Stevostical:

You gatz be very stubborn niyen, and those names really struck a cord, remember the funny way they put "E" before every name, Op refused to add almost all principal if not all are crafty and will cheat you if you ain't careful, I show Mr Simon Okpelefu my stubborn side and im no believe im eyes because I get innocent face im think say im fit cheat me.

Naso o. Bekwarra pple put "I" (pronounced HE) in front og any name that's not there language. Eg Iwale, Itimothy, Ibible, Iphone, Itunde. One of us named Ladi was changed to Iladi. How far with that principal in Abuana and his uncountable children.

bord:
Everything you mentioned as observation is nothing but the truth. I served in Cross River State, Ikom LGA. I attended burial like madt. And yes, i came across some barbaric people and presupposed witches but apart from that Cross River State is very peaceful and loving. Just that it was rain water I drank for the better part of my stay there. Cos most sachet pure water transported to our village were expired ones. I had one of my best times there though

It was there that I learnt how to drink water from the stream, I also fetched rain water like my life depended on it. I took my baths inside the village stream, cool and refreshing, I followed some of my students to farm. Come and see the joy on their faces. When I first followed one to the farm, the mother was so elated and surprised, she was just doing everything to please me. I could only clear a few yards of bush while the guy and 3 others made hundreds of big heaps in a matter of hours. In the evening the woman sent her son to come and call me from the lodge. When I got there, there was laid before me the biggest served akpu I've ever seen in my life with groundnut soup, bush meat and a jar of freshly tapped palmie. I ate till I couldn't move again and I had to be towed back to the lodge like a spoilt car when I became drunk with the palmie.

Eteo:
Op, reading ur post reminded me of the story of the six blind men who went to visit an elephant and each described d elephant based on d part of the elephants body that was touched.

When u mentioned d meals in cross river, I didn't see Afang soup, edikang ikong soup, abak (banga) soup, afia efere (white soup) , ekpang nkukwo, coconut rice, fisherman soup....these are the real deal in cross river. kindly go back to Calabar, (not Ishibori or Obudu or Akamkpa) and sample all these meals that I have mentioned ; and then come and open a rejoinder thread.

No 7 is fallacious...Calabar girls are the real deal. Calabar girls are extremely neat, Atam(northern cross riverians) girls are far from neat, not in appearance o, I mean go to their homes, watch them organise.

The best Atam cook will not willingly enter a competition wt an average calabar cook.

Calabar girls are mostly reserved and restricted children,soft spoken and well versed in pampering a man, Atam girls are mostly promiscuous, sharp tongued and are yet to learn d skills of making their man feel like a king. Oh! The atam men sef dream of marrying a calabar girl.

Calabar people generally are well educated, due to their early encounter wt d missionaries...so when OP said the pple are lacking behind in terms of education, it is erroneous. King Eyamba the 5th some centuries ago wrote to the whites to " come and teach our people how to read book and how to know God" he went on to say how " plenty sugar cane live here" and went on to implore the white men to come and teach us what to process out of sugar cane ( please Google King Eyamba the fifth)
Calabar has recorded a lot of firsts in Nigeria (Google is ur friend).

Let me take a pause here...

If you read well, I said there are other delicious soups apart from what we know already from Calabar kitchens in Lagos. Besides you don't need to use derogatory words to describe those northerners. They may not be as exposed as Cali girls but they are surely more beautiful. Slim and shapely unlike the yam-legged big belly Calabar girls.

Stevostical:
I very much can attest to what Bekwarra (OP) having not only served in the same local govt but also same villa (Abuana) 14C and a travliest like you. Hope u werent among d guilty one's in the case dat made them transfer u ppl to Afrike. You should knw moses (tallest), Timo, Endurance et al. I must say una spoil ground for d 14C were serve there. Happy Easter. Ashiroyin.

We left Akpakpa before you came in. Timo and I were in the same faculty in school, attended the same fellowship in school, the same room in camp and posted to the same community. Endurance the palm wine lover and dog meat eater lol.
Achiri ufo.

MadCow1:



11. The Men are very lazy.. The women of the state are more hard working than the men.

12. The state has no real economic potential. As a fresh graduate, the opportunities in the sate are next to none.

Are the men lazy? Subjective. Are the women more hardworking? DEFINITELY. The women are obviously always busier than the men. They even do more farm work. The men revel in polygamy and D1ck measuring on the number of children they have.

niyogeol:
I disagree with this, op! I served in Obanliku LGA. The only bank in Obanliku LGA is GTB, and it is located at the cattle ranch. Obudu town has Eco bank on ranch road, First bank on Calabar road, close to Bekpam layout; and Zenith bank inside FCE Obudu. Any Obudu or Obanliku corps member can verify this.

Of the delicacies, you failed to mention Afang soup, and pawpaw soup. Afang is my best of all their menu. Did you eat Abuochiche moimoi while you were there?

For palm wine, I tasted from both Obanliku and Obudu LGA (Bayalele, Bayatu, Bassang, okolo Obudu, begiak, ipong, and Kakum, I must say, they were good. I visited Afrike twice with a friend.

Yala girls are beautiful! Destiny comes to mind. I wished she had a daughter for me .

I'm happy I served there. I left an indelible mark with my personal CDs project that fetched me Governor's award.

