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NorthFest: Cross River North Stands Together By Augustine Ogar
A moment of self-rediscovery was enacted in Ogoja the traditional headquarters of Northern Cross River on the 30th of September 2017 when sons and daughters of the Cross River North Senatorial Zone gathered together to stage the largest live event in recent times in the history of the area. The event nicknamed, “NORTHFEST” brought people from afar and near and from all walks of life in different attires, dancing, drumming and parading. They came from the traditional rulership, political class, clergy men, including: men, women, children, students, and farmers to celebrate their Agricultural potentials and culture revival.
Indeed, it was a confirmation of their determination as a people to “stand together”. The gathering renewed the bond of brotherhood, communality and cultural affinity never witnessed before in that part of the state. However, revelation at the event by the organizers point to the fact that NORTHFEST 2017 was the brain child of His Excellency Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade. Its creation was born out of his determination to unite the people and create an enviable economic empire out of the rich Agricultural products that abound in the area.
Again, Ayade’s creation of “NORTHFEST” 2017, first of its kind in that part of the state is borne out of love for humanity and his people. Over the years, Ayade has devoted his time and resources as a “solution architect” to think of how he can solve the problems of his people. From all indications, the commencement of an annual festival NORTHFEST is part of the “Road Map” Ayade’s administration is charting to reinvent Cross River and make it an economic hub for investors and Eldorado in the years ahead. Besides, it is also a fulfillment of one of his campaign promise which he made during the build up to 2015 general elections, “under my watch, no child will go to bed hungry” the above profound statement is being practicalized and brought to reality through the creation of “NORTHFEST” an annual event expected to harness the rich Agricultural potentials of the people. Deliberately, it is programmed as a rallying point to make a political statement that “Ogoja people” are not divided.
In 2015, with the ascending of Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade to seat of power as Governor of Cross River State, Northern Senatorial Zone has become a power block that must be reckoned within the power equations of Cross River State notwithstanding the fact that the zone was made to have less Local Governments than the Southern and Central Senatorial Districts. At one point or the other Cross River North had produced personalities that have been “power player” at National level. For instance, Dr. Joe Wayas was the first from the minority tribe in the country to become the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1979 – 1983. Gen. Edward Unimna and Bridgier Gen. Anthony Ukpo became members of the Armed Forces Ruling Councils at different times in the military era. Late Chief J. A. Abga was also a thunderbolt in the then Eastern House of Assembly in the early 60’s.
Other illustrious personalities who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and progress of the state and nation at various times are: Emeritus Bishop Joseph Edra Ukpo, Sen. Musa Adede, Barr. Kanu Agabi (SAN), Late, Chief I. I. Morphy, Prof. Ukandi Damachi, Late. Prof. Mathias Ofoboche, HRM (Uti) Joseph Davis Agba, Mr. Sunny Neji, Sen. Rose Oko, and Prof. Zana Akpagu etc.
At the event on the 30th of September 2017, excited by the mammoth crowd that turnout to celebrate the maiden edition of NORTHFEST Governor Ayade also made another profound statement, “We are proud, we are from the North, we are the Northern star” sending out a clear message that the zone has what it takes to rise to the top and that the North is proud of its heritage. Ayade, also eulogizes the immediate past Governor of the State Sen. Liyel Imoke who was physically present to show solidarity for shifting power to Northern cross in 2015.
It is a known fact that Cross River North people are farmers which is the food baskets of the state and beyond. The people in this area are renowned for producing yams, cassava, rice, maize, potatoes, groundnut and a variety of grains and fruits. The land is very fertile couple with the abundant rain and favourable weather, every eatable crop grows in Cross River North Soil. And the people, though subsistence farmers are hardworking. Through the income they generate from their farms, they sponsor their children to acquire western education and other skills that prepare them to face the socioeconomic challenges that come their way in life. Annually, various communities in the zone celebrate the “New Yam Festival” between the month of August – October as a mark of gratitude to God or gods for a good harvest since yam is regarded as “king of crops”.
Obviously, one noticeable factor that led to the birth of “NORTHFEST 2017” was the peoples’ determination to revive their Agricultural potential and cultural identify which though homogenous among the five Local Governments that made up the zone, that, is: Yala, Ogoja, Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku but have been segmented by individual community interests over the years. The uniqueness of the event as an agricultural festival was exploited to the fullest by the organizers who choose the site of the gigantic Rice Processing Plant under construction in Ogoja as venue of the event.
