Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade Wednesday, approved the appointment of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa as the Chairman of the Cross River Ports Authority.
Ayade who made several appointments into key boards and parastatals, also appointed Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw as his Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos.
The appointments were made known in a press release signed by the Governor’s Special Assistant on Media & Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita.
The Federal Government has started the investigation of fraudulent practices carried out in government’s revenue generating agencies during the last administration.
The probe, this time, is on the agencies that remitted naira denomination to the Federation Account instead of the actual dollar revenue.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiale, informed the National Economic Council (NEC) of the new probe on Thursday.
Four State governors namely – Ben Ayade (Cross River), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) briefed State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Ayade said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) are among the government agencies fingered in the fraudulent remittances.
According to him, investigations are still ongoing on the remittances.
He said: “A brief report on the FGN agencies remiting dollar revenues in naira into the Federation account was also given by the CBN governor.
“He said investigations are ongoing. Such agencies include but not limited to NNPC, NIMASA and NPA.”
He also said that the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance briefed the council on the Excess Crude Account, which he said stands at $2.25 billion as at October 15.
On the provision of loans to states based on collaterisation of the Excess Crude Account (ECA), he said: “The CBN governor briefed that 27 states have made request for the N10 billion facility and it is currently being processed.”
“He has called on the affected states to complete all necessary documentation for the same money to the 27 states.”
The governor added that as at Thursday not all states have indicated interest in the ECA collaterised loan.
The Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade, on Thursday kicked against the privatization exercises carried out by the Federal Government.
According to him, it is wrong for the government to take public asset and sell it into the hands of few people.
He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “Finally, it is important to emphasize that privatization which has characterized the Nigerian economy for a long period is totally unacceptable, where government takes public asset and sell into the hands of few people.
“That is why I am very proud of Mr. President. Our President understands this very well and I’m sure that in the course of time, we will understand what he is doing.
“And when the results of his actions begin to manifest, Nigerians will know that he has come prepared and committed to take us to the path of glory. I must confess he is a very humble president.”
The Governor said that President Buhari will soon come for ground-breaking ceremony of the Super highway project in Cross Rivers State.
The technical issues that stalled the earlier fixed ground-breaking ceremony date, he said, are being addressed.
He added: “Basically, that is one of the reasons why I’m here. There were wrong speculations in the press linking the shift in the visit to politics, linking the shift to so many other considerations other than things that were real.
“Basically, what happened was that there were environmental issues, which was dully raised by the Ministry of Environment. And all those issues and concerns that were expressed have been addressed.”
Do you understand what it means to be born into a family into poverty? Do you appreciate how it feels to walk all the way to a ramshackle primary school bare-foot, wearing a uniform whose definite colour can no longer be identified due to many different pieces of cloths used in patching it? Have you seen a father who was almost overwhelmed by the harsh vicissitudes of life, yet saw beyond the momentary limitations and prophetically named this same son, “Benyaushuye”, meaning the future is unknown, a poor man can become rich?
The answers to these questions can be gotten from Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade. His father, the late Peter Akinsheye (1920-1997) and the late mother, Mama Beatrice Ayade (akara seller), lived in Kakum community, located about four kilometers to Obudu town.
18 years after the passage to eternal rest of Pa Ayade, his son is number one citizen of Cross River State.
Last weekend, he attracted both the mighty and the low to Obudu for a thanksgiving held at the St. Theresa Catholic Church, Kakum. It was witnessed by a large turn-out of the crème de la crème in the society, including members of the National Assembly from the state, the Deputy Governor of the state and other appointees and top civil/public servants in the state, the Speaker, Cross River House of Assembly and other members, the immediate past governor and deputy governor of the state and their wivies, present and some former council chairmen, former ministers, commissioners and other members of the past state executive council members, religious leaders including the Archbishop of Calabar, paramount rulers and other traditional rulers, investors and other personalities.
Delivering his homily, His Lordship, Most Rev. Joseph Edra Ukpo, Archbishop Emeritus, said God is principled but very kind, and that giving thanks and praises is a quality that pleases the Lord, is a crowning duty and virtue which all wise men must uphold.