You said you disagree with me and you failed to say on what. If it's about banks. I wrote a bank which served corpers in 5 LGs. We used Diamond bank for our account then and which other diamond bank is located around there apart from that of Igoli. I know of the GTB in Obanliku because UNKNOWNSOJA once spent 1k (to and fro) to go and withdraw I think 1500 or 2k at the GTB. About Abuochiche moi moi it's rubbish. That thing wey be like stone wey no come sweet join. Their moi moi and akara na rubbish. Akara wey no get pepper. Dem dey grind beans turn am to powder. Dem go come add water to turn am come fry. After frying dem go sprinkle powder pepper on top. The moi moi na stone.

c2far:
Thanks for putting this thoughts together. The fluidity is a clear indication that your mind is fertile and sound. It will be good to see corps members who go to serve in other states also put same together. I like how you carefully unpacked the false impression that people have hitherto had of Calabar girls. What I also did not fail to notice was the fact that you purposefully moved around the state enough to know the people and the custom there.

I'll wish a corps member who served in Ekiti to also look into what I think should be a past glory of Ekiti - the claim that every household in the state has a professor.

Quick question though - Do you know if female circumcision is still a norm in Cross River, especially in the rural communities you have visited.

Weldone.

I never heard of that

IceMan85:
I served in Akamkpa lg. I still miss that city. Their women and soup.
They don't believe in working hard rather they believe in enjoying every day. Their girls are so good in bedmatics but not like Igbo girls.
They prefer burial to Christmas.
And before I forget, no v**gn in that place only the newly born ;Dborn .




I really enjoyed my stay in CR

Funny a student once told me "corpo virgin no dey dis our village, you see all these small girls wey you see, dem like preek like food, if you wan Bleep dem just give dem indomie." The next day Tope went to Igoli to get a carton of golden penny noodles. May God forgive Tope.

UNKNOWNSOJA:
These observations are spot on. coincidentally, I served with the Op in the same community in Bekwarra (Abuana/Apakpa). My service year remains the wildest period of my life. I explored to the fullest. I toured all but Bakassi LGA of the state. I remember my first trip to Obudu ranch, on Peter's bike, a student in the sch I taught,...I was wow! My mind was blown by the beauty of the ranch...my sim changed from MTN NG to MTN CAM...Cameroon... so close to Cameroon. I had to invite bae from Lagos so we could visit together.... glad she had a blast! If you love nature...You ought to visit that place before you die.... My favorite part of living in Bekwarra was the fresh unequalled undiluted palmie....straight from the source... Gosh! Imagine taking palmie early momo before going to teach your students... wey be say dem self don dey OK before dem come sch...mehn...una go just synchronize...dey float for class...anything wey you teach them, ask them...Do you understand?...Yes Sir! No time to check time. I still have a Family in Bekwarra... The ADIE Family. I love them wholeheartedly, they love me like a son. I ate 3 square meal on the same table with the family... wen food don...dey go call me ' Corper Wale food don done o'. The whole family shed tears the day they organized a small sent forth for me...Op cried too...lol...I cried too...I remember Corper Endurance weeping like a baby...mehn...the bond was so strong. That's the essence of NYSC if you ask me. I played my part to develop the community through my CDS Project....as I was the President of my CDS then...Op too contributed his part in building the community. didn't witness a single wedding ceremony. Burial...called Bury....is a way of life in that part of the world...People dey die like chicken...Bury is always celebrated in a Big way, irrespective of who died. Akpu must be eaten daily, otherwise they will fall sick...lol...Education is not taken seriously as we do here in the west. Somebody is always giving somebody belle...lol. Their girls like Corpers naturally... Maybe its the Uniform...lol...Mothers always trust corpers with their daughters. I ate Dog meat for the first time in this community...Snake meat too....ahh...i hate snake...but, i love the meat..#Peppered!. They love football...They love intellectuals..if you are one, they will all shut up and listen to you when you are talking....They also have their bad sides...but, who doesn't? ..I didn't even miss lag all through. Will I serve in Bekwarra again? YES!!! Incidentally, i just got off the phone with one member of the ADIE family. Dolapo God bless you for this post....You made me reminisce this afternoon...I still shed a tear...don't even know why....and I don't know this people from Adam....God bless NYSC for this priceless opportunity!

Oya tuale baba. Icorper wetin dey sup. The one and only Corper Wale of Abuana/Akpakpa reach Abuochiche. I miss that place o like die. I miss it everyday. Lovely people with a big heart, accommodating and welcoming. No matter how poor they are, they are ready to give you out of the little they have. I've never for once regretted being their. I love the place and it's people, so many sweet memories. Baba I no fit forget your face off with our VP and your own principal. Too much mind walahi. I failed to mention that the most common surname in CR north is OKO, the same pronunciation with the Yoruba word for preek. My VP's name was Miss Oko Mary, funny die. We joking called her Miss Oko. MTN Cameroon showed on ur phones when we went to Obudu Cattle Ranch after POP. We went there on bike. We finished one keg of palmie before going. Na only God talk say we no go die that day. Corper Wale the adopted son of the ADIEs, God bless you bro.

