For Those Playing The Ostrich BY EMMANUEL UNAH

By CrossRiverWatch Admin

In 1999, Mr Donald Duke became governor of Cross River State. It may not be necessary to state here how he became governor but suffice to say that during the first four years of his government, we only heard about projects like castor seeds, cashew nuts, pineapple fruits and model towns and the likes.

Let anyone point to us today where those nuts and fruits and model towns are in Cross River State today and what economic, developmental and agricultural benefits they have brought to the state.

Projects like Tinapa, Mountain Race, Calabar Carnival and Urban Renewal programme were all started during his second term that was why he could not complete Tinapa and get it running before his exit.

Tinapa was commissioned in April, 2007 few weeks to his leaving office which is why till today, the place is still comatose.

Obudu Mountain Race was started in 2005, Calabar Carnival 2005. Facts and dates are available for anyone in doubt.

Many of us are living witnesses to the fact that his urban Renewal only ended in Calabar until there was uproar in the Central and Northern districts before it was extended there and only a few kilometres of roads were done in Ugep, Ikom and Ogoja.

It was Imoke who extended it to Obudu and constructed more roads across the north and central districts.

Senator Imoke who succeeded him had the drive and vision for rural transformation.

However, can anyone point to the roads he constructed during his first term through the Rural Urban Development Agency headed by Eko Atu?

Roads like Mbube, Abakpa, Oderegha- Ababene, Ikot Offiong Ambai and many others constructed in that era are all death traps today.

The schools renovation, Rural Access Mobility Roads, electricity projects, Second Calabar Drainage, the almighty International Conference Centre, and the single rail projects were done during the second term that is why Senator Ayade had to be the one that completed the ICC and monorail projects.

In just two years of Ayade, we can point to a road running across the five LGAs in the north, a superhighway, Garment Factory, Calapharm and Calasvegas.

How then has the young man failed. Let us be fair, let us use the past to judge the present.

Emmanuel Unah is a journalist and writes for the Vanguard Newspaper.