Bobby Ekpenyong, a former Commissioner in Cross River State, was the Labour Party candidate in the 2015 House of Representatives elections for Calabar-Odukpani Federal Constituency. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, he attempts an assessment of the Governor Ben Ayade-led government in the last one year and gives a scorecard
WHAT’S your impression of governance in Cross River state in the last one year?
I must say there have been good governance indicators in Cross River State at the moment. Looking at where we are coming from in the last 16 years and the last eight years, I have seen that Professor Ben Ayade has got dreams and vision for the state. I love people with dreams. Of course, what you need to back it up is the will power and the availability of resources. But if you wait until you get the resources before you birth a dream or vision, you are dead on arrival. So, looking at the framework and what Governor Ayade has designed for the state, I think it is time we join hands together with the government so that this dream can come to fruition. What I see is that the past one year has been dedicated to planning and creation of frameworks for further development of Cross River State. In this time of economic recession, all we need to do in Cross River State is to be together and not to tear ourselves apart. That can only make matters worse for us.
The opinion of some observers is that Cross River state, especially under Donald Duke was on a steady march of progress but missed its mark along the line.
Well, all l can say is that Cross River State is on its way back to progress. Of course, as you rightly noted, between 1999 and 2007, Donald Duke put Cross River on the world map, as it became the top destination in Nigeria in terms of tourism, economic development, in terms of infrastructure. Most people, especially investors coming to Nigeria had Cross River on their minds because everything needed to attract investors were in place in Cross River State. Then the next government came. I have always said that no two human beings can be the same. So you may not be able to get the same thing from two different people. He had his own vision, but perhaps his vision could not match or sustain the legacies or structures already put in place by Donald Duke. Now come Ayade as governor. All that I have seen, just like the generality of Cross River State indigenes and residents in the state, is that semblance, big dreams and vision for the state as was the case under Duke. Now the state has gone beyond tourism to open up investment frontiers in the state, by putting in place things that could improve the economic base of the state.
Cross River State has been persistently progressive and has shown that oil may not be the biggest thing for them. What role do you think Cross River can play in the development of a Niger Delta economy outside oil?
You agree with me that for years, the Niger Delta has been a very volatile area, extending up to our neighbour, Akwa Ibom. Niger Delta has been a very restive environment. We are just blessed that people are still there doing businesses. Let me clear the air. Yes, we have always said Cross River is part of the Niger Delta, in terms of the benefits that accrue to Niger-Delta; it has been another thing, which I don’t want to go into. But what Cross River State has been able to do over time is to try and maintain a very secure and calm environment and atmosphere for the people. Yes, we can have skirmishes of crimes here and there because it is impossible to have a group of people living together in a community and not have some crime. But I want to say that in Cross River, at the moment, the crime rate is almost at zero level. That means safety for the people. You cannot live in an insecure environment, not to talk of doing business there. The government of the state has been able to provide that business environment. And the people of Cross River have been very accommodating. That is our culture. It is our way of life. We are a peace-loving people. It is a destination for anybody who wants to live in the Niger Delta and look at the business opportunities. The peaceful serenity of the place provides you abundant opportunities to look at what you can tap into. Yes, I know there is so much focus on oil that has beclouded other opportunities in the state and the area as a whole. In Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and other states in the Niger Delta, every strife is towards the oil. But now that the oil prices have crashed, there is serious crisis. In Cross River, we have very fertile land for farming; we have vast expanse of forest; we have limestone, we have cotton. This is pointing to Cross River State. The environment is very safe…
How would you react to the spate of kidnappings and other crimes in the state lately?
Yes, like I said earlier, you can hardly have a crime-free environment. Moreover, the heat on our neighbouring states like Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers is beginning to push those with criminal tendencies to Cross River. As you know, a criminal remains one. Some of them may have found some communities in Cross River State habitable, and when they settle there, they begin to perpetrate some of these crimes. But I like what the state governor has done. He has created a tight security structure that is backed with the efforts of the various security agencies. One of such is the Green Police, a local initiative that enables locals to share intelligence with the Nigeria Police and other authorities. This has caused the crimes and kidnappings in the state to reduce.
Do you think Ayade is enjoying the support of the people of the state in view of recent attacks on him from a section of the state?
There is no human being that will not have critics, especially when you are in public office. Remember we have two major parties in Nigeria. In Cross River, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the ruling party, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the opposition. The reverse is the case at the federal level. Ayade enjoys the appreciation of the people of Cross River State, at least for the past one year so far. But hear this; I am a stakeholder in Cross River. I did not vote for Ayade. I was in Labour Party during the election and Labour Party had a candidate during the election. So, there was no way I would have voted Ayade. But I can boast of knowing the state more than Ayade. There is a section of the state that is known for petition writing, whether you do well or not. This is typical of our people. Ayade is from the northern part of Cross River, and if you look at where the criticisms are coming from, they are from his own people. So, I see Ayade as a victim of his kinsmen’s conspiracy.
Ayade’s efforts at diversifying the economy led to the establishment of a garment factory. But there are claims that the garment factory is actually privately owned as against the impression that it is owned by the government. What is your take on this?
It is wild allegation. Yes I have read about it on the social media. It is very simple. Are you saying a project that is captured in the state’s budget, passed by the state Assembly, is not government-owned? Are you saying the state Assembly members are so daft that they will not be able to know that such a prominent project being captured for expenditure is not owned by the government and they made approval for it? Have you been to the Cooperative Affairs Commission to find out? I have headed a government before and do know that the government can incorporate a firm, like the Water Board. In doing this, it has to be personified as with the Permanent Secretary or a very senior ranking officer as the figure. So long as it is not a limited liability company, the incorporation must be done with the name of a serving government official. Each time those officials leave the government; the record is upgraded with the CAC. This does not make the person whose name appears there the owner. Those making these allegations are immature. The state government, I hear has incorporated over 30 companies in attempt to increase its income stream for the state through the various investment opportunities.
Ayade has also been accused of living ostentatious life styles that negate the austere condition in the state. Do you share the same sentiments?
The way I look at things is different. I ask if whatever anyone does is within the ambit of the law? Ayade that I knew even before being elected as governor, while he was doing business, loves to drive around in convoy. That is probably his style. I have seen him come into Calabar from outside the state in convoy of vehicles. That is how he loves to live. Yes there are certain things he should not do, but that he goes around in convoy may be what he loves. If there is a law that bars government officials from driving around in convoys, then we can look at it differently. The allegations that his brother, Frank Ayade, is co-governor, is laughable. That his brother is governor does not stop him from working in the state. As a governor, if I have a brother that I find competent and relevant to what I am doing, I can bring him along. But if we want Cross River to be where we want it to be, we must see and look beyond the governor. Let us bring our creativity to bear. It is beyond one man.
What is the future of the Labour Party in Cross River?
Labour Party was a project in and during the elections. The elections are over and so is that project. What Bobby Ekpenyong is doing is to look into the future. There are things that I am doing. I will keep doing, helping where necessary to see where the government can succeed. I am not concerned about party politics for now. I want the state to work so that the burden on our people will be reduced. The economic recession in the country is affecting all homes. I am passionate about my people with regards to what we can do to live, pay our children’s school fees, feed well.
