Ifere Paul|13 January 2016|7:30am
Preamble
Cross River State is known as the most cleanest State in Nigeria. It potentials as the tourist destination has since been broken by States like Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, and most lately Kaduna State. What used to be the paradise State is now in a mountain of waste dumphills.
The friendliness of the people is now replaced by an uncanny sets of incidents ranging from pocket pickers, bag snatchers, mobile phone snatchers, outright robbery, rapes, and gory sets of kidnappings and killings. Sadly, one person was killed right in the 2015 Calabar Carnival village.
It is quite imperative to state that these security challenges have poised serious consequences to the safety of persons and their personal belongings at deserted places in the middle of the day and night. However, I commend the State government for putting up the “Operation Scolombo” which is doing all it can to curb this challenges. But the militarization of the whole process has left many questions unanswered, and what was supposed to be a civil approach to remove street urchins and the danger they pose, is getting complicated and obviously defeated.
Water supply in the metropolis is an issue that's generating serious problem for the managers of Water Board as they supply untreated water to the public.
Lately taxi drivers and salary issues have been added into the fray of protest in Cross River State. With many troubling issues, we cannot pretend any longer that all is well. Please join me as we look into the “State of the State” in the last five months.
Salary:
Salary are consistently paid on or before the 25th of each month. In fact, December salary was paid on the 16th. Whether this is something to praise the government, it is left for the individual to decide. For me, salaries are not something to make noise about. Any government or governor who cannot pay salaries should resigned. After my labour, I expect payment. The government is not giving its workers bonanza by paying salaries. Ebonyi State governor paid bonuses on the 5th with bags of rice and other ingredients for the Xmas to workers. No one heard about it.
As State workers are paid their salaries promptly, LGA workers are gnashing their teeth without pay for about 5 months now. Pensions, severence benefits of past political leaders, CUDA, Crutech workers, and many other State controlled employees are still crying for non payment. Demonstrations have been heard of CUDA protesting non payment of salaries and arrears.
For the past 6 years, gratuity of retirees have not been paid. Fraud at the pension commission is rumoured to be around 10 billion naira only. Ten billion naira is a lot of money.
Low Income Earners Tax Exemption Fraud:
It is no news that every page of the internet is full with with tax exemption initiative of the Cross River State government. Government pride itself of such wonderful schemes and policy to favor the low income and poor people of the State. The policy is without a policy template. It is however sad that those who fall under these exemption have not been made public. The criteria to label someone a low income earner has not been demarcated from a high income earner.
The percentage tax exempted has not been defined or made public since the implementation 6 months ago. A cross section of State civil servants interviewed during a survey I conducted on the “impact of tax exemption on low income earners in Cross River State” showed that workers do not know what has changed between now and the period they were not exempted. Some reportedly said that they are now taxed twice.
Small business premises like barbing shops, hairdressing salons, provision stores, etc are heavily taxed by anti progressive tax regimes of government. A barber in Ikom who doesn't want his name or business premises mentioned said that barbers in the State are mandated to pay upto 10,000.00 naira per month. That is about 120 thousand naira yearly apart from rent. A taxi driver who normally picks me up from the airport said that drivers are mandated to pay 1 thousand naira daily. That is, 30-31 thousand naira a month. Which in turn will provide about 370 thousand naira yearly without maintainance, gas, and servicing cost. The cost of doing taxi business in Calabar with all the associated cost is estimated at 500-700 thousand naira per year. While the cost of running a barber's shop in Ikom is estimated at 120,000.00 naira yearly.
So much taxes for small businesses. And yet government is hyping on the internet about tax exemptions.
Government does not know how to empower SMEs operators with loans to drive home the pledge of creating a conducive business platform that will attract small scale investment. In one narrative, the governor while on the campaign trail said “he used to sell plantain” in Obudu. People are still selling plantain there. What has he done to bring a change to these plantain sellers? These sellers now pay 500 naira daily taxes as market tolls. I have adviced government in my article in December 2015 to make soft loans available to SMEs. But till now Ayade is still talking about 7000 appointments of SA, Commissioners, etc.