Jalubarika:
I really need to applaud you for this write-up about Calabar esp. Northern part of Cross River where I once worked .
I worked in Bekwara, Yala and Ogoja and I must say my stay was memorable and interesting
However, you made mention of Ishibori girls being so beautiful ,for me it's a big blunder.
1. Yala Girls are more educated ,beautiful and fun to be with besides Ishibori girls.
2. Ishibori girls prefers the Locals and Hausa to sleep with them for money.(hope you've heard of Hausa/Ishibori)
3. You got it right when u made mention of Afrike palmwine, esp. Ukpah market palmy
4. Bekwara is a small town without an Upstair. Quote me anywhere.
5. If you never see witch or chop witch before , go to bekwara.

It would have made sense if we knew each other when I was still working there.
I know you tasted all the good good living things on Mission Road in Igoli. esp. Ishibori
To serve in Bekwara and come back is not easy, not for the witch thing but because the place is 6 hours away from Civilization.

Well done. Best of Luck in your future Endeavours.

You nailed it bro. You remind me of when one Hausa guy on Obudu street waylaid me at night and warned me to stay off his chick. Imagine o because the guy get Suzuki 120 wey he dey use rock the girl. The girl come see Lagos boy to ta lenu, the guy they para dey tell me say he go stab me. About that of storey building, I stayed six months in Bewkarra and I didn't for once see a storey building in the whole LG until I got to Afrike. Ask for Benji (share the money) house in Okpeche-Afrike. The house is a wonder, the man is stupendously rich and a politician in Benin Republic. A power broke in CR North. The senator representing CR North Legor Idagbo is his boy.

Nitefury:
Nice one op. But I'll make some corrections. It's Agbakpa and not Akpakpa. And Agbakpa is Ogoja while Afrike 1 (a.ka. Okpeche) is Bekwarra.

Point 1 and 2 I agree with you.

3. While I agree Calabar is the most developed, I beg to disagree with your other submissions. By land mass, Cross River is bigger than any three Southeastern states (you can think of) put together. Ugep, Ikom, Ogoja, and Obudu are the other urban areas and all with an appreciable form of development.

They are have very good town road network, running pipe borne water and functioning General hospitals with exception to Obudu (which has a better managed missionary hospital and some private clinics). All these towns have the best town planning you can think of. With regards to the time the state wakes up, even Kaduna doesn't come alive by 7am compared to the same Lagos. Also worthy of note is that 85% of villages (including Afrike 1 & 2) are accessible by tarred road networks.

4 and 5 on point.

6. Cross River is better than Abia and Ebonyi combined. Agreed that most state government schools are trash, the predominantly Catholic missionary schools are doing wonders and would give Lagos schools a run for their money

7. When you mention Boki, Beauty comes to the mind. In Cross River we have Boki girls and the Rest. Ogoja girl dey learn work where Boki girls dey. And you forgot to add that promiscuity is rife amongst them all.

8. This is so annoying. Especially in the northern part of the state. Even if na 25 years old die, Dem go party like say Dem wan die follow am.

9. Afrike palm wine na die.. The best ever

10. The number of joints in the state (especially the northern part) is more than all the schools combined. Them too like groove.

Madam I'm talking of Akpakpa in Bekwarra after Beten and before Abuana and not Abakpa (not Agbakpa) where Federal Science College and NTA Ogoja is located. Apart from Cali, only Ikom and Ogoja can qualify as modern towns. I like Ogoja a lot especially Igoli, Agiga and Abakpa. Nice roads, good drainage system and one thing I failed to mention before, neatness which is a generally observable feature of the state. In terms of beauty, I still prefer Ogoja to Boki girls. When I went to Boki east I was warned of their "ashawo" girls. Ogoja girls are more natural. How can I forget Grace in Igoli whose mother personally handed over to me. Burial? Gosh! That's something else. I don't know why people die like that. There was a time in Okpeche when for like a month, they were having like 3 burials a day. Once you hear the sound of siren, BURY DOWN don happen be that; you'll see the children very happy cos it means akpu and palm wine aplenty. You really know the state.

matrixme:
As someone who served in Akwa Ibom state, I think all the facts highlighted are true and applies too. The development is only concentrated in specific places in their states. Let's pick somewhere like Osun or Ondo for example, these states have much 'life' in the capital but other parts are not dead zones as it applies in the South South.
Their love for education is also alarming. I wonder how they think without education, anyone can make much headway in today's economy. When yoruba single ladies are doing masters and PhD, their ladies are more interested in marriage and beauty.
Their unenterprise is also baffling. I once entered a restaurant on Monday afternoon in the heart of Uyo and they only had garri (eba) on the menu but no meat/fish. I felt like cursing the woman. When mama put in Lagos can boast of 8-10 different foods on the menu before 7:30am. Don't you even think of getting recharge cards from street vendors at this time.
I wonder why they do not imbibe the enterprise spirit from their igbo neighbours.

