Our Correspondent|17 February 2017
Governor Ayade yesterday expressed happiness for federal government readiness to quickly fix the poor state of federal roads in the state.
Even as he appealed, to the federal government to reimburse the state for all the funds it has spent to rehabilitate some federal roads in the state.
He stated this when the Hon minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola paid him a courtesy visit at the Exco’s chamber of the Governor’s office in Calabar.
Said he. ”Let me use this opportunity to welcome you, at this very occasion you have come to Cross River State. A state that behoves infrastructure, almost 80 or 70 percent in terms of roads belongs to the federal government. Hon minister, if you had come here during the rainy season, you will really pity us. We are virtually trapped, sometimes because of the poor nature of the roads, the bad state of the roads; trailers are falling every time, almost everyday people sleep on the road and so on. Therefore it’s really gratifying that you started very early.’
The governor who was very excited on the minister’s decision to visit the governor’s office before embarking on his assessment tour of the federal roads in the state said l stand with my commissioner for works that instated that you should come here first as against your usual schedule of touring the projects before visiting the governor’s office. The federal controller has painted a picture l am so happy about which needs to be seen as we go around. What am saying is that, he said here that contractors has been mobilized to return to site l will like us to use this time to check.’
He also lamented the poor state of the federal road at the Mbock junction and Abouchiche road and called for urgent attention from the minister.’
The governor, who spoke through his deputy, Prof Ivara Ejemot Esu, insisted that this was the appropriate time to fix the federal roads in the state and commended the minister for the timely visit.
In his words ”We are very happy that you have come at this time, this is the time to do the roads, the dry season is here, and for us in this part of the country the rainy season will come very soon and therefore any contractor who has been mobilized must make up and go to site now, otherwise it will be a problem.”
On his call for reimbursement of the funds the state has spent on the federal roads, governor Ayade said ” We are going to be asking the federal government for the refund of money we spent on those roads, because we need the money to do other things in the state; we were force to go and take our merger resources to commenced doing some rehabilitating work in those places, i have no doubt that with you here, all will be well.”
It will be recalled that the Cross River Government had spent over 20 billion naira on rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.
Earlier in his speech, the minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, called for the strengthening of the relationship between the state and the federal government in the quest to implement the federal government programmes.
He disclosed that the focal point of the ministry of works, power and housing is to partner with states to achieve the federal government programmes.
According to him I know they are shared challenges, but we will overcome them. They are things the state can do that the federal government is not suited efficiently to do and they are things the federal government is suited to do that the state governments are not able to do.
‘Essentially my message is that the federal government controller, a representative of the federal government is here, is here to assist you, to support you. The federal government is not in competition with the state government, we exist to serve the states of the federation to achieve to their own define objectives, their social and economic and spiritual obligation within the frame work of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.’ he added
Some of the projects that are currently on going in the state, according to the federal controller include the Odukpani, Akpet., Abouchiche roads.
Left) Minister for Works, Power and Housing, His Excellency, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, interacting with Cross River State Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu, on the state of Federal roads in Cross River, during a courtesy call on the Governor in Government House Calabar. Thursday
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