Category: Politics

The State Chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) says it read with rude shock on the National dailies and Social Media the purported call by the State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the resignation or impeachment of the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Sen Prof Ben Ayade.

In a Press Statement in Calabar signed by the State Chairman, Mr Patrick Ali unbehalf of the Council,they described such a call as reckless, unpatriotic and wicked  considering the fact that some of the said offences that warranted their call are not peculiar to the state alone.

On Security,It is a known fact that many APC controlled states like Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, Borno, Imo and yobe are currently faced with different Security challenges, the latest being the killing of over eighty persons by Fulani herdsmen in Benue State.

It is also pertinent to remind our friends that the APC led federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari is also grapping with insecurity issues which include, renewed pipeline vandalization by Niger Delta Avengers in the South South, Suicide bombings by members of the Boko Haram sect in the North East, gruesome Killing by Fulani Herdsmen especially in the North Central and series of protest by the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which has led to several deads in the South East.

Therefore the calling of the Cross River State House of Assembly to Impeach the Governor if he refuses to resign is illogical and unthinkable as it can also be seen as an indirect call by the Party in the state for the impeachment of the President by the National Assembly despite all his concerted effort at repositioning our National Security just like the Governor Ayade is doing.

Furthermore, Communal conflict in Cross River State is as old as the State and the Governor just like his predecessors is doing everything within his powers to bring lasting peace between the various communities. For the upsurge in other Crimes in the state like Kidnapping and Armed Robbery, it could be safe to say that,the ‘CHANGE ‘ philosophy of the APC is what has brought about hardship, thus forcing some people into crime and criminality.

The party also cited the several travels and signing of MOUs which they allege has not seen the light of day right from its inception. It is a known fact that, Signing of Memorandum of understanding are like planted seeds and will always take some time before its germinate if not so,Nigerians could have started reaping the benefit of the several MOUs that have been signed by President Buhari with different countries recent of which was with the Chinese government.

APC Cross River also listed as one of Governor Ayade’s crime, the venturing to execute project that are exclusively in the purview of the federal Government like the deap Seaport, Super Highway, establishment of Green Police and homeland Security among others. Let us remind our dear brothers that, the very first State that had the privilege to host the president in in an official visit since he was elected was Cross River to personally perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the Super Highway. We therefore wonder why the president who is from far away Katsina will embrace such a problem by giving it a knot and people who are suppose to be direct beneficiaries of the project when concluded will not. It must be abundantly clear to the party that Cross River State is not the only state in the federation venturing into such projects and it is only the federal Government that reserves the right to approve or disapprove such proposals from state.

Challenging any government policy or programme it considers Anti People or unconstitutional in a competent court of law would have been more Honourable rather than displaying their ignorance in the pages of Newspapers and social media all in a bit to discredit the Governor.

Cross River State is greater than any party or individual. Let us keep aside malice, hatred, party politics and ethnicity and join hands and hearts with the Governor to deliver on his campaign promises which promises to impact positively on our people.

Dear Comrades, we admonish you to be solutions pro viders instead of avalanche of problems to our dear state. If we must criticise, we must do so and come out with recommendations as failure to do so, only makes us arm chair critics. We are all partners in the development process of our dear State. Unwarranted impeachment and resignation calls is counter productive and It is only a Clog in the will of progress of our dear state.

Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has vouched to deplore everything at his disposal to ensure the protection lives and property in the state.

Ayade gave the assurance yesterday in Calabar when he undertook the inspection of the deployment of security operatives at strategic places around the Calabar metropolis.

This came barely 48 hours after he joined service commanders on Operation Show of Force, an exercise aimed at demonstrating the combat readiness of the joint military task force code named Operation Skolombo along major streets in the metropolis.

His words: “We have responded fully to this challenge and I’m sure that we have seen sufficient signals that we are totally in control and fully in charge. The truth of the matter is that, if we have crisis in other states, visitors will probably still go there because of their oil and gas installations, but if we lose our tranquility, if we lose the name and heritage of Cross River State as a peaceful state, then we are gone. That is why I will give my right hand to protect that name, that integrity and warmth that we are known for.”

Reaffirming his willingness to totally eliminate all forms of criminalities in the state, Ayade said: “Let me assure the good people of Cross River that I am the governor who leads from the front and that is why I physically do this every day and we are seeing drastic results. So, gradually we are beginning to see peace return, as we begin to see calm return, then I shall move backward and allow security operatives to take full charge.”

The governor described perpetrators of the evil acts as enemies of the state who are bent on destabilizing the beauty, peace, tranquility and panache that the people of Cross River and  indeed, Calabar is known for

He further stressed: “We can’t afford to have this happen. We will go after them, we will pursue them like a chronic plague that they are and we are going to get them out of this state sooner than they expect.”

