I was busy attending to state’s matters of pressing concern, when my attention was drawn to an article written by one of these social media touts who, like a few others, is looking for recognition in Governor Ayade’s government.
The article, being so flawed in grammar and content, is intended to make a mockery of Prof Ben Ayade by drawing a comparison between Ayade and Wike of Rivers. The comparison was manipulated to be skewed in order to create a ‘’floor effect’’ assessment of Governor Ayade’s performance.
I don’t want to be mentioning the name of the writer because he is an insignificant poor fugitive of justice who is inconsequential from every standard. Hence, his name shouldn’t be mentioned where Governor Ayade’s name is mentioned.
From the angle of validity, the article refutes itself because such skewed comparison was never reported in any reputable print media or any other mainstream media. It is obvious, the article is a smoke screen, launched by a failed syndicate of media robbery who wants to use the social media platforms to rob governor Ayade of his reputation just to disparage and discredit him in order to avenge and cover their frustration as well as attract sympathy from the people.
But by their conduct, they make themselves victims of pitiless circumstance. They float derogatory statements on social media about the governor with unfounded claims and even go as far as attacking his person by calling him names like, ‘’a devil with four horns’’ yet, they expect the Social Media team to keep quiet. Why won’t they insult him? Because he condescended and accepted to be your governor?
It would be ridiculous for these people to pride themselves as social crusaders and activists because, they lack the intelligence and wisdom. Before I proceed to highlight and, briefly, discuss on the few issues raised by the writer in that article, I will like to remind the writer that the ‘’Professor’’ attached to ‘’Ben Ayade’’ is not a sobriquet, it was earned as a result of provoked intellectual enquiry with resultant invention which has made Cross River an appealing unit to global attention and respect.
So, before one conceives the intent of writing anything about him, such must possess the intelligence because, the whole world is following anything that goes with the name, ‘’Ben Ayade’’ and not this particular article that is full of bad grammar, wrong tenses, and other avoidable mistakes like violation of concord rules in English, which makes the writer’s ideas, hazy.
The errors were so many that they nearly distorted the idea of the writer, but I managed to get the message. Ridiculous errors like, ‘’…..when they passes through the bad road……they has come…..’’ littered over the entire article. I was also confused when the writer asked how materials can be conveyed to ‘’embark’’ the river. I think what he meant is ‘’embank’’.
The writer talked about reconciliation; how Wike has been able to reconcile aggrieved party members like Omeiha and others to the party, forgetting that Governor Ayade had done that even before the elections: big guns like Jeddy Agba, Venatius Ikem, and many more others have been fully reunited to the party and are carried along. Throughout last month, there had been reconciliatory meetings at Local Government caucus level, organized by the governor. The writer was not aware of that.
He talked about the signature projects, that investors are afraid of coming down to finance project like the Deep Sea Port because, there is no road to the area, and there is no way materials for embankment can be conveyed to the place.
This made me to almost laugh my head off. Is it not the same road the governor’s convoy passes to the sea port location? What the writer does not understand is that the Deep Sea Port and the evacuation route or corridor go together.
I want to educate the writer that the ‘’evacuation route or corridor’’ that is already attached to the sea port project, is the road he is talking about (the road is part of the signature project). The governor had, in July, when interviewed, told journalists that the deep sea port project would commence in October this year.
For now, preliminary activities like site evaluation, soil testing and other pre-contractual obligations are ongoing. The deep sea port project involves both reclamation and shore protection. The reclamation involves the dredging while the shore protection involves the building of 1.24 kilometer wall, aside the platform for mother vessels to berth.
The writer should wait, if after the end of October and nothing happens, as regards the sea port project, then, he can begin to criticize the governor. As for the garment factory, it is almost ready and it would start functioning, soon.
The writer also talked about open financial policy where the governor has sealed many accounts of the state. I want to let the public know that these multiple accounts operated by the state in the past, rather, were serving as drain pipes for looting. Consequently, the governor decided that the state should be operating in one account. Is there anything wrong in that?
The writer contradicts himself with this particular point because he even projects Governor Ayade’s transparency and frugal tendencies. I wonder what he wanted to make out of this point. He talked of Ayade not walking towards prosecuting his predecessor, is Ayade EFCC?
At one point, he had submitted that Liyel Imoke destroyed Cross River, at the other, he is saying that Ayade is unable to sustain the legacy of Liyel Imoke. So Liyel Imoke left legacies? Lol. I can’t believe that this buffoon, called Paul Ifere referred to governor Ayade as a devil with four horns and you call this primitive conduct ‘’a right to freedom of speech and expression’’?
This is what they do in the name of criticism. When you respond, you are an attack dog. I find it very difficult to believe that one will refer to his governor like this. Let us not give Prof Ayade the cause to regret of becoming the governor of Cross River State.
The writer, even went ahead to say he wants to offer consultancy service on education to ‘’a professor’’, in what language? With English he cannot write properly? A man whose ideas in write-ups are often distorted, made hazy by bad grammar and irregular use of punctuation marks wants to offer consultancy service in education to ‘’a Professor’’ and a world class inventor, how?
In his lies, he tells people that World Bank has written to him that they have withdrawn their donor support to Cross River and that investors are likely to be discouraged by that. Such a letter from the World Bank, if it was written at all, is expected to be made available to the governor or the SSG and not Ifere Paul.
Besides, why would the World Bank want to withdraw its donor support for the state? The World Bank is one of those world regimes created by the Brettonwoods for the purpose of providing low interest loans, to low zero interest credits and grants to peripheral nations or their subsidiaries in order to address poverty.
How would withdrawal of these affect investors who already have their capital looking for external markets to invest with profit motives?
The writer listed Ugep-Ediba road as among the roads that are in deplorable states, it is not because, I ply that road regularly and that road is okay.
As a social psychologist, I know what is happening: they are still aggrieved that it shouldn’t have been Ayade, but their octogenarian principal who is almost hitting 90. A man who is completely bereft of innovations and full of tired ideas. A man who fumbles in an era of digital explosion and hides behind some over bloated and shabby experiences that have no relevance in modern reality, or the other one who……
The writer is only looking for some recognition and attention from Prof Ayade which he will not get because Governor Ayade is a wise man who knows that the likes of this writer are potential failures in opportunity management.
Ayade has invoked many policies that have provoked public confidence in him; policies that have enlivened a once somnolent society; policies that have brought redemption to a common man. It is not common for a government to abolish taxes and pay attention to the hopeless. Ayade is the last bastion to the common man.
I, therefore, reduce this writer and ALL his cronies to the same level as frustrated underdogs and have them dismissed as neophytes in the infamy of media brigandage. The public shouldn’t take them seriously.
Eval Asikong is Special Assistant to Governor Ayade on Social Media
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