Not up to five months before the end of his tenure, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has reshuffled his cabinet and sworn in 13 new commissioners to the cabinet.
Following this development, the former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Eric Anderson, was appointed the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, while the former Director-General, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong, was appointed the Commissioner for health. He also appointed Adamu Musa from Kano State as the Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony in Calabar, Mr Ayade urged the new commissioners to work assiduously to ensure that his administration finishes strong. “Your coming on board is not by accident. You have been carefully selected based on your integrity and competence to bring your wealth of experience to bear on our administration.
“Your jobs are all cut out for you; I expect that you make our dear state proud,” he said.
Responding on behalf of others, Mrs Ekpenyong, who replaced Dr Betta Edu, the APC National Women Leader, thanked the governor for the appointment. She said that finding them worthy to join the governor in transforming the state was a step in the right direction for the betterment of the state.
“I pledge that my colleagues and I will represent you well in our various ministries. We will work in line with your vision and plan for the state,” she said.
