By Eval Asikong
Because Cross River State monthly allocation from Federation Account Allocation Committee was N7billion then, Donald ran a cosmetic administration that was hugely characterized by profligacy and waste. Initiation of projects and programmes were only based on their aesthetic values which is why the hundreds of billions spent on certain projects could not generate any ROI, rather, the state was further plunged into the abyss of poverty while the economy still subsists on "Civil Service" till date. The state is still paying that debt, 11 years later, and may continue for another 2 decades.
Just as IBB brought in the IMF loan and the economy of Nigeria is never the same till tomorrow, though with Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos to show which is of great benefit to Lagosians, Donald, even with the N7billion monthly federal allocation and average of N3 billion monthly IGR, brought in a huge loan of about 520 million Dollars from African Development Bank to fund a project called Tinapa and Business Resort whose actual cost implication is not up to 30 million dollars. The intention and motives behind TINAPA were not genuine, as many have come to realize that it was a conduit pipe and a smoke screen in which Donald and his cronies deviced to plunder the state of the same facility that was loaned to mortgage the future of our state.
When I was in Youth Service in 2009, in a place called Galamawa in Jigawa state, one Mike from Urban in Akamkpa had created the impression before other corps members from other states that Donald had put so much on ground that Imoke couldn't sustain. One Charles Zeibe among other Corps members in my area of primary assignment approached me to confirm what Michael told them. Initially, I was angry, but something told me to cool down and take time to explain to them with ease.
I took time to explain to them that Donald championed the course of deconconcentration of the third tiers which robbed Local governments of their devolutionary powers. The implication of this is that, Donald ran local governments as extensions of state's ministry and used monies meant for 18 Local governments to developed Calabar municipal alone. Even the immediate neighbouring Calabar South is so decayed, development-wise till today.
Therefore, since Calabar has the highest concentration of population of 600,000 to 800,000 people, it becomes easy to impress people with the concentration of development in Calabar alone. Of the 21, 050 square kilometres of Cross River State, Calabar only occupies 406 square kilometres. Imagine what happened to the remaining 20, 650 square kilometres of Cross River State that were not touched by Donald, there were becoming thick impenetrable virgin forests cut-off from civilization which attracted global concern inform of carbon credit.
When Imoke came in, he saw the plight of other rural areas and decided to initiate aggressive rural development scheme which saw many road networks at various impenetrable rural areas across the State. The Calabar International Conference Centre he built with very little amount has attracted both national and international admiration and patronage than the TINAPA that was already dead before project commencement. If there were adequate sustainability plan of TINAPA by Donald, no Governor need struggle for the TINAPA to be running just like CICC is running now. Imoke or Ayade don't posses the magic wand to breath life into a lifeless facility without clear feasibility and which plans of operations cannot even be understood by the originator (Donald).
The bitter truth is that Donald's appologists hardly appreciate any other Governor than Donald. So every other Governor should only concentrate on the development of Calabar before you could be rated as good. The Carnival has come to institutionalize immorality, as Calabar has now become a reference point to visitors for sexual gratification. When you talk of Calabar any where, what comes to minds of people are the women of easy virtue.
In a normal cyclical fiscal policy model, a surplus economic situation should be complemented with welfare engagements/employment as well as expansion of government. When Donald was enjoying monthly surpluses as high as N10 billion on the average, he rather went on welfare retrenchment where so many people lost their jobs instead of employing. To him, he called it "downsizing". Why will you downsize in the time of surpluses without considering the distributional consequences of such obnoxious policy with attendant security tension? Is what we cannot explain till now. This is why Imoke said that Ayade is smarter than Donald because in Ayade's time there has been drastic short-fall in revenue inflow by almost 800 percent reduction as compared to the time of Donald, yet, Ayade embarked on mass employment, government expansion, aside the regular payment of salaries and viable capital projects that are of economic value to the State.
As usual, when Satanists rule, the palms of government will never always be free from blood. They call it state sacrifice. Only Imoke and Ayade come out very clean in this aspect, may be because of their intellectual exposures and refinements. Cross River State is still licking the wounds inflicted on her at the wake of Donald's administration. Inter-cult skirmishes hit the peak when the clash between Bukaneer and Vikings saw more than 28 dead in just one day in 2002. It was later revealed that such security tension were manipulated to achieve certain aim and the question comes, what breed of demon could possess a man to play politics with human blood. It was the worst horror of all times.
Handsome Donald that was given birth to by a beautiful woman today wants men to be sleeping with men as if he was born through shithole. He has vowed to be permissive to gay practices, what am I saying? He has promised to legalize gay marriage, if he becomes President of Nigeria, a practice that is abhorrent to our culture as africans and keeps God at bay. It is still fresh in our memories how he banned prayers in public schools, but will rather promote nudity to pollute the minds of people in the name of Carnival. Thank God that Hilary Clintons will always fail for godly Trumps to rise.
For the fact that his successors are matured enough to shield him from the search light of probity for all the economic atrocities he committed , is enough for him to thank his stars and keep quiet than attacking them at the slightest opportunity. He sold hundred years of Cross River future just to develope a fraction of Calabar and then, blew it beyond proporion on media yet, not much is visible enough to be appreciated. Some years back, when the news of Calabar was overwaved on both local and international media, a friend of mine visited from another state and asked me, "where is the Calabar that has been over-noised on Media?".
His tourism based economy was another scam, a strip for capital flight. Even when he was still the Governor for 8 years, his so called tourism did not generate enough to sustain the state's economy, as the state still heavily depended on the huge Federal Allocation when Cross River was still considered as an oil state. His tourism initiative is such a waste of economy that subsequent governors started considering to look away from it. Right from when he was there, it is always difficult to realize even upto 10 percent of the amount invested in tourism, yearly.
Calabar is now similitude with the biblical Sodom and Gomora, such reputation of shame our state capital has assumed is avoidable.
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