Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has given reasons why his administration is shifting from big projects to projects that would put food on the table of the masses.
The governor said on Wednesday, December 30, during the signing of the 2021 budget of 'Blush and Bliss' into law, that the drastic reduction in the budget from what it used to be in previous years was because his administration has decided to move away from "big dreams" to ensuring that there is food on the table for the masses.
Shortly after he took over office in 2015, the governor announced his intention to construct a Super Highway, which according to him, would be the first to have wireless internet services and solar-powered street light at the cost of about N700 billion. He also announced other major projects to include: Bakassi Deep Sea Port (N776 billion), Spaghetti Flyover (N18 billion) and Obudu International Airport (About N20 billion).
Financial experts however faulted the governor for embarking on such projects when the state lacks the finances to handle them.
Adducing reasons for his action, Governor Ayade, during the budget presentation today, said: "For the budget of 2021, the budget of "Blush and Bliss" the gross component is in the dramatic reduction of the budget size from over N1.01 trillion to 218 billion. One will ask what will then happen to that missing gap?
"We had explained this in the budget presentation that we are shifting from all the big big dreams to the basic, primordial things of survival and ensuring that there is food on the table.”
Continuing, the Cross River state number one citizen said: “We had planned in 2020 that by 2021, we are going to move away from food on the table to food on the table and hands on the plough but with Covid-19 and Endsars protest, we realized that we have to sustain the food on the table further.”
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