Security:
The security situation in the State has for a long time remained in the merciful hands of Scolombo streets kids. The children attach themselves to ATM machines around the Calabar metropolis were they are seen begging in the day and are arm bandits at night in the same spots. They rob and snatch bags and phones with guns, knives, and razor blades. A group of 5-10 kids can surround people yielding nothing but razor sharp pen knives.
The introduction of the “Operation Scolombo” that was supposed to take them off the streets has failed as we continue to see more and more kids. Some of the children have grown to teens and daring with guns. They are seen around the highway by flower mill. Everyday the Operation Scolombo vehicles passes by them without a beep of the horn from the hiluxes they are given by government. The grown ups streets young men and women have turned Bogobiri, Target, Edgerly Road, Egarton, and Mary Slessor Road into terror hotspots at night.
The Millennium Park by highway is another spot where urchins are seen sleeping and making love with other street girlfriends. It is no news now that several innocent street hawkers have been disarm off their wares, robbed, and sometimes raped in this centre of town. The questions often asked is whether the “Operation Scolombo” is another failed initiative used to decorate the supposed internet achievement of the government? If it is not, why are we not seeing a chase and capturing of kids? Why has there been more street children than is supposed to be even with the “Operation Scolombo” team patrol?
The Xmas village has recorded several incidents of petty stealing, bag snatching, phone snatching, pocket picking, rape, and outright murder. On the 14th of December, 2015, a young man was shot dead at close range right inside the Xmas Village. On the 10th of December, a lady was ganged raped in the late hours of the night along Bogobiri, just few blocks away from the village.
The commissioner for tourism and culture who sited the Xmas Village at the Forest Zoo Garden, a troubled spot in the past, has not provided adequate security to curtail such incidents. Such poor skills of planning can only be associated with the commissioner for tourism and culture, as he has often exhibited lack of knowledge of feasibility studies before decisions are reached. It is a pity that yet again, the commissioner doubling as governor, has failed at planning because of his poor skills in planning perspective. It is a pity that even the chief security adviser to the commissioner of tourism and culture, denied an incident which has become viral on the internet. What a mess!!!
With this foregoing, the security situation of the entire State is in God's hands as security apparatus of the State cannot be seen doing their work online.
Roads:
The deplorable conditions of the roads in Cross River State can only be described as a “story for the gods” because no matter how one tries to paint the picture of the deathtraps, the situation cannot be completely captured. Who will believe that a trailer could crushed a woman to death at Akpabuyo-Calabar Expressway? Who will believe that another trailer crushed a biker and his passenger to death at the Edongdong-Calabar bypass? Who will believe that a cyclist dropped into a pothole at Yellow Duke and his pregnant passenger immediately was rushed to the hospital where she gave birth to a premature? Or is it the waterlogged runways of the Calabar metropolis at the slightest rain? Not to talk about mudslides, earth stumbling, and landslides are a result of expanded gullies due to erosion?
There is a very big pothole by Gershom Bassey's Asari Eso House. That pothole is notoriously known as a vehicle spoiler by mobile policemen deployed there to guard his house. William Alexander Effiom lives around that axis too. These are the governor's friends. There is a very big pothole and it is fast expanding in the GEJ bypass by MCC Ikot Affangha. This particular pothole has stumbled a truck load of cement from UNICEM . At that particular pothole, you will find a battered bus that stumbled and caught fire. Its charred remains is still standing there not too far away from the pothole. Just by the garment factory, one could see that erosion has began to take up the other lane opposite the garment factory. Serious work is needed in this so called Liyel Imoke popular GEJ bypass.
A peep at the garment factory from this erosion gully still shows that the factory is 20% complete. So much for it touted 95%. CRS government is a lying government. No be today we begin dey hear 95%. They failed the exams and the spin the lies around.Such a pity for this new road that was not seen a year intensive motoring from when it was commissioned by GEJ himself in February this year.
