“A politician thinks of the next election, a statesman the next generation” ~Mark Twain.
When I read in the news that Sen. Ben Ayade the Executive Governor of Cross River State and the Candidate of the APC for the northern Senatorial District in 2023 had in his characteristic humour revealed that he was not just a professor but a prophet it made sense to me.
I Could recall that in 2020 at the peak of the Covid ’19 outbreak, while the world was still running helter-skelter in search of measures, preventive or proactive Sen. Ayade declared that movement should continue with the compulsory use of face mask, the media and naysayers took to social media to propagate all sought of misinformation and eventually the world came back to the Ayade methods.
Like you already know, when Ayade decided to leave the PDP he was labelled all sort of names and castigated by the baby Opposition, today the people who were active in his persecution and even championed internal rivalry in Cross River state, cannot lay claim to a Presidential Candidate. They’ve now turned themselves into an activist group with constant cultural displays and continuous media vituperation.
Whereas Ayade now serves as the Leader of the South South Region of the All Progressives Congress. Preserving the respect and pride of place of Cross River State.
Long before the Federal government will introduce the conditional cash transfer and it’s numerous welfare schemes, Sen Ayade had already introduced and institutionalised food on the table welfare policy, direct socialinvestmentin the individuals which inturn boasted not just economicactivities but empowered human capacity. Nothwistanding the cynicism of the few, he believed in his social welfarism amongst other convictions today his arch rivals are hurriedly trying to outdo him in numbers appointing over 200, 000 already. How else does a prophet proves himself?
Similarly after Ayade Launched the prototype of Cally Air’ some nebouring states quickly stole’ the prototype and because they had more Internally generated revenue and federal allocation went ahead to outdo us. Likewise the Deep sea port, and factories that Ayade sought to make happen where quickly mimicked by a certain South South government all these goes to show that Ayade knows what is to be done. Attempts to do it regardless of the financial constraints, because for him when you lift your soul above circumstances your body will follow.
It is common sensical that because Ayade dared to dream, to lift us above our circumstances and project to us the future, we are now tempted to judge a Prophet by his prophesies. We have failed to realise that dreams have wings and they can fly.
We have held the prophet by his literal words, when Jesus said I will break down this temple and build it in three days, the pharisees and naysayers mocked him when the temple stood afterwards. But it was a metaphor, a prophetic message whose manifestation will eventually happen.
Ayade Dared to dream, he saw a state where every home will have government succor, he saw a state where we could be industrialist and not just farmers. He pictured a state where we had a working super highway linking our agro industries to the agricultural produce from the north. When he sought to make it happen we (unholy opposition)sabotaged it.
When he fought for the deep sea port political differences and interest at the top checkered that dream. Yet he went ahead to do the much he could amongst others Ayade made sure to dare the odds and begin. If we hold him for dreaming we will have failed to know that a prophets message are timeless.
We must not forget that today, As a state Cross River parades the highest number of factories; some of which with the greatest potentials includes;
1) Ogoja Rice Factory: Today the factory has the capability to produce more than 10 metro tons daily and works effectively non-stop for two days.
2.The Calachika Industry: such a revolutionary idea, this chicken processing industry have the capacity to process over 10’000 chickens a day and have been put to use for Cross riverians, with the industry suffering on the challenge of power production, as of today what this industry needs now is viable partnership ,Mega poultry farms that can serve the need of Cross riverians and the country at large.
3: The Cocoa Factory: The Ikom cocoa processing factory is built for the fundamental purpose of buying from local producers of cocoa and converting same into finished products of chocolate,Milo etc.
This company even though under concession have practically been completed and will begin production by the end the year. again Ayade is winding up strong.
4: The UBEC smart school: the school which has partnership with some Korean scholars shall accommodate and train pupils of Basic primary school in core subjects and extra curricular activities that will broaden their horizon into other field of life.
5: The Teachers continuous training college Biase.
6: The over 140 kilometer road from Obanliku spanning over Bekwarra to katsi- Alla in Benue state is another Milestone of the Governor Ayade administration, .
7: The Obudu Specialist Hospital: Before today most cross riverians resident in the North have been depending sorely on effective medical care from either UCTH or Navy reference hospital calabar, but Governor Ayade being part of his efforts to improve health care in the state, have built and equipped to standard the Obudu specialist hospital, which will like many other prophetic projects soon become a cornerstone for health services in the state.
8; Construction of internal roads: A lot of achievements have been recorded also in the construction of internally roads, very laudable is the road linking of the Eastern Boki axis.
9. The Cross River Garment factory. Whose potentials are limitless.
Amongst others,
You will agree with me that, government is a continuous process, Ayade has dared the odds and set for us a pedestrian to become a better place. Some leaders are visionaries, they’re dreamers, the provoke our thoughts and give us a new line of reasoning. Like prophets they prepare us for a future we cannot but appreciate tomorrow.
Rather than hold unto the limitations of the prophet we must be grateful that he came and dreamt, he built not just castles and edifices that will sit proudly in the metropolitan city of Calabar, where the poor and needy cannot benefit from, nor use. He choose rather to set the course for a working state, striving to put food in the table of every family today a lot of young people have a sense of livelihood, he choose to dream to say yes Cross River Can make the most of its available resources. He choose to say we deserve a Super highway, we deserve a deep sea port, we should have an airline, we could produce our own.
Most of which are projects only a Federal Government can effectively handle, yet he dared, he dared because his people deserves it.
I think Ayade has raised our consciousness and our thoughts too high that he has become the first victim of that expectation.
We must realise that Cross River State will be here long after Ayade has gone, and his dreams would continue to reverberate as true prophecies that only but needed time, resources and support to come to pass.
Posterity will surely vindicate Ayade.
Victor Egba
