By Ebere Levi
Along Goodluck Jonathan bypass, off the popular Atimbo Roundabout in the heart of Calabar, the capital of Cross River state, stands a sprawling Industrial park built by Governor Ben Ayade.
Upon assumption of office in 2015, Ayade, a Professor of Environmental Microbiology, had made it clear that the main thrust of his administration would be rapid industrialisation of the state so as to decouple Cross River from over-dependence on Federal allocation, as well as recalibrate the economy.
Shortly after that declaration, he breathed life to his words by embarking on aggressive establishment of industries across the state.
However, it is at the expansive industrial park Calabar that you see a cluster of such industries.
Among the industries at the park are the Calachika chicken processing plant, CalaNoodles plant, the world class Rice seeds and seedlings factory, Feedmill, Calapharm and then the Cross River Garment Factory.
Notedly, the Garment Factory has placed Ayade and Cross River on the national and global burner with the advent of the global pandemic, COVID-19.
The governor, through the Garment factory has scored many firsts in the fight against the pandemic. The most recent is the mass production of Personal Protection Equipment, PPE, from the factory. It is the first ever locally manufactured medical protective gear.
It was the factory, nay Ayade’s Cross River, that pioneered local production of nose masks with fabrics as opposed to imported surgical masks.
Nose masks made from the Cross River Garment factory today are in use in many states of the federation.
Many states placed orders for the item while the Cross River state government on its part donated the item to some states as a show of solidarity with sister states ravaged by the pandemic.
In fact, Lagos, the epicenter of Nigeria’s COVID-19 outbreak, in April, placed an order for one million pieces of the masks.
Just last week, the Cross River state government offered to dispatch consignments of its Garment-factory-made nose masks to Bauchi state to help contain the spread of the virus there.
Free PPE for Schools, Medical Personnel
At the unveiling of the PPE, recently, at the Cross River Garment factory, Ayade disclosed that the protective gears, which include face shields and PPE overalls will be deployed to schools, free of charge, for the use of students as the state government commences trial resumption of public schools.
The governor used the occasion to appeal to the federal government for patronage.
He said that production of the protective gear was part of his administration’s effort to fight the global pandemic, COVID-19.
His words: “I think that the federal government will be excited to encourage the resumption of schools because obviously the coronavirus has come to stay with us and the reality is that countries that have attempted to resume schools have had to contend with the increase prevalence of the virus but obviously how long can we wait as a country?
Ayade: We Can’t Wait for Coronavirus Indefinitely.
“Perhaps, we have to adopt a new lifestyle that will integrate coronavirus as part of our lifestyle. And so for, in Cross River State, we have a strong commitment that our children cannot continue to stay at home. The more they stay, the more the moral decadence, the more the indiscipline, the more they become lazy of getting back to school and getting started because for every stage in life there is time where you have to be in class, and once the children miss that delicate phase, it becomes very difficult.
“I think it is wise for the kids to go back to school and I have seen this happen in China where kids are back to schools with their nosemasks and shields. So you wear your nose mask and you wear your face shield when you get to school you drop the mask and wear only your shield to allow for more ventilation and more breathing”, he said.
Show Cross River Love, He Tells FG
The governor is of the opinion that with the many innovations and contributions to the national economy his administration has made, including his exceptional fight against COVID-19, it was time the federal government showed love to Cross Rivers: “We believe it is time for the federal government to also show love and support to Cross River State. We have always led from the front and we think the mass production of PPE is an added advantage for which all health practicioners from to nurses to radiographers must be equipped with PPE for them to work”
Because We Care
According to governor Ayade, “because we care, we want to support our public schools with free distribution of PPE. But our PPE for schools is limited only to the nose masks and face shield. But for the health workers in Cross River State, they will be provided at no cost because the government has borne the cost”
Why We Diversified Into PPE Production
The governor explained that the increasing danger posed by the pandemic necessitated Cross River Garment Factory’s diversification into PPE production
Ayade: “We have invested massively in the mass production of nose mask and face masks but in the course of time, it became obvious that the PPE is even far more critical because we realize that without the PPE our health workers, our frontline workers are at risk and so there is a need for the production of PPE.
“Recently, doctors in Nigeria issued strike notice and their major reason was that their colleagues are dying in their numbers occasioned by the lack of PPE as they have direct contact with patients with confirmed cases. So, Cross River State had to invest seriously into the production of PPE. And we have gone out of our way to get the best quality of materials and brought in people who specialize in mass production from India. They are here with us today and they’ are working very hard producing thousands of face shields. These face shields will be the first and major shield production here in Nigeria”, the governor said.
Denied Importing Virus To Bauchi
Speaking through Dr.Betta Edu, his youthful Commissioner for Health, governor Ayade last week pledged to help Bauchi state contain the virus which is ravaging the state.
Bauchi state governor, Bala Muhammed, had at a press conference, alleged that the 15 new cases the state recorded, recently, were indigenes of his state who returned from Cross River.
But Dr.Edu debunked this, insisting that Cross Rivers was free of the pandemic as recently certified by NCDC.
She reiterated that Cross Rivers borders with neighbouring states are firmly sealed and strict preventive measures against the virus religiously obeyed in the state.
“We understand the pressure on the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed. It is not easy to have the highest number of Coronavirus cases in Nigeria’s north-east.
“I have to reiterate that there is no case of COVID-19 in Cross River State. Cross River stands with Bauchi and just like we supported other states. We are ready to support the government and people with Personal Protective Equipment like face masks and shield as well as the overalls produced at the garment factory. like I said earlier, we have not recorded a case of COVID-19 yet”, she said.
The Fight Against COVID-19 and Ayade’s Many Firsts
When a man is fore sighted, it is inevitable that he naturally becomes a pace setter. This is obviously the case with governor Ayade as far as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned.
His proactive measures against the pandemic would later be copied by other state governments and the federal government.
For example, to curtail the spread of the virus into Cross River,Ayade was the first governor to seal all entry and exits into his state.
He was also the first to order no masks no movement before other state copied from him.
And long before masks made from fabrics became a global fade, Ayade was the first to introduce its use, ordering the Cross River Garment Factory to mass produce it and distribute free of charge to Cross Riverians.