Specifically, he said: “We have strong information as to their hideout; we have strong information as to their location. We do know that these people are not Cross Riverians, they are here to destabilize us and I would not allow that happen. As I said, we have specific instructions and clear directions, we have clear knowledge of the people, we are going after them and we shall go after them and we shall get them.”

Offering insights into the enforcement of safety measures on Calabar waterways which have had its own bite of piracy and militancy activities in recent times,  the governor explained: “I have just concluded an audit of the water ways; I am convinced and happy with what I have seen in terms of security distributions.”

He lauded efforts of the security operatives for their efforts in containing the situation so far, saying “I am quite excited about the response by the Military and indeed all the para-military forces that have come together to arrest the situation and gradually Calabar is regaining its peace.”

While apologizing to those assaulted by the miscreants at some points, Ayade said: “Please bear with us, things will get well soon; I already received strong and clear signals as you can see that normalcy is gradually returning. I am fully on ground and fully in charge, we shall overcome.”

He assured residents and visitors to the state, particularly investors of their safety and urged them to go about their legitimate businesses.

On the current waste situation and the approach adopted to restore the greenery and cleanliness of the metropolis, Ayade explained: “We have increased the number of bins and dumpsters, we have increased the number of evacuation trucks and today, Calabar is clean and green again.”

Continuing he said: “Of course, we can agree that there is really huge increase in the number of human beings in Calabar in relation to waste generation and accordingly, we have expanded our scope to deal with the issues of sanitation.”

Speaking on urban afforestation, headed: “We have equally initiated a new program which is urban afforestation. Commencing with the Green Police and you can take a royal look at the atmosphere and I’m sure if your camera man can pan round, you can see that Calabar is really clean and green again.”

Out-going United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle has identified Cross River as his favourite state in the country.

Entwistle who stated this at a valedictory press conference in Abuja said his last visit to the state left a lasting impression on his mind.

Asked which place in Nigeria was his favourite, he said: “I remember I took a trip to the northern part of Cross River State to look at the wild life that is still alive in this country-gorillas, elephants and all sorts of things. That was a tremendous trip.”

He added that he would not mind spending more time in Cross River State should he return to Nigeria.

His words: “If I come back to Nigeria, I would not mind spending more time there (Cross River).

~Emmanuel Ulayi

Cross Riverians at home and in the Diasporas have been called upon to pull their collective weight behind Governor Ben Ayade in his developmental aspiration for the state.

This challenge was handed down by the Speaker, Cross River House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Joe Oshie Abang and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Stella Odey while speaking on Radio programme tagged “Ayade’s Cross River” on a topic, “Building the Cross River State of our dream” on Monday in Calabar.

The programme which is an initiative of the Governor’s Office Press Department will be a weekly programme that will run every Monday with a repeat  edition  on Thursday and anchored by the trio of the Governor Media Aides, Beatrice Akpala, Emmanuel Ulayi and Solomon Asha

All the speakers agreed that it is incumbent on the people of Cross River to give their total support to Governor Ben Ayade as a morale boost to enable him carry on with the numerous development projects like the super highway, deep seaport, and garment factory, among others, stressing that allowing foreigners to dictate what we should do and how we should manage our forests resources, to build roads or not to build is a clear indication of imperialism and neo-colonialism.

On the super highway, they collectively agreed that it was total unpatriotic for some indigenes of Cross River to fight against the actualization of the super highway, asserting that if the Federal Government has agreed to expand the existence Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja-Katsina Ala highway to a four lane highway as proposed by the Cross River government, there would have been no need for the new super highway to serve as evacuation corridor to the deep seaport.

They explained that it is complete negative propaganda to claim that the super highway will take 10km right and left of the road and that those who have turned the social media into a battle arena against Governor Ayade lack adequate information, stressing that the super highway will be the biggest booster of the state’s ecotourism industry and that it is vain effort to attempt to stop Cross River from having a super highway, adding that it was wicked to think that the same government that fight against illegal logging will at the same time be involve in the same act.

 In the area of Women development, the speakers also agreed that the administration of Senator ben Ayade has given women more opportunities, broaden their scope of participation to contribute to the development of the state through empowerment, training , registration into associations and cooperatives to benefit from the Bank of Industry and other banks loans, adding that the women of the state were totally in support of the Super highway project because of the immense economic benefits it will bring to them and their families.

As part of the deliberate effort of the Ayade leadership to provide a solid legal foundation that will be of immense benefit to the ordinary Cross Riverian, they also informed members of the public that the Cross River House of Assembly have initiated 48 Bills out of which 18 have been passed into law, adding that the Homeland security Service Bill when passed onto law will equally ensure the recruitment of 3000 volunteers who will help in providing safety, ensure home identity, code and share information to the security agents.

They equally disclosed that the administration of Governor Ayade has reduced the numbers of cases inherited from 786 to about 500 as well as reduced the numbers of cases against government which stood at more than 90 percent at the inception of this administration, and called on all Cross Riverians to support the government of Senator Ayade to succeed for the good of all.

