Congratulations on your Second Term Inauguration, Your Excellency, Gov. Ayade Benedict.
I wish you the best in your second term. More wins!
That said, I like to bare the minds of Cross Riverians on a few issues of concern and hope that you read this short note of mine.
First issue of concern to most Cross Riverians (and this is not arranged in order of importance) is that you stop the ongoing Obudu Cargo Airport Project. They think that the idea does not make sense as can be seen by the protest by your own people in the attached pictures to this note. Please do look kindly on the old poor women protesting over the seizure of their ancestral lands. How can their own son put them through this pain?
They are going to rain curses at you and your children, I pray those fiery evil darts don’t get at you or any of your loved ones, because you may mean well. However, if that project turns out like Tinapa and the Ranch Resort which is almost grounded, it will be terribly sad. I pray it does not.
Like someone suggested, if there must be another airport in Northern CRS, since CRS has two almost unproductive airports already, Yala has enormous unproductive and barren land along the road to Eboyi State, Obudu hasn’t that much land, why not cite the airport in Yala?
Secondly, they think that they will be no need continuing with the building of more industries in your second term, what they see with what you’ve done in your first term is at most a modest effort, nothing has really worked out as such, please they want you to concentrate in finishing the already existing structures and make them functional as an industry isn’t really what it is until it is functionally productive.
Thirdly, and most importantly, they also think that there’s need for huge investments in education, especially technical and technology driven education from the foundational level up, please do well to cite at least three ICT infrastructure that can drive such initiative in the three senatorial districts of Cross River State.
A lot of people think that you’ve showed great promise, especially with the second term mandate given you, however, most people also think that that isn’t enough and wants consolidation of already existing projects in your second term, especially in the health sector, education, road infrastructure, improvement in sanitation and hygiene by reviving water board, etc, on these score, the water board project in rural communities started by the Imoke’s administration stands out, as huge resources were expended by the previous government in building the initial infrastructure, we can’t afford to allow such huge investment waste away, that’s our money being thrown in the bin literally.
Are you aware that two children of a set of triplet born in Obubra died in a nonfunctional incubator in Holy Family Hospital, Ikom? It was heartbreaking for me as a father! How much is really the cost of having a functional incubator in three hospitals at least in CRS? Cross Riverians like for you to invest heavily in modernising three general hospitals in the three senatorial districts with constant electricity supply supported by solar systems and functional generators as alternative sources of energy; with functional incubators, ultrasound scan, X-ray, and other hospital equipments, this will forestall unnecessary deaths of our people, even children. Let me here and now commend Dr Betta Edu for her modest contribution with the health centres across the state. Thank you, madam!
Lastly, they also need you to also revive the Road Maintenance Agency put in place by the Imoke’s administration and give it its allocation and full autonomy to function so that our roads will not return to the decrepit and shamefully dilapidated state there were before elections forced you to fix them. This had tremendous effect on the business environment and tourism as many businesses left Calabar post-2015.
Please do not totally stop your Food-on-the-Table policy of your previous term, that idea saved a lot of families. I had criticised the idea initially until I saw firsthand how FOTT saved many families. Just trim down the number of persons and be a bit more meticulous, this is because most of the politicians you gave slots the last time ended up giving most slots to their children, most of whom where not even living in the country, and they were collecting salaries while abroad. This must never be allowed to happen if this idea continues. Let those of us who didn’t benefit the last time benefit this time, aren’t we Cross Riverians?
These are some of our expectations in your second term, I am only but an oracle and the channel through which the aggregated voices of Cross Riverians is reaching you at this time.
Well, like they saying goes, you can take a horse to the stream, but you cannot force it to drink water. God has given you power, we can only suggest these things to you, the ball is squarely in your court, do as you wish, but remember that when you leave power, we’ll still be here by God’s grace to tell the story of your administration many years from now.
As always, you have my very best interest and support, Your Excellency.
Kennedy Nsan, writes from Akparabong.