Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, on Monday, said that nominees for appointments as commissioners in the state will undergo a mandatory integrity and aptitude test.
The governor, in statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, said the nominees would have to undergo the aptitude test before their names would be forwarded to the state House of Assembly for confirmation.
Ayade also on Monday terminated the contract of firms handling the evacuation of refuse in Calabar metropolis for not living up to their responsibilities.
In the statement on the commissioner nominees, the governor disclosed that the appointment of chairmen and members of boards, agencies and parastatal and even special advisers would follow the same routine.
The statement read, “His Excellency, Prof. Ben Ayade, wants all the nominees for appointments as commissioners to undergo an integrity test. Additionally, the nominees would also write an aptitude test.”
According to the statement, the governor is of the belief that every would-be appointee in the state must be subjected to ethical test to ascertain whether or not they could function in the new order, where accountability and transparency are the watchwords.
Members of the committee to conduct the test on the nominee included Mr. Paul Erokoro, an Abuja-based lawyer, who will serve as chairman, while the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Martin Orim, and Mrs. Grace Ekanem will serve as members.
Speaking on termination of the refuse contract, Ayade expressed disappointment over the level of evacuation by the firms in Calabar-South and some parts of Calabar municipality.
He said government would no longer tolerate the inadequacies of the contractors, stating the readiness of his administration to take over the evacuation exercise forthwith.
The governor directed the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Tina Agbor, to meet with the affected contractors and convey his administration’s position to them.
He consequently announced that the Calabar Urban Development Authority would henceforth be responsible for the evacuation of refuse in the city.
Ayade said, “There are two major contractors but the contractor in charge of Calabar-South is always implicated each time I inspect the area. Sometimes, I drive silently without anybody knowing to the sites, and this is what I get each time I embark on such trips.
“This is totally unacceptable. I have tolerated him for four months now, but I cannot take it anymore because we must fix this city and give it its befitting right of place.”
As I often say, some of our professors build castles in the air. Yes, they do in their fantastic hypotheses. Isn’t it ironical for a person to be inviting others to come over and help him in administering a sphere of authority and at the same time asking them to first write exams which they must pass before being appointed? That is quite odd and most insulting. And Mr Ayade should take note! Furthermore, Mr Ayade should know that he is only first among equals in relation to his commissioners, and not their Lord and Master!