Minister for Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, has indicated the ministry’s interest in partnering Cross River State to turn the Niger Delta into a hub for rice production in the country.
The minister, who was in Calabar, on a courtesy visit to Governor Ben Ayade, applauded the governor’s strides in agricultural value chain.
Akpabio, who was later given a tour of the rice seeds and Seedlings Factory, said Cross River has, under Ayade’s watch, attained unparalleled height in industrialisation.
‘’l see a great future for the people of Niger Delta through Governor Ayade. He has shown exceptional leadership by the great works he is doing in Cross River State,” Akpabio said.
Speaking further, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State said: “We (Niger Delta Ministry) will explore areas of collaboration with the state. You have proved it is not so much about the amount of money you collect from the federal allocation but so much about the quality of your ideas.”
On his part, Ayade decried what he described as Niger Delta Development Commission’s shabby treatment of Cross River in the scheme of things.
He appealed to the minister to reverse Cross River’s fortune and see the state as its major priority to show it is, indeed, part of the Niger Delta.