Cross River North Traditional Rulers Demand Restoration Of 'Northfest’

 Traditional rulers in the Cross River Northern Senatorial District have called on Governor Bassey Otu to restore the Northern Festival (NorthFest), a celebration of the agricultural wealth of all the communities in that part of the state.

Speaking on their behalf, the Paramount Ruler and Chairman of the Obanliku Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Uchua Amos Uyimulam, emphasized that NorthFest had served as a unifying event for the five LGAs.

He said the festival had boosted agricultural productivity, fostering competition and food security not only in the northern region but throughout the state.

 

Alongside HRM Linus Ogbeche Odey, Paramount Ruler and Chairman of the Bekwarra Traditional Rulers Council, he urged the government to adopt agricultural policies that are truly people-centric.

The Bekwarra monarch also called for the timely completion of ongoing road projects and the initiation of new ones for the benefit of the Northern Senatorial District and the state at large.

He advised that road construction and the provision of farm inputs should extend beyond the senatorial district to the entire state.

He assured the deputy governor that traditional rulers would continue to support the government’s policies and programs.

The monarchs made these remarks during an audience with the state governor, who was represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, at the Bekwarra Local Government Council Headquarters following their New Yam Festival.

Addressing the monarchs, Governor Otu charged them with making the maintenance of peace and unity in their various domains a top priority.

Otu pledged the government’s support for traditional rulers across the state’s 18 Local Government Areas, focusing on improving the socioeconomic well-being of Cross Riverians.

He assured that the government remains committed to prioritizing the welfare of the chiefs in line with his administration’s “People First” mantra, on the condition that they maintain communal peace.

Otu also outlined the government’s interventions in key areas, such as road rehabilitation, healthcare, security, education, and agriculture across the five LGAs in the North.

He assured the completion of ongoing projects and the initiation of new ones, encouraging the people of Bekwarra to embrace the government’s agricultural policies aimed at boosting food production and security.