TRACKING>>Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has declared that he would concentrate his efforts in overseeing the completion of his industrialization projects spread across the state in his second.
Ayade who was decked in casuals, which according to him, was a reflection of his desire to spend more time outside the office inspecting projects, made the declaration at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar during his swearing in ceremony.
He said his new role going forward will be to personally oversee the completion of projects while his Deputy would function as acting governor.
The governor disclosed that in addition to completing ongoing projects including his signature projects, the Bakassi deep seaport and 276 kilometers superhighway, he will also site new industries in the few local government areas without industries.
Ayade said, “I will ensure that Cross River will become an industrialized state under my watch in spite of the ceding of oil wells, which was illegal. Cross River will grow into a self actualization State in my second term.
“I will make sure that my entire signature projects and others will be completed, so that Cross River becomes fully industrialised as every local government will have at least one industry.
“Be committed and remain steadfast as Cross River will be an industrialised state under my watch. In my second tenure, I will no longer be the governor, my deputy will be the acting governor while I will become the project manager of Cross River state as I will relocate to Ikom LGA.”
Emphasising the thrust of his second term, Ayade added: “My second term will be defined by the policy of food on the table, hands on the plight. As I have always insisted, no amount of investment in infrastructure will be equivalent to taking care of the well being of the people like paying salaries and employing them.
“We must understand that anytime our problems can only be solved by money, then our intellect has failed us”.
The governor who described the ceding of Bakassi as illegal and the 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom as hurting said Cross River has been abused and reduced in body and soul.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to help the people of the state, adding that all Cross Riverians should get ready because the federal government must tell the state what it (Cross River State ) has done wrong.
He said, “The ceding of Bakassi and our oil well is unacceptable where a country took our oil wells and gave to a state that has more. Cross River feels highly hurt, we have been abused and reduced in body and soul but we are on a voyage of self actualisation as a state,” he said.