~Emmanuel Ulayi

Governor Ben Ayade today said criticisms are inspirational tonic that spur him to improve the lives of Cross Riverians and develop the state.

He said he would not be distracted by the negative criticisms of some people but he has rather determined to be inspired by their criticisms for the over-all interest of the state and her people.

Governor Ayade charged those promoting negative criticisms against his person and government to rather channel their energy in contributing their quota to develop the state.

He further disclosed that making cross river state a better place is a collective responsibility and encouraged those peddling negative and false criticism to be proactive instead of being reactive.

His word: “l am very determined to develop cross river and her people that was the oath l sworn to as governor of the state and l am determined to achieve and do that. l am not troubled by the negative tales of some persons against their own state, for me agenda cross river is a project that we are very committed to and we would transform this state to a better place for all. We have put in place all the structures that are geared to achieving that mandate so you can see that is where  all my focus are, to creating jobs for our people, providing security and social infrastructures and putting the enabling atmosphere that would continue to attract investors to our dear state and  sustain peace.

“l  will continue to do my best for our people . l will continue to take more risks that would develop the state and her people. l have traveled all over the world to mobilize funds to our dear state in our quest for rapid development and the efforts have started to yield the desired dividends.

“In the face of dwindling economy in the country my government is creating jobs for our people so that many cross Riverians can feed their families  and mitigate danger of crime and hunger in our country. So you can see that all my signature projects are targeted at decoupling the state from the dependence of federation stallocation.” Governor Ayade further echoed.

By Emmanuel Ulayi

In a dramatic event yesterday, the Cross River State commissioner of Police withdrew the security outfit attached to the co governor of Cross River State Mr. Frank Ayade. It is to be recalled that the governor of cross river state known for illegalities has created the office of the co governor with official vehicles and sirens. This is itself an abuse of power

Due to the recent security challenges, and the accusations that Ayade’s aides and close associates behind cultism with majority connected with the killings, armed robbery, kidnapping indirectly through their wanton guys, the commissioner of police moved to stop Frank Ayade from the use of security outfit. The commissioner of police is said to have personally stopped his convoy to order all security men to vacate the convoy of co governor Frank Ayade

The action of the commissioner of police is said to have annoyed the governor who ordered the immediate reinstatement of security to his brother. Apparently there is presently a rift between the governor and the commissioner of police who seems prepared to call on higher authorities to stop all private persons from the use of security outfit in a bid to curtail crime

I enjoin on well meaning people of cross river state to call the governor to cooperate with the Police in curbing incidence of crime in the state

Joseph Odok
Social Change Agent

Less than 24 hours after Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade joined security agencies in a show of force in Calabar there was a noticable presence of security personnel in all major streets in the state capital.

Along Marian Road alone, about eight detachment of security personnel drawn from all the forces, where seen at strategic locations keeping watch.

Ayade had Saturday defied the rain to team up with service commanders to carry out the Operation Show of Force, signalling the determination of his administration to go after criminal elements in the state.

Briefing newsmen shortly after the exercise, Ayade explained that the exercise was a deliberate measure to let the miscreants know that his team was in absolute control of the entire situation.

His words: “We are out here as a show of force to demonstrate that we are in absolute control and we are going to keep Calabar totally safe,” adding that “we have done a complete surveillance of all the possible routes, all the water areas through which these criminals escape.”

Continuing, he said: “We know who they are, the security and intelligence report has shown clearly the people who are behind all these activities and I can assure the people of Cross River State that Calabar is indeed peaceful and they should go about their legitimate businesses peacefully.”

The governor who  affirmed that all specific locations have been marked, even as access to water fronts will be cut off, hinted that “we are also embarking on a door to door search, and cordoning off of Calabar to ensure that nobody exits without a thorough search.”

Ayade further added: “I am sure that with the number of combat vehicles, with the armoury they (criminals) saw on display today, including military officers, combined team, Operation Skolombo, all on duty, tells you that Cross River State is an action state and we can’t afford the agony of having any tension any more.”

On measures to sustain the exercise, the governor explained: “As a fallout of our security meeting on Friday and Saturday, we will make adequate budgetary provision, reduce some of our spendings while transferring some of the overheads to guarantee sufficient ammunition as well as other security and logistics support.”

Commenting, Cross River Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Ozi-Obeh assured that his men will continue to protect the lives and property of the citizenry.

“Those who have legal businesses should go about them peacefully, but those who have illegal businesses should run away, “the Police Commissioner warned.

The State Security Adviser, Mr. Jude Ngaji, expressed government’s readiness to tackle the menace, pointing out that “in a couple of days, the security challenge being experienced in the state will be a thing of the past.”

The terror act of the state especially its capital city, Calabar will make anyone ruling to go to any extent even to declare state of emergency. But, well, is it making any difference?

A list of the kingpins known to the state will be published and a ransom of 10 Million Naira will be placed on their heads.