Our Correspondent|4 June 2017
Yes, the Acting President of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osibanjo visited Cross River State precisely on the 1st of June, 2017. News making rounds as celebrated by the media aides of the Governor has it that HE came solely on the invitation of the Governor.
After consulting widely, NegroidHaven can authoritatively say that the Acting President visited the state on the mandatory and schedule visit to all oil producing state of which Cross River State is included. An affirmation to this is the statement made by the Acting President himself, "I am mandated to visit the oil producing States and including Cross River State".
He further reveals that the reason he came was to discuss issues about the Niger Delta Region according to presidential directives. Put succinctly, the Acting President visited Cross River State on his routine town hall meeting and as will be expected the State Government used this opportunity to key into the visit by presenting her programmes and projects for commissioning.
In the Cross River State example, the Garment Factory which many believe was commissioned by Chief Chris Ngige the Minister of Labour and Employment was rather commissioned by the Acting President on his one day working visit to the State whereas Chris Ngige is branded as a visitor who paid a visit to the factory but not commissioning.
Sequel to the visit, the Hit F.M., an independent Radio station in one of her programmes precisely the Hit Breakfast show put a call to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Mr. Christian Ita on the visit of the Acting President. One of the question asked was about the ownership of the Garment Factory, a controversy and a possible travesty. Mr. Christian Ita dismiss this view as being unfounded and a blatant attempt to create falsehood. He said, the Garment Factory is the property of the Cross River State, she is the highest shareholder.
One wonders who are the other shareholders? Why do we have other shareholders when Cross River State is the sole financier of the Garment Factory and no records whatsoever about any partnership yet the music continues to play about other shareholders.
The ingenuity of Sen. Ben Ayade administration must be commended for quickly re-branding the Thumps up Ayade project to a job creation centre. Record has it that the centre which was the advanced religiously by Hon. Asu Okang the Commissioner for Youths and Sports was initially created to celebrate Ayade's litigation victory in the Supreme Court against Joe Agi SAN.
It is important to note that other projects mentioned were not commissioned. This include the Independent Power plant earlier schedule to commence operation last year December but shifted to a later date of 29th May, 2017 but not still complete. The same applies to the Calapharm and Rice City which constitutes the Ayade Industrial Park along the Jonathan Bypass.
Worthy of note is the fact that the Government through her agents have recently resorted to all forms of intimidation and even demolition of structures built by law abiding citizens in the state for having their building situate at the bypass. The various agency deplore by Government have defied every court order restraining them from carrying out this act.
It is true that the Acting President commended the Governor on all his laudable dreams. The Deep-seaport, the Super Highway especially. There is no sane person that will not give kudos to the Governor for this. However, as earlier noted, the prolonged delay, the shabby nature of which important issues are treated especially the EIA, the undue politics and self simulated administrative bottle neck are pointers to the scam associated with these projects. Each day Cross Riverians are faced with one excuse or the other coupled with unrealizable and unreasonable timeline for the completion of the various projects.
What we see at most are computer simulation of what the projects will look like. It is little wonder then that the Acting President keyed into the slogan then by addressing the Governor as the 'digital Governor'. Importantly, the Donald Duke administration which conceived and set the ball rolling on the monorail mapped out a plan to see it built from TINAPA to the airport. Sen. Loyal Imoke rather made it commence from the International Conference Centre to TINAPA. This project was commissioned by all the three Governor, Duke, Imoke and Ayade. Yet this same project is recommissioned by the Acting President.
For the records, Sen. Ben Ayade did not invite the Acting President to commission any project rather the Government of Cross River State through the Governor in a bid to save face hurriedly presented the already commissioned projects to be recommissioned.
NegroidHaven… Truth in view of Africa's liberty!