His Lordship stated that this was the first in the history of the people from this part of the state to have a son of the northern senatorial district as governor of the state. He explained that thankfulness does not occur in a vacuum but is anchored on the redemptive works of Jesus Christ, and that our heavenly Father, the Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost appreciates those who are thankful as exemplified in the story of the 10 lepers of which one was thankful while other nine were unappreciative of what Christ did for them.
Ukpo, who quoted extensively from Emmanuel Ulayi’s write up on Ayade, expressed confidence that the governor would accomplish the tasks he had earmarked for himself. He admonished the governor to remain totally dependent on God’s direction, follow his laid out developmental agenda including the signature projects, remain focus by not allowing sycophants to distract him while at the same time appealed to the people to desist from unprofitable and destructive criticisms, while at the same time urging him to remain a Christian and a catholic in politics, uphold his spiritual obligation and ensure that he appoints a Special Adviser on Religious Affairs.
He said: “My advice is that you should remain a Christian and a catholic in politics. If the devil tempts you, remember this day and this advice. Never relinquish your spiritual obligations and also ensure that you appoint a Special Adviser on Religious Affairs. Again, all Catholics in politics must equally remain Christians and Catholics.”
He equally reminded our leaders at the various levels of governance to appreciate and cultivate the spirit of accountability and service while realizsing the fact that no society grow when its leaders claim monopoly of wisdom, asserting that wisdom must be balance between the leaders and the people. “God fearing leaders are necessary in any society. We need true leader as the idea of serving God is a life long event”.
His Lordship Most Rev. Joseph Effiong Ekuwem, Archbishop of Calabar, thanked God that a son of Obudu (Ogoja) is governor and that Ayade has shown sufficient desire and commitment towards the total development of Cross River State and to transform this part of the state to be at par with the rest, lamenting that Ogoja has remained undeveloped over the years. The spiritual father called on the people of northern senatorial district and part of the central senatorial district to agitate for and embrace the fight for the creation of Ogoja State and that today Akwa Ibom that was created out of the present Cross River has benefitted immensely from the creation.
Ayade used the occasion to announce that the embargo on employment would soon be lifted to provide jobs for the people, adding that by Easter of 2016, the problem of power outage in the whole of northern senatorial district would become a thing of the past.
Ayade said he was a living testimony of God’s hand work on his children, stressing that as a child from a poor background, what he is today is a clear indication of God’s love and favour in his life, adding that he had prayed to God not to make him a teacher and it was at that point that he got an invitation from Shell Petroleum.
Ayade said: “I’m here to serve. I have seen poverty, I have seen wealth. What I seek now is to serve the people and to serve God. Iam going to shock the world for good by the grace, mercies and favours of God”, adding that the decisions and policies direction of every leader should be in such a way that they do not under-mind the interest of the common man, and that as a leader; he appreciates that fact and will keep to it.
“Those who say God does not live let them ask me. I’m a testimony of God’s love. It is abnormal and impossible, but God alone has made it for me to address you. I went to the primary school besides the Church and you will wonder how a governor can come out of that place. If, you keep faith with God, God will keep faith with you. God decided to honour a poor boy from the Ayade family who had to go to sleep most nights without food, and struggle and went to the University of Ibadan to acquire a university education. I wept to God to help and bless me after graduating from the University of Ibadan. I begged God to give me wealth because I know the family I came from.
“After bagging a Ph.D, I told God I do not want to become a teacher because we were too poor, and being a teacher I won’t be able to take care of my family. I promised God that if he prospered me, I will dedicate my whole success and wealth to alleviating the plights of the poor and I promise you I will never disappoint you as governor of Cross River State”.
At the reception held at the governor’s compound at Kakum, Obudu, the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Liyel Imoke, expressed joy that he kept his promise to the people of the northern senatorial district by ensuring that a governor emerged from the area, and lauded Ayade for his passion, commitment and zeal to move Cross River State to another level.
Also speaking, the senator representing the Central Senatorial District, Senator John Owan Enoh, assured Ayade that members of the National Assembly from Cross River State would always support him.
Speaking on behalf of the 18 Local Government Councils of Cross River, the Chairman of Ogoja, Hon. Rita Ayim, lauded the governor for his development initiatives and assured him of the loyalty of the heads of the third tiers of government in the state.