Ayade promises to complete Calabar deep seaport

The Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has stated that the proposed Calabar deep seaport would be completed on schedule by his administration.

He made the promise when he hosted the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, who paid him a courtesy call in Government House, Calabar.

Ayade said when the port is inaugurated and put into use, it would complement rather than compete with the existing Calabar port.

The governor added that the proposed port at full bloom will help to assuage the plight of the displaced Bakassi people.

The governor said: “This project will no doubt go a long way to assuage the plight of the people of Bakassi, who by no fault of theirs have become refugees in their own ancestral home. By the time the project takes off, they would recognize the fact that president Buhari truly loves them.

“Your presence here underscores the fact that our Bakassi deep seaport project is a reality.”

He commended President Mohammadu Buhari for supporting the Bakassi seaport project.

The governor said that the president’s gesture was an indication that “he is a man of honour and dignity, who keeps his word”.

In her remarks, the NPA managing director said the Federal Government was determined to increase the flow of ship and cargo traffic at the Calabar port.