As show of solidarity, NORTHFEST 2017 attracted some political heavy weights from the Southern and Central Senatorial Zones of the State which includes: Ex-Governor Sen. Liyel Imoke, Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. John Gaul-Lebo, Ex-Deputy Governor Barr. Efiok Cobhom, PDP State Chairman, Ntufam Edim, State Traditional Rulers’ Council Chairman His Royal Majesty Ete Nyin Etim Okon Edet, National Assembly members, State House of Assembly members, Commissioners etc.
Finally, one clear statement that accompanied the award of excellence that was presented by Maj-Akpang Obi-Odu (rtd) on behalf of the people of Northern Cross River to Governor Ayade was their firm resolves to “stand together and to stand behind their son in 2019”. Indeed, “NORTHFEST 2017” may have come and gone but the memories will remain afresh in the hearts of the people who have placed their faith in God, same for a young physically challenged musician, Kelly B who met his destiny at the event when Governor Ayade rewarded him with a gift of ₦10 million for his performance. NORTHFEST 2017 speaks volumes, it speaks success, unity and cultural re-unification and political ascendancy of Northern Cross River State.
As he continues to impact our society positively and find new frontiers, Mr. Seyi Tinubu leaves no one in doubt about his generosity and care.
To Borno with love
For a state still nursing deep scars inflicted by years of violent extremism, the collapse of the Alau Dam, Borno, on December 10 was yet one tragedy too many.
The flood from the dam overwhelmed two local councils in the state (Maiduguri and Jere), killed about 150 people, and displaced over 70 percent of its residents.
Maiduguri and its residents, who never seemed to get enough help for their protracted misery, needed more help after the dam collapsed.
When President Tinubu’s first son, Mr. Seyi Tinubu, with his younger brother, Yinka, and a few others visited the state and announced a donation of N500m, it came as a prayer answered.
The intervention was not only in cash. He also donated 10,000 pieces of mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses, kettles, wrappers, buckets, mats, sanitary pads and wash kits, as well as critical supplies to cover prescriptions for almost 50,000 children and adults, including anti-malarials, anti-hypertensives, anti-parasitics, anti-diabetics, analgesics and antibiotics.
The gesture, which left many pleasantly amazed, caused a ripple in several quarters, especially among those unfamiliar with such heartfelt generosity from the children of Nigeria’s first family without official titles.
Succour for PWDs
Many didn’t know that Seyi wasn’t a stranger to looking out for the distressed and vulnerable. For him, philanthropic and humanitarian gestures not only preceded the Maiduguri tragedy, but it’s a practice he determined to honour, almost like a tradition.
For example, in May 2023, during the Renewed Hope Concert at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja to celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s imminent inauguration, Seyi stirred emotions when he was seen handing out wheelchairs to some people with disabilities present at the venue. The event was attended by then president-elect Tinubu and Vice President-elect Shettima.
The elated beneficiaries, who saw his generous and thoughtful gesture instantly upgrade the quality of their lives, couldn’t contain their joy.
Youth and sports too
Fast forward to 2025, to the Seyi Tinubu Basketball Championship, held at the Dogon Dutse Basketball Pitch in Jos, offered where he donated a total of N5m in cash prizes, with N3m naira awarded to the victorious team and N2m, to the runners-up. It’s clear that Seyi Tinubu’s tradition of uplifting others certainly knows neither tribe nor religion.
For him, the championship—which the organisers said aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda—was enough to celebrate youth, community spirit, and the power of sports to unite people across Nigeria.
A heart for healthcare
However, his interventions have mainly focused on health, with maternal and child health taking the lead.
Through his ‘Drug Banks for Indigent Patients in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatric Pharmacy Intervention’ launched in August 2024 at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika-Zaria, Kaduna State, he set out to reach about 600,000 indigent patients monthly across 60 tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
This ambitious project involves establishing drug banks in each of the 60 facilities mandated to service 10,000 indigent patients monthly.
At the inauguration of the project at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr. Cole Ayodele, the National Coordinator for the Seyi Tinubu Maternal and Child Health Intervention Scheme, had noted rightly that Nigeria’s maternal mortality was about the 4th highest in the world – a grim record and narrative which this noble initiative from Seyi Tinubu is determined to change.
While launching the same initiative at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), he further endowed an N1,000,000 scholarship granted to the best paediatric resident doctor.
Dr. Gabriel Oyeleke, a senior paediatrics registrar who was reportedly distinguished himself in the line of duty by caring for children in the hospital, was awarded the N1,000,000 scholarship in cash the same day.
The Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Dr. Wasiu Adeyemo, couldn’t hide his pleasure at the initiative. He noted that it would provide significant financial relief for countless indigent individuals who were financially unable to access prescribed drugs and medical treatments.
Before then, the team had visited the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Asaba with the total package, including the N1m Residency Training Scholarship for final-year pediatric residents to assist with registering and preparing for final fellowship exams.
Dr. Joseph Ajanwenyi, who got the scholarship award, thanked Seyi Tinubu for his generosity and also vowed to use the grant responsibly for its intended purpose.
After that, the Seyi Tinubu healthcare intervention train also stopped at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Abuja to donate Life-Saving Drugs Worth Millions of naira.
While celebrating the donation on their Instagram page on September 24, 2024, the FMC Abuja management stated that the donation was Seyi Tinubu’s demonstration of his commitment to maternal and child care.
They also celebrated Dr. Fatima Mohammed, who received the N1,000,000 Seyi Tinubu Residency Training Scholarship the same day.
Medical bills cleared
From Abuja, we head back to the South, this time to Lagos State precisely, where Ifeoluwa Ore, a young sickle cell patient at LASUTH who had been discharged but could not leave because she could not afford the medical bills, was recorded thanking Seyi Tinubu for clearing her medical bills.
Unable to contain her joy and relief, she stated, “It has lifted a lot of burden for my family, and there is no way I can appreciate him enough. I want to say ‘Thank you’ for what he has done and what he is doing God will continue to bless you.”
One of his humanitarian projects, Seyi Tinubu Support Initiative, cleared the medical bills of Ifeoluwa and the others who were stranded.
By Maxwell Uzochukwu, he wrote from Lekki, Lagos.
Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Executive Governor of Edo State has shown that he is a blessing to the State with his policy, appointments, flagging off roads construction in the three Senatorial districts and his love for the people of the state.
Edo State Governor, Sen Monday Okpobholo
Governor Monday Okpebholo has started working and fulfilling his five (5) points agenda that he promised the good people of the state since he took oath of office.
In security, he has shown total commitment because he promised the people of Edo State that he will provide security and truly, Edo State is peaceful and people are happy about it. He has given necessary support to security personnels.
He increased Ambrose Alli University (AAU) subvention from N40 million to N500 million, he has promised to look into AAU medical students issue and the governor has started renovating primary and secondary Schools in the state, this is to tell you that Senator Monday Okpebholo knows the important of Education.
Agricultural sector has taken a good turn because he has awarded N70 billion to the sector. He knows the important of Agriculture to the state and nation at large, very soon Edo State will be the food basket of the nation with the way His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo is investing in Agriculture.
During electioneering period, Senator Monday Okpebholo promised employment of 5000 people within his 100days in office and he has started the process, very soon, Edo State people will smile because he will not sign MOU before employing them. He has started appointing Edo State People and not Lagosians into various positions.
The people’s Governor, Monday Okpebholo has started his road projects across Edo State , from Edo South to Edo Central and down to Edo North, just because he believes that when the roads are motorable, prices of market products will drop automatically.
The governor has started investing in Health sector, this is because he knows the important of the sector to Edo State people.
By Eigbefo Felix
As I set out to pen this piece on this serene Sunday afternoon, my mind is drawn to the profound epistle of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Edo State Governor, Sen Monday Okpobholo
Hallelujah!
I have chosen to begin this way because it resonates deeply with my assessment of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s leadership over the past two months.
When Senator Monday Okpebholo stepped into the political ring, many underestimated him. He wasn’t the loudest voice in the room, nor the most flamboyant. In a political landscape where the ability to raise dust often overshadows the capacity to lay foundations, Okpebholo’s calm and collected demeanor was dismissed as a weakness. But, as Apostle Paul aptly put it, God has a way of using the “foolish” things of the world to confound the wise. And indeed, Governor Okpebholo has confounded his critics with actions that speak louder than the hollow rhetoric of his predecessor.
To truly appreciate the transformation taking place in Edo State, one must first understand where we’re coming from. For eight long years, governance was more about optics than outcomes. The previous administration, under Governor Godwin Obaseki, was a masterclass in what the locals have dubbed “audio governance.” Projects were announced with great fanfare, but their execution remained a mirage. MoUs were signed and celebrated, only to gather dust in forgotten drawers. Roads that were critical to economic and social well-being were left to rot, with billboards proclaiming, “Please bear with us; this is a federal road,” as if to absolve the state of any responsibility.
