Report reads
“OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND ORIENTATION HEADQUARTERS, OPPOSITE CULTURAL CENTRE COMPLEX, CALABAR
RE:AGBA JALINGO’S TRIAL: THE STATE HAS COMMITTED TREASON – Soyinka
The Social Media, including the CROSS RIVER WATCH ONLINE, has been awash with a publication purportedly credited to the Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, in which he was reported to have declared that the on-going treason trial of Publisher of Cross River Watch – Mr. Agba Jalingo is a “dishonest device to silence people when a government has no more answers to give”; adding that “the State has committed treason”
Our intention here is not to join issues with the reverred Literary icon and social commentor who we fully believe, by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution is entitled to his opinion on any issue of his interest, We are obligated in the general public interest to place the records straight to avoid being misinformed.
Firstly, Cross River is one of the Federating States in the entity called Nigeria. The State is not a sovereign entity on her own and do not have any constitutional powers to commit anyone to trial for treasonable felony. Such powers are only vested on the Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In this case under reference, Agba Jalingo is being tried by the Nigeria Police Force at a Federal High Court only based in Calabar, both of which are Federal Government Agencies. Cross River State Government has no locus standi to interfer or intervene in the matter.
Therefore, Mr Jalingo’s trial is definitely not “a dishonest device to silience people when a government has no more answers to give”. Be that as it may, we wish to further note that the Cross River State under the digital watch of the very cerebral Sir Prof Benedict Ayade has many answers to give since coming on board on May 29, 2015. His commitment to industrialize the State has been unparrarelled in Nigeria; which is why the Cross River Garment Factory, the Cross River Toothpick Factory and the Rice Seed and Seedling Multipliation factory commissioned by no less a person than President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR; are already completed and working.
Other initiatives of Governor Ayade intended to leapfrog the State to an industrial eldoraldo include: the Cross River Pharmaceutical Company; the Calabar Noodles factory; the Calabar Chicken Factory, all located on the fast emerging Ayade Industrial Park on Goodluck Jonathan by-pass in Calabar
We equally have the Cocoa Factory in Ikom, the Rice Mill in Ogoja, the Piles and Pylon factory in Akamkpa; The induztrial block industry in Ogoja; the Teacher’s Continuing Training Institute in Biase, the British-Canadian styled International College, Obudu, among others entreprises, most of which are between 75% to 96% completed. All these are in addition to his welfare policy of regular salary payment for Civil and Public Servants, increasing political appointments to provide food on the table for political supporters.
We are not unaware of the fact that we are not there yet as a lot is still being done in this second term four years which has just hit the ground running with last week’s inauguration of a 39-man strong member State Executive Council to move the State forward to the next level. What better way can a responsive government provide answers to the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry?
Comrade Asu Okang
Commissioner for Information & Orientation