Every street that has a tar road in Calabar does have a serious potholes in them. While the commissioner for tourism and culture prides himself with the Superhighway, roads in the State Capital, and other urban centres are eyesore. Is it a lie that people have been stranded in the roads leading into Cross River State? Least I remind of the deaths and cries of people on the Itu/Calabar road? Yes!!! I know it is a federal road. Governors of River State, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna, Ondo, Ogun, etc are fixing federal roads right now. In CRS, it is only when critics like Okoi Obono-obla, Joseph Odok, Ogar Emmanuel Oko, Ifere Paul, Daniel Agbor , Dominic Okon criticises, couple with accidents and deaths that the governor of Cross River State will act. Other times, he is caught sleeping and dreaming of the Superhighway in first class or chatered jets as he tours the world.
The money invested on the Superhighway already could by now have repaired a larger portion of the Calabar/Ikom highway. Yes!!! I know that the road is a federal road. So much energy has been expended at bringing President Muhamadu Buhari to Cross River State for the groundbreaking ceremony by the governor, now commissioner for tourism and culture. Such energies if spent on bringing PMB to fix his roads in Cross River State could have by now improved the chances of economic recovery in CRS.
Waste Evacuation & Management:
It is no news any more that Calabar is smelling like a fish factory in some areas of town. Residents of Edibe Edibe by Okon Inok are crying of different colorful flies coming into their homes. Some as big as butterflies. Residents in Asari Iso by Effio-ette roundabout are dancing azonto with their wastebins. Residents of MCC Road before and immediately after God's Heritage are singing shoki with waste hills that has almost taken over the road before Orange Resort.
If friends of the government can contend with potholes then, supposed enemies of government like Victor Ndoma-Egba must contend with a waste dumphill that is oozing like a meat factory near his house by Asari Iso Layout. As if potholes are not enough, the dumphill by Gershom Bassey's house in Asari Iso Layout by Adrian Bakery can kill even a pig. Gosh. So much of a clean Calabar as hyped on the internet by media aides of the commissioner for tourism and culture. It is very worrisome to go to a big market like Mbukpa and have one hand over your nose to prevent the stench from taking over your lungs. Grrrhhh!!!
Government agents can be seen in this busy market touting their tickets. While CUDA is protesting for salary payment, waste hills have been left to take up a large section of the only road leading into the market.
Internet Censorship/Hacking of Facebook Accounts , Emails, and Phone Numbers:
It is only in China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Myanmar that I know Facebook is often tampered. Cross River State, a subregional government has joined the war against critics by hacking into their email accounts and Facebook. Hacking of phone numbers has become a game notably enjoyed by the government.
More conspicuously is the fact that online news outlet that publishes the work of critics have been attacked and their servers brought down. Few of the online journalists publishing news from CRS have been bought over. They are pro-government. They reject commentaries and articles from critics because they don't want to be seen as anti government.
Cross River State Budget:
The Cross River State budget 2016 tagged “budget of deep vision” has been a budget that has risen dust and controversy. Okoi obono-Obla described it as a bloated and illegal budget. He went further to write to the House of Assembly. In a separate article I titled “Ayade Budget of Deep Vision Is Illegal And Fraudulent”, I enlightened several issues that made it so. Most prominent was the lack of public accountability and transparency, and a lack of budget contribution by MDAs in the budget. The budget which was drawn by Governor Ben Ayade, his younger brother Frank Ayade, and his economic adviser had no contribution from his commissioners. In fact, Ayade had no commissioners when he drew up the budget.
Therefore, he had no idea what the commissioners will be needing in their various ministries. Drawing a budget the size of mountain Kilimanjaro doesn't really makes sense. Even the CRSHA has threatened Ayade that it will not be business as usual at the budget defense. Only time will tell whether or not their threats are just another rubber stamp threats.
However, people who did not contribute to the budget development are called to defend the budget. Few of the commissioners appointed are believed to be confused and clueless about the budget and its defense. It will be a fatal exercise to invite someone to defend a thesis he didn't contribute to in writing it. Defending a budget proposal in the CRSHA sent there by the governor without contribution from the public, civil society, and government functionaries is a crime.
It is interesting that soon after the debate of the budget illegality and fraud, AIT announced Cross River State, Lagos, Ekiti, and Jigawa as most transparent State. The Civil Resource Development Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) responded to my inquiries by Stating that it did not do assessment for the newly inaugurated governors. That the governors evaluated were Fayemi of Ekiti State, Fashola of Lagos State, Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, and governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa.
