Thomas Abi Jr|11 September 2015|5:30am
In this piece Thomas Abi Jr excavates the frame of mind, achievements and projections of His Excellency Professor Benedict Ayade, the Executive Governor of Cross River State.
"Don't Have Little Faith Tom"
On the 5th of September when l wrote my article titled "Before Governor Ayade Appoints his Cabinet". The Governor after reading the article said to me " Tom, don't have little faith". Listening to the Governor's 100 days in office speech on Tuesday, and his commitment in putting smiles on the faces of Cross Riverians, has reawakened my faith and believe in the Governor Ayade led administration.
During this interview with the Governor he(Ayade) made mention of the fact that the green police was going to be a permanent job for CrossRiverians. Looking at the poverty level in the State and the low work force as well, Governor Ayade out of his magnanimity decided to create a Green Police that will carter for the needs and aspirations of his People.
As a man who grew up from a very humble background in the ancient village of Kakum, he knows what it means to go to bed with out food. "If l pay a minimum of 20, 000 naira and l distribute the green police across the 18 Local governments, they do refuse management, they manage the forest, they clean the streets, we put all these refuse together and recycle them and send to the national grid. It's a long term plan but we have to start somewhere". Listening to Prof. Ayade, my heart and spirit fell in love with him immediately. It reminded me of my mail to him dated the 25th July, 2013 calling on him to run for the office of governor of our beloved State.
The man Governor Ayade, is so passionate about putting food on the tables of his People. He understands what it means to go to bed in an empty stomach. As a good leader, he knows that the greatest infrastructure he can give to his People is job creation. Once People are hungry they can not function well and it leads to stealing and other forms of social vices seen as a result of hunger and poverty. Looking at the plight of his People he decided to set up a green Police that will create jobs and ameliorate the sufferings of his People. Oh what a good man he is! " Put food on People's table if truly you are a leader of the People".
As an idealistic man, a savvy entrepreneur, he influenced the wharf landing bill that was passed by the Cross River State House of Assembly. The bill is to generate revenue for the State. Making sure goods coming into the State through the States high sea are charged. Goods entering any Local government or arriving any part of the State should be able to generate revenue for the State. "Any vessel bringing crude oil into Calabar will pay a fee to government"
Governor Ayade as a passionate and loving man who has seen poverty and wealth, abolished the taxes for low income earners in the State. This saw to the enactment of a Law by the Cross River State House of Assembly backing the Governor's abolition of taxes for low income earners in the State. "A true leader must understand the sensibilities of his People". Knowing too well that civil and public servants in the State earn very meager salaries he decided to get the backing of State House of Assembly for the abolition of taxes for categories of persons. " What we earn in the State is too small to put the burden of tax".
Ayade has won my love, he has won my believe in him. In his words "A small market woman or road side seller who can not afford to pay tax keeps running. I feel the pain of the People because that is my origin". Oh my Governor! In life you must never forget your roots. Governor Ayade is not ashamed of his roots, he is proud of where he came from. His life is a challenge to many young People today. It further shows your roots do not determine who you will become in life. It only takes hard work, perservance and determination to succeed in life.
Another question Governor Ayade asked me in his message to me was "Tom, Have you ever asked how salaries are paid"? It set my mind wondering for some minutes, and when the question of how the green Police was going to be funded came in, it gave me an insight of who the man Governor Ayade really is. "The name green Police has enjoyed a lot of acceptability in the international community and everybody looks up to it. When l was in Barcelona, addressing Governors forum of Climate Change, l did make this commitment that l was going to set up a green Police and there was a standing ovation, they were looking up to this green Police. I know that Brazil did something like this but not even this sophisticated, a little less than what l have done and they got 1 billion dollars to fund their green program. So l know that by the time l set up the green Police that will focus on international funding, it will be one of the most funded agencies we will have in this State". After listening to his apt and erudite analysis of how he was going to fund the green Police, l said to myself, that Cross River State had gotten it right with Prof. Ben Ayade as Governor.
He spoke about the 23 years embargo on employment that was lifted centering hard work and reward. Focusing on promotion. It is widely on record that most civil servants in the State stay on one grade level for many years but with the lifting of embargo on employment, it will afford many People the opportunity of gaining promotion in the State civil service, by so doing, encouraging hard work in the system. On the lifting of embargo on employment, when asked how he was going to pay salaries, he said, " I don't think money is ever my problem, when l put my soul above any problem, my body will follow".
