Cross River to get defence, foreign affairs commissioners

Governor-elect, Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said he will be appointing defence and foreign affairs commissioners in his second term.

The governor disclosed this in Calabar on Tuesday ahead of his swearing-In for a second term today, Wednesday, adding that he would also trim his cabinet.

“I will downsize the cabinet, radicalise government and I will also introduce a commissioner for defence as well as that of foreign affairs”, he said.

The governor, who said he would restructure the civil service to enable him pay the new national minimum wage, expressed regret that he had to disengage his appointees.

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“What I am doing is based on law as I would have loved not to do this but my authority ends by 12 midnight and everyone knows that I don’t have powers to extend”, Ayade added, describing the executive members he worked with as a great team.

He said: “Some commissioners will be elevated but elevated out of the cabinet. Some will come back but not in the same ministry.

“Civil servants must realise that a major restructuring is coming”, he said, urging the ex-commissioners to join hands with him “to build Cross River State that works”.

The governor also hinted that he would assume the role of project manager during his second term so as to ensure that the factories being established by government work.

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