Bro you nailed it. Provisions and groceries stores there are owned by Igbos. Many of my students will never think beyond secondary school and even that one na by force. Whenever I ask them for which university they'll like to attend, their response is always "no o me I no fit trouble myself, you know say una Yoruba una too like book." On the part of development being concentrated in a particular place, remove Calabar and Cross River won't even come close to Osun. Corpers in Boki, Ogoja, Yala, Obudu and Bekwarra bank with Diamond in Igoli. No banks in those local government except that of Ogoja. Ikom, Akamkpa, Ogoja, Obanliku and Calabar are fair.

whitecloth:

Am waiting ooooooo

When I was posted to Bekwarra, one of the girls selling things in camp advised me to be wary of Bekwarrans because "dem get winch for their o". I didn't take it serious because I used to believe there are witches everywhere in Nigeria and in my mind "who don see winch before". It was later when I got there and I was warned first by my students to stop moving at night. They said "corpo this place no be Lagos o, no dey move anyhow at night make dem no give u winch". I was jittery and I stopped going out to urinate at night, I got an Eva bottle to serve the purpose. It was later that an elderly woman told me they were no longer present in most parts of Bekwarra as Christianity has taken it from them. She said they are no longer in my own village but in some other places like Ebegang, anyikang, Obiarigidi, Okpeche etc. She explained their modus operandi to me, they are both males and females and people know some of them (they showed me a few) while they don't know others. I was also shown a cripple who has what Yorubas call edun ara, he's wicked and feared in the community. I once bought kai kai for him though. Most of them go out in the night fully naked from around 12am till 4am. When they see a person on the road, they stoop or hide beside a tree and when the person passes they "give am winch" slap the person and if the person is fast enough to pick a stone or even sand to throw back at the person before disappearing, that's back to sender but if not the person will continue to wither like a tree set on fire till the person eventually dies days later. In a few instances, the slap will make the person become part of them.

benefitzte:
@ op, let me put it to you that you wrote all this based on your observations in NORTHERN Cross River and a few visits to calabar because you mentioned less about d south and central.
I would like to differ on your numbers 3 & 6, in all this your research how long have you ever spent in a place called Ugep in Yakkur?

Like I said earlier, I served in Bekwarra and I visited other places. Visiting is different from living there. I've been to Ugep before and I heard the village is the biggest in West Africa. Oops! They also eat people I was told.

whitecloth:

abeg, tell me more about the witch thing.

That one hard o. I dey come

JaypeeAnics:
Its a PDP state...and APC can never rule dem...
I was expecting dat from u.....but it seems dat u didn't learn anything meaningful.... lol....

Oga I no wan spoil this thread with politics biko. But I started getting free beer and peppersoup when some politicians in my village saw that I was a GEJite. They were surprised to see a Yoruba supporting Jonathan. From the news and social media, the impression was that all Yorubas were for APC and Buhari. The thing is if a dog should contest under PDP with Odey Ochicha the APC governorship candidate, he would win. The hate APC with passion and till I left the wound of the last election was yet to heal. Even Odey who contested under APC decamped after losing the PDP primaries to Ben Ayade.

mascot87:
The like eating dog

Baba I no wan talk about that one o make people no break my head. But I deserve a national award for resisting the temptation. Dog meat is cheaper than beef in my village. A #50 piece is so big. They roast and fry it well and it took the grace of God for me to resist. They normally bring it for me and it was always hard resisting that nice looking and well made meat.

Holudarey01:
They like burial too in Ebonyi

Bros burial for Cross River na another thing o. Na for their I see fireworks for burial. There are some times you go to school and see that 70% of your students are not in class and when you ask why they'll say "sir dem don go for bury down (burial)"

I served this nation in Cross River state for the mandatory one-year NYSC programme. I passed out on July 2nd 2015 (CR/14B). I served in Bekwarra Local Government Area; two schools located in Akpakpa and later Afrike 1. Being someone that loves travelling and seeing places, I moved around the state and was able to visit 15 of the state's 18 LGAs so I can say I know some things about the state. These are 10 of my observations in the state of The People's Paradise.

1. The people are warm and friendly
Cross Riverians are a warm and friendly people. They are accommodating and drawn to visitors. They are always ready to help you if they see that you are a new face there. This was evident from when we got to the NYSC camp at Obubra. They are always very ready to help and they feel easily drawn to visitors. Someone like me who's always slow and cautious when making friend was able to make a handful of friends in a short period of time. I've been to a few places in Nigeria but the people of Cross River are some of the most friendly.

2. They Are Great Cooks

I once told a friend over phone while still in Cross River that "bro if your life depends on food and you want to marry solely for food, please get a Cross River chick". That Cross River women are good cooks is an understatement. Their girls and women are experts in cooking. Cooking for them comes with ease. They have these tasty and delicious soups gosh they are fantastic. Back in Lagos we are all used to Calabar kitchens and we respect their soups but I'm telling you there is more to their delicacies than Calabar soups. Back in Bekwarra I enjoyed tasty soups like Oturukpa, Akum, groundnut soup and Beniseed soup. It was also in Ogoja that I ate plantain porridge; unripe plantain cooked with palm oil, bitter leaf, crayfish and dry fish. What a delicacy. Whenever you visit Cross River, make sure you eat their local meals. I'll recommend beniseed with akpu. Their akpu is strong and hard jeez; more like something you can use to deworm by stoning the worms inside you to death. I nicknamed one girl fufu pounder due to her dexterity in handling the pestle. Bekwarra people cant do without eating akpu in a day.

