Rt. Eteng Jonas Williams

The speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Eteng Jonas Williams, has said the many key “signature projects” initiated by the state governor such as the superhighway, Bakassi Deep Seaport, CaliAir and Obudu airport are not achievable owing to dwindling revenues in the state, Daily Trust reports.

Williams said even the garment factory which had been commissioned had rather swallowed staggering sums of money without commensurate yields.

He spoke when he responded to a motion on the need for privatisation of all the industries initiated by the governor, as well as other old government enterprises, moved by the House Leader and Member representing Ogoja State Constituency, Mr. Peter Odey.

Williams said the state needed to tell itself the truth; which was that some of the structures the state was trying to build were not achievable owing to the dwindling revenue of the state.
He said, “The garment factory alone takes between N18 to N20 million monthly to maintain and pay salaries, yet the state is not getting anything from it.
“There is need for us to act now because when this government leaves in 2023, what is it that will be left for our children?”