Why I shelved plans to privatise state industries ― Ayade

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said that his government shelved the plans to privatise the over thirty industries built by his administration as a mark of respect for the dissenting voice of the people on the matter.

The governor disclosed this during his end of year interaction with the media in Calabar, the state capital.

Some of the industries established by the Ayade-led administration include the state garment factory, the ultramodern rice mill, cocoa processing factory, the rice seeds and seedlings factory, noodles factory and CallyAir, a state-owned airline.

Ayade said although most indigenes of the state were in favour of privatisation of the industries, there were, however, a few who gave negative connotations to the plan.

He said he choose to listen to the voices of the few for a number of reasons, including the fact that he did not want his name amongst those who sold government assets.

According to him, “These Industries are set, the beneficiation pathways have been articulated and addressed, it is now to get the operators.

“Public sentiment is against privatisation and my father says, ‘do not privatise’, even in his greater beyond because when you sell government asset to an individual in the African sense ‘you don carry government property give person.’

“So we are trying to put a structure in place which is more like a management system. I did a referendum. For the first time government subjected its decision to a referendum. In spite of the fact that there is a provision in the privatisation law of 2007, I decided to withhold my powers and allow five per cent of the public opinion to prevail. Which is that we should not privatise any of these Industries”.

Continuing, the governor recollected a discussion he had with his father concerning public service:

“My father said to me in his dying moment, ‘ son as I’m going to part from this world, if you cannot add to the quality and value of my name please don’t denigrate it.’ So Ayade is not going to be counted among those who sold government assets and that is why I am not going to privatise.

“So let whoever becomes the next governor decide what happens to them but my job has been completed. I have functional factories. I will only put in place a temporary management structure in place pending when the new government comes in.

He said the decision not to privatise was not the right decision but the correct decision.

“It is not the right decision but it is the correct decision. It is not right because for the prosperity of those factories we needed to send them into the private sector for the people to invest more money, but it is the correct decision because its politically the right thing to do otherwise you will say Ayade has sold them to his friend, brother, Uncle or sister.

“So let another governor come and do it where he will not be accused because he is innocent, he didn’t create the idea. But truly, the pathway to the development of this State is for our people to rally round the government,” he concluded.

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