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Navy, Prisons Authorities Commend Imoke
This was separately conveyed to Imoke when the Flag Officer Commending (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ogunjimi B. Ogunjimi and the Controller of Prisons, Cross River State command, Mr. Vincent I. Ubi during their respective maiden courtesy calls on the governor in Calabar.
Ogunjimi, on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, thanked Imoke for the gun boats the state donated to the Nigerian Navy in Calabar recently.
The FOC, however, appealed to the state government for further assistance by helping check the erosion encroachment along Marina close to NNS Victory Headquarters as well as the gully, about 30 metres away from the FOC headquarters which links the Calabar channel.
He revealed that after taking a cue from President Goodluck Jonathan, the Navy last year formulated a transformation agenda as well as a road map of what it intends to achieve, adding that part of the agenda is the transformation of its personnel .
According to him, this is aimed at curbing the rate of indiscipline which officers and men of the Navy had hitherto been known.
Responding, Governor Imoke restated the need for a joint naval patrol along the buffer zone between Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon because of the sudden rise in incidence of piracy and criminality, emphasizing that the area needs an effective policing.
Imoke appealed to the navy for a collaboration to check the illegal sale of petroleum products on water ways in the state which has constituted an environmental hazard that threatens fishing activities in the state.
The governor urged the FOC to bring some pressure to bear on Abuja concerning the abandoned 32 year-old Navy hospital project in Calabar which the state is interested in completing.
On the erosion sites, Imoke assured that officials of the state ministry of works will visit the sites with a view to tackling them.
Similarly, Controller of Prisons congratulated Imoke for his landslide victory in the governorship election and said that the Prisons department was grateful for his generosity to the command especially for the tools and equipment donated and commissioned by his administrations to the inmates, the Christmas and New Year gift showered to all the prisoners within the state.
He explained that there are six prisons across the state while the command has only one five-year old Peugeot car, development that has made routine inspection to these Prisons almost impossible and requested for one Hilux vehicle to ease their transportation problem in the state.
Responding, Imoke assured that the state government would work with him to achieve his mandate in Cross River State because of the role prison plays as a reformation center and said government will try and improve conditions in prison.
The governor said the current prison reforms intends to turn the prison into an institution for learning of crafts and vocation as well as helping inmates create value in the society after serving their jail terms and hoped the contributions of the new controller will be felt by the inmates across the state, assuring that the state.
He acknowledged the Prison’s role in ensuring security and assured that the state will cooperate with him to ensure his tenure is successful.