3. It's A Largely Rural State

The state is a largely rural state in all ramifications. Apart from Calabar and a few other towns like Ogoja, Ikom and to a lesser extent Akampka and Obudu, Cross River state is largely rural. There's not much on ground in terms of infrastructure, development and economic activities. The government should do more in terms of infrastructure. They should stop concentrating on Calabar and allow development to spread especially to the northern part of the state. For example I don't have verifiable data but I can say that from my observations, Ikeja LG has more banks than the whole state. Successive governments seem to be concentrating development in Calabar which is an impressive and beautiful city already. No hustling in the state, if you are not a farmer then you are a civil servant. There are few economic activities. Even in Calabar, the peeps move to neighbouring states and towns especially PH to hustle. You don't hustle in Calabar, you spend. The city is expensive yet few economic activities happening there afford the people little opportunity to hustle unlike other big cities in Nigeria. For example Calabar is still sleeping by 6am, few people and cars on the road by that time unlike Lagos which is awake and on its feet already by 4am. I once told one of the teachers in my school that you can be caught in traffic in Lagos by 5am and he turned me to a liar. To him it's strange.

4. There's More To The State Than Calabar

So many people see Cross River and Calabar as the same. I used to feel the same until I went there. The state is one of the most diverse in Nigeria with over 33 languages being spoken there. Most people back in Lagos that called me during my service year or chatted with me usually told me "guy I hear say u dey serve for Calabar". I'll only shake my head and smile thinking that "these people don't know I'll spend between 5-6hrs going to Calabar from here". There are other people with culture and languages different from that of the Efik people. There are Bekwarra, Afrike, Ogoja, Yala, Boki, Obubra, Obudu people to mention a few. For example Bekwarra and Afrike people are in the same local government but they have similar but different languages..

5. Agriculture Is A Way of Life
Many outsiders who have never been to the state before see it as a riverine state whose major source of life is fishing. Many people see Cross River as this state of fishermen who love carnivals and festivals. Except the coastal parts of Cross River South and Central, other parts of the state are largely agrarian. They are mostly farmers. They take agriculture seriously and they never joke with it both males and females. Cross Riverian kids are introduced to agriculture at a very early stage. They go to the farm with their parents. If their men are not on the farm making heaps or clearing the bush, they'll be on the palm tree tapping or in the bush hunting. Their women are not left out; they are either planting cassava, peeling cassava and making garri, making palm oil (well refined) or back home preparing akpu and soup. These industrious people love agriculture a lot and this is responsible for cheap food. Food is so cheap and with a little amount, you can eat to your satisfaction with the exception of Calabar obviously. They have food and farm products in abundance and at cheap prices. One of the things I cherish most about them is that they are hard workers. I respect them a lot.
The government still needs to help them a lot in the area of improved seeds, fertilizers, mechanized farming (almost non-existent) and to stem the scourge of Fulani herdsmen (I witnessed a lot of confrontations between the villagers and the nomads)

6. Backward Educationally
This is a general problem in Nigeria. Education in this country is a joke but some states are still better than others. I can't vouch for any northern state but in the context of southern states, education in Cross River still has some catching up to do. I can't say for South East and South South states but placing Cross River state beside South Western states, there is a very big gulf. Education is not really taken serious us here and the government also is not really helping matters in this regard. Their children and parents don't take education serious and the few who do are not encouraged by the government. Majority of schools in the rural parts depend on corp members for staff strength. The quality of education is low and examination malpractice is rampant and encouraged. I can recollect my VP once telling the students to learn how to write fast when note is being dictated because during their external exam nobody will slow down for them when answers are being dictated. The bitter truth is, the state still have a long way to go in terms of education.

7. Calabar Girls Are Not The Real Deal
Whenever you mention Cross River, Calabar comes to mind and merely hearing Calabar, two things come to mind; their soups and girls. Many people do have the erroneous belief that Cali girls are so beautiful, exotic and refined more than any other in the state. Although, Cali girls are more popular and more exposed but when it comes to beauty, I'll unequivocally give it to Ogoja girls especially those of Igoli and Ishibori. They are beautiful in the pure and real sense of it. They are ravishing, homely and naturally beautiful. Worthy of note are also some Bekwarra girls (not many), Ikom, Boki, Obudu and Obubra girls.

8. They Love Burial Ceremonies
This is one of the highlights of many villages. Burial is only second to Christmas. Burial ceremonies are big occasions. Naming and wedding ceremonies are more of rarity but burial ceremonies are the big deal. The whole place is always agog with preparations and they spend a lot on it. They don't like burying their dead outside their villages so they don't mind bringing them in from other parts of the country where they died. Their burials last for weeks or more at times. Although I didn't witness any naming ceremony and only witnessed a single wedding ceremony, I witness lots of burial ceremonies which not only for old people. A 30-year old man's burial will see food being cooked and guests been fed.

9. They Have The Best Palm Wine
One of the things that made me enjoy my stay in Cross River is palm wine. Cross River especially the northern part is a land of palm wine. If you've been there before, you can't but attest to the fact that they have superb palm wine. I'll say it's the best in Nigeria. I had many drunken days there. My students spoilt me with it, my VP being a tapper too was also culpable. They have two varieties; the up one and the down one. The up one is fresher, richer and definitely costlier. It is the one that's tapped from the top of the palm tree. The down one is cheaper but greatly more intoxicating. You get drunk easily while drinking it. It's gotten from palm trees that have already been cut down. You can get the best palm wine in places like Afrike (Bekwarra), Mbube (Ogoja), Okpoma (Yala) and Obudu. They have it in abundance and it is cheap.

