Orok Duke Pledges More NDDC Interventions In C'River ... Distributes Relief Materials In Odukpani, Calabar South And Bakassi Communities
By Missang AKPET
The Cross River State representative at the Niger Delta Development Commision (NDDC), Rt. Hon. Orok Duke has begun distribution of palliatives donated to the state by the NDDC.
Communities that have so far received the palliatives are Ikot-Offiong in Odukpani local government area, Eseriebom community in Calabar South as well as Ekpri-Ikang in Bakassi local government area.
Recall that in April 2024 THE BEAGLE NEWS reported that the NDDC rep received palliatives that were meant to be distributed for flood and other related natural disaster victims in the state in 2002.
Orok, who spoke during the distribution, revealed that the palliatives were items released to the various Niger Delta states in 2022 to ameliorate their sufferings as a result of flooding and other natural disasters.
“You know NDDC is an interventionist agency, so these items were released as palliatives to victims of natural disasters like flooding, erosion etc.
“Cross River to a large extent was left out in the scheme of things in the commission. So our share of the distributed items were never collected. Other states had collected theirs except Cross River so when we came on board, I went for it and the Presidency ordered that Cross River should be given their own share of their 2022 palliatives. This is just the beginning of more incentives to come, as I earlier promised, Cross River will no longer be left behind in the commissions activities as I will make sure whatever is meant for the state gets to the state” he said.
Responding on behalf of the Ikot Offiong indigene after receiving the palliatives, the former Nigerian ambassador to Uganda Etubom Nya Asuquo said the people of Ikot Offiong have been neglected by the government for over 20 years as the past government totally refused to assist them after their community was ravaged by gully erosion.
While thanking the NDDC Commissioner for finding Ikot Offiong worthy to benefit from the commissions benevolence, Etubom Nya added that when the governor for campaign he promised them that Ikot Offiong problem will be a thing of the past which truly they are beginning to see the effect.
At Bakassi, the NDDC rep identified the people of Bakassi as one of the most vulnerable indigenes in Cross River State stating that the commission will work hand in hand with the state government to see how their issues will be looked into.
Responding unbehalf of the people of Bakassi, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on NDDC, Mr. Ani Esin, and a former Chairman of Bakassi, Hon. Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, maintained that Bakassi people are in dire need of internal roads linking communities especially the road linking Ekpri Ikang and Akwa-Obutong communities which will help the people of Akwa Obutong who are agrarian in nature to bring their goods out to the town for sale.
They added that the people of Bakassi are very industrious and pleaded with the NDDC to consider assisting the indigenes with financial support to start-up small ventures that will make them self-reliant instead of depending on interventions and palliatives.
