By Goddie Akpama

On July 1, 2021, the Cross River State Governor, Prof, Sir Ben Ayade, took his quest for the actualization of the Bakassi Deep Seaport, and the 275 kilometre Super Highway from the Southern part of the state to the Northern part, to the Federal Government.

This time around he had audience with the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and once again outlined the economic importance and benefits derivable from both signature projects to Nigeria, when completed and put into use!!

In Governor Ayade’s words, this is what he told Boss Mustapha about the two projects: “Crude oil is a thing of the past because in 2030, fossil oil driven cars will come to an end. The world is shifting towards solar energy and by extension, towards solid minerals. The North is so blessed but they must have access to the Atlantic Ocean to enable them the opportunity to do export. That is why the iron ore, the tantalite, the gold and diamond deposits need an access to the export corridor, a maritime domain to have a full benefit of the sea port….

“The Super Highway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport, which I discussed intimately with the SGF, is the way to go to open a vista of opportunity with the northern Nigeria. These resources are so huge but they lie waste because the travel time from North to Lagos, which is the closest port, is over 1,700 km. Nobody will want to go through all that because there is a shortcut using the super highway through the Atlantic Ocean.”

It is one visit Mustapha highly appreciated, especially as Governor Ayade just socketed to the center a little over one month ago. Boss Mustapha applauded the governor for the giant strides he has made towards contributing to the rice revolution in the country.

Read Also; Let’s garland Ben Ayade, by Femi Adesina

The significance to the visit is that Ayade has put no one in doubts that both projects which are his signature projects started in 2015 are still on course, due more to their enormous sizes, huge financial implications, and bureaucratic bottlenecks, some of which required the approval of the federal government.

The latest visit of the state governor to Aso Rock underscores the seriousness he attaches to the projects due to the immediate and future positive impacts they would have not just on the economy of Cross River State and Nigeria, but on the international economy given the strategic locations of the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport at the mouth of the Gulf of Guinea, and the fact that the road would easily link the north to the South- south where the Atlantic Ocean can be directly accessed for enhancement of international maritime trade with the state as the entre port.

The share size of the projects and the huge financial requirements to bring them to fruition is indicative of the fact that they will not be completed within the remaining two years of Governor Ayade administration, even if the billions of naira needed for their construction were readily available as of today.

Hence, it can be concluded that Governor Ayade isn’t even interested in taking glory for the projects whenever they are completed. He is simply interested in the future wellbeing of the state; that is what Cross River would benefit in the long run after the two projects come into fruition, more so, as the state is rich in solid minerals that the world is moving towards, in the face of declining interest in crude oil.

Some people have queried the feasibility of the projects given the lean resources of the state and the fact that it is burdened by weighty financial debts.

The fact is that Governor Ayade isn’t relying on the state purse to finance the protects, neither is he going for loans which the state may not get at the end of the day. Rather, he is banking on Public Private Partnership, PPP, model to get the projects on.

The governor knows too well that sitting back in Calabar to lament over nonavailability of funds to implement the projects are the worst of options.

Even the federal government has done same in financing some of its projects, namely the Apapa-Oshodi Way in Lagos, and the Obajana-Kaba-Bunu road in Kogi state; both of them involving Dangote Group of Companies.

This explains his visit to Aso Rock to once again solicit the support of the federal government.

In doing so, Governor Ayade has put the state above self, while seeking avenues for the seamless construction and completion of the multi billion naira projects after he would have finished serving the state in 2023. Governor Ayade is socketing Cross River State to the centre.

• Goddie A. Akpama, Cross River State