It’s Time To Rescue Cross River From Brink Of Collapse – Ibeshi

Peoples Democratic Party

Governor Ayade Abandoned Legacy Projects Initiated By Donald Duke

Mr Emmanuel Ibeshi, a governorship aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River, on Saturday, stated that it was time that the state be rescued from the brink of collapse.

Ibeshi, faulted the Governor Ben Ayade-led administration for abandoning the legacy projects initiated during the administrations of Mr Donald Duke and Senator Liyel Imoke.

He promised to revive and open new phases of development in the moribund Tinapa Business Resort and Obudu Ranch Resort in the Calabar Municipal and Obanliku local government areas respectively.

The statement was made at the Transcorp Hotel in Calabar, the state capital, while he took time out to reveal his intention to run for the 2019 governorship election.

Ibeshi, who happened to be the former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP said, he would achieve his drive to revive the legacy moribund projects, in what he termed ‘project 2’, as well as initiate a new phase in entrepreneurship development.

He revealed that the legacy projects that were initiated by Duke and Imoke for 16 years were abandoned within three years.

While citing the example of the Moribund Tinapa Business and Resort, Ibeshi said the business centre, if policies are placed in proper place, would generate a yearly income of over N200bn for the state.

He said, “The Tinapa business and holiday resort, contiguous with the Calabar Free Trade Zone projected to turn around N200bn annually is dead! The Institute of Technology Management is also technically dead! So is the Songhai Farms.”

“Foreign exchange income generated from these enterprises will make crude oil of little or no significance to Cross River State. The key to Tinapa and the Obudu Ranch Resort is entrepreneurship, be assured that I will make entrepreneurship become synonymous with Cross River State if you give me the mandate as governor in 2019.”

In his manifesto titled: Rescue 2019, Ibeshi listed 23 unfilled promises of the Governor Ben Ayade-led administration.

They include vows to commence the construction of the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the 260-kilometre Superhighway in 2017 and the construction of two megawatts power plants in the 18 LGAs, among others.

He promised to actualise his dream for the state in only one term, adding that he would not distort the political calculations.