Governor Okpebholo has flipped the script. He didn’t start his administration with loud declarations or endless ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Instead, he started with work—real, tangible work.
In just two months, Governor Okpebholo has demonstrated that governance is about delivering results, not excuses. The Benin-Auchi Road by Obadan Junction, long neglected, has received the needed attention. The failed portions of the Benin-Abuja Road in Ekpoma, which seemed destined to remain a nightmare for travelers, are now under repair. Roads that were mere campaign promises in the past, like Upper Ekenwan Road, are nearing completion.
Even the Aduwawa-Upper Mission Junction, a project that felt like a distant dream, is now coming to life. And let’s not forget the Temboga-Uteh Road, which now wears the Governor’s signature of progress.
One resident put it succinctly: “In just two months, this man has done more than others did in eight years. He doesn’t make noise; he makes things happen.”
Beyond roads, Governor Okpebholo’s administration is tackling the long-neglected healthcare sector. The construction of a modern health center in Udomi, Irua, is a testament to his commitment. The 2025 budget allocates N63.9 billion to healthcare and an additional N1.8 billion for a health insurance scheme, ensuring that no Edo citizen is left behind.
One of the most commendable moves of Governor Okpebholo’s administration has been his decisive action to sanitize Edo’s markets. By placing a ban on market unions, which had long been accused of oppressive and exploitative practices, the governor has brought relief to traders and consumers alike. These unions had been driving up the prices of food and commodities through arbitrary levies and monopolistic control, leaving ordinary Edo citizens to bear the brunt.
In his words, “Markets should be places of commerce and community, not oppression. We cannot allow a few individuals to profit at the expense of the majority.”
Since the ban, market prices have begun to stabilize, and traders have expressed gratitude for the governor’s intervention.
Edo State has not been immune to the scourge of insecurity, particularly the alarming rise in cult-related killings that claimed over 100 lives in 2024. Governor Okpebholo has tackled this issue head-on, adopting a consultative and inclusive approach. Through interagency consultations and his robust security meetings, he has fostered collaboration among law enforcement agencies and local communities.
This proactive engagement has led to a significant de-escalation of tensions and a peaceful resolution to many conflicts. As one community leader observed, “For the first time, we feel heard. The governor is not just issuing orders; he’s listening and acting.”
Another area where Governor Okpebholo has demonstrated his commitment to justice is in addressing the contentious issue of land grabbing. Under the previous administration, many communities and individuals saw their lands forcefully taken, their properties destroyed, and their voices silenced.
Governor Okpebholo has taken a firm stance, declaring that such lands will be restored to their rightful owners, provided they can present proof of ownership. This policy has brought renewed hope to many Edo citizens who had all but given up on ever reclaiming their ancestral lands.
“The government is here to serve the people, not to oppress them,” the governor stated. “We will right the wrongs of the past and ensure justice prevails.”
Governor Okpebholo’s 2025 budget, aptly titled the “Budget of Renewed Hope for a Rising Edo,” is a roadmap to sustainable development. With 63% of the N604 billion budget earmarked for capital expenditure, it’s clear where his focus lies.
* Road Development: N162 billion
* Education: N48 billion
* Health: N63.9 billion
* Agriculture: N75 billion
This is not just a budget; it is a statement of intent. It reflects the governor’s five-point agenda—security, infrastructure, healthcare, food sufficiency, and education—augmented by a renewed focus on agriculture.
Governor Okpebholo’s approach to governance can be likened to a diligent farmer. While others scatter seeds carelessly, hoping for a quick harvest, he tills the soil, plants with precision, and nurtures the crops. The results are already visible, and the harvest promises to be bountiful.
In reforming local government administration, the governor has brought discipline and transparency to a system that was previously plagued by inefficiency. His bold steps are setting a new standard for accountability and service delivery.
Governor Monday Okpebholo is proving that leadership is not about noise but results. He is confounding the critics and inspiring the citizens. As Apostle Paul wrote, God uses the weak and despised to bring about great things, and in Edo State, this truth is playing out before our very eyes.
Edo is rising, not on the wings of empty promises, but on the back of a governor who understands that actions speak louder than words. Indeed, Governor Okpebholo has become the farmer who sows in silence and reaps in abundance—a leader who delivers hope, one project at a time.
Fred Itua is the Chief Press Secretary to Edo State Governor
