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 realization of the projects.
Cross River State Governor, Sir Ben Ayade disclosed this at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, following his one-week visit to Abuja.
He also disclosed that the Bakassi 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 hinted said he “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 these key presidency officials, also thanked them for their support.
“I want to thank the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Minister for Transport, His Excellency, Rotimi Amaechi, his colleague in the Aviation Ministry, Seriki Hadi,  Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.”
Similarly, the governor extended his appreciation to his colleague governors from the North, noting that “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.”
Continuing, the governor added that “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 the strong commitment of the holistic team of the APC family who are fully committed to the realization of this opportunity. Besides also, it is only natural for the South South and the South Eastern flanks to have a direct maritime connection to Northern Nigeria.”
Re-echoing his ambition for the two projects, Ayade said: “Again, I would like to reiterate that my ambition is to take Atlantic Ocean closer to Northern Nigeria to allow them the beneficiation process of taking full advantage of solid minerals deposits that abound in the northern part.
“Unfortunately, this huge mineral deposits will remain unexploited as far as there is no access to a maritime corridor.
“So the Bakassi deep seaport with an evaluation corridor through the superhighway creates a great opportunity for Northern Nigeria to have a bliss and an opportunity to have a getaway into financial freedom.”
According to the governor, “Indeed, I believe that the prosperity agenda that will be ushered into Northern Nigeria, occasioned by the existence of this superhighway and the deep seaport will be unbelievable, because as it is today, Nigeria has only one maritime getway in terms of commercial maritime transaction.”
Speaking on the general outlook for the country in relation to oil, Ayade quipped: “I think that Southern Nigeria must also come to the understanding that oil is gradually becoming a thing of the past. By 2030, there will be no engine, be it diesel or petrol driven that will be manufactured.
” So with Nigeria consuming about 65million litres of petrol in a day, you will then expect that quantity to drop. The demand for refined products will drop and the demand for solid minerals like coal will be on the rise and that, we have in abundance in Northern Nigeria.
“So whether the north or the south, we both need each other and we must come together and share the prosperity that this country has got. That is what I am preaching and I strongly believe it is the way for us to move forward as a country.”
