Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, on Thursday announced an indefinite suspension of payment of tuition by indigenes of the state in the state-owned Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH).
The governor also extended service year for indigenes of the state who have completed their one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and are still without jobs.
He also constituted a seven-man judicial panel of inquiry to look into complaints of victims of police brutality with a charge on the panel to do a thorough job.
The panel which is headed by the immediate past Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Michael Edem, has six other members, including representatives of youth groups.
Ayade used the occasion to reel out a number of other measures for the citizens, particularly youths, to cushion effects of the current economic reality.
The measures include a directive to each of the 18 local governments to employ 1000 workers each, while the state government will employ 2000 into its civil service, “I have directed all chairmen of councils to make immediate recruitment of 1000 young people, which means 18000 young people into the local government workforce.
“In addition, the state civil service will also recruit additional 2000. By so doing, we have ordered the immediate employment of 20000 young people into the state and local government civil service.
“I also hereby direct that all Cross Riverians who are students of CRUTECH should suspend the payment of school fees indefinitely.
“For every single young Cross Riverian who is out of university, has finished his or her youth service and has no job, we are starting an NYSC extension service where you will return to Cross River State and extend your NYSC by one year to give us the opportunity to find a placement for you.”
According to him “For the 20000 jobs I have asked to be given immediately, we must ensure that those who benefit from these jobs are between the ages of 40 and below and it should not be for politicians, it should be for those young men and women who are struggling to earn a living.
The governor while identifying with the #EndSARS movement urged the panel to do a thorough job by ensuring that justice is not only done but seen to have been done, insisting that
“I stand with the young people of this country to say we must put an end to SARS and we must put an end to police brutality,” Ayade said.
