Calabar boat mishap: C’River govt yet to reach out to us – Medical students lament

The leadership of the Nigeria Medical Students Association, NIMSA, has lamented the Cross River State Government’s refusal to reach out to them following the loss of three of their members in a boat mishap.

Speaking on Sparkling FM’s Let’s Talk Nigeria morning discourse programme, the NIMSA National President, Dr Ejim Clement Egba, and Dr Zuo Sese, another key official, expressed pain that the state government had neglected them and the victims’ families.

“It’s not funny that up till now, three days after the unfortunate incident, no official or even the state government has reached out to us or even talked with the survivors.

“For God’s sake, we are in Cross River, and the tragic incident happened here.

“We thank Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar, Professor Florence Obi, who has been motherly and touched over the tragic and traumatic experience,” Egba said.

They said the last of the survivors left Calabar on Tuesday morning, but they, the officials, were still around.

A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they would meet with them shortly after the preliminary steps they have taken and after the Secretary to the State Government has rounded up a meeting with the management of the resort by noon today.

It would be recalled that state government officials were also at the Marina Resort on Saturday afternoon before Governor Bassey Otu directed the resort’s shutdown.

Senator representing Cross River South Senatorial District, Asuquo Ekpenyong jr, had visited the 11 survivors at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital before discharge.