Lockdown: Ben Ayade pays unscheduled visit to state border post

Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade

Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has paid an unscheduled visit to the Cross River border post at Itu Bridge.

The border post which is a boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom is in Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking to reporters during the visit on Wednesday, Ayade said: “We decided to stop over at the post to catch the security operatives on duty arms down but I was impressed that they were alert and the border was properly manned.

“You are aware that while Akwa Ibom has recorded some cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we don’t have any case in Cross River.

“For us as a state, all our borders must remain shut, that is why we are here on a confirmatory and solidarity visit to support our men who are sacrificing this pleasant time they are supposed to share with their family just to ensure we are safe.

“I must say we are proud that we are all ready to stay the night here, we will have a burn fire and I will be here till the late hours of the morning just to ensure that no vehicle enters the state.

“Once we are satisfied, tomorrow, we will visit another border point, the Cameroon border, until we are sure that truly, truly, we have locked Cross River properly.”

Around midnight , the governor was at the state’s garment factory, where he inspected the ongoing production of face masks.

He said his hope was for the factory to produce 4.5 million face masks.