10. They love to enjoy themselves. No matter how poor this people are, they still find time to enjoy themselves. They love dancing to a fault and not only that, they are expert dancers. Gosh these people can dance. The way they wiggle their bodies is something else even the small ones among them. They love their ceremonies and most especially new yam festival. The Calabar Carnival is a shining crown on all their festivals. There are lots of other festivals and events to witness in Cross River. Sundays are always bubbling even the most rural villages. People go out to drink, see friends, hold meetings and unwind. In short they love to unwind and enjoy themselves. Their Christianity does not stop them from drinking and making merry.

Other notable observations are that they are generally Christian mostly Catholics and Assemblies of God members, it is a very big state, only Oyo state is bigger in southern Nigeria, there are some parts where you'll have a foot in Nigeria and the other in Cameroun (there are some parts in Lagos state where you won't know whether you are in Lagos or Ogun state, the same is applicable in Cross River), life is serene and generally peaceful, no hold ups, no shouting and cursing and the hustle and bustle of city life, if you've never seen a witch in real life go to some parts of Bekwarra like Ebegang and Anyikang, nature is at its best here with nice scenery.
These are my observations of about a year that I spent in the state. My stay their was enjoyable and fulfilling, a few disappointments and a lot of memorable moments. I'll love to visit the state again. I may be wrong in some of my observations but those are the things I observed as a CrossKopa who served in Bekwarra and was able to visit 15 out of 18LGs. Your views are welcome from both indigenes and non-indigenes.

*In Timaya's voice* I concur

Ok

Do dreams ever come true in this part of the world?

MsGlobalwonder:
thank you. People love sugar-coating truth. He says the truth regardless. #TeamTrump everyday all day

Nigerians prefer being lied to, I mean big lies like #1=$1, 5000 for unemployed youths, free school feeding etc. Whoever tells them the truth is their enemy.

Trump talks too much for a leader but his words are always laced with the truth. Well he's always saying he's not looking for political correctness.

EVERYONE should be familiar with Donald Trump, the United States of America presidential aspirant on the platform of the conservative Republican Party. He is rabidly racist, irascible, anarchist, amoral, voluble, loquacious, xenophobic, isolationist, and protectionist – name it! He sounds every bit irrational, violent, and dangerous. His hatred for immigrants – Blacks especially – knows no bound. To be sure, Trump wouldn’t be the first such hate- peddling presidential aspirant in the history of the United States; problem, however, is, this one appears a very serious aspirant; he seems a likely winner of the Republican ticket. The who’s who in his party has endorsed him and the voters in the ongoing party primaries are flocking unto him.

He has trounced hitherto promising challengers and the gap between him and the others keeps widening primary after primary. Soon, he could reach the threshold necessary for him to be declared the undisputed winner of the Republican ticket – and he would be only one step away from the White House – the world’s most powerful office.

As it is today, the only person capable of stopping
Trump is the Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Mrs. Hillary Clinton. Former First Lady to two-term ex-President Bill Clinton, former Democratic party presidential aspirant (challenging Barak Obama and giving him a run for his money); former Secretary of State in Barak Obama’s cabinet and Senator, Hillary aims to make history as the first woman president of the United States. If she is elected, the Clintons will also make history as the first couple in the country’s history to both occupy the White House as president.

She has practically outpaced other challengers for
the Democratic Party’s ticket and barring any upset,
should soon wrap up the contest. Is she to be
preferred to Trump? Many will say “yes” but I have
read reports about her being an Establishment
person whereas even in her own party, the chant is
for change from the Washington culture. She is said
to be far right of the Centre; not a friend of the poor; not passionate about the issues that concern the poor and if she wins, is likely to serve more of the same menu that Americans across party divide are fed up with.

Americans need CHANGE. The conservatives need
change. They want somebody conservative enough to implement real conservative policies that will make no pretence at pandering to populist ranting. Trump appears to fit the bill. On the Democrats’ side, the people, especially the young, are also clamouring for change. Senator Bernie Sanders best approximates that change but he may not win the ticket. Clinton is not trusted even by the pro-Left of her own party who sees her as pro-Establishment and pro-Wall Street. This is why many are afraid that in the event of Trump winning and Sanders losing, a chunk of pro-CHANGE Democrats may defect to Trump.
Our own Reuben Abati described Trump as “snarling insurgentand nativist” and the possibility of his becoming the U.S. president as “frightening prospect.” Abati adds: “(Trump) has said all the worst things that should never be uttered by anyone seeking to lead a responsible and diverse nation. His campaign has been marked by insults, anger, put downs, bully tactics, rants, and unapologetic immaturity...He recommends torture and the killing of the families of terrorists. He has been endorsed by white supremacists and he doesn’t quite seem to mind being labelled a racist. He threatens violence and on one occasion almost punched a protester in the face.

He even got into an altercation with the Pope. He
wants to barricade the American South border and
build a wall to shut out Mexico because, according to him, the Mexicans who cross the border into
America are ‘rapists’. And when that wall is built, he
insists Mexico must pick the bill. He doesn’t want
Muslims inside America either, and he has dismissed Africans as unwanted and Nigerians as a problem.”

