Bakassi Deep Seaport : Lawmaker lauds Ayade, sues FG to expedite action

Hon. Chris Ogar-Mbu

By Kingsley Agim

The lawmaker representing Etung State Constituency in the 9th Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. (Barr.) Chris Njah Mbu-Ogar, has hailed the State Governor, Sir (Prof.) Ben Ayade on his resolve towards the actualization of the Bakassi Deep Seaport.

Hon. Mbu-Ogar, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Commerce Industry, Public Private Partnership and Privatisation, gave the commendation when reacting to the Governor's recent appeal for Sovereign Guarantee from the Federal Government for the Bakassi Deep Seaport.

"It is an Ayade's Dream to decouple Nigeria from the Lagos Water ways congestion and open up direct maritime  business link from the rest of the world and Lagos, to the entire South-South, South-East and the whole of Northern Nigeria through the evacuation corridor(275 km super high way), the legislator remarked."

Hon. Mbu-Ogar  appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appreciate the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the efforts of His Excellency the Governor, expeditiously grant a Sovereign Guarantee for the deep seaport.

"Mr. President who was in Bakassi in 2015 to perform the ground breaking ceremony of these twin Signature Projects, had promised to return to Cross River State for commissioning of the projects," he reminded the presidency.

"Mr. President should please approve this sovereign  guarantee to work his talk. I  also urge all National Assembly members from Cross River State and beyond, including the corporate private sector to remain hands in gloves on this request," he concluded.

Recalled that Governor Ben Ayade had sent a plea to the Federal Government through the House of Representatives, when its Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Ad-hoc Committee on Ports, Hon Yusuf Buba Yakub, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor, as part of the Committee's oversight function to ascertain the statuses of ports in the country.