The newly appointed first ever female Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Calabar Prof Florence Obi has in a thank you visit to the State’s Commissioner for Health Dr Betta Edu, appreciated Governor Ben Ayade and the Commissioner for the tremendous support and synergy accorded her Institution towards the fight against COVID-19 as Students of the University have resumed back for academic activities after a long period of schools being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Honorable Commissioner, let me once again congratulate you for your well deserved appointment as this is an evidence of your energy, passion, hard work and numerous achievements during your time as the DG of the CRSPHCDA and even as a commissioner for Health with laudable legacies spread all over the State and beyond. I decided to come personally to say a very big thank you and to extend the appreciation of the University’s Senate, Management and Students for the tremendous support accorded the Institution’s COVID-19 taskforce team setup to ensure COVID-19 compliances when they visited your office. This kind gesture of yours is a clear indication that there’s no wall between the State government and the Federal institutions especially in CRS.

“It’s of immense importance that I appreciate His Execllency the Governor of CRS Sen Prof Ben Ayade and the CRSMOH under your watch for this show of love. The items have been of immense help to so far put a lot of preventive COVID-19 protocols in place starting from the compulsory use of facemask by all Staff and Students, to setting up of hand washing points at strategic locations, hand sanitizing stations in all offices, disinfectant tunnels, as well as commence building of ultra modern Holding bays/ Isolation center for male and female in case of any emergency. Your immense support knowing that Student population is over 45,000 is appreciated. We thank His Execllency for this show of love and magnanimity.”

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Dr Betta Edu Chairman COVID-19 Team, Responding to the Vice Chancellor’s further plea for the Health Ministry to link-up with the Institution’s taskforce team to ensure continuous monitoring and strict supervision of compliance to protocol, the Health Commissioner while receiving the VC and her entourage in her office assured her of great synergy, informing her that the University taskforce has already been co-opted into the State’s EOC and a team of professionals will be sent to supervise as well as give all necessary assistance to the taskforce team as training amongst other COVID-19 prevention activities will be carried out.

“It’s with great humility and delight that i wholeheartedly on behalf of the entire Staff of the CRSMOH welcome the first-ever female Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious University of Calabar and her entourage to my office. Thank you for this honor accorded me today. Prof Florence is beyond a mother to me. she’s a mentor, a goal getter, and a tutor who has groomed so many of us, her emergence as first female VC has today set a pace as well as a new standard for all women in Cross River. She’s a passionate leader full of humility and respect for both the young and old. her hard work in both academic and leadership field has earned her this position, making women all over Africa proud and encouraged with more hope for women as she has broken the glass ceiling.

“As a State, we are able to get this far with a very minimum number of positive COVID-19 cases because of our proactive nature and leadership from our Health Pro Governor Sen Prof Ben Ayade. Our health workers who are in the forefront of this fight, traditional rulers, religious leaders and cross riverians themselves have all been supportive, we are grateful. Earlier on I advised at PTF on the need for Tertiary Institutions to set up a decentralized COVID-19 taskforce team to ensure that Students in all our Universities/Tertiary Institutions are kept safe, am proud that your university have setup a proactive and committed team headed by chairman Dr Akiba.

“Though we’ve donated items to the taskforce with an assurance of doing more when the need arise, but to meet up with your pleas, we’ll immediately take a tour of all you have done and identify gaps to fill. I have setup a team that will be supervising the process, we’ll also organize a training for your Institution on sample collections, testing and other emergency handling of suspected COVID-19 cases that can be done before the arrival of the State’s Rapid Response team, we’ll also help in carrying out sensitization campaigns using the Malabor radio and other media handles while I’ll also advise on the constant use of facemasks as that’s the best form of prevention. This synergy and support will continue. again on behalf of His Excellency I congratulate you, as am confident that the next five years will be the best ever leaving behind positive golden footprint. your humility to visit is divine.

The DG of the CRSPHCDA Dr Janet Ekpenyong, Dr Ushie and Dr Iwara Director Public Health on their part assured Prof Florence Obi of a continuous and long lasting synergy while commending her for recording so much in a short time. assured the VC of the Ministry’s unflinching support with a guru and a goal getter Health Commissioner who will leave no stone unturned to keep COVID-19 under control in Unical. A second phase of COVID-19 items were again donated to the VC by the Health Commissioner Dr Betta Edu who was with her Permanent Secretary Barr Takon Asu and Directors to welcome the Vice Chancellor.