Commissioner Ebokpo Rolls Out Plans For New Ministry
By Our Reporter
The newly sworn-in Commissioner for Crops and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo has assumed office with a focus on ensuring that the Ministry becomes agribusiness inclined in order to increase the State’s revenue base.
In his inaugural meeting with the Management Team of the Ministry, held recently in his office, the Commissioner noted that reforming the defunct Ministry of Agriculture was in order to push specialization and greatly explore the comparative advantages of the State in agricultural sector.
According to him, Cross River has comparative advantage in the area of livestock, fisheries and crops with over 20,000 square kilometers of arable land and a coastline that covers about 70% of the coastline in the Niger Delta.
The Crops and Irrigation Development Commissioner also informed that his leadership will focus on industrial crops such as cocoa, rubber, oil palm citrus and commercial grains, adding that his Ministry will work closely with his sister ministry (Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries Development) in ensuring that interventions are sector specific in order to boost the State’s economy.
He further stated that the Ministry has food security as its core target and would also support the livestock industry in the area of feed input supply.
While expressing hope that with implementation of his programmes, the contribution of Agriculture to the State GDP would have greatly increased, leading to a situation where the businesses that would have been created will be able to largely fund some activities of the Ministry without sole dependence on the State’s budget.
Commissioner Ebokpo also pointed out that his reorganization model for the Ministry would equally create incentives to motivate staff.
He concluded with a reminder that the Governor Bassey Otu-led administration is determined to make agriculture the mainstay of the State’s economy, while enjoining the staff to brace themselves for the actualisation of the mandate the present administration has in agriculture and its value chains.
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ekpe Bassey welcomed the Commissioner and assured him of the Staff’s readiness to implement the lofty initiatives and drive the people first mantra of Governor Bassey Otu in the agricultural sector.
He informed that some administrative adjustments will be made for effective service delivery.
Directors present at the meeting took turns to introduce themselves and expressed messages of goodwill to the Commissioner.
The Commissioner was accompanied on his first day at work by friends and well wishers who prayed God’s blessings and guidance to deliver on his assignment.
It would be recalled that at the inauguration of the State Executive Council by Governor Bassey Otu, the defunct Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources was unbundled into two. The Ministries are: Ministry of Crop and Irrigation Development and Ministry of Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries development.
