Inyali Peter|10 January 2017
Recent developments have shown that to bring out the best out of Governor Ben Ayade, he should be threatened with a court case. Ayade has shown more focus, vision and commitment to developing the state when anticipating an important court ruling.
During the final days of the legal tussle between him and Joe Agi l, SAN, Ayade seemed determined and did groundbreaking ceremony for many projects. For instance, the dualization of the northern senatorial district major road.
Unfortunately, one month down the line since Ayade floored Agi, he has swiftly returned to his juvenile style of leadership characterized by unrealistic and deceitful promises.
Work have stopped in almost all the sites he did groundbreaking prior to the date for the verdict. The dualization project has been abandoned. Contractors have gone oblivion.
If court case is the antidote to the self styled "digital" governor kindergarchy and bad leadership, I implore Joe Agi or any other lawyer to institute another legal case against the governor not with the intention of removing him (if it eventually happens, good for the state) but to make him sit up and face the real act of governance squarely.
Cross Riverians also want to witness commissioning of projects like other States. Only Governor Ayade among his peers who assumed office on the 29th of May 2015 is yet to commission a single project. Coincidentally, Ayade has signed more MoUs, made more promises and have carried out more groundbreaking ceremonies than any other governor in Nigeria. Unfortunately, he still leads the chart as the governor with more abandoned projects.
Efforts should not only be concentrated in payment of salaries. That's not a project. The governor should be more interested in doing things to impact lives than to impress. There should be a paradigm shift from starting and completing projects on television and pages of newspapers.
Cross River must be better!
Inyali Peter
Is a Journalist
