Ben Ayade on Bola Tinubu presidential ambition, 2023 elections, rate of ritual killings and oda national issues

Cross River state Governor Prof. Ben Ayade say di national leader of di All Progressives Party, APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu get di right to come out and declare im intention to run for president of Nigeria becos of im contribution and effort for di party.

Di govnor tok wen e address some national and state issues for inside exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin.

Di govnor say e agree wit di southern govnors decision say di next president suppose come from di south say e go support anybody wey di party eventually decide on.

"Anybody wey come out for south suppose come out, even more pipo go still come out. If you ask me for Bola Tinubu I go say e dey correct say e come out, why I say e dey correct be say di man fight, e struggle, e work hard, e support Buhari to put dis goment in place. For man wey don work hard like dat, e go expect say since na di turn of di south now make e try.

I no go say e no good as e come out. But I belong to party, party go calculate say di pipo wey come out for south, who go fit epp us make we win election, if di party say na Tinubu, me I go support am. If dem calculate say no be am, I go tok say make we all follow go meet Tinubu make we beg say na so party tok becos I knno say e work hard for di party and I get conscience and you no go see pesin wey struggle like dis you go come go say we no need you again, you be old man comot, e no good, I no dey do like dat so I dey wait for di party.

Ayade get intention to contest?

Govnor Ayade also clear di air ontop tori of im intention to contest.

"Although pipo dey push me say make I go run me I no dey do like dat becos dis kain tin, you belong to a family, na dem go siddon calculate, you go dey your house dey sleep, wen dem don calculate finish, dem go carry you come from sleep. Ayade tok.

Ontop rumour say Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo too fit get mind to run, Ayade say

"Osinbajo don follow Buhari dey work for 8 years, Buhari go know am well-well and Buhari go put hand for pesin wey go succeed am, naim go decide to a large extent di candidate of di party, if e see am say na pesin wey work wit am well and e bring am out, me I go support."

Anti-grazing bill

On May 11, 2021, govnors of di 17 southern states resolve to ban open grazing and di movement of cattle by foot in order to stop di palava between farmers and herders for di region.

But Cross River state na one state wey never sign di anti-grazing bill into law. Govnor Ayade tok why e no subscribe to dat law but why e wan modify am.

"I never sign becos I dey ask myself question, since dem born me I dey small pikin, we dey see di Fulanis dey sell nunu, dey c arry am for head, dey waka wit us, we no see say dem dey chop our plant pass. So if I come be govnor today sometin wey dem don dey do before dem born me, I come say make dem no dey do am again no be so God tok am. We don hold meeting wit herders and farmers and we say we go make a different law, di law wey I go make go protect di farmers and di pipo wey dey do cattle." E tok.

Govnor Ayade also address di issue of pension, e say di state no dey owe, di pipo wey never collect na pipo wey get problem.

"Anybody wey dem no pay, get problem wit im paper. My monthly na 680 million naira, I inherit 320 million, if we see say pension dey increase, number of pipo dem remove from salaries dey less dem do audit dem remove your name, e no mean say dem no pay satte pension, so two, three pipo go arrange dey protest, una begin dey do big story out of am. Pipo wey dey protest na pipo dem remove dia name say dia papre no correct and dem don ask dem to go meet auditor general to clear demsefs." E tok.

Ritual Killings

On di increase on di rate of stories and reports about ritual killings, di govnor say one of di solutions na population control.

"Make pipo for dia family bring up dia children well and make we reduce population. Pipo too born. We dey grow population at 3% per annum and di GDP dey grow at less dan 2.2% per annum. E mean say children dey plenti pass money wey dey come. So no be only goment we go blame ousef too." E tok.

Talking about im plan before e comot office, Govnor Ayade promise to finish some of di major projects wey im administration embark upon wen dem enta office.

"Obudu international airport I must finish am before I comot office, I must revamp Obudu cattle ranch. Di school of medicine and law, Teachers continuous training institute, I must finish dem. Di dual carriage road from Obaniku to Yala I go finish am too.

I must finish di spaghetti flyover, phase one of di super highway too. Di deep sea port if I no finish am I go move am to private sector." E tok.