In my message to Governor Ayade, l told him about the non payment of Local government staff and in his interview stated he had released the monies for Local government workers to be paid and the non payment of Local government Staff was a logistic problem. Ayade has won my heart, Prof. Ayade has won my love and support. He has displayed that he is truly a Leader with a listening ear. A man who shares the plight of his People. A man who feels the pain of the poor in the society. He is enigmatic and an atelier of politics.
On questions of how he runs the State if he was running the State from his private pocket, he said "l do creative and innovative platform and l am cutting off so many leakages in government, and because am on a table plane, l can see where the leakages are."
Speaking on the power plant project he described it as of no cost to government. "I have a goodwill, l have God and l have the capacity to bring out my own little. I don't bring in economic transformation by physical transformation of edifices, transformation in my own sense is that peasantized hungry man who couldn't feed now has a small job that takes him off his problems daily".
My People, a man who thinks about putting food on the table of his People is the man we all need to subscribe to. Prof. Ayade in his 100 days in office has built hope and faith in the minds of the People of Cross River State. True leaders are those who give their hope and rekindle the lost glory of their People. True leaders are those who put the People first in their daily dealings in life. And Governor Ayade is one of such great leaders. In his 100 days in office all he cares about is the hungry who has no food to eat or a place to lay his head or medical health -these should be given the right to access these things. "Transformation must be human center, government must be human center, and that is why l focus on lifting embargo on employment, l focus on exemption of the low income earners from tax, and building capacity, because it is the minimum barometer you can use in accessing your own achievements".
Many persons have asked when is Governor Ayade appointing his cabinet. After a deep reflection on the person of the Governor and his words to me which he said to me " Tom, Don't have little faith". I have come to terms with the fact that he knows what he is doing and doesn't want to fall into a ditch." Appointments are critical and l don't want to make mistakes, that is why l held consultations with every single Local government. I am done with that phase and l am moving to the second phase. Now, having finished with consultation of the political class, l need to consult with the traditional rulers, l need to consult with the business groups, l need to consult with the support groups, l need to consult with the student groups, l need to consult with the youth groups and l am doing all that next week…" With this submission on how to appoint his cabinet I have no doubt in my heart that the man Governor Ayade is truly a man to follow. His words to me "Tom, Don't have little faith" keeps resounding every moment of my life. I know he will not let the People of Cross River State, because he is so passionate about his People. As a man who has tested poverty and wealth, he has seen both sides of the coin and will not let his People down at this very critical period of our developmental struggle.
Still on the issue of appointments, he posited that with his lofty ideas and his intention to create more jobs, appointments are not something he will do under three months. Yes, he is actually right. If one rushes into something because of pressure and over zealousness, you may fall into the mud, a mud that may take a long period of time to pull out. Appointments are not things you rush into or play with. Because they are the fulcrum of governance.
Governor Ayade is for all, in the issue of his appointments he said his government will create a place for the opposition. And that those in the opposition are our brothers and sisters. "Also looking at having consultation with Labour Party, APC, so as to provide 5 to 10% margin for them as well, because it is this winner takes it all syndrome that is not too good for politics. They are Cross Riverians, they need to feed, train their children, pay their children school fees. Don't worry, when I finish appointments, all these tension will calm down.
On his relationship with the President and his rumoured plans to move to the APC, he said, "The main essence of being close to the President, the Vice President, the Senate President, all of them APC is personal to me but is to attract development, by my character and by my person, I am not petty, for me party lines ended after the elections, it's time for governance". They is no ideology that will say this is a PDP ideology or APC ideology, there is no difference in the party, we must work in bringing the best value efforts to Cross River State.
On the Bakassi issue, he stated his government will seek redress. I feel pained that my fellow Cross Riverians are now refugees in their fatherland. A few days ago I was discussing with the Member representing Bakassi Local Government in the State House of Assembly on the Bakassi issue, and I saw pain in the eyes of Hon. Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, he lamented bitterly on how his People are suffering in their own ancestral home. So if the Governor seeks redress it's a welcome development that must be applauded. "We will seek redress and when we do it, we shall do it very strong, and we shall do it within the ambits of the Law. Definitely it is an unsettled matter, the Bakassi matter is very unsettled. Both the legal, the Physical and the scientific bases are things that we will dismiss with our left hand. As a Lawyer I know the Law, as a scientist I know the science behind the decision, all of them are balderdash and I will trash them. But I think what we need is a political solution". The Bakassi issue is something we must all support government in liberating our brothers and sisters who are internally displaced. We must not sit and fold our hands. We must work towards putting smiles in the faces of the Bakassi People.
