By Paul Ingiona Adie
In Africa, when a child has done very well, we encourage him to do better. Currently judging from his first steps like: the payment of workers’ May salary and the timely payment of June salary to the lift of ban on Timber trade to pursuit of funds from international donors for Cross River’s forest regeneration and conservation, to his aggressive pursuit of international and Federal collaborations for the state’s development, we can clearly see that this man has thoughts of peace for Cross River!
Nature usually provides all we need, our ability to identify her solutions in our environment is lengthened by our committed resolve to identify and secure it jealously. Ayade is Cross River’s human competitive advantage not just because he is the Governor but because of what he as an individual brings to the Governor position! A competitive advantage according to Wikipedia is a business concept describing attributes that allow an organization to outperform its competitors. This advantage derives from attribute(s) that allow an organization to outperform its competition, such as superior market position, skills, or resources. The term competitive advantage refers to the ability gained through attributes and resources to perform at a higher level than others in the same industry or market. Successfully implemented strategies will lift a firm to superior performance by facilitating the firm with competitive advantage to outperform current or potential players.
Firstly, his academic background in Environmental Microbiology at the highest academic level of professor coupled with his tenure as Senate Vice Chairman on House committee on Environment and Ecology and his consultancy experience in Environment and allied services, is a plus and a very timely one for Cross River state forest which is rated as one of 25 bio-diversity hot spots in the world and host to the world’s second largest rain forest.
Secondly, his Masters in Business administration and his entrepreneurial experience garnered from his profitable playing in the Oil and Gas, Hospitality, Construction sectors and Environmental Consultancy Career displays an appropriate combination of sound business practice and a great service delivery all of which will be brought to bear on Cross River’s fortunes in his capacity as the Governor.
Thirdly, his political experience in the Nigerian Senate was necessary for this his current political assignment as he now has a Nationalist outlook and understands the Nitty-gritty , intricacies and demands of both Nigerian and Cross River politics and people and also as a Senate member of House committees on Education, Marine Transport, Petroleum Downstream and Drugs/Narcotics/Crime he has been exposed to the aforementioned areas adequately, this has obvious ramifications for his current job.
Fourthly, the man’s ambitiousness is good for Cross River’s internal income generation, his broad exposure will be beneficial to the quality of his administrative decision making, his international connections and local affiliations will prove pivotal to delivering the goods in Cross River. Having succeeded in personal business, academics, politics, predictably he will succeed very well in his socio-economic impact dispensing style of Governance
In addition, his perpetual identification with the common man is informed by his life experience; he has been there, he knows how it feels and he sincerely wishes to better the lot of the ordinary Cross Riverian as he can possibly achieve, he always has the poor at heart! He has set a target of creating a thousand jobs during his hundred days in office!
More so, he is a man who thinks for himself this is proven by his creative responses to issues, he reasons independently and implements according to the necessary plan. He is not a man that allows himself to be messed up by anyone for whatever reason or to compromise his sacred and tenaciously held blueprint of Liberating Cross Riverians from the triad of poverty, hunger and ignorance.
Furthermore, he is a game changer, his grace and excellence makes him a cure to every intractable challenge, to every obstacle he surmounts, he clears the way wherever there is a problem that seems too hard to be solved, Ayade often appears with his sensitive template with the view to implementing efficacious and sustainable solutions to knotty challenges.
Most people dream big but Ayade often goes ahead to actualize his, having a big thinker who knows how to achieve his plans and is also up to date about innovations and advancements in all spheres of modern life as the head of the ship, Cross River indeed is geared up for better days ahead!
Coupled with Ayade’s love for education, this is very strategic for the future of Cross River State, his love for entrepreneurship is also practical as we can see the garment factory he’s recently established, his sending of sixty artisans to Abu Dhabi for skills training in construction management, road construction, highway survey, masonry, glazing, quality control, landscaping. His innate ability to visualize business opportunities and his negotiation skills are a plus for Cross River’s internally generated revenue especially that will accrue from foreign investment attraction and business diplomacy.
Equally important, Ayade is a fearless mover and already has his principles and knows his decisions even before a situation presents itself. He is also a fast learner and radiates an aura of excellence that negates every form of indiscipline, mediocrity, inhumanity and impossibility. He is a frothy mix of brain, brawn and grace. His grace is the most interesting part of his charismatic and endearing personality. The man seems to have the Midas touch as everything he touches turns into gold and most importantly such leaves people happy. At a time like this he is the right man for the job. People come and go in government but Ayade’s leadership will etch an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of Cross Riverians.
In a nutshell, having x-rayed some of Ayade’s personal achievements, education, strengths and personality coupled with his first steps in socio-economic impact administration, we can strongly say Cross River has a very serious competitive advantage in the Person of Professor Senator Barrister Benedict Ayade thus it is our collective responsibility to support him and so he can do his best in governance. Cross River State has just started seeing the good things; intuitively the sky seems like the starting point and not the limit! Ipse dixit!
Paul Ingiona Adie is a Brand Marketing Consultant and a Registered Integrated Marketing Communicator (R.I.M.C) with the Certified Marketing Communications Institute of Nigeria (CMCIN)
