Cross Rivers commissioner denies claiming Ayade left empty treasury

By Chinelo Obogo

Cross River State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Pius Edet, has distanced himself from reports credited to him in the media alleging that the immediate past governor, Prof. Ben Ayade left an empty treasury and a dilapidated infrastructure.

Dismissing the report, Edet who was briefing reporters on the activities of his ministry and the ongoing road rehabilitation and constructions in Calabar, the state capital, said: “There was no time in the course of my press briefing that I made reference to former Governor Ben Ayade or his administration.

“I had made it clear to reporters that His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu is committed to giving the state capital a face-lift, despite paucity of funds, because Calabar remains the face of Cross River as well as Nigeria’s tourism hub.

“I could not have spoken about the financial situation of the state when I am neither the Commissioner of Finance, the Commissioner for Information nor the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. I must state very clearly that I have a lot of respect for the former governor, Prof. Ben Ayade who made me a commissioner during the final year of his administration. I still owe him a debt of gratitude, even as he remains one of my benefactors.

“The report is totally untrue and a deliberate act of mischief. For iteration and for emphasis, I did not say what was wrongly imputed to me in the news report about the former governor and his administration. If anything, I was also part of that administration. It is imperative, therefore, to clarify and state that at no point did I mention the former governor’s name or refer to the state’s treasury.

“My remarks during the interview were strictly on matters pertaining to my ministry, where I revealed the dire financial challenges the ministry was facing , owing to the general economic crunch in the country. As Commissioner for Works, I am not competent to speak on the financial status of the state or its treasury.

“The attempt to tar the past administration of Governor Ayade, under which I served as Commissioner for Technology, is ostensibly aimed at sowing a seed of discord between the former governor and his successor. It is outright mischief and we condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms. I urge that the report be disregarded. I remain committed to assisting Governor Otu provide quality infrastructural development to the people of Cross River State.”