Civil servants and government contractors in
Cross River State are becoming used to the work
pattern of Governor Benedict Ayade.
They hardly have him in his office in Calabar.
Governor Benedict Ayade now works, gives
directives and holds executive meetings with
partners and lenders in hotel rooms abroad.
In Cross River, the governor rules the people
using e-mail, electronics means, social media,
otherwise called e-governance, the government’s
staff told journalists recently.
At the end of the month, since he came to power,
they get to hear that their salaries and payments
for contracts executed have been signed on an
aircraft, or from whichever part of the world the
time for payment meets him; not necessarily in
his office in Government House Calabar.
The workers do not mind wherever it is he signs
their pay cheques from, so long as he lives up to
his promise of paying them on or before 25th of
every month.
Professor Ayade is used to travelling abroad
often, having made a fortune from his
international businesses and contracts. He has
brought that mentality to governance. He is at
the verge of becoming the highest travelling
governor yet in this dispensation.
A week after he was sworn in on 29 May 2015,
about six months ago, he spent the next two
weeks in Spain and Germany. He told journalists
that the trip brought about the visit by 15
investors and partners to the state.
The governor has spent less than 60 days in his
office out of the 133 working days in these six
months, according to a source close to his office.
According to these government sources, every
month he spends at least three weeks in one
European or Asian country or the other.
Interacting with journalists recently, national vice
chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
South South, Prince Hilliard Etta, accused the
governor of “junketing” around the world and
cautioned that governance was at risk in the
state if he did not settle down to work.
He recalled that since the governor took over
power from Senator Liyel Imoke in May, “he has
on his own created a state of confusion and right
now, Cross River is in a state of flux. There is
motion, but no movement; so much talk, but no
action; so much display of exuberance, but no
real governance.”
According to him, “In all honesty, I would have
wished that Senator Ben Ayade succeeds as
governor of Cross River State because his
success, regardless of party affiliation, will be to
the glory of Cross Riverians. His failure will be
our pains as well and this will exacerbate our
problems as a state. And so, my prayer has
always been that he succeeds,” he said.
“But this junketing from China to Spain, Germany
to Ireland, and Japan to Malaysia will not do us
any good. He should come and rule us because
he wanted to be the governor. It is unfortunate
that in Cross River, we have a culture of silence
and anybody could come and hoodwink us and
nobody will say anything,” Eta also noted.
He warned that such prolonged absence could
jeopardize governance in the state.
“Seriously speaking, in the last five months, there
has been a devaluation of what are best practices
of governance in Cross River State. Unfortunately,
I am not expecting the current House of Assembly
to do what is constitutionally expected of them to
do.
“Even though for me, the five months is too short
to judge any government, I will continue to pray
that Ayade settles down to real governance and
start working for the people,” Etta said.
He alleged that Ayade was not conversant with
Nigeria's constitution, otherwise he would not be
abandoning his office for needless jamborees
abroad.
“I dare to say that the man has never bothered to
read the constitution of Nigeria otherwise, he
would have known that there is a particular
number of days that he should stay away from
the state during which period, somebody must act
on his behalf."
However, Ayade’s aides have said that the
governor did not travel abroad frequently for the
fun of it.
To them, his constant travels have brought in
long list of investors, fund providers and
international partners to help actualise his array
of big projects.
One aide from the governor's hometown in Obudu
Local Government Area of the state, who prefers
not to be named said, "we can all see how in
these few months in power Governor Ayade has
attracted international partners who are bringing
in fantastic sums of money to help build the
projects he has initiated, which will definitely
transform this state."
Reacting to his recent trip to Asia, a member of
the state house of assembly, Hon. Stephen
Ukpukpen, representing Obudu state constituency,
said it has brought array of investors to the
state.
This, he said, would create alternative source of
revenue for the state at a time the country is
facing economic recession.
He commended Ayade’s administration for prompt
payment of workers’ salaries, insisting that the
governor’s frequent travels abroad are a positive
development.
A human rights lawyer, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla,
said Governor Ayade is one of the highest
travelling governors in the country. "Since his
assumption of office he has travelled to China,
Japan, Spain, Ireland, United States of America
etc with a large party of his relatives, cronies and
what have you. These have been at a great cost
to the state’s economy that is on the brink as a
result of mismanagement by former Governor
Liyel Imoke and dwindling revenue from the
federation accounts.
“It is outrageous and inexcusable for the governor
to be spending so much money globe-trotting,”
he said.
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