The hysteria which has followed Trump is
understandable. Now, hear what he said that has
frightened everyone “We need to get the Africans out (of America). Not the blacks (African-Americans); the Africans, especially the Nigerians. They are everywhere. I went for a rally in Alaska and met just one African in the entire state. Where was he from? Nigeria! He’s in Alaska taking our jobs. They are in Houston taking our jobs. Why? Why can’t they stay in their own country? Why? I’ll tell you why: Becausethey are corrupt. Their governments are so corrupt they rob the people blind and bring it all here to spend. And their people run away and come here and take our jobs! We can’t have that! If I become president, we’ll send them all home. We’ll build a wall at the Atlantic shore. Then maybe we’ll re-colonise them because obviously they did not learn a damn thing from the British.”

Now, don’t blow your top yet. Let’s overlook the
insults but do contents analysis of what Trump said
about us. Truth, they say, is bitter. Is it not true that
Nigerians are everywhere? We often cite this as
evidence of our industry. Had Trump gone a step
further to find out the tribe of the Nigerian he met in Alaska, he might have found out his is Igbo! Don’t you think so? But truth is that where countries are faced with problems of massive unemployment, the first scapegoats are foreigners. Trump may have been crude in his choice of words but repatriation of foreigners, especially illegal immigrants, is
worldwide practice. We ourselves have sent
Ghanaians and other Africans out of this country.
Other African countries such as Ghana, Libya, and
South Africa have done a similar thing to us. Are our governments not corrupt? Of course they are! Have our so-called leaders not stolen us blind? Of course they have! Do they not siphon the loot abroad while we suffer at home for basic amenities that such stolen money could have provided for us many times over? Of course that is the case! Is there not a brain drain from here to the developed countries? Of course there is! Are our people not running away from hardship here? Of course they are! And are they not taking up jobs in other lands that the citizens would, ordinarily, have got? That, of course, is the fact! But, again, this is the standard practice all over the world. There are, perhaps, more Americans working abroad than foreigners working in America.

Trumps’ tirade against Muslims is no less acerbic, yet with its own “justification”. We must note that 9\11 continues to haunt the Americans; not to talk of the ISIS, Boko Haram , al-Qaeda, al-Shabbab, Mali, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, to mention but a few. It is trite, though, that the crimes of a few should not be stamped on everyone, especially when it can be argued that America’s foreign policy cannot be divorced from the terror-war in many parts of the world. Islamic leaders have a lot of image-cleansing to do all the same. Incendiary statements by Muslims leaders portray the faith in bad light. The mindless bloodletting everywhere in the name of Islam does not help the image of Muslims. We have had our own nasty experience here in Nigeria; the Mile 12, Lagos mindless killings, for instance. Read Remi Fani-Kayode’s “Sons of Futa Jalon” and you are bound to recoil in horror. In the last few weeks, the Ese Oruru saga has not been good Public Relations for Islam.

Newspaper reports are to the effect that there are
many other Ese Orurus that the media have started
to champion their cause for freedom and justice.
Other people confront their problems but we run
away from ours. Is that not why our best brains have left the shores of this country? Many of the lecturers who taught me at Ife, who made that campus tick, are out of the country. I will be surprised if you find

White lecturers on our campuses again. In those
days many of them taught me at Ife. When I heard
stories of Nigerian medical doctors who ran away to the U.S. to try to become a nurse, I wept. I
understand one fellow wrote the qualifying exams
several times but failed. He was almost giving up
when, like our own President Muhammadu Buhari,
he was prevailed upon to try one more time – and
this time, he passed! Tell me, if others behave like us, who will create the Eldorado that we take pleasure in running to? We love finished products; we loathe finishing the products ourselves. Even to grow coaches at home, we cannot; we would rather import them. Buhari said we import from rice to tooth pick – and he is damn right. We hate rules. I mean here in the country – but we conform abroad. The car crash that killed a Minister, his wife and son turned out damning revelations of rules broken. It was impunity upon impunity. Yet, the Presidency rushed to compensate such infractions with the award of scholarships! When we should all have buried our heads in shame! If gold rusts, what will silver do?

Send them home, Trump, send them home! Let our
universities bubble again with first-class academics.
If all those who brain-drained into the U.S. alone are sent back by Trump, we shall have our hospitals
brimming with first-class professionals. And we shall learn to develop inwardly. Prof. Chike Obi said long ago that unless we Blacks make contributions to science and technology\inventions, the Whites will never accept us as their equals. That is a fact. The best that we have notched up is Nobel Peace prize and Nobel Prize in Literature. Can Leopold Sedar Senghor then be right when the father of Negritude said: “Reason is Hellenic (white) while emotion is African (black)”? How will Donald Trump not trump us, so to say? Whether abroad or at home, have we behaved properly to others and to ourselves? The stirring but shrill voice of Okot p’Bitek, in Song of Ochol, pierces the wind again as he moans: “Mother, why, why was I born black?”

tribuneonlineng.com/donald-trump-gods-whip-for-black-people

Useless party

Total rubbish. This IGP is a foolish man. No wonder he was waiting for orders from Sanusi before he could rescue Ese Oruru.




Meanwhile.....

I don't know why wailers are wailing but Wailers must wail sha. No matter how much you
wail, Buhari is our god, he's above mistake, he's the
best thing after jollof rice and the best president the
world has ever seen. You people have become so
blind to the new wave of progress and development
in the country. Since Buhari came into power, we
have been enjoying 92 hours of electricity everyday in my area, fuel is now 45 naira per litre, prices of
goods have crashed by 50%, Boko Haram have been
technically defeated, the Chibok girls have been
found, unemployed graduates now collect 5000 naira monthly, school children now take fried rice and chicken in school and investors are now trooping in everyday, what else do you people want?

