20 February 2020
Simon Utsu an influential public affairs analyst has refused to be sympathetic with the Cross River State Government CRSG over the Federal Government refusal to reimburse payments for the construction of the N20 billion Calabar-Pamol-Odukpani highway NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
Utsu faulted the appointment of the incumbent Commissioners for Works, and Justice. He said that, if they were good, this incident would have been averted.
He said 'Ayade and his people should stop crying like underfed babies over Fashola's refusal to reimburse 20 billion Naira supposedly spent by the state government on roads. Fashola recently inspected the Calabar Odukpani road and was quoted to have said that the road wasn't a trunk A(Federal Road) and that only Trunk A roads are the responsibility of the FG.
'Ayade was naive to have expected a refund from the federal govt for a state project. Who does that? When we tell him to hire knowledgeable and experienced hands, he thinks we're just talking for fun. If he had a smart commissioner of Works and an equally smart Justice commissioner, such an embarrassment wouldn't have befell us. Well, even if he had, he would have strived to outshine them, afterall, didnt he say some months back that he was now the project manager of the state? What that statement implied was, he was going to usurp the Works commissioner. So technically, Gov Ayade is Cross River's Works commissioner.
'And should take full responsibility for this mix up that has made Fashola dress him down like a child —because Fashola's comments could be paraphrased as "you dont know what you're doing'.
However, the leader of the YPP in the state, Comr Anthony Bissong has disagreed with the decision of the Federal Republic. His words in part, 'The Federal Government's position, echoed by the Minister for Works and Housing, Mr. Fashola that Cross River State will not enjoy refunds for undertaking the construction/renovation of Federal roads is not only callous and divisive but also a threat to our national unity as a nation.
Recall that just on the eve of Governorship election in Kogi State in November last year, the same Federal Government despite public outrage and condemnation released a whopping ten billion naira to Governor Yahaya Bello as refunds for the construction of Federal roads..
He called on the Federal Government to reconsider the decision not to refund the monies Cross River State Government spent.
