Cross River Governor Ben Ayade and his cabinet members on Thursday had a picnic-like festival in the open lounge of the Governor’s Office field where they danced to music in celebration of what he described as the state’s “no Covid-19 case status after the first phase of the National lockdown.”
Ayade, who was joined by his deputy, the Secretary to the State Government and commissioners to dance to various contemporary music, later addressed the gathering, which included members of the State COVID-19 response and Task Force Team.
He said Cross River invested billions to fight the virus, adding “for people to doubt our Covid-19 free status is not to notice the billions of naira spent on fighting the virus.”
He said the state would gain nothing by hiding the virus as that could result in mass deaths.
According to him: “Dear Cross Riverians, I must congratulate all of you for going through phase one without any confirmed case of Covid-19. With the easing of restrictions and the opening of borders and the airport, it’s actually time for all of us to individually shut down. Take responsibility; protect yourself.
“For us as a state, we no longer have control over borders. While borders are open, our eyes will remain open. We must prepare ourselves for the onslaught.
“I believe Cross River has fought a great fight. That is why we lead from the front. Cross River has handed over to the Federal Government with the opening of borders.”
He expressed gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) for providing world class response to fighting the pandemic.
The governor also congratulated his political appointees and the state COVID-19 Response Task Force for their efforts that culminated in maintaining the free status of the state.
Commissioner for Health and Chairman of the Task force, Dr. Betta Edu, said: “You have given everything. You put everything on the line to ensure Cross River State is safe. I thank my colleagues for the sacrifices they made.”