By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – The governor of Cross River State, Sen. Ben Ayade, has urged the 7 Carnival Calabar bands to interpret the festival’s theme this year, “Agro-Industrialisation,” in a way that emphasises the value of agriculture to the state’s economy.
Speaking on behalf of his deputy, Professor Ivara Esu, Ayade expressed his happiness that Cross River had reaped significant benefits from his administration’s industrialisation effort during the flag-off of the second dry run of the Carnival on Sunday in Calabar.
According to him, “We want to focus this year’s carnival on agro-industrialisation and you all know what has been done in that area.
“We have established over 30 industries across the state. We thank God that those industries are beginning to function especially as concessionaires have taken possession of them.
“I want to urge the carnival bands that in trying to elucidate the theme not to fail to point out the fact that agro-industrialisation means that there must be various raw materials, which must come from agriculture to supply those industries”.
The governor argued that in order for the various businesses to run effectively, the state government must now give agriculture significant attention in order to ensure that Cross River continues to produce crops in which it has a comparative edge.
The governor asked the revellers and band leaders, “to also know that indeed Cross River is a special state. A state like no other that is agro-based.
“We do not want to remain as raw material producers, we want to grow a step further. Our aim is to leapfrog the state from a third world to a first world and I think we are doing so”.
The second dry run is a lead-up to the main event in December, according to Mr Austin Cobham, Executive Secretary of the Cross River State Carnival Commission, who spoke earlier.
According to Cobham, the topic of this year’s carnival has helped people in the area and beyond the nation comprehend the administration in Cross River led by Governor Ben Ayade’s economic policy.
His words: “The theme of this year’s carnival ‘agro-industrialisation’ has brought to the understanding of people what this government has done in the area of agriculture and job provision”.
