The Director-General, Cross River State, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu, has disclosed that the just concluded Cross River North Agriculture and Cultural Festival, NORTHFEST, has positively impacted on the health of the people.
Edu said NORTHFEST became necessary, because of the natural food with all nutrients the people had access to and also created an atmosphere for relaxation from stress by they had with other health challenges.
She said: “I think it is a great one, for once we have been able to bring the northern part of Cross River State together and this is the first of its kind, because even the south and the central do not have a central or south fest. NORTHFEST is a strong unifying factor and beyond that, is going to really strongly boost our agriculture in the North and its going to attract investors to come in see what we can do, see how fertile our soils are and see if they can invest in the North.
“We are interested in the harvest that comes out of here because it is going to improve on the nutrition of our people, especially those in the north as well as the other parts of the state because if the agriculture is good, then nutrition will be good, people would have food to eat and there will be less hospital visits.
“And beyond that people need to relax. We know about stress and hypertension, and how much these have cost people some good money from their pocket, and if we can come together, relax, play, and just have fun that can give you relaxation, then less of stress and less of high blood pressure.”
Meanwhile, she called on sustainability of NORTHFEST, which the government should move further to come up with legislation that would support it for continuity.
“I hope it is sustainable, but it can only be sustainable if we put that sustainability plan on ground, which the government has to look for how to make a legislation that would back this up.
“They have to include it to part of our programme for the year, just the same way we have a legislation that is backing the Calabar Carnival, such that whether another governor comes or goes, you cannot tamper with it, that is the same way NORTHFEST should be”, she stated.
By Ebriku John Friday
