By Efa Sunday, Government House Correspondent
Moved by Governor Ben Ayade’s rice value chain revolution in Cross River State, the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Professor Nelson Brambaifa has disclosed plans to key into the project and expand it to other States within the region.
Brambaifa made this disclosure when he visited the Governor shortly after embarking on a guided tour of the Ayade’s Industrial Park in Calabar, yesterday.
His words, “Your Excellency, as part of my mission to Cross River State is to work with your Government to revive and strengthen existing partnership, as well as find new areas of collaboration. Of particular interest is agriculture and today from what I have seen, haven chosen rice value chain which you have demonstrated tremendous capacity with modern equipment and system of farming.”
Continuing he said, “As your Government has successfully demonstrated, agriculture remains a gold mine waiting to be fully tapped, away from oil and gas. Indeed, no sector offers a greater opportunity for job and wealth creation, as well as overall improved living conditions in agriculture.”
The Acting MD lauded Ayade for his critical role in the development of the region and promised to revisit as well as reactivate the Niger Delta Development master plan with the view to rebuilding partners for sustainable development forum, as a veritable vehicle for sustainable development of the region.
Earlier, Governor Ben Ayade described the appointment of Prof. Nelson Brambaifa as well deserving appealed to Mr. President to consider the confirmation of his appointment to a permanent status given his wealth of experience as a ranking and renowned professor of pharmacology in the country.
According to Ayade who elucidated on his revolutionary initiative said, “Cross River State is starting with agro-industrial in our Industrialization.”
Commending the regional body for the planned re-visitation of the regional Development Master Plan, Ayade added, “I want to urge you to ensure that the review reflects on the socio-economic realities that will ultimately ensure equitable distribution of the common wealth amongst the sister states for even job development and job creation.”
He thanked NDDC for the expression of interest to partner the state in the area of rice value chain, poultry and other agro-allied sectors, saying “your duty is to build a mental maturation of all the various Complex we have in the Niger Delta and use the platform of the NDDC to bring us peace, to create an economic prosperity and equilibrium that allows egalitarian distribution of income to guarantee us the desired peace.”