148Km Dual Carriage Road To Change Economy Of Cross River North – Ayade

EMMANUEL ULAYI                     

 

The economy and social status of the people of Northern Cross River State will soon change upon the completion of the construction of the 148km mini super highway which cuts across the five local government areas of the Senatorial District, so says Governor Ben Ayade.

Governor Ayade disclosed that recently after inspecting the completed portion of the dual carriage way fitted with street lightings along   Obudu, Bekwara axis of the road.

Ayade said the mini superhighway which stretches through the northern senatorial district of the state is intended to bring back life to the Africa Tourism hotspot of Obudu Ranch Resort amongst others.

“This road is intended to stretch into Obudu Ranch to bring back life to the Ranch. People think the Ranch is dying; it is dying for the things that keep killing any city or project that is stranded. The Ranch is located in too far a place and the access has been a problem, so I knew that the only way we can bring back life to the Ranch is to make the approach to Ranch very worthy,” the governor intimated.

He maintained that, “as a son of the northern senatorial district, this mini superhighway, giving a dual carriage way through the heart of the north represents a true message that this place has also seen civilization.”

The Governor who was accompanied during the inspection by his Deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, hinted that every local government area in the state will see something striking in his administration as he had taken a study of what will make a major transformational change in the lives of the people and how to go about them.

According to him, “in three years plus, a 148km dual carriage way is already in this level of beauty. Where we are standing is Obudu Local Government area, we are not in London, not in Calabar and this is what will stretch to the entire Cross River as this is also what the people want.”

On how he was able to conceive and institute the project in spite of the lean resources in the state, the governor explained that, “it comes from intellectual money which is the advance college of thought that believes that the brain is higher than the pocket,” adding, “anytime the pocket is empty, you switch on the brain and you will never fail.”

Continuing, Ayade explained that, “when intellectualism takes over your governance architecture, materialism becomes zero, so the search to make money is out. What I am looking for now is making a name.”

He added that, “you cannot look at making money without looking at my integrity, internal transparency and fear of God that is why my election is almost like a walkover. I am satisfied with this.”

On his part, the Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu said, “I don’t even know where I am because Obudu has been totally transformed and I stand here, I won’t tell a lie, my heart is full of praises not for the governor but for the people of northern Cross River who donated him to Cross River. This indeed, is the kind of democracy dividend that we are really talking about.”

Esu pointed out that, “the people of the north will know that their son who loves them and have traveled all over the world wants to truly transform the state from a third world to a first world. I am really overwhelmed”.