Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade has berated
the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) for allowing
dilapidated equipment and facilities at the peril of the people of the
state who have been more than committed in paying their bills as against
what is happening in other states under their jurisdiction, warned that
the state will be force to take a legal action against the company.
The Governor stated this when he visited the site of the
incident at Nyangasang, Calabar
Municipality. Ayade who was met by a mammoth crowd from the area
commended the people of Nyahasang for their show of brotherliness
kindness by promptly evacuating both those who survived and those who
were mortally wounded to medical facility showing that Cross Riverians
still hold tenaciously to the African virtues, values and ethos of
providing a shoulder for others to lean on.
The Cross River Governor promised that his administration
will construct an ultra-modern world class viewing centre in the
community, adding, he advised young people to know where they spend
their leisure time at anytime, anywhere, whether in viewing centres or
outside the viewing centres.
He promised that the state government will make available
the sum of Twenty Million (N20 Million) Naira as the Commissioner for
Powers, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, and commissioner
for Social Welfare will soon return to meet with the community,
explaining that of the total sum, N10 million is for the community as a
mark of appreciation for their show of empathy to the victims while N10
million will go to the families of the eight victims who were mortally
injured.
The Cross River Governor said that it was so sad that a
company should be negligence of its responsibility, but so conscientious
in collecting bills for services not rendered, adding that even if the
company belong to Cross River, the state would not have absolve itself
from such criminal negligence, disclosing further that his
administration has spent about N1 billion to procure transformers for
PHEDC and the power situation in the state has not improved, just as the
so called two percent said to belong to Cross River is only in paper.
Meanwhile, the Governor had earlier assured victims who
survived the recent electrocution incident of the willingness of the
state government to take care of their entire medical expenses.
Ayade who disclosed this when he visited the victims who
survived the horrible incident at the University of Calabar Teaching
Hospital (UCTH) immediately on his return to the state last Wednesday
gave a firm commitment that the Cross River State government was going
to return the monies already spent by those who escaped death but are
now laying critically injured at the UCTH and will also pay for the
remaining bills that would be incurred as their medication lasted.
Governor Ayade who was accompanied by the Deputy Governor,
Prof. Ivara Esu, the Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Tina Banku
Agbor, the Chief of Staff, Hon. Martin Orim, Commissioner for Health,
Dr. Inyang Asibong and other members of the Cross River State Executive
Council, was visibly in tears as he saw the degrees of injuries
sustained by those who survived the Nyangasang electrocution incident,
equally assured that one of the victims, an Immigration Officer,
Ferdinand Anok whose injuries are grievous would be taken for thorough
medical treatment outside the country of his choice once consultations
with the relevant agencies are completed.
The eight persons who were mortally injured include, late
Emmanuel Edet Okon, late Ele David John, late Ejiofor Chukwu Ebuka, late
Elder James Edem Akpan, late Miss Blessing Okon Udo, late Samuel Edet
Sam, late Marshall Pius Akpan and late Ekemini Samuel Monday.
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