Kakum is a village in Obudu, Cross River State. Laid back, rustic and tucked between Betukwel and Ukambi villages, it took on some additional polish and shine when Benedict Bengiuoshuye Ayade, became her most visible and illustrious indigene after he was sworn in as governor of Cross River State in 2015.
Significantly, I do not know if it was exaggerated happiness or a clear lack of how to function in his new role that Ben Ayade’s first gaffe as governor was the impish pronouncement that his burly brother, the less known and never fancied, Frank Ayade is his co-governor. This thoughtless pronouncement emboldened his brother and left him with an impetus so lush that he altered governance principles, subverted government policies and brought forth a cacophony of outcomes that distanced Ben Ayade from the people he swore on oath to protect as governor.
Throughout the period he has been our governor, presented with the slightest opportunity at any function to address the slightest crowd, he complicates conversation with high sounding words, plants hubris in between and comes away as a comical individual. It even has become so laborious to explain to people outside Cross River State that a state which effortlessly paraded a succession of urbane governors, today has a governor, who can be better remembered for clowning (even) with something as serious as a succession of annual budget estimates, giving them names that make our dear state a laughing stock.
At the laughable “Ayade Industrial Park”, perhaps the unforgiving slaughter slab of Cross River State funds, where Ayade promised us all manner of unthinkable agro-economic, entrepreneurial and scientific breakthroughs that have come to nought, while Frank with abundant gusto, dished out instructions to shivering contractors working on nothing, or things better imagined, men and women who wanted to make it into his brother’s hourly list of government appointees, waited under the sun for several damning minutes to genuflect at his sight or just smile to be noticed, for stupidity sake.
As Ayade’s days in office wore on, we immediately became witnesses to a reckless regimen of political appointments that even had deceased persons added to the list. More than an appreciable number of those appointed to such flagrant offices like “SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR ON PLANTAIN SUCKERS”, performed no functions but earned salaries in a carefully crafted heist christened “food on the table policy”. Many of these appointees are paid sums of money that help blind them from what is actually taken from them…they will understand this in the days to come.
Again, while payment of salaries and gratuities to retirees seemingly never existed in the eyes of Cross Riverians, a ‘fortunate’ few, selected from the clannish pantheons of the Ayades, were discreetly paid entitlements and adviced to keep mum so the food does not fall off their teeth.
Yes, Ayade is a god of ambitions. He was a senator, then the governorship position happened on him and convinced him that he MUST happen on Nigeria’s senate a second time…simply because he had ambitiously seen himself as Senate President. On the road to this ambition, he sold us dummies, convinced that people of considerable sense do not exist in Cross River North. He invested in two routes, through two aides as he aspired to the Senate. Stephen Odey went to the Senate and the claws of the law brought him back. My friend, Martin Orim, convinced he could win and then hand the diadem to his master, put up with a political circus that lacked truthful steam. Not to be outdone, Ayade left the masquerades behind and came out bold faced, to challenge for Senate, CRN.
But there was a Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe somewhere, nestled on the seat with a grip that came with the political maxim, “Unconquered Generation”, to contend with. I tell you for free, shielded from truth, Ayade underrated the Jarigbe effect…for bad reason!
In an article I wrote and published in October 2022, (www.calitown.com/jarigbe-agom-today-tomorrow-and-for-the-days-to-come/), I clearly stated that, “..the well documented travails of Jarigbe and how he overcame the choke hold of political adversity with his “Unconquered Generation” mantra and approach, gives hope that power can indeed be of and from the people. This senator is the radar that compasses the gathering of the freely elected by the people. Those who admire and support him are in great numbers, numbers that will determine his continued stay in the red chambers.” I also pointed out in that write-up that, “Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe is a rallying point and will remain so, the opposite option will labour in vain.” This little piece of truth was ignored and our governor went into the contest and LOST.
Those who insist Jarigbe is not a mass movement, fed lies into Ayade’s ears, led him through a false path and crashed the ambition of another Senate President who would have emerged from among us. The last one was Joseph Wayas, Ayade would have been the next one (?), from Wayas’ backyard.
On the road back to Kakum, if there’s a convoy, it will be short and sirens won’t blar. The chants of the sobriquet, “digital, digital”, as his cheerleaders call him, will be a distant whisper, sustained only by those who remember his flurry days in a hurry. He will lose friends fast and become bitter at those who will ignore his calls. Many of those who have fed fat off his many political/administrative mistakes, will lubriciously glide away and greet him only when they accidentally stumble on each other…such is the political office after-life.
There are lessons that only Ayade can take away; things to ruminate on in his quiet time. Importantly, maybe somewhere in future, if good fortune smiles on him again, he will separate the love of family and friends from the seriousness of governance. His mandate will be his and not one shared with a brother remembered more for that gluttonous online picture of a man behind a food filled dining table, greedily consuming food on his birthday.
IWARA is Editorial Lead, www.calitown.com. The views expressed are his and not the views of www.calitown.com