Well Amaechi does not like money. APC zombies are always fast to accuse people of stealing without evidence. Imagine a minister instigating violence and the zombies have gone mute but are always ready to shout their voices hoarse accusing Wike of violence.




Meanwhile.....

I don't know why wailers are wailing but Wailers must wail sha. No matter how much you
wail, Buhari is our god, he's above mistake, he's the
best thing after jollof rice and the best president the
world has ever seen. You people have become so
blind to the new wave of progress and development
in the country. Since Buhari came into power, we
have been enjoying 92 hours of electricity everyday in my area, fuel is now 45 naira per litre, prices of
goods have crashed by 50%, Boko Haram have been
technically defeated, the Chibok girls have been
found, unemployed graduates now collect 5000 naira monthly, school children now take fried rice and chicken in school and investors are now trooping in everyday, what else do you people want?

OAFMods:


I will be more comfortable with God punishing you than punishing both APC n PDP until you have the decorum it takes to comment publicly. To hell with those you hold brief for. May the momentum you garned from wailing over the month never subside. To hell with your preference btw the Hausa n Igbo, your thought and every deceit you represent.

Oloriburuku eda aye e ma baje. Do I have any business with you? Did I force your father or your mother to comment? Everybody who criticise the government is now a wailer right? Oloshi eni adanu. Olorun ma ba ti e je ni.

OAFMods:


I will be more comfortable with God punishing you than punishing both APC n PDP until you have the decorum it takes to comment publicly. To hell with those you hold brief for. May the momentum you garned from wailing over the month never subside. To hell with your preference btw the Hausa n Igbo, your thought and every deceit you represent.

Oloriburuku eda aye e ma baje. Do I have any business with you? Did I force your father or your mother to comment? Everybody who criticise the government is now a wailer right? Oloshi eni adanu. Olorun ma ba ti e je ni.

SantaDomino:
Speechless ..knowing this post is from an ONYE ofe nmanu

Pele aje okuta ma mu omi

In the past week, the television, print and social media was awashed with news of murderous Fulani herdsmen who unleashed terror on hapless Agatu people in their communities, killing and maiming hundreds of them, rendering thousands homeless and taking over their land. I don't know if I'm not well informed but despite the fact that information gathering is an important part of my life, I'm yet to come across any message from the Federal Government condemning in "strong" terms these murderous herdsmen. When I saw the pictures that tell a million stories of the gory tales which were the lots of the Agatu people over the past week, I couldn't but mourn heavily inside of me. I hate no Nigerian people but I dislike some. President Muhammadu Buhari needs to stop his hypocrisy and be a real man. Talking about insurgency in the northeast, he's ever ready to hang it on the effects of climate change in the Lake Chad Basin. Now to the murderous Fulani herdsmen, the rhetoric of the president has always been to blame it on climate change, desertification and the likes.

This news on this link leaves a sour taste in the mouth www.nairaland.com/2970824/fg-imports-grasses-brazil-grazing. I read it properly and the only thing I saw their was the effort by the FG to grow grasses for the herdsmen and nothing about bringing the perpetrators to book, getting justice for the Agatu people and stopping the madness of the Fulani herdsmen across the country. The same government that is campaigning to us to buy naija to grow the naira is now wasting our "low" foreign reserves to import grasses for herdsmen when businessmen with legitimate business are unable to access forex. We are now being given the impression that Fulanis are sacred cows and are untouchable. Thousands have been killed since the advent of this government and I'm not sure up to 10 Fulanis have been brought to justice (correct me with facts if I'm wrong). Ese Oruru was abducted and with various reports pieced together, the abductor had the blessing of traditional rulers and village heads and the law enforcement agents watched on helplessly while the guy paraded his war booty around the village.

Everything the Buhari government has done so far is to provide jejune knuckle-dragging excuses for herdsmen-farmers clash around the country. Whenever IPOB protester hit the streets in the east, you see law enforcement agents flexing their muscles and using them as target practice while they become paralysed when Fulanis are on rampage. The FG always comes out to condemn IPOB youths in strong terms while looking for excuses to paper over the animalistic behaviour of the Fulani herdsmen. IPOB protesters are criminals challenging the government while Fulani herdsmen are victims of desertification in the north that is reducing the grazing areas and pushing them southwards. Humanity supercedes ethnicity, we are humans first and foremost and I abhor and hate with passion people that kill fellow human beings with reckless abandon.

My Yoruba brothers are more concerned about Igbos and went berserk with happiness when soldiers and policemen were killing them in the east during protests, I think we've gotten our own share in Mile 12 when soldiers and policemen connived with their northern brothers to wreak havoc and switch the momentum back to their side. When it comes to Yoruba race, I remove political party affiliation totally, my people come first before any political party.

I'm not holding brief for the Igbos although my girlfriend is Igbo, she calls me ofe nmanu and Yoruba person and I reply her every time with "your people wey their pikin they use sliding tackle wake their papa nko? Silly stone eaters." The Igbo man might be insolent, proud, boastful and revel in chest-beating but he's not violent, I prefer him to the murderous and blood-thirsty Hausa-Fulani man.

This is not APC/PDP thingy (in fact God punish them both), but our Federal Government must stop this double standard.