Events in Calabar in the past couple of weeksare enough to break even the most dogged in any leadership position. Many a leader would have baulked or cringed. But that is not what makes a good leader. A good leader neither wilts nor cowers.
Good leaders exude courage, confidence and commitment. That is the mien and fabric with which they are woven.
Governor Ben Ayadeemblematizes these qualities a-plenty. With a near zero revenue allocation from the federation account, measly internally generated revenue (IGR), Ayade has proved more than handful for all the challenges that have made dreary headlines of many states across the country.
These days, placards-carrying protestations have become a common narrative in several states and a feeding frenzy for many of the media.
But with courage, the governor has stoically soldiered on, ensuring that workers get their honest reward for their labour. He has astounded many with this feat, oftentimes leading to questions as “where is he getting the money from to pay salaries and still invest in infrastructure?”
And with commitment also, the one-time senator turned governor has had to go under the trenches working alongside everyone else to ensure the state capital, Calabar retains its status as the cleanest in the country. There can never be any greater motivation than this, being committed to his work and to his promise.
Assuming office last year as the fifth civilian governor of the state, Ayade came with a clear vision and an exciting idea of where he was going and what he aims to accomplish as a strategic planner.
With a private sector background, his herald was one of a manager undergoing a metamorphosis from transactional manager to a transformational leader.
Out of nothing, he has steadfastly been hewing a pathway to recalibrate the economic landscape of the state by attracting investors with interest in oil and gas, construction, agriculture and education and mining.
As a patriotic leader, his quality of patriotism means that he is willing to make sacrifice in the interest of common goals.
This patriotism played out so poignantly recently when he was outside the country and he had had to cut short his investment trip to return home to attend to matters of urgent concern. On his return, he took a radical approach as a leader who leads from the front by hosting a five-hour security meeting with all the service commanders. Shortly after the meeting, he addressed a world press conference, where he outlined a new strategy on how to sustain the peace for which the state has famous for.
A day before the security meeting, Governor Ayade had received in audience the Consul-General of France along with his entourage which included some officials of Lafarge company, where their talks not only centred on business and the water project by the French government in Obubra and Okpoma, but also on security. The governor gave them a firm assurance that the state government would ensure that French companies and other companies operating in the state do so in safety.
At that meeting, Governor Ayade revealed for the very first time his plans for the establishment of the Cross River Homeland Security Service, a non-arm bearing and voluntary outfit that will gather intelligence report, and share such with other security agencies.
Matching words with action, Governor Ayade personally led all the service commanders, and other heads of paramilitary organizations on a ride along the streets and highways of Calabar on an operation code-named, “Operation Show of Force”, to assure residents of Calabar that the government and the security agencies were fully on ground to protect their lives and property, while at the same time warning the criminal elements that they were coming after them in earnest
The same day, security personnel were dispatched to all the nooks and crannies of Calabar to checkmate the activities of hoodlums and other undesirable elements in the state.
To ensure that peace and security prevail across the state, Ayade equally had audience with state traditional rulers’ council, warning them that the state government would not hesitate to withdraw the certificates of recognition from any traditional rulers who would not maintain peace in their domain.
The effort of the governor at ensuring a conducive investment climate has not gone without notice. Recently, the United States, through its outgone ambassador to Nigeria, James F. Entwistle, stated that Cross River State remains a favourite state in Nigeria to do business.
As part of his effort to ensure efficient waste evacuation and management in Calabar metropolis, the governor recently ordered over 20 evacuation trucks and 200 dumpsters.
According to him ensuring safe and clean Calabar is one of the cardinal policies of his administration. Coming at a time of dwindling income of the state, there could not have been a more creative way to address the issue of waste management in the state.
While some regarded this proactive initiative as one of the core duties of the government, many have since commended Ayade for funding the acquisition of the equipment, despite the challenging economy. They lauded him for his decision to “Buy NaijaTo Grow The Naira” which was considered in the purchase of the evacuation trucks manufactured by Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing, a company wholly owned and operated by Nigerians.
Prior to the acquisition of the trucks, the governor had undertaken a tour of the various dumpsites in the metropolis and came to the inevitable conclusion that a lot needed to be done in the area of waste evacuation and management.
Still on security, the governor appealed to the people to henceforth be more interested on what goes on around them, the activities of their neighbours, and the need for parents to monitor very closely their children’s activities and friends. He noted that there was also need to return to the old cherished values and virtues where we were our brothers and sisters’ keepers. They people were also advised to report any suspicious person or persons and movement to the government and the law enforcement agents for prompt intervention, adding that the Commissioner of Police and State Security Adviser’s numbers are in public domain including the numbers from the 11 security sections of Calabar.
So far, the people are happy with the security measures put in place by the governor, insisting he is very much is on track.
Indeed, Ayade has demonstrated that he is a leader that can be trusted, and one who leads from the front and from behind.
