About N400 million is to be spent by the Cross River State government on the renovation of Cross River State Newspaper Corporation edifice that was destroyed by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protest in 2020.
This initiative is part of efforts by the Gov Bassey Out-led administration to revive and re-position the state-owned newspaper corporation, publishers of Nigerian Chronicles, to make it function and compete effectively with other newspapers operating in the state.
The state commissioner for Information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, stated this yesterday in Calabar during a media parley organised by the ministry to mark his one-year in office as commissioner.
Ekpang stressed that plans are underway by the state government to put in place necessary infrastructure that will reposition the media outfit, stressing that approval had already been given by the governor for the procurement of printing equipment worth N200 million to boost the production capacity of the media house.
“Gov Otu again has approved a memo for the renovation of the Chronicles edifice.
“Under one year, even if we are able to renovate the structure of the newspaper organization, it’s a good thing.
“Chronicles Newspaper Corporation was almost gone. Staff were sitting on the window frames after the #EndSARS protest.
“This prompted me to promise the newspaper organisation a printing machine, which I have redeemed.
“N30 million equipment has been donated to Chronicles Newspaper Corporation. Gov Otu is making my job simple,” the commissioner stated.
On revenue increment by the present administration, Ekpang stated that the government has stepped up its internally generated revenue (IGR) to N6.3 billion in the last one month due to hard work by some of its revenue-generating agencies.
He enumerated the revenue agencies to include Cross River Broadband Corporation (CRBC), Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRISSAA), among others.
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