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| Orok Duke (L) and Mfon Bassey Commissioner for Environment addressing the women and youths in Calabar |
4 January 2020
A community leader has doled out cash and material gifts to women and youths in Calabar, Cross River capital city as part of the annual routine of celebrating the new year NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
Otu-Ekong Orok Duke at his Efut Street, Calabar South resident gave cartons of Noodles and cash benefits to hundreds of elderly/young women as well as male youths and children.
Otu-Ekong Duke who disclosed that he was supposed to have convened the community on Thursday 2nd January immediately after the Tinkoriko street-wide procession said that he could not because of fatigue from the last event. He added that Friday’s exercise was a version of Wednesday 1st January celebration.
He explained that his reasons for creating these social fora is to allow for a meeting point where people can interact, intermingle and by implication bridge the social gap that result into misunderstanding and bickerings in the community.
His words, ‘If we keep on having platforms that we meet ourselves, discuss amongst ourselves, quarrel amongst ourselves on that platform, we will never extend the quarrel beyond a certain group, we will always be in a position to look for solutions before they get out of hand’, he concluded.
Continuing he said, ‘We want to as much as possible create certain fora that you meet… The more people meet the more hatred disappears in the community’.
Duke said that he was by the gesture reciprocating the respect and loyalty he has enjoyed from the community.
