Good governance depends upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subject to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important breakthrough came to our State when we gave Sen Benedict Ayade our mandate five years ago.
It has truly not been an easy ride knowing how difficult it is to govern humans but then, we should not forget that Mere good governance is not enough; it has to be pro-people and pro-active. Good governance is putting people at the center of the development process and this we’ve been able to witness under Ben Ayade’s administration in just 5yrs as a result of his exceptional leadership prowess.
As a State, we’ve witnessed massive transformation and redefined leadership that have in so many ways affected cross riverians positively. As a result of your industrialization drive, passion for humanity and desire to see cross riverians not go to bed with an empty stomach, you’ve so far been able to revive the Agricultural Sector through; the construction of Cocoa Processing Plant in Ikom, Rice Mill in Ogoja, Banana plantation farm in Odukpani, Cotton farm in Woda, Yala LGA, Automated Rice seedlings and seed factory the first in Africa, a feed mill and soya bean farm in Ochon, Obubra LGA ongoing, etc.
How about your Infrastructural Impacts on the State which has today earned us the giant Garment Factory, reviving of the Obudu Cattle Ranch, the Calabar Pharmaceutical Company, the Toothpick Factory, the construction of the Piles and Pylon Factory as well as the Megawatt Power Plant already in use today. The Educational Sector your Excellency was never left untouched as the State moved from 22nd to 2nd position in terms of performance in NECO Exams alongside the construction of UBEC Schools in Akpabuyo, Abi and Yala LGA as well as the Canadian International Schools in Obudu and many others.
For five years and counting your Excellency, you’ve used your magic fingers to continually motivate the workforce amidst the lean Federal allocation by your regular/prompt payment of workers’ salaries, appointing an unprecedented 32 Permanent Secretaries, increased in manpower in almost all the sectors, removing over 8,000 youths from unemployment through political appointments, etc. This are facts that will forever speak for themselves as this achievements are all spread across the three senatorial districts of the State and standing tall for all to see.
Your Excellency, it might interest you to know that the above listed achievements were just a few of your hard work during the first three to four years of your administration as within a year into your second term, you’ve added more with which time won’t allow me to keep enumerating but am joyed that legacies like the dualization of the Calabar Tinapa/Odukpani road which at some point became a death trap, and many other ongoing projects are out there to speak for themselves.
In the Health Sector, you have been so supportive and pragmatic in ensuring that Cross River State remains Covid-19 free and the only State without any confirmed case in the entire Country that has today validated you as the one and only Extraordinary Governor Nigeria and Africa has, you’re indeed a Professor in all field of life. This was made possible by your early response to the outbreak of the virus even when the whole of Africa was in doubt. A few of this numerous response outside the rebranding of all our General Hospitals across the State and the provision of Primary Healthcare facilities across all the Wards in the State and many more includes:
* 50 new customized vehicles for rapid response.
* First to introduce facemasks by launching No Mask No Movement in Cross River State which has today become a National policy adopted from your vision and ideas.
*Production of PPEs, facemasks and face Shields in our giant Garment Factory thereby feeding the entire Nation.
*Provision of succour such as food Palliatives and production of over 100,000 Sanitizers from Calabar pharmaceutical Company and job creation/provision for cross river state youths.
Finally, your Excellency, CRS under your care for just 5 years today calls for celebration and excitement for not only our Bakassi brothers and sisters as you commissioned over 100 housing units in Afia Ayong, for Bakassi returnees as part of their resettlement plans to specially mark your 5th year in office but for all and sundry benefiting from one project of yours to another. This is indeed a Blessing in Beyond measure as we wouldn’t have gotten it this good and great without you, your visions, foresight, ideas, and magic fingers made all this and many more a reality.
Congratulations and happy 5yrs Anniversary as an extraordinary Governor. something tells me you will triple these legacies.