On the rumors making the rounds that he is unpredictable, I think, true leaders are those that can not be pushed around. The Ayade I know is a man of his own. He is a charismatic leader. A man of high intellectual capacity. A man of impeachable character. A man of great disposition. He is legendary and very industrious. He is a man with a very powerful blue print who believes that the right thing should be done at the right time. "I have a political blue print that I am following and that political blue print and economic blue print for Cross River was developed with extensive consultation so I am driving that agenda and that agenda covers the perspective and the interest of Cross River State and basically that is it. But my greatest dream is to take Cross River State from 3rd world to first world in four years".
On the leadership style of the Governor I think he is doing good. He is only a principled man who wants the best for the common man. Who thinks about the poor first before any other thing. He is very focused and very determined in moving the State from the dark days to the bright days. He said his leadership style is "focused, people oriented, transformation from the bottom that's my government and creating a new surgery to the economy and creating a new horizon of opening up the financial space to everybody without dependence on the third party.
The man Governor Ayade is a man who does not believe anything is impossible to achieve. He believes solely on the scriptures that all things are possible through Christ Jesus.
On the People of Cross River State he describes them as, "The Cross River people are nice people, I started going to work before 8am and everybody just started doing same. I sit in office till 1, 2am , eveybody sits till close of work. The Cross River people are nice people, they are not even difficult people, listen when you know whether you are a good leader or not is when your convoy is going on the road, when you stop in places and people greet you. If you ever follow me on a convoy then you will know the acceptability. When I see those waves and those cheers, when I see people saying like something you said somebody said in the Central that for "Ben Ayade we can do anything", when I hear those things, those are my tonic, those are the things that give me the spirit to work that somebody out there appreciates it". The man Ayade is loved by his People. He has won the love of both the old, young, rich and poor in the society. In my native village of Egbe-Mbube in Ogoja Local government, during the day of the Governorship elections, an old woman of bout 79 years said to me that she doesn't know the candidates contesting in the election but the person she knows was Ayade. That Ayade gave her grand son scholarship and she knows that if Ayade wins as Governor he will give Egbe-Mbube light and road in her life time. It gave me hope and built my confidence in Ayade. That if an old woman who doesn't know Prof. Ayade can believe in him, then Cross River State is in safe hands under his watch.
Ayade has come to revamp and reshape the civil service in the State. If you look at the civil service, most MDAs do not have money to purchase papers, service their generating plant, ink to print documents and even other office accessories. But the man "Ayade" has come to change things for the better in the civil service. "The civil service is a function of the financial institution of the State, a people that have a recurrent expenditure that is not provided for, a People that don't have even 50 naira to buy a photocopying paper, because we are struggling to pay salaries, so how will you now, you have not paid salaries, you now want to give people money to go for training, go for course. So the People are highly demotivated by the circumstance of our financial situation and so for a demotivated oeople, to go further to criticize them will not be fair. The only way you can say our State civil service is not doing well, is if you are giving them the incentives, the necessary instruments to work and then they are not delivering, then you can accuse them. But I have also seen that the few agencies that I have talked to and activate them to do something, they deliver on promise. And so the scope, when the financial calculus begins to alter and tilt in favor of the State and the financial balancing is setting in, as we begin to fund the recurrent and upright cost, I think I will see a philosophy and energy that will fill the air and we can have an improved service".
In my submission, I really think this State is blessed to have a man like Governor Ayade who understands the problem of his people. He understands and knows the problems faced by civil servants in the State. And with his robust and idealistic nature, I know in no distant time, he will be able to balance things and set the records straight in having a robust and efficient working environment in the State civil service.
I do not have any regrets today in joining Governor Ayade to Kakum in Obudu to thank God for his life and achievements. He is truly enigmatic, he is loving, intelligent, erudite, savvy, voracious, articulate and a powerful networker of both national and international politics, who never sees any problem as a problem. Because the moment he puts his soul in a given problem, his body will follow.
It is my prayer that the People of Cross River State will join hands with Governor Ayade in moving the State forward. He needs our support and prayers. He does not know it all, let's join him with our ideas and prayers, because our State is blessed with so much potentials that can put us on the map in the comity of States as one of the richest States in Africa.
Prince Thomas Abi Jr.
Is a Public Affairs Analyst /Social Commentator
