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Superhighway: Funding Not A Problem – Ayade

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9 years ago

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Following the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the 275kilometre Bakassi-Katsina-Ala Superhighway by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, has assured that funding the project would not be a problem.
The governor gave the assurance shortly on arrival at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar from Abuja.
Hear him, “as you all know, we got N4.3billion in the last three months as federal allocation, an indication that it is impossible for us to pay salaries, but we have continuously paid salaries, for which my colleagues embrace me and say, ‘you are a magician because we don’t know how you are doing it,’ Cross River will not only pay salaries, we will construct the superhighway and the deep seaport.”
Displaying a copy of the approved EIA to newsmen, Ayade said: “We are creating a new economic structure that will redefine Nigeria and take advantage of the huge mineral resources that we have in the middle belt of the country. We are heading for an explosion and what Cross River will be in the next three years, you will never believe it.”
In his words, “now the question comes, where will you get the money? Please leave that to Ayade,” adding that “impossibility actually is a giant coward, but for sure, and surely, when you bring the intellectual architecture into it, impossibilities will disappear.”
Lauding critics and detractors who did everything to frustrate the project, Ayade said: “By so doing, they made us to go to the drawing board to bring the best of our most celestial intellect, put it on course to ensure that this works.”
According him, “For those who thought that it was impossible to get an approval for the superhighway, for those who fabricated stories that the whole idea of the superhighway was intended to go into deforestation, they will see construction work that will start.”
Insisting  that he was never daunted by the delay in approving the EIA, he said: “I wasn’t daunted because as a professional, I knew we were within the time frame, but because it was already overtaken by political clowns, we started having a different impression.”
Ayade, however, said: “We must put God at the centre of all of it because it is only God who knows our heart, knows the purity, commitment and the accumulated prosperity that will come with this project. I am also sure that it is at the behest of God that it came on the day it did.
“I must single out President Muhammadu Buhari and the Acting president, Yemi Osinbajo for keeping faith and seeing the deep vision of the project. The federal ministry of environment also deserves a pat on the back for painstakingly going through every single correction and coming out with an approved document to kick-start the project.”
Ayade also applauded his deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, the government and engineering teams for assiduously working for the achievement of the EIA.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar

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Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.
OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.
He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.
Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.
Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi,  identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.
Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.
Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.
Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.
The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.
They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.
The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.
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Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.
The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.
It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.
During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.
Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.
The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.
He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.
On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.
He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.
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Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.
Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.
He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.
“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.
The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.
He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.
”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.
Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.
He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.
She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.
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