Born into relative obscurity and depressing abjection 48 years ago, Governor Ben Ayade is tellingly one part of the portrait described by Malvolio in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” about ‘some who are born great, some who achieve greatness and some who have greatness thrust upon them’. For Ayade, he falls into the second part.
Against the background of the anonymity of birth, the then little Ayade was under no illusion that to achieve greatness, he required a combination of education, determination and a dint of hard work, for he was not afraid of greatness.
Born with neither silver nor wooden spoon, his future was no doubt uncharted and therefore, he would have to map it out himself.
Undaunted by the chequered circumstance of his birth, little Ayade knew that to dream lofty dreams, dare mighty things, win glorious triumphs, he must not allow himself be ranked with poor spirits who neither enjoyed nor suffered much because they lived in the gray twilights that knew neither victories nor defeats.
Taking his destiny in his own hands, he surmounted all the odds and obstacles by pulling down every hill and mountain that fate put in his way to achieve greatness. One lethal key, which he needed desperately was education. But it proved something of a luxury.
By refusing to be held hostage by the financial incapacitation that afflicted his parents, he embarked on a desperate search for knowledge in order to improve his human condition as well as that of his society.
For a man who literally clawed his way out of the jaws of poverty, there was no doubt that his narrative will form the plank of his vision for Cross River State, serving as a galvanizing tonic to turn the state into a success story, as he inched his way then into the exalted office of the governor in 2015.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2015, he has brought his vision, passion, humanity, pedigree, and above all, his nimble and Midas touch to bear on governance and the state’s socio-economic landscape. Across the 18 local government areas of the state, everyone is agreed that he was the right choice.
Widely known with the sobriquet, the ‘Digital’ Governor, Professor Ayade cuts a special appeal. Variedly, he embodies different themes with an inimitable message of hope. For the poor, he represents meekness and philanthropy, for the aged, he symbolizes compassion, he appeals to the youth on account of his swashbuckling and zestful swag. Youths and students adore him for his intellect and bombast. And like nectar to butterflies, so is he to investors, alluringly seductive, an attraction that has continued to appeal to a vast network of global investors surging and pouring into the state.
From the inception of his administration, governor Ayade had set his mind on staying focused on running government with a human face and ensuring that the middle class was resurrected and given the needed oxygen to find anchor for their roots; while guaranteeing that every Cross Riverian finds independence and pride for his work.
Seemingly restless and very much in a hurry to deliver, as part of catalyzing and crystalizing this his dream for the state, Governor Ayade has his eyes on the ball and his leg firmly stamped on the pedal to harness new ideas and technology geared towards recalibrating and repositioning the state to its rightful place as the fastest growing in the country.
While trying to give the state a first-class infrastructure such as the construction of a superhighway and a deep seaport, he is not unmindful of striking a delicate balance, or harmony, if you like between providing infrastructure and building human capacity.
It was this creative thinking that actuated his declaration on his inauguration to make prompt payment of civil servants’ salaries one of the cardinal policies of his administration, with the insistence that a labourer deserves his wages.
It is no longer secret that while most states in the country are grappling with or literally asphyxiated by the pangs of payment of salaries, Governor Ayade has ensured that his civil servants are paid as early as between 25th and 26th of every month.
This gesture has no doubt endeared him to the state’s workforce, a development they describe as rather uncommon.
In absolute fidelity to his words that the wages of honest labour shall liberate families from the clutches of hardship and hunger, Governor Ayade, barely two months in office passed into law tax exemption bill for state workers earning below N30,000 a month as well as the exemption of levies for artisans, petty traders operating in the state.
While this gesture has roundly been applauded and commended as governance with a human face, the real import of the concession is that it has allowed this category of workers with more disposable income to play with and by implication, leading to more empowerment for the people.
In a bid to expand opportunities, energize the already shrinking state’s civil service, as well as chase the wolves out of the doors of many of the citizenry, the governor, after a careful consultation and deliberation with the various stakeholders in the state, took the initiative to lift the 23-year-old embargo on employment into the state civil service.
His decision to expand government in other to reach out to as many as are desperately hopeless bears testimony to Ayade as an apostle of renowned English economist and one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes, whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics and the economic policies of government in the 1930s.
As part of his own sacrifice, the governor decided to shave off 80 percent from his salary in other to accommodate more people in government.
In his determination to ramp up the economy of the state, the governor’s vast investment trips overseas have begun to yield dividends with the signing of various memorandum of understandings (MoU) with foreign investors.
Already, a Thai Africa Consortium, which is into rice production has commenced site clearing for the construction of Africa’s first Rice City right opposite the Calabar garment factory site which is nearing completion. Similarly, an Irish property investors, Affordable Modular Homes Limited, has concluded agreement to construct 5000 modular housing units to be spread across the three senatorial zones of the state for the non-income and low-income earners in the state.
What more can the people ask for! Following immediately on the heels of this, was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cavenco of Spain for the establishment of an US$18million automated poultry and dairy plant with capacity for 100,000 birds per day. The initiative is to boost animal and dairy production in the state.
Currently site clearing is also at a fever pitch for the proposed Calabar Pharmaceutical Company, among other investors scrambling for a space in the already charged investment climate of the state.
As he clocked 48 yesterday, a lot can still be learnt from Ayade’s narrative. A retelling of countless stories from his life of humility and philanthropy, offering generous inspirational material to draw from.
- Obogo is Media aide to Governor Ayade
