions are listed because they provided data but did not meet our eligibility criteria to receive a rank, the list is led by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, while the neighboring University of Johannesburg is second and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania is third.

South Africa has the most institutions in the top 10 (four in total ), Nigeria is the most-represented nation overall, with 37 ranked institutions, led by Covenant University in seventh place. Universities in Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana also make up the top 10.

About two-thirds of participating universities are public institutions; a quarter is private, not-for-profit organizations; and about a tenth are private, for-profit organizations.

The University was established in August 2002 as Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) but renamed in 2021 as the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS).

It was renamed precisely in February 2021 by a bill passed at the Cross River State House of Assembly which was assented to by the then State Governor, Benedict Ayade.

The change of the tertiary institution’s name was to enable the varsity to function as a conventional University, which provides the opportunity to offer more professional courses rather than focusing on tech-related courses.

Calabar campus is home to five of the university’s faculties: engineering, science, environmental sciences, communication technology, and education. Ogoja Campus houses the faculty of management science, Okuku Campus is where the faculty of basic medical sciences, and many others are..

Credit: CrossRiverWatch.com

Anansa

The Story of Anansa, Calabar Most Fearful And Beautiful Goddess Of The Sea
After Exploring Creek town, I quickly visited the monuments of the Anansa statue of the Efik River goddess. Anansa is a very fearful but beautiful goddess of the sea. And her monument is laid in the Bayside of Calabar South Local Government of Cross River State, Southern Nigeria.
The Anansa deity is the most popular of all the deities of the Efik people and said to be the goddess of the sea and the goddess of beauty. Anansa, situated at the Enwang spring head, known as Idim Enwang, Anantigha is located at the other side of the town, in a thicket initially called Iyonde but now called Anantigha Beach.
This River goddess can be said to possess young girls, and when she possesses any girl, the person being possesses dreams a whole lot about the water and Ekombi dance, which is a dance attributed to Anansa. It’s believed that by mere dancing of Ekombi, you are invoking the spirit of Anansa. Dance of peace and happiness.The Ekombi dance movements are derived from the motions of the oceans. If any girl is being possessed, she will automatically know how to dance Ekombi.
Anansa is a very fearful deity who, when rejected, can be dreadfully insane but very humble when she is accepted.
It was recorded that the Nigerian Naval base currently situated at the back of the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar, Cross River State was formerly known as NNS Anansa. She was a very territorial mermaid, causing so many uproars for the Nigerian Navy and sinking ships.
This made the Navy had to appease her so that she could allow them to take control of the water’s borders, so they named their base NNS Anansa and performed sacrifices and rites to appease her.
It was years after, the Christianity settled in and she was chased to the high seas never to return, and that gave the Navy the courage to change the name to NNS victory.Some believed that she would come back because she had enrolled many young women who have continued her teachings and paved the way for her homecoming. I also heard that she crosses the road on a particular day and at a particular time. When she crosses, rain falls but doesn’t touch the ground.
During Anansa Rituals, they tend using the egg stone that is being possessed by the River goddess. The famous Calabar Carnival was birthed by Anansa Procession. The procession began in the morning, heralded by the royal talking drum and the Efik drum, called Ekperikpe.
The Carnival was started by the Efik people, even though Anansa worship was abandoned when Christianity came. This was the procession before the invention of Calabar Carnival by former Governor Donald Duke in 2004.
And it’s believed that it’s only fortified cameras that can capture her monuments. Although I witnessed it, my phone screen pulled away from my phone when taking the picture of the Anansa monument. I don’t know if my phone already has issues and I just noticed it immediately when I took the first shot. I have to experiment this again to be sure before concluding when next I visit Cross River.

Six feared dead as plane crashes in Abuja

Six persons onboard a military aircraft have been feared killed after the plane crash landed in Abuja.
The six people comprised two crew members and four passengers.
The aircraft, a NAF201 B350, was said to be Minna, Niger State bound when it developed engine problem around 10:39am.
It was said to have crash landed at the final approach path of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway 22 around 10:48am and immediately gutted fire.
Source: The Nation

For The First Time In History, We Have A Fulani President And A Fulani Chief Of Staff – FFK Blows Hot As President Buhari’s Appoints Gambari As Chief Of Staff

President Buhari officially unveiled renowned diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, as his new Chief of Staff today May 13.Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, is however not pleased at the appointment and has shared his thoughts in an article he titled ”ENTER THE PRESIDENT’S NEW CHIEF OF STAFF”.

