Governor Ayade Visits Ministries, Locks Out Commissioners Who Came Late To Work...

Cross River State governor, Prof Ben Ayade, on Tuesday paid an unscheduled visit to some ministries in the state, where he ordered three commissioners to be locked out for failure to be at their duty posts as early as 8:00am.

Ministries visited by the governor included Agriculture, Water Resources, Women Affairs and Sustainable Development.

At the Ministry of Agriculture, where Ayade made his first port of call,the commissioner, Prof. Egrinya Eneji, and his directors were available to receive him. No explanation was offered for the commissioner’s unavailability.

At the Ministry of Water Resources, along Ndidem Usang Iso Road, Calabar, the governor was visibly enraged that the commissioner, Gabe Odu Orji, was not on duty at the time of his visit, prompting his directive that the commissioner be locked out.

Of the four ministries visited, only the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Stella Odey, was on hand to receive the governor.

Ayade, who expressed his disappointment at the seeming lack of dedication to duty by the various heads of the ministries, commended Odey for what he described as her devotion to duty.

The governor said: “I am saddened by what I have seen this morning. It is shocking that it is already past 8:00am, yet commissioners cannot be found on their seats. I will not take kindly to this culture of lateness to work and I am going to do something about it. I must, however, commend you for your exceptional conduct. Please do keep it up.”

Also, at the ministry of Sustainable Development, the governor was equally disappointed that the commissioner, Oliver Orok, had yet to report for work.

He subsequently directed the defaulting commissioners to be summarily locked out of their offices.