Two of Cross River State’s signature projects, the Bakassi deep seaport and the 275 kilometres superhighway have received a boost, following firm commitment by the Federal Government to accord them special attention in 2022 to ensure a full realisation of the projects.
News of the Federal Government’s support for the projects was disclosed yesterday by Governor Ben Ayade at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, following his one-week visit to Abuja.
He also disclosed that the deep seaport has been approved as Nigeria’s first agro deep seaport by the Federal Government.
Expressing excitement at the outcome of his meeting with key officials of the Presidency, Governor Ayade said: “I had a very wonderful session with the presidency and I want to announce with joy that the presidency has shown very strong commitment to the Bakassi deep seaport and the superhighway which is basically the core reason of my being in Abuja for this long.”
Ayade, who acknowledged the role played by the presidency officials, also thanked them for their support.
“I want to thank the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, his colleague in the Aviation Ministry, Seriki Hadi, and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.”
Similarly, the governor extended his appreciation to his colleague governors from the North, saying: “They also spoke strongly in support of the projects as well as others I had met in the course of sharing my dreams and thoughts on the Bakassi deep seaport with an evacuation corridor through the 275km superhighway.
“The president is committed to seeing that this project is realised and I want to specially thank the Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives, and a team of the All Progressives Congress family. Besides also, it is only natural for the South South and the South East to have a direct maritime connection to northern Nigeria.”