Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie
Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has commended himself on all the achievements he was able to establish during his tenure, insisting that the state improved immensely under his watch as governor.
He said regardless of the state having the lowest allocation in the country, it achieved various feats and projects.
On the huge debt profile making Cross River one of the most indebted state, he claimed he was able to change the unemployment figures dramatically from how he met it, when he assumed office, explaining that he met debts between N383 billion and N404 billion and has been servicing the debts by paying N2.2 billion monthly.
Speaking yesterday as a guest on The Morning Show of ARISE NEWS Channel, he said he had never borrowed money from any foreign country, and reiterated that whatever statistics being circulated regarding debt wasn’t from his administration.
Fielding questions regarding the Calachika frozen chicken processing factory, the governor said the project hasn’t fully materialised due to the lack of soyabeans and maize to feed the chickens to be able to get them to the slaughter house.
He said regardless of what people said, work was still on-going as a team of Egyptians had arrived the country on that score.
“There is a problem with Nigeria, there will be a good project and dream, but social media criticisms called politics destroys good intentions. I think we are very good as a state and under my watch, I focused on human beings and nobody will dispute the fact that I am the first governor, perhaps, in our history that will be leaving the state without owing salary or pension,” Ayade said.
On the progress of Cally Air, Ayade said he didn’t borrow money to buy the airline, and confirmed that two Boeing 737 aircrafts were bought but three aircrafts were needed to have an Air Operator Permit (AOC), which prompted them to partner Aero Contractors to operate the airline.
He further said the airline was undergoing a process of concession and working with Aero contractors has not been a healthy experience because it became a property of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and all the money they had made was supposedly with the company.
Addressing the N45 billion Bakassi Stabilisation Fund, the governor refuted the claims, stating that there was nothing of that nature, noting that he has never received any money for Bakassi’s settlement, but that he built a housing estate for the people of Bakassi, which was destroyed during the #EndSars protests.
