By Ani Bassey
The Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade has decried the lack of collaboration between the state and Britain.
This lack of collaboration, the governor said is visible in various strata of development.
The governor said though Britain is Nigeria’s traditional ally given the historical colonial ties between both countries, his state rather enjoys robust collaboration with other countries.
Ayade’s concerns were expressed at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Calabar while playing host to the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson.
In the governor’s words, “In the course of my stay in office as Governor, I have seen that there has been very little deliberate effort from your embassy to get close to the grassroots.
“Perhaps you are the first to visit us as an official of the British embassy and to us this is very exciting.
“We have had relationships with other countries in different sectors including Agriculture, maritime business among others but this is not the case with Britain.
“This ought not to be so given Nigeria’s history with Britain as our colonial master.
“So your visit, therefore, should open up the opportunity for greater collaboration between Cross River State and the United kingdom”, Professor Ayade said.
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The governor expressed hope that the visit of the British high commissioner will let him understand the issues in the Niger Delta.
He also sought the support of the British government in the area of security to protect the state from the threats posed by the crisis in Southern Cameroon.
“Experience has shown that relationship with the nation doesn’t distill perfectly to the sub-national.
“So your visit to a sub-national at the state level gives you a true perspective into the issues and problems of the Niger Delta.
“We also seek your assistance in the areas of security in form of institutional support, technical training or any form of collaboration that can actually isolate Cross River knowing that we are a border state between Nigeria and Cameroon and is at the front of the war zone”, the governor requested.
Earlier, Aktison extolled the splendor and beauty of Calabar and said she was delighted to have visited the city.
The British Deputy High Commissioner thanked the governor for hosting her and the team and commended his government’s strides in infrastructure and industrialization.
