Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade has pledged to work hard
to eradicate or at least reduce to the barest minimum, the scourge of
unemployment in the state by the end of his first tenure in office.
Ayade stated this on Monday at the City Lighting event at the Millennium
Park, Calabar to herald the beginning of the “super week” of activities in
this years’ Calabar Festival.
The governor reiterated his resolve to ensure that only policies which
will create jobs for the people are formulated by his administration with
a promise that no Cross Riverian, who is willing to work, will be
unemployed at the end of his tenure.
He said “Today we the great people of Cross River State are having reasons
to come together and celebrate our annual festival. Today marks a turning
point in the philosophical theory of the people of Cross River State. We
are redesigning our philosophy and concept to create a new horizon of
opportunity for young people. Young people who by no fault of theirs, are
facing challenges in their own time. As a young man who grew from those
challenges and now on the saddle of leadership, I want to commit and
challenge, and to tell every Cross Riverian that the new theory behind the
carnival this time is that we want to return power to the youths.
“We want young men and women to have opportunities and so switching on
these lights today is a luminescence of the celestial path to the growth,
to the future, the prosperity of the young. We make commitment, for those
who do not know the theory that no matter how challenging this may be,
just understand the fact that this state has to grow. I make it very clear
today; my government is focused on the poor because that is my heritage,
that is my background. ”
On the new philosophy that underpins his administration, he said: “As
sophisticated as this carnival looks, there is a simplicity that I am
bringing into it, bringing it back to nature, climate change as our new
focus. I will create jobs for all the young men and women, that is why I
am focusing on the green police and the green carnival and the climate
marshals. As far as I know, by the end of my tenure, we are not going to
have any young man who is Cross Riverian, unemployed.
“I give this commitment because I understand the challenges of our people.
I know our heritage and God, bringing all of you here means I have an
opportunity in history to change the course of mankind.”
Continuing, he assured the people that they are “going to see a man who
will come with so much verve , so much energy. No challenges will dare us,
we are going to take them down. Cross River state must rise above all the
challenges which is the reason why I said we should come here and as we
are switching on this light, we are switching on the prosperity of Cross
River State.”