Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has vowed to deal with any of his commissioners who failed to perform in his second tenure.
Speaking while swearing in commissioners to complete his cabinet after 209 days in office, Prof Ayade borrowed what Shakespeare said that a leader must not be loved but feared.
“A Shakespearean theory says that a leader must not only be loved but feared. Once you lose the element of fear, you lose leadership quality. This time, I am going to exhibit that other part. That is why your appointment and swearing-in today will be in the first instance for one year.
“There is a full parastatal for performance monitoring and evaluation. Once I am given your score card and you meet 70 percent, you move on but if you don’t, we reshuffle or replace you. In my first term I was tolerant, in my second term I will be intolerant.
“If you don’t deliver, you go. I can assure you that you will not sit on this chamber again,” added “Every Commissioner represents a community and that community is represented in government.
“The more people you bring to the table, the more you reach down the lowest level. I made a commitment in my first term that everyone will return in my second term, as you come to the table you come to a new government.
“In my first term I made a commitment that everybody was going through a learning curve and I tolerated excesses, failures, inadequacies and short comings.
“I have an internal nature not to raise somebody and at the same time put that person down but such goodwill is often mistaken for weakness but it is actually a higher spiritual level.”
The Governor explained that it was in keeping to his promise to return them after the elections despite the claimed that he will run a rather lean government; he has justified the expansion of government.
According to him, “The expansion of government is anchored on my belief that everybody has something to offer in life. The moment you put down somebody, you have put down a great potential. If each Commissioner executes a given mandate, you have 39 projects accomplished,” the governor said.
As expected, the Governor outlined the duties of the commissioners in a lengthy speech and charged the new Commissioner for Transport to revive the moribund Cross River state owned Cross Line mass transit, insisting that it was time to reduce the cost of transportation for the citizens traveling in and outside the State.
New ministries were created in line with his promise made earlier in the year. These include ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Sports and Cinematography.
Despite a hasty job, he commended the State House of Assembly for thorough and speedy screening and confirmation of the commissioners saying, “You did a detailed job of the screening, you demonstrated capacity, you showed competence.”
Excluding Messrs. George Ekpungu, Inok Edim and Sunday Achunekang, Prof Ayade reappointed the rest who served with him in his first term. The commissioners were assigned roles immediately.
