Hon. Pius Edet Ankpo, Cross River State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, has debunked media reports credited to him alleging that the immediate past governor, Sen. Ben Ayade left an empty treasury and dilapidated infrastructure across the state.
Hon. Ankpo dismissed the media reports while briefing journalists on Friday in Calabar, the state capital.
CONVERSEER reports that the Works and Infrastructure Commissioner had earlier on Wednesday addressed newsmen on the activities of his ministry and the ongoing road rehabilitation and constructions in Calabar and the state as a whole.
According to the Commissioner, “There was no time in the course of my press briefing that I made reference to former Governor Ben Ayade or his administration.
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“I had made it clear to reporters that His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu was committed to giving the state capital a face-lift, despite the paucity of funds because Calabar remains the face of Cross River as well as Nigeria’s tourism hub.”
He also said he could not have spoken about the financial situation of the State, “When I am neither the Commissioner for Finance, the Commissioner for Information nor the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.
“I must state very clearly that I have a lot of respect for the former governor, Prof. Sen. Ben Ayade who made me a commissioner during the final year of his administration. I still owe him a debt of gratitude, even as he remains one of my benefactors.
“The report was totally untrue and a deliberate act of mischief. For reiteration and emphasis, I did not say what was wrongly imputed to me in the news report about the former governor and his administration. If anything, I was also part of that administration.
“It is imperative, therefore, to clarify and state that at no point did I mention the former governor’s name or refer to the state’s treasury.
“My remarks during the interview were strictly on matters pertaining to my ministry, where I revealed the dire financial challenges the ministry was facing, owing to the general economic crunch in the country.
“As Commissioner for Works, I am not competent to speak on the financial status of the state or its treasury,” he added.
Ankpo further maintained that “The attempt to tarnish the past administration of Governor Ben Ayade, under which I served as Commissioner, is ostensibly aimed at sowing a seed of discord between the former governor and his successor, Senator Bassey Otu.
“It is outright mischief and we condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.”
Edet said he remains committed to assisting Governor Otu provide quality infrastructural development to the people of Cross River State while urging the people to disregard the report.