CROSSJOF HAILS SEN JOHN OWAN ENOH ON MSME
State Correspondent
The Cross River State Journalists Forum, (CROSSJOF), Abuja, has commended the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Senator John Owan Enoh, on the introduction and implementation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Programme in Cross River State.
It could be recalled that in 2025, just last year, renowned activist and media personality, Agba Jalingo, dominated the media space with an Empowerment Programme that, to all intents and purposes, seems to be different in many respects to the regular assembling of masses for distribution of motorcycles and tricycles popularly called ‘Keke Napeps’.
The programme, however, seems not to have received the usual media headlines and the reason may not be unconnected to the fact that this is different and seeks to teach beneficiaries how to fish rather than give them fish as the Chinese would want to say, so that they consume and return to status quo ante.
CROSSJOF has confidently stated that it considers the Senator John Owan Enoh’s (JOE) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Support Programme as a good incentive to empower Cross Riverians from all walks of life.
“As the name indicates, this programme is the brainchild of Senator John Owan Enoh the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, with the objective of empowering Cross Riverians in the formal and informal sectors”, CROSSJOF Chairman, Francisca Ogar said in a statement issued in Abuja today.
She cited information on Jalingo’s social media pages which indicate that the first and second phases of the programme targets 950 beneficiaries, 475 beneficiaries per phase, with phases three and four still to come.
A peep into the modus operandi of the programme shows that lucky beneficiaries will go through a compulsory one week training at the Enterprise Development Centers, EDC, in Calabar, Ikom and Ogoja.
According to the said outline, the formal sector beneficiaries, upon completing their one-week training, are paid between N100,000 and N500,000, while the informal sector beneficiaries get between N100,000 and N150,000.
Alternatively, operators of the programme encourage beneficiaries to receive the items required for their businesses rather than the stated cash amounts. According to Jalingo, “the grant is preferred to purchase the items that beneficiaries need for their businesses and deliver to them. However, where the items are perishable or not possible to purchase, then cash will be disbursed to the beneficiaries via the account details that were supplied in their application forms’.
Jalingo informed the applicants and the general public that the process for selection of beneficiaries is incorruptible and transparent.
“So far, the process has progressed without any form of interference or pressure from the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, who is funding the grant. He has not at any point, pressured us or sent a list, or nominated beneficiaries to be added on the list. He has asked the team to stick strictly to the rules guiding the process from the onset.
No member of the team or any politician in or outside Cross River State, despite all the lobbying, has been able to influence whatever will be out as the final list. All beneficiaries will emerge based on the strength of their verified business proposals and not on any other consideration”, he stated, adding that,
“However, there are a few slots that were reserved for people with verified disabilities for obvious reasons. One striking case is the case of one deaf and dumb graduate from University ofCalabar, (UNICAL) who has been a photographer for close to two decades, but still uses an old fashioned camera, or has to rent a digital camera each time he has a job to execute. He needs a new digital camera to upgrade his trade and enhance his capacity to take care of his wife and kids. Cases like his and a few others are being given special attention in this phase due to their peculiarity.
People like that, who have genuine small businesses and desire to stabilize them are actually the persons the Minister is targeting with this grant. Not those who are looking for money to spend on sundry needs”, Jalingo concluded in his most recent post on the programme seen on Tuesday 20th January, 2026, while promising to publish names of beneficiaries of the second phase on January 31, 2026″, respectively.
The Executive Committee and members of the Cross River State Journalists Forum (CROSSJOF), commend the Minister for adopting this ingenuity in empowering the masses of our dear State.
(CROSSJOF Media January 21, 2026)
