by crossriverwatch admin
The last has not been heard about the crisis rocking the National Association of Cross River State Students World Wide, NACRISS WW, the umbrella body of Cross River State Students.
CrossRiverWatch gathered that the simmering tension between the President of the Union, Comrade Philomina Odah and her Deputy Comrade Juliet Manyo over the sharing of the N500,000 monthly subvention from government and the management of the Union’s assets got to the climax recently when the younger brother of the Union President slapped her Deputy over an argument in front of Akim Police Station.
Comrade Juliet Manyo told CrossRiverWatch that trouble started when “Philomina invited the police from Akim police station to arrest Comrade Sunday, the General Secretary because he deflated the four tyres of the union bus and removed one of the tyres which he hid in the secretariat and he was detained at Akim division for hours.
“At the station Obi accepted deflating the tyres which he said was out of annoyance because not just him, virtually all the executives are not happy with the President.
“She has personalized the union as her family business, the bus is never alright for general use but it goes to Obudu every weekend. We have a project which we’re still planning for, in an executive meeting we suggested that we seek for external support she kicked against it that we should use our subvention to prove our worth which we agreed but behind our back she applied for support seeking for 4.5 million Naira for the same project we’re funding with our subvention from several establishment which a reliable source at Flour Mills in finance department confirmed receiving her letter appealing for support.
“She goes for special courtsey calls with her brothers alone, they went to College of Education Akamkpa and the Provost, Prof. Owan Eno gave them bunch of money which she collected and quickly excused them. A sources from the college who witnessed it said as she came out from where she went to wee, the bulk money which is sure to be over thirty thousand Naira became less than twenty. The financial Secretary who heads the project committee confirmed to me that she and her committee members know nothing about the letters of appeal in circulation”.
The Deputy President further recalled that in front of the Akim Police Station after the Secretary General was released, “she (the president) then informed us unexpectedly as she usually does to keep us off balance that, her SSA, Senior Special assistant in Student and Youth Affairs, Mr. Jude Ogar has arrived and is at the airport; immediately I said as the VP I will join you to welcome him. She responded by raining abuses on me saying I want to go and f**k him like I’ve been doing and still doing, that I am a prostitute.
“Adding that that is the reason I’m being loved by all, out of the shock to my marrow that she could ever say such, I responded by telling her its because of her bad characters that make people don’t desire to associate with her and that she’s acting like one who came to office to cure her poverty; immediately her brother gave me a dirty slap on my face right on the main road in front of Akim Police Station”.
Comrade Manyo however said she won’t press any charge.
It will be recalled that arguments over the sharing of the monthly subvention that the union gets from the state government degenerated to fisticuffs between the president and her vice recently at the Union Secretariat after which the Vice President was suspended for one week.
Arising from these and other issues bothering on mistrust and corruption bedevilling the exco, a truce meeting was scheduled for Monday, December 2, 2013 a the annex secretariat to resolve issues.
But on arrival at the meeting, the President, Comrade Philomina Odah told her bewildered exco members that, “Sorry for any inconveniences I’ve cost you but today’s meeting will not hold because I want to go settle myself, I was attacked yesterday morning at about 6:15am thereabout at eleven eleven round-about; the Director of Information, Ukam Johnson was there. My phone and about two thousand, seven hundred Naira was taken from me, the group of 10 told me that I cannot fight the powers that be and that the next attack will cost my life. I want to use the bus and the meeting will not hold till further notice so that I can sort out things”.
The Vice President, Comrade Manyo Juliet interrupted, saying, “We all have pressing issues to attend to but no matter how slim the time is, we can do something”.
The situation then became riotous with almost all the exco members shouting on top of their voices. The Secretary General, Comrade Obi Sunday ordered the Provost Marshal to flatten the tyres of the bus. At that point, a police man who was at the meeting quickly intervened.
Shortly, after, the Divisional Crime Officer of Akim division, came with a team of policemen who persuaded the agree executives to no avail. The DCO then ordered his men to bring everyone over to the station even if it means by force.
On arriving Akim station, the Divisional Police Officer, SP Asuquo Ebong who was in a security meeting expressed displeasure with the conduct of the executive members. He said: “I’m not pleased that you disrupted my meeting, there’s an invisible hand controlling you all. You’re sharing money studiply at the expense of your goals that is why you are fighting each other, I pity those giving you this money thats making you fight”.
The DPO warned that “When the chips are down you’ll carry your own cross and these people will deny you. You are the future leaders which means you need to be one, leaders make a lot of sacrifices because everybody must be carried along which involves so much self denial. We’re ashamed of those in government because already they don’t represent their people well and they steal, make and break laws with impunity, don’t mimic them”.
All efforts to speak with the NACRISS WW President were unsuccessful as repeated calls to her phone could not connect
follow us on twitter @crossriverwatch
Leave feedback about this