The industrialization effort of Cross River State governor,
Prof. Ben Ayade has started yielding fruits as the Federal Government through
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria
(RIFAN) has placed a N3 billion order for the state to supply rice seedlings to
all the states in the southern part of the country.
Governor Ayade disclosed this to news men recently at the Rice Seedling and
Seed Multiplication Factory located along Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Bypass in
Calabar.
The governor who upon taking oath of office for a second term turned his office
to that of a project manager said: “Today I can tell you proudly that we have
received a N3 billion order from the Federal Government through its Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN)/Rice Framers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) rice value
chain programme to produce and supply seedlings to all the states in the
southern part of our country.”
Beaming with excitement, Ayade said: “So, I have N3 billion in my pocket
as we speak and I can say it loudly that I have almost recovered my investment
here in this factory. That’s smart thinking and that’s the way I’m going.”
According to the governor, “You can imagine the same rice seedling factory
that the social media reported that immediately after its commissioning by Mr.
President, the vendors came in and packed their equipment, but today that same
factory is the one giving Cross River this huge amount through a contract with
the Federal Government.
“The Rice Seeds and Seedlings Factory was my first term project. What we
are doing here is to produce high quality and disease resistant seedlings to
farmers and we have started reaping from our labour.”
On his new position as a Projects Manager of the state the governor disclosed
that “Immediately I took the oath of office for my second term, I
downgraded my position to that of a project manager while my deputy will
be acting as governor.
“So, indeed, I have also given him approval limit up to N1 billion. He
will do that without recourse to me.
“He is a professor and more experienced than me and I strongly believe
that he’s got the capacity to run government to allow me bring my energy to
bear in the various industries we have set up.”
Continuing, he said: “As you can see, I started so many projects, most of
which are at 80 to 90 percent completion level. So, I’m just struggling to
ensure that all the factories and our industrial clusters start rolling out
products into the market.”
Offering details of his role as projects manager, Governor Ayade further
hinted: “As a project manager, I will be spending most of my time in Ikom
Local Government Area to allow me properly monitor all my developmental
projects in the central senatorial district including the cocoa processing
plant and the superhighway projects as well as the ultra modern
vitaminized rice processing plant in Ogoja, amongst others.
“So, I will be shuttling between Ogoja and Ikom. For this reason, I am
taking delivery of a mobile house soon to allow me a working space any where I
will be going across the state.”
He said he will dedicate the next four years to “projects management to get all
projects into finalization. You will not see me again in the office except
during executive council meetings, or I’m receiving investors or federal
government delegations. I want to ensure that we deliver on all our projects
and in good time.
I want to prove a point to the world that it is not all black men that think
from their stomach. I use my brian and I want to say that money is not
everything, otherwise, Cross River State would have collapsed.”
But painstakingly, Ayade said “Cross River State is trying to take a lead
but with almost zero allocation relative to our overhead costs, but that
is where the joy lies because if the governor’s job is to sit down and receive
allocations, award contracts and approve payment then, any Tom, Dick and Harry
can be a governor.
“The beauty of a governor comes when there is creativity, where the
intellect comes to play and you take decisions that will affect the populace
positively. I see the prosperity ahead and I feel a sense of pride that today,
we are industrializing with visible factories and companies already employing
our teeming youths. So, I can’t achieve these by sitting down in an
air-conditioned office, I must move to the field.”
Challenging Cross Riverians to judge him after eight years, the governor said:
“After eight years, when you look back at the income of the state and
where I would have taken the state to, even if you are the son of a devil, you
will say Ayade has done well. At that time, even my most ardent critic will say
he was wrong.”