6 November 2020
A former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Cross River state, Eyo O. Ekpo, on Thursday stated categorically that the state 2021 appropriation bill presented by Gov Ben Ayade to the 9th Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA, does not reflect the reality of Cross Riverians.
According to Ekpo, the proposed Budget estimates christened 'Blush and Bliss' shows the state governor and his government do not exist in the same reality with indigens and residents of the state. He expressed this disposition through his social media handle on Thursday.
Ekpo who is a popular critic of the Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade administration after coming third in the 2019 general elections, said that 'With only 30% or N85bn going to capital expenditure and 70% or N192bn going into recurrent (salaries and overheads) expenditure, it is very clear that this Budget is not focused on investment and recovery.
'In spite of its obvious deficiency, we are told that this is a 2021 budget of blush and bliss. The Governor and his Government most definitely do not live in the same reality as the people of Cross River State.'
The former Attorney General of Justice also expressed doubt at the feasibility of the 2021 Budget of Blush and Bliss on the basis of source of funding while noting that there is need for massive investment in human infrastructure as well as physical infrastructure: 'A budget of N277bn, after 2 dizzying years of trillion Naira budgets, indicates that some semblance of reality is now setting in. Yet, let us wait to hear what the sources of funds will be to know just how feasible this budget will be.
'However, the reality also is that this era of recovery from the Covid pandemic requires massive investment in our grossly anaemic social/human infrastructure (healthcare and education), our almost non-existent physical infrastructure (energy and roads), the largest contributor to State GDP – our agriculture and our farmers – and in the security of life and property.'
Recall that Gov Ayade on Thursday presented the Budget of 'Blush and Bliss' pegged at the sum of N277,708,000 (Two Hundred and Seventy Seventy Billion, Seven Hundred and Eight million Naira) before the 9th State House of Assembly for the 2021 fiscal year. 69 percent of the budget estimates tagged numerically at N192 billion is designated to recurrent expenditure, while 31 percent of N88 billion is given to capital expenditure.
