The Cross River State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Mr. Abubakar Ewa, has been confirmed dead.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang, confirmed the sad incident in a telephone conversation, stating that he was present at the EXCO meeting which held on Wednesday.

According to him, after moving one of the motions during the meeting, Ewa walked towards the state Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, whispered something into his ears, and immediately left the meeting.

He later received a call informing him that Ewa had died in a hospital.

“He was actually with us today at the weekly state council meeting with His Excellency. He even moved one of the motions during the meeting.

“But at about 4 pm, he moved to the governor and whispered something to him, perhaps requesting permission to leave the meeting.

“We saw him move out, telling a colleague that he had a headache. When the meeting ended, we stepped out to collect our phones from the security. I saw that I had multiple calls from Ewa’s aides, perhaps he had called to inform us about his situation.

“When I returned the calls, we learned that Ewa was rushed to Aruba Hospital, where he died!”

Ekpang said all cabinet members rushed to the hospital and confirmed his death. “It’s been very shocking. We’re yet to recover from the shock.”

Ewa, who died at the age of 62, was a one-time secretary and chairman of Boki Local Government Area and also served as Secretary of the Anti-Deforestation Task Force during the past administration.