President Buhari Meets With Governor Ayade Over N700 Billion Bakassi Deep Sea Port

President Muhammadu Buhari has met with Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River behind closed doors. According to Vanguard, Ayade arrived at the presidential villa at 1pm yesterday, Tuesday, January 17.

The governor carried a file and was ushered into the president’s office but was later taken away to where the president was waiting.

It was reported that Ayade came to discuss the deep seaport project of the president Buhari administration. The proposed Bakassi deep seaport and the 260km superhighway are estimated to cost about N700 billion.

The president has said the deep seaport is expected to boost the export of rice and banana as well as solid minerals in the region. There is reported excitement among members of the Cross River state civil service as Governor Ayade ordered that their salaries for January be paid with immediate effect.

It is yet half of the month, but the thinking of the governor could be that most of the civil servants have spent their December salaries on the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The governor was also the first to pay salaries in December.

While his colleagues in some states owe workers, the governor ordered that workers be paid on the first day of the last month of 2016. This created panic among the workers some of whom argued that they would enter January, 2017 in hunger after spending the money.