C’river Deputy Governor Welcomes Collaboration With Federal Ministry Of Interior

The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey has expressed joy at the hope of collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Interior which he noted will benefit border communities across the state.

Rt. Hon. Odey who shared his thoughts with a team from the Ministry of Interior who visited him,Monday, expressed sadness at the recent abduction and eventual death of a traditional ruler in Belegete, one of the mountain communities in Obanliku by some Cameroonians.

The Deputy Governor pointed out that one major challenge faced by the state has been the large influx of refugees who come in their drones.

He disclosed that Cross River has four international borders and currently hosts 52,000 Camerounian refugees, the highest in Nigeria.

Hon. Odey regretted that some of the skirmishes in border communities were as a result of identity and called on the Federal Government to ensure that Renewed Hope is felt by everyone including those in border communities so that Nigerians who are in such places will have a sense of belonging.

Earlier, the Team Lead, Integrated Border Governance and Inter-Ministerial Committee, Federal Ministry of Interior, Mrs. Comfort Kabirwa,  who hinted  the purpose of their visit to include identifying the problems in the border communities across the state in order to proffer solutions.

Kabirwa disclosed that their strategy for tackling the problems in border communities will include the deployment of technology not losing sight in best practices in line with current reality.

She handed the Honourable Minister's promise for more visible government presence in border communities because they remained at the receiving end of the challenges hence the need for an inter-ministerial committee.

On his part, Comptroller Nigerian Immigration Service, S. A. Agba, said the visit will provide information that could lead to the establishment of outposts for various security agencies to regulate migration and immigration which will curtail the influx of foreigners and eliminate the infiltration of amazonian fighters.

Other members of the team included representatives from the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps, who are agencies in the Ministry amongst others.