Cross River State Is Probably Nigeria's Richest State......

Governor Benedict Ayade of Cross River State, a former senator, a professor of environmental studies was in Lagos for an interactive session with relevant stakeholders involved in the forthcoming Calabar Festival. On the sidelines of the meeting the governor had an interactive session with newsmen during which he opened up on his style and strategic approach to governance.


On how he is approaching the tough economic challenges
Well the economy is slowing down and so government is supposed to downsize, reduce the number of ministries, cut down allowances and salaries, but that is really not the right way to go. Economics teaches us that it is as such times that governments that are socially sensitive are supposed to expand. At this period of cash crunch is when I have increased the number of ministries from 18 to 28.
So, I am now increasing the number of commissioners, this is because as more young people get unemployed, as the cash crunch bites harder, what happens is that when people have no alternative to survival, then the survivalist instinct which pushes them to criminality begins to manifest and then you have social tension and so, you spend more on security which distracts from spending on productive assets and so you are just going round the clock.
In America today, when things get really tough like that, government puts more money on people’s pay checks, increases their pay checks for them to increase consumption.

At this time of cash crunch is when people are supposed to consume more. So for our own government we will expand within the limits of what is financially possible to expand government to increase consumption and that is why Cross River State is going to have a very high number of appointees at the political level. They don’t add up to the risk and cost of leaving them unemployed. If you know what it takes for you to be a commissioner and then after four years you leave office for nothing.
So, we must understand that at the point of financial crunch government needs to expand until the economy begins to boil as it used to boil, then government shrinks and private sector takes over and that is the concept that we have applied in Cross River State.
Today, we are known to be a state which is first in the payment of salaries. We have never paid since I assumed office below the 25th  of any month.
Yes in the face of cash crunch we are going to manage what we have more diligently. Cut luxuries that are available to the governor, focus emphatically on what is required to keep government running and expand the horizon of opportunities for young people.

Honesty in Office
Honesty in office for me is the greatest test of morality and in moral conscience you will always use Immanuel Kant, who is a German philosopher and professor of theology on the argument of morality, integrity and character on public acceptability and values. I believe that the greatest asset I brought before the people of Cross River State is my history, honesty, character and pedigree. It is known, it is visible and you can feel it.

Is Cross River State not too poor for the ambitious projects?
The state knows what I inherited. In spite of the challenges of the state, the state is rich and great. If I don’t have ideas, then I can say that Cross River is poor.
How can Cross River State be poor with 152 kilometers of Atlantic Coast? How can Cross River State be poor with huge deposits of gold, bauxite, tantalite, tin, silica, kaolin and on and on? How can Cross River State be poor when you have the most civilized souls, a people that are very dependable, people who are not aggressive and materially crazy?
How can you have such rich heritage, people of such distinctive character and honor and you say the state is poor? To me I believe that I inherited a very rich state.

Well said Gov. Ayade... Wish you the best in office.