Gov Ayade inaugurates housing estate for Bakassi returnees

To mark his fifth year in office as the Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, has inaugurated a housing estate to resettle some of the people displaced from the Bakassi peninsula.

Speaking at the ceremony in Ifianyong community in the “New Bakassi”, Gov. Ayade said shelter was what separated humans from animals, and that he felt proud to have put smiles on the faces of the dejected people.

The governor said, “Any government that fails to provide shelter for its people has failed, and the real measurement of government is how many people you have lifted out of poverty, and today I am happy that God has given me the opportunity to put smiles on the faces of the people of the area.

“This is the first social housing in Africa where the ownership is in perpetuity, and Nigerians should know that with this project, we have not neglected the people of Bakassi.”

He, therefore, urged the people not to despair but hope in God who would one day reverse the injustice done to them.

Gov. Ayade also announced a N50m grant to the people to commence small scale businesses.

The paramount ruler of Bakassi and Chairman, Cross River State Council of Chiefs, Etinyin Etim Okon Edet, said the problem of Bakassi, lay with the Federal Government and not with the Cross River State Government.

Edet told the governor that, “For the past 18 years, we have been faced with humanitarian, political, social and economic challenges, and have faced them with equal minds with the known fact that the problem of Bakassi lies with the Federal Government.

“We have become a caravan; moving from one area to the other. So I plead with you to acquire an empty land, map it out, survey it and give us the title so that the Bakassi people can be resettled properly.

“This area that we are now is very beautiful, but who will be their clan head, village head or paramount ruler when they relocate here. So I beg of you to end this merry go round by giving us an empty land so that we can finally be resettled.”

The Chairperson of the allocation committee of the estate, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, said the project had brought succour to people of the area.