The 8th of May, 2020 witnessed a landmark event as the newly appointed chairman of the Cross River State Community and Social Development Agency,
Sir Toni Ikpeme made his maiden appearance at his office on Marian road.
Prior to his formal resumption,
Sir Toni Ikpeme had visited the office to register his presence as the new helms man to drive his Excellency’s vision vis a vis the implementation of community development projects that will ultimately improve the sustainable living standards of Cross Riverians.
As part of his familiarization process, he made a tour of the facility to assess the state of things and was very impressed with what he saw. While commending the Acting General Manager of the Agency, the chairman said; ‘kudos to you and the staff, I have moved round and seen the premises and I am impressed with the capacity you have here. It confirms why you have been able to do the much that you have done and your staff are top notch. He further stated that his presence at the agency is to work with other members of the board and staff of the agency to bring new ideas and new vision to the agency where necessary. He said some things can be tweaked to get maximum results.
The Chairman also made it clear that, going forward the agency will explore ways of extending collaborating partnership deals with not just international donor institutions but also with local (corporate outfits) and public institutions ( Local Government Councils) so that a lot more projects can be covered in our communities.
He said, already, discussions are ongoing with one or two corporate institutions who have indicated interest to provide palliatives to some communities.
Mr. Ikpeme reiterated the desire of the Governor of the State, Prof. Ben Ayade to ensure that the agency and her development partner, the World Bank, completes all projects that were started in his tenure. According to him, the vision trust of
His Excellency is that, virtually all communities in the state must be touched by his administration.
The chairman posited that the Cross River State Government will continue to synergize with the World Bank in a collaborative effort to ensure that the lives and everything that the Cross Riverian needs to improve his or her living standard is being enhanced through community development projects.
Speaking earlier, the Acting General Manager, Cross River State Community and Social Development Agency, Mr Fidelis Udie who took the chairman on the tour of the facility expressed his excitement of the appointment and is looking forward to working with the new board. He expressed confidence that Sir Toni Ikpeme coming from the banking sector and having been part of His Excellency’s administration will add the needed value to the agency.
