Cross River North: Is Ayade Coming to Serve Us?

Agba Jalingo raises salient issues about the 2023 senatorial ambition of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State

There is deliberate attention I have decided to give to the Cross River North 2023 Senatorial race. First and foremost, that is my senatorial district and I am rightly entitled to consider myself a stakeholder in the district. I don’t need to wait for anyone to avail me that entitlement. I was born with it. Secondly, the choices before the people of the district demands every right thinking person from that space to take a position and not sit on the fence. It doesn’t matter which side you pitch your tent, but just take a position and cement it for posterity.

After denying vehemently that he didn’t participate in the just concluded presidential primary and having failed in his presidential bid, Governor Ben Ayade reverted to his initial plan B. He arm twisted his erstwhile Chief of Staff, Martin Orim, who had won and was earlier declared winner, to voluntarily withdraw from the race and hand him the APC senatorial ticket for Cross River North, a position Ayade had occupied from 2011 to 2015 from where he contested and won the governorship contest. And Orim did. Last week, Ayade was returned in the rerun primary and will now be facing incumbent, Senator JarigbeAgom in the general election.

Cross River North with the unofficial zonal headquarters in Ogoja, has suffered backwardness and lack of infrastructure for as long as the zone has existed. The assumption of the office of Governor of our State by a son of Northern Cross River in 2015, arrived with huge heart warming expectations. But with only 317 days left, out of the 2,922 days he started with,  Ayade is yet to complete and activate any developmental project in Northern Cross River in particular and Cross River State in general. This may sound like a joke or sarcasm but it is the verifiable truth. Even in the spirit of charity beginning from home, he has no functional project in Cross River North.

Let me begin with the Obudu-Ogoja highway project which is still under construction. It is supposed to criss cross the five northern LGAs. It was certainly one of the projects our people necessarily expected Governor Ayade to undertake being that the existing road which was constructed by SGEN Construction Company, over three decades ago had become impassable. The project is still ongoing after several years and has not being completed or commissioned.

Yet, what is intriguing about the road project is that, despite lasting over three decades before the old road by SGEN began failing, Ayade’s new road is so poorly done that even while still under construction, repair works have already began on several portions that were purportedly completed. The whole stretch of the 148km road is so terribly asphalted that it would wash off before the governor leaves office in 2023.

Now let’s go LGA by LGA. In Yala LGA, the governor designated a space in Ochorn for a cotton farm to feed the garment factory. It’s over five years and nothing is on that land which was seized from the local people. There were also the roofing tiles factory in Yala and the noise about the construction of the Ukelle road. The road wasn’t constructed and the factory is abandoned. I personally visited the roofing sheet factory and only one phoney looking ‘security’ woman was in the premises.

In Ogoja, the governor says his ultra modern rice mill is 90 percent completed. We have been hearing that for more than two years, but till date, the mill is not functional. Or let me say more appropriately that, the rice mill has no product in the market.

Governor Ayade commenced the construction of two small groundnut mills in Bekwarra LGA. One in Gakem and another in Nya-NyaOlim, both in Bekwarra. I visited the two. Typically, groundnut mills aren’t a big deal to set up. Even private individuals set these up within few months. But several years after the machines were installed, the two mills are still not working till date. Go and verify.

In the governor’s home LGA, Obudu, there is the Obudu International Cargo Airport, the German Hospital and the Canadian University. Despite claiming the airport will be functional by year end, the terminal building just collapsed and all five contractors handling the project have since left the site because of accumulated debts. The so called German hospital has a gigantic building well painted from outside without anything going on inside till date. While the so called Canadian University can’t move forward beyond the few physical structures because UBEB says SUBEB money can’t be used for tertiary education projects. All the three are not working as I write.

In Obanliku, Ayade in May 2021 flagged off the construction of a N8.2 billion  hydro electricity project situated at the Ranch Resort. N45 million was also paid as compensation for the land the Ayade government acquired to build a ” World Class Resort And Tourism Consort” in Obanlikwu LGA. Busafong Community forfeited 44,000 hectares of land for compensation of N20 million while Amunga forfeited 77,000 hectares for a compensation of N25 million. There was also the 1000 social housing scheme in Obanliku.

All three projects have been abandoned by Governor Ayade. Out of the 1000 Socialite B, housing units, only eight buildings have been roofed without windows or occupants. There were recent reports that thieves raided the unsecured social housing sites and carted away building materials.

That’s is the appraisal of Governor Ayade’s stewardship to Cross River North during his governorship and now, this same man wants to depart Government House in Calabar and return to the Senate? To replace a workaholic JarigbeAgom who even as a legislator, has his footprints in every LGA in the Cross River North?

Simply put, for fear of post governorship loneliness and depression, Ayade is fear struck about returning home. He is looking for a retirement job and we can’t afford to make Cross River North’s chair in the red chambers his retirement abode. Remember he has refused to even visit home since he became governor. Make him senator again and he will remain in Mississippi street in Maitama and may never come to Cross River too. He is simply not going there to serve us. We must show him the way home.