I inherited no empty treasury in Cross River ----Gov. Ayade

(Nigeria) Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, has said that his administration inherited ``great potentials’’ rather than an ``empty treasury’’ from his predecessor, Mr Liyel Imoke.
Ayade made this known to newsmen in Calabar at a maiden meeting in Calabar on the side-lines of speculations that the state is allegedly indebted to the tune of about N403 billion.``I did not meet an empty treasury. Rather I inherited a state with great potentials; not an empty treasury,’’ he said.Ayade said the state may not host the Obudu International Mountain race in 2015, because it lacked the resources to sustain this year’s edition which would have been the 11th in the series inaugurated in 2005.According to the governor, tourists and residents of the state would be in for a treat at this year’s edition of Carnival Calabar with the introduction of more creativity such as ``Green Carnival’’ as part of the milieu.``We will see a completely different Carnival with more creativity this year. There will be a `green march’ to terminate at the `green forest’.``Five hundred youths will be engaged. They will each be expected plant a tree,’’ he said.He said his administration would reconstitute the State Forestry Commission which was dissolved following the discovery of sharp practices in forest resources’ management.Ayade said his administration had introduced a new dimension to forest conservation and management that would curb leakages and bring revenue to Cross River and discourage sharp practices and corruption.He said that new trees would be planted to boost depleted forest resources such that in about four years the result would be manifested.He said that his administration also has a proposal for the establishment of ``Food Bank’’ in each of the 188 local government areas of Cross River ``to take government to the farmers and give them value for their efforts’’.