IFFK who is a hard critic of the Buhari administration, says this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that we will be having a Fulani President and a Fulani Chief of Staff.Gambari replaces Abba Kyari who died in April.200 years ago the Aare Kakanfo of the ancient Oyo Empire and the self-proclaimed Oba of Ilorin, Aare Afonja, rebelled against the Alaafin of Oyo and entered into a military alliance with a Fulani advisor, sorcerer and mercenary by the name of Alimi.Predictably Alimi betrayed him and he ended up being tortured, dethroned and murdered. Not only did Alimi and his Fulani warriors kill him but they also murdered all his sons in the most cruel and barbaric fashion.Alimi and his family took the throne for themselves and consequently the Oyo Empire, and by extension the Oduduwa nation, lost Ilorin to the Fulani and to the sons of Usman Dan Fodio.Ever since that day a Fulani Emir, from Alimi’s “Gambari” family and lineage, armed with a flag and staff of authority from the Sultan of Sokoto, has ruled Ilorin.There is no gainsaying the fact that the Gambaris are trusted servants and bonded slaves of the Sokoto Caliphate.They see themselves as the guardians, protectors and defenders of the Caliphate’s southern border and they serve and protect its traditions, its faith and its political and economic interests. This has been the case for the last 200 years.It is for this reason that they are often referred to by the sons and daughters of Oduduwa as ‘mesu jamba’ (meaning a “shifty, unreliable and treacherous”).To add to that, the saying goes “beware of the Gambaris and the descendants of Alimi”.Enter Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Buhari’s new Chief of Staff and Nigeria’s former representative at the United Nations.Contrary to popular belief and despite his second name, “Agboola”, this man is NOT a son of the south west or an Oduduwan but a Fulani Prince from the Royal house in Ilorin.He is a descendant of Alimi. He is a Gambari. And to cap it all his brother, Emir Ibrahim Kolapo Sulu- Gambari, is the present Emir of Ilorin.His forefathers stole our sacred Oduduwan lands, took our throne, carved up and divided our Empire, enslaved our people and have persecuted our leaders in Ilorin for the last 200 years denying them of their most basic liberties and rights.And worse of all they have done this with the full blessing and support of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Sultan of Sokoto.Wlith the appointment of Gambari as the President’s Chief of Staff, for the first time in our history, we have a Fulani President and a Fulani Chief of Staff both serving a Fulani Government with a Fulani agenda.This has never happened before and very soon the results will be self-evident. To make matters worse Gambari is himself a hardliner and he was Buhari’s Foreign Minister in 1984 when the latter was military Head of State. He served a tyrant and a dictator before and he is serving a tyrant and a dictator again.And he served not just any tyrant and dictator but Nigeria’s greatest military tyrant and dictator and now he is set to serve Nigeria’s greatest civilian tyrant and dictator.Unlike his predecessor in office the late Abba Kyari who was a Shuwa Arab, Gambari is a Fulani. His only interest throughout his distinguished career as a career diplomat was to do nothing but further and protect the interest and hegemonic agenda of the Caliphate in Nigeria and to justify and rationalise its greed, brutality, barbarity and excesses before the civilised world in various international fora.Now he has come to help estsblish and entrench Buhari’s Islamisation and Fulanisation agenda. We welcome him and we will engage him in battle.Abba Kyari has gone. A hardline Islamic fundamentalist and Fulani irredentist has now taken over his job. Nigerians will see the difference.For those of us that have been in the struggle to liberate our people from the tyranny of Buhari for the last five years it is “game on” and “back to the trenches”.The ceasefire is over and the war against ethnic and religious bondage and against injustice, subjugation, domination, nepotism, servitude and slavery has started again. May the best man win. Source: news caster

Gov Wike Converts Site Of Demolished Hotel To School

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, who though did not mention the name of the victim, said he died from injuries he sustained during the incident.Nsirim, who spoke in Port Harcourt, justified the actions of the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, saying the governor was combating the spread of the Coronavirus with the rule of law.The commissioner said the governor approved the conversion of the demolished hotel site to a primary school to serve the people of the state adding that the opposition hijacked the demolition incident.He said: “The latest issue that has been hijacked by opposition elements is the demolition of two hotels in Eleme, after they deliberately flouted Executive Order 6.

“These two hotels, Prodest Hotel, Alode, Eleme and Etemeteh Hotel, Onne not only flouted the Executive Order, the Hotel Manager of Prodest invited the wanted PDP Eleme Youth Leader, Princewill Osaroejiji, who came with thugs to unleash mayhem on Task Force operatives on ground to close down the facility.

“As we speak, one of the Task Force operative lost his life last night. Governor Wike and the Rivers State Security Council took the decision to demolish the hotel in the interest of Rivers State and her people. Days before that demolition, everyone was aware that the State Government sensitized the people on the consequence of flouting Executive Order 6.

“Having demolished that hotel, Governor Wike has approved that a primary school be constructed at that location to serve Rivers people. This is what a responsive government will do.

“The fight against coronavirus in the state has been premised on the Rule of Law. It was Governor Wike who first signed an Executive Order that led to Border Closure and other actions. This was done on March 19, 2020. After initial criticisms, other States followed suit.

“Therefore, the fight against coronavirus in Rivers State is in the interest of Rivers people and the entire Country. This is because Rivers State is vital to the survival of the nation as the headquarters of the hydrocarbon industry”.He said the people of Eleme were happy about the demolition and wondered why Wike’s critics were not bothered about the alleged criminal activities that led to the demolition of the hotel.Eleme people are happy with the demolition. In several publications they made after the demolition, they have declared that Prodest Hotel is a criminal hideout and a den for cultists.He said: “One question many social media lawyers and their followers have refused to answer is, why is that out of several hotels operating in Rivers State only Prodest and Etemeteh hotels were demolished.