CIRDDOC went on to State that the budget transparency index must have Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) participation. It said that, any attempt to exclude the public and civil society organisation will make a budget not only devoid of transparency, but also illegal and fraudulent. Ayade media team has been blowing their normal horns about budget transparency believing that it was Ayade budget that CIRDDOC was referring to. In its t letter, the organisation even stated that Liyel Imoke was present as a panelist during the award presentation.
The Signature Projects:
The signature projects of Ben Ayade doesn't have a lifeline in them anymore. More efforts put in has brought less returns. At present, the National Institute of Survey (NIS), Cross River State chapter is own lot of money. Monies invested into the Superhighway by the State chairman of the Institute by way of preliminary survey work and other logistics have not been paid till now. With contracting companies pulling out, ground clearance is right now abandoned. Only work going on is the one done by dilapidated machineries of Leophina. Because lately, even Sermatec is complaining of gross mismanagement of site allocation by Eric Akpo, SA Superhighway.
Most people believe that the efforts put into the internet hype of the Superhighway, if translated proportionately, the work of the Superhighway would have been finished by now. With broken down equipments every now and then, the work on the Superhighway is as fast as a snail.
Every now and then, Ayade with other of his commissioners, LGA chairmen or women to go to site to show support for the Superhighway and take pictures there. It is true that the work is ongoing. But the caterpillar the was broken and abandoned for a long time at the garment factory is the same caterpillar that was taken to the Superhighway. It has broken down more than 20 times ever since it was taken there. I am looking at 6 years before the Superhighway will be completed. If at all it will be completed. The superhighway will be a dead venture soon as Amaechi the transporter takes on the Calabar/Ikom highway.
Deep Sea Port:
Non of the social media aides to the governor knows about the deep seaport and the suspension of work at the site. The level of work done cannot be found anywhere. Because, there's no work going on. Speaking with spoke person of Rao Jiangiang, the Chairman and Managing Director of Huadong Engineering Corporation reportedly said that “ever since their visit for the feasibility studies, the CRS government interest in the project has not had the enthusiasm they had in the first place because they have refused to mobilize manpower to site. Our idea was to provide the technical and engineering knowhow. The government has to provide other logistics. Going to site is very problematic because of the bad road network”. “I don't think the government is serious with the project” the spoke person concluded. From the talks above, one could conclude that the whole thing is a hoax.
Huadong Engineering Corporation is a company given the right to build the deep seaport.
The Superhighway:
The superhighway is suffering serious financial set back. Till now, the government has not been able to secure a 25% bank guarantee of the 500 million euros for all the signature projects. All the contractors of the superhighway are owed heavily and they may not come back to continue the contract in the new year. Little or nothing has been heard of the tunnel and the company contracted to build, neither has there been any tentative statement to how long the tunnel will be and at what end of the superhighway the tunnel will be located.
A lot of Crossriverians and I have celebrated the promise of a 4G internet capability throughout the superhighway and Cross River State in general. I want to know at what stage of the construction the 4G streams will be shot? Isn't it time the companies contracted for that project began feasibility study?
Cross River State Garment Corporation:
Mr Christian Ita had said in several online publications that the garment corporation was passed into law by the CRSHA. The bill has nor been made public till now. The public and civil service organization made no contribution to the law. But we remembered that the garment factory advert for work placement of widows was done by Christian Ita under this name. It is however sad that until now, even the governor and commissioner for tourism and culture refer to it as “the garment factory”, this is causing controversy to the actual owner of the factory. Is the garment factory a government factory? Or a private factory own by the Ayades? Is it public funds that are being used for the garment factory or the “Ayade Family Wealth?”
However, work at the garment factory remains at a 20% completion level. Until now, people employed or earmarked for employment have not started their training.
Payment of labourers at the construction site is a tough job. Frank Ayade drop there once a while to bask orders to the labourers working there with empty stomachs.
This is the state of the CRS.
Ifere Paul
Is an Environmental Activist & Public Policy Analyst