UNICROSS: VC Marks New Year with Visits to Aged, Children Homes
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Prof. Francisca Bassey, marked the New Year on Wednesday, January 1, 2026, with goodwill visits to the Pope John Paul II Good Samaritan Home for the Poor, Aged and Needy, and the Government Children’s Home in Uwanse, Cross River State.
The visits were aimed at offering encouragement and support to vulnerable groups. Prof. Bassey donated food items and household essentials, including rice, beans, yam, and noodles, to both facilities.
Forum of past and current student leaders in Cross River State and Women of Light, a group of women from Akpabuyo Local Government Area, accompanied her on the visits.
Addressing residents of the Good Samaritan Home, the Vice Chancellor expressed gratitude for the gift of a new year and urged greater care and responsibility toward the elderly. She noted that the visit was intended to provide support for the Home and expose student leaders and the women who were in her entourage to the realities of caring for the aged and to instill a sense of responsibility in present and future leaders.
She said: "We have come in the name of the Lord of Host. We have also come in the name of the Governor of Cross River State and his dear wife. If they had their way, no human being would suffer. I have come here, not as Vice Chancellor of UNICROSS but as Professor Francisca Bassey your daughter, with my children and my sisters."
She commended the Reverend Sisters and Caregivers of the Home for their dedication to duty and offered prayers for their continued service.
In her response, the Reverend Sister-in-Charge of the Home, Reverend Sister Chibueze Samuel, thanked Prof. Bassey for the visit and prayed for wisdom and strength in her leadership.
At the Government Children’s Home, Prof. Bassey extended New Year greetings to the children and staff and commended the Cross River State Government, under His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Bassey Edet Otu and his wife, for its compassionate leadership. She assured the Home of continued support, including plans to donate clothing, and described the care of vulnerable children as a noble and selfless service.
The Administrator of the Home, Mrs. Effiom Ekanem Archibong, expressed appreciation on behalf of the children and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development, noting that the facility currently accommodates 82 children, including abandoned children and those rescued from trafficking and street situations.
The visits concluded with prayers offered by the children for the Vice Chancellor and her entourage, marking a meaningful start to the New Year for residents of both homes.
-UNICROSS Media Team