“Even the Chairman of Nigeria Hotels Owners Association Rivers State Chapter, Mr. Eugene Nwaizu, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt expressed surprise that the hotels that were not even registered with the body disobeyed the Executive Order.

“According to him, the Hotels and Guest Houses were well informed about the Executive Order. The Governor is not out to witch-hunt anybody but to ensure that coronavirus does not spread in the State.

“However, seasoned legal luminaries like Chief OCJ Okocha (SAN) have said that Governor Wike acted within the law under the present circumstances. We are saying, rather than mislead members of the public; those aggrieved should approach the courts for interpretation”.Saying that Rivers was not a lawless state, Nsirim noted that the governor would not be distracted by ill-mannered politicians struggling for media space. Source news staff.

US Vows To Monitor $32.8m COVID-19 Spending In Nigeria – Politics

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said the country has put in place mechanisms to monitor and ensure judicious utilisation of the financial aid provided to help Nigeria in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
She spoke in a teleconference with select journalists, disclosing that since the COVID-19 crisis started, the US has committed $237m to support Africa’s COVID-19 response with the global interventions amounting to $2.4bn.
She assured that just like other interventions, the US government has put in place strict monitoring mechanism and surveillance to block diversion of the funds. Ambassador Leonard also said there was nothing unusual with the current evacuation of American citizens in Nigeria, noting that many of them only wanted to reunite with their families having exhausted their short stay in Nigeria.
The US envoy who expressed satisfaction with the response of the Federal Government to the COVID-19 pandemic assured that more financial and technical support would be provided to the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19.
Apart from donating ventilators to Nigeria, she added that the US government has a very robust presence of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDS) and the US Aids (USAID) working closely with the Nigerian authorities to transform the country’s COVID-19 response.
Asked on whether the US plans to support Nigeria with the COVID-19 drug, Remdesivir, which was said to have been developed in the US, she said the medication is still undergoing a lot of experimentation and clinical study.
She said the US would not hesitate to support the country with the medication after completing the requisite approval process, saying the American government was open to collaboration as “the whole world is trying to figure out what is the most effective way of dealing with the virus.”
“We are very pleased to be making these commitments to Nigeria. We are very eager to collaborate on measures for curing, mitigating and preventing the spread of the virus,” she said.Source:- Daily Trust

ment Tacha Knelt Down To Beg Biggie And Ebuka For Disrespecting Them .

Big Brother Naija housemate, Tacha has drawn tears from viewers after she got on her knees to beg Biggie and the host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu for disrespecting them.

It appears the hot-headed and controversial BBNaija housemate, Tacha, is ready to let go of her old ways and try a much calmer approach in the game for the prize money of N60m. Recall that Tacha had been given two strikes previously. The first had come after her fight with Joe when she had hit him.

The second had come earlier on Sunday right before the eviction show that saw Gedoni and Jackye leaving after Big Brother accused her of being rude and disrespectful to authority, Ebuka and also to the housemates. What this means is that if given one more strike, Tacha will be automatically disqualified from the show.

Well, a remorseful Tacha, when called in for her diary session after the Darling Runway Challenge, went on her knees to apologize to Biggie and Ebuka for disrespecting them, saying she doesn’t want to leave the house by strikes. She admitted to Big Brother in her words, “I’m still growing and learning. I really really apologize.” Watch below:

Moment Tacha Knelt Down To Beg Biggie And Ebuka For Disrespecting Them

CBN gives banks three months to withdraw mutilated notes

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has opened a three-month window from June 3 to September 2, for customers across the country to replace their mutilated naira notes with new ones across all banks.

The new order is as a result of its resolve to finally replace mutilated, old naira notes in Nigeria, after the failure of banks to heed previous directives.

Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Isaac Okoroafor, disclosed this over the weekend in Lagos, at a CBN sensitisation session with stakeholders in the Southwest, including labour unions, on the direction of the economy.

Okoroafor said CBN has set up departments to listen to customers’

complaints if banks refused to heed the order, adding that the move became imperative due to infractions noticed from some banks in the way new notes are being handled.

He said CBN has been replacing lower denominations across the country by going through the local markets and transport unions instead of the banks, because of the approach of some banks to the issue.

He said the cashless policy, which was stopped due to infrastructure deficits will soon return, as telecommunication firms have been empowered to become Payment Service Banks (PSB).

He listed the achievements of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, which enabled him to renew his mandate to continue to lead the nation’s economy to the path of greatness.

Vice President, Industrial Global Union, Issa Aremu, commended CBN’s initiative in revamping the economy, and called on the Governor to continue his developmental mission by ensuring inflation rate is reduced to a single digit level.

He urged Emefiele to continue his defence of the CBN autonomy, while commending President Muhammadu Buhari for reappointing the governor.

Source: guardian.ng