Ayade receives Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award; says Cross River punching above its weight

Ayade receives Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award; says Cross River punching above its weightCross River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade Thursday at the Abuja International Conference Center, received the Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award.

The event attracted eminent personalities across the country, including former Vice Preident Namadi Sambo, FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, MD/CEO Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, His Royal Majesty, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade, the Deji of Akure, Alhaji Umara Bauya, Emir of Potiskun among others

The award is the latest in the series of awards Professor Ayade has received in the recent past in recognition of his strides in the diversification of Cross River economy through Industrialization.

Earlier this month, the governor was conferred with the Independent Newspapers Governor of the year Award on Agro-Industrialization.

Speaking after receiving the Leadership Newspaper award, Professor Ayade explained that his Agro-industrialisation policy was hinged on the urgent need for food security and food sufficiency in the country.

His words: ” Let me thank the management of Leadership Newspapers but let me add quickly that while Coronavirus has taken 8,000 lives globally, hunger takes about 8million lives daily. Hunger is a product of lack of food, lack of food is a product of poor agricultural practices. And so, food security is at the epicentre of governance.

“No amount of infrastructure can be equivalent to the value and dignity of mankind. This is why, as a government and as a people we have focused on our citizens. That is why Agro-industrial revolution has become the key point of my administration.”

The Cross River state governor emphasized the importance of two of his signature projects- the 274 kilometre Superhighway that links Cross River with the Northern part of Nigeria and the Bakassi deep seaport- to the economy of Northern Nigeria in particular and Nigeria in general.

He called for federal government’s assistance in realising the two projects.
“We are happy to announce over 33 factories built in less than five years and we are hoping to do more. But let me also add that our brothers in Northern Nigeria grapple with the challenges of exporting their produce. They grow crops but cannot export, they have solid minerals but cannot export, they have vast resources that ordinarily Northern Nigeria should be wealthier than Southern Nigeria but unfortunately they have no access to the Atlantic coastline.

“Therefore, the construction of the Superhighway will allow the people of the North to have the full beneficiation of all their assets by nature and by hard work.

“And so, the construction of the Bakassi deep seaport and with an evacuation corridor which is the Superhighway, will allow our brothers from Northern Nigeria to have Agricultural export programme that will enable them export their produce and also export their solid mineral wealth.

“Cross River state is the alternative gateway to the Atlantic ocean, it is an alternative gateway to Lagos. This makes the Bakassi deep seaport very imperative.Time has therefore, come for the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to take keen interest in the Superhighway and Bakassi deep seaport”, the governor maintained.
Sambo, who presented the award to Ayade commended the Cross River state number citizen for his socio- economic and infrastructural revolution in Cross River, especially the Superhighway and Bakassi deep seaport, saying the award showed that the governor’s good work is being noticed.

Earlier, the management of Leadership Newspapers explained that Professor Ayade was chosen for the Award “For igniting an industrial revolution that has positioned Cross River State on the pedestal of sustainable economic growth, building factories with Zonal spread across the state, providing job opportunities for youths and women, rebuilding the state’s decrepit infrastructure, as well as empowering his people economically with his agricultural transformation agenda in total disdain to the dexterity with which the arduous task of governance demands”

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Posted by admin on Mar 20 2020. Filed under Ben Ayade Desk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry