Innumerable Crowd Honours Ayade in North , Central Cross River

Solomon Asha|20 September 2017 

The road to 2019 and second tenure for the Obudu-born young politician

and orator/inspiratory, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator

Professor Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade has increasingly become manifest

and self-evident as the people of Northern and Central Senatorial

Districts of the state stood still for him as he went on some projects

site evaluation tour and first harvest from the Ayade Rice Farm under

the Ayade Integrated Farm, on Friday, September 15, and Saturday 16,

2017.

Throng of supporters followed the governor and his convoy right from

the Ikom Bridge chanting various soul lifting and motivated political

songs to the site of the plant at Nkum Yala in Ikom where the building

of a gargantuan Cocoa processing Plant is ongoing and the project site

evaluation ceremony took place.

At the site of ongoing construction of cocoa processing plant at Nkum,Yala, Ikom, it was a convergent and melting pot for all classes of individuals, traditional rulers, youth and women groups, students’ group among other dressed in colourful attires chanting solidarity songs indicating their express appreciation of the cocoa processing plant and their overwhelming support for Governor Ayade to retain his

seat at the Cross river state government House as the state number one

citizen from 2019-2023.

The siting of cocoa processing plant in Ikom by the administration of Senator Ayade fulfilling his campaign promise excites all cocoa producing communities and local government areas of Ikom, Etung, Boki, Obudu, Obanliku and others, who rightly view the cocoa plant as

deliberate plan by Governor Ayade to add value to the cocoa chain and for farmers to reap maximally from the sweat of their labour.

They equally see the ongoing building of the cocoa plant as a panacea that will definitely put an end to the era of cocoa farmers and cocoa bearing communities in Cross River State laboring for peanuts, while cocoa merchants/traders are the ones who reaps hugely  from the proceed of their farms, while at the same time most of their produce are taken and counted to the advantage of other; hence the unprecedented crowd that welcome Ayade and expressed an unreserved

support for him to continue in office to 2023 is lucidity understandable.

Traditional dance from Ikom, Etung and other cocoa bearing/producing

local Government Areas and communities in the state entertained at the ceremony.

After the conclusion of activities at Ikom and Nkum, Yala, Ikom Cocoa Processing Plant, the convoy drove to Ogoja Ultra-Modern Rice Processing Milling Plant, Ogoja where the old and the young and

supporters from the northern senatorial district defied the sun which was occasionally humbled by the rains, whose season it actually is from their various villages and communities across the five Local Government Areas of the district, and   had already converged in a

massive crowd at the rice mill site from morning waiting for their beloved governor, brother and son of the soil, Senator Ben Ayade.

It certainly would be an understatement to assert that the support and

expression of joy and happiness from the various women, youths, students and the array of the traditional rulers who are the custodians of our customs and traditions was massive and expressly

overwhelming, alluding to the reality that with the ultra-modern rice mill fast becoming a reality, and fulfilling Ayade campaign promise to the district, the loss glory of Ogoja rice taken to some other states and given a different name will soon be a thing of the past, just as

their financial position will be greatly transformed.

Traditional dances from the five Local Government Areas of the district were not left out as they performed and entertained guests at the occasion.

The next day, Saturday, September 16, 2017, it was another visible

expression of approval for Ayade agricultural development projects and

programme and support from for his second term when the people of Bebi

and the surrounding communities of Obanliku turned out en-mass at the

Ayade Integrated Farms to receive the Governor and his entourage to carry out the duty of carrying out the first rice harvest from the Ayade farm whose current planting portion is 500 hectares of cultivated land.

Youth and women groups, students and politicians and supporters of Ayade, all chanted solidarity songs to welcome the governor and expressed sincere wish that he stay for eight years to enable complete the loadable projects and programmes of his administration.

Traditional rulers were not left out as they also dressed in their complete royal regalia to welcome their son, Governor Ayade.

On his way to Obudu from the farm, the Governor’s convoy stopped severally along the road to inspect the progress of work on the Obudu-Obanliku section of the ongoing construction of 134 kilometers Mfom-Okpoma-Imaje-Bekwarra-Obudu-Obanliku dual carriage way and to address crowd of people who waves unceasingly to him, chanting

solidarity songs from Obanliku to Obudu.

At Obudu, the Governor and his convoy carried out on-the-job assessment, inspection and progress of work tour on the ongoing construction and expansion of roads in Obudu Town, driving through the Hospital road to the boundary with Benue state, reversed and drove

through Calabar road to the Obudu central park, venue for the reception of the Governor by the people where the convoy found it extremely difficult to move as a result of the mammoth and

unprecedented crowd of youths, children, men and women, students, mothers and fathers as well as the presence of  the custodians of our customs and traditions, the royal fathers that took over the entire area and the surrounding streets to express their unreserved support for their son and brother, Governor Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade.

The innumerable horde of persons of all political, socio-economic and religious background who converged at Obudu on Saturday, September 16, 2017  to receive the Governor and to sound in an unmistakable unanimous voice that they are comfortable with the leadership and

developmental path which Ayade has charted for the state and would

massively support his second tenure exposed the false claimed by some

that governor Ayade is not welcome in his home town, Obudu, just as the throng of persons would have rendered it impossible for a pack of sand thrown up for a grain of the sand to able to hit the ground but hit on human heads, thereby reducing to a child’s play the famous

Oshodi, Lagos overhead bridge crowd.

Along the way from Obudu to Bekwarra even at that late hours, the expression of the crowd that waves to the convoy unceasingly as we drove by, is a clear indication that Ayade is on track, has done well, is currently doing well and shall continue to perform better, hence

the people would have no dispute as to whether or not the Obudu born politician should take his second tenure and complete eight years in office other two governors before him from 1999-2015 enjoyed’ indeed, Ayade case should not be an exception!

Indeed, Friday September 15 and Saturday September 16, 2017 remain

memorable and indelible in the political history of senator Ayade as

the governor of Cross River state, especially as he forges ahead to

secure a second term in office come 2019 by the grace of God. It is so

because just in these two days, the people proved that they are all behind Ayade and that were so pleased with the progress he is making in his quest to develop the state and take away from dependent on federation account that is dwindling by the day and turn attention to our traditional means of survival, the agricultural sector.

Solomon Asha, 

Is Media Aide to Governor Ayade of Cross River.