The people of Cross River are more cross with Ben Ayade than the angry bull in his new logo

The people of Cross River are angry. So angry!

Their Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, is not acting his title according to Cross Riverians who think that he should “focus on visible development of the state and not media hype development”.

What’s this that they call “media hype development”?

The Governor went and changed the State’s logo from what the world has come to know the State for – tourism – to what he may have been led to believe he has managed to change the focus of the State to in 2 years.

The problem, however, is that this is just not true. The people of Cross River have mostly had complaints about Governor Ayade’s leadership in the past two years.

Between December 2015 and May 2016 alone, Governor Ben Ayade had no less than three horrible reports in mainstream media about his handling of civil servants in the State. In one incident, Calabar street sweepers were reportedly sacked by the State government for staging a public demonstration to protest their unpaid salaries.

In another report, staff of the Calabar Urban Development Agency (CUDA) barricaded the State’s airport road in protest of alleged corruption within the Ministry of Environment. They called for the immediate sack of the Commissioner of Environment. Mike Eraye.

An even more popular report was when media houses published reports that waste bins and sewers in the State’s Calabar South local government area for weeks leading to a situation where waste was visibly piled around the State.

All the while, tourists who troop into the country as well as residents had begun to complain about the decline in maintenance of tourist attractions that the State had come to be known for.

While States like Lagos are only beginning to take tourism quite seriously, tourism has been the main attraction in Cross River for the longest time – since when Governor Donald Duke made sure of it. It was about the same time that the State’s logo was made the riverine Dolphin coated in blue and white that the current governor is now trying to change.

This won’t be the first time that a State governor will try to change the “brand” of a State. In 2012, Governor Aregbesola of Osun State adamantly changed a lot of things about Osun – from renaming the State “The State of Osun” to changing the school uniforms of the State-owned schools to traditional fabrics – another thing Governor Ayade is on to since he’s been asking Commissioners and aides to wear only made in Calabar fabrics.

Even Nigeria under President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Dora Akunyili almost got a new face when the Interior Ministry embarked on a “9ja to Nigeria”; “wear Made in Nigeria Ankara” campaign.

However, the only reason Governor Aregbesola and Dora Akunyili’s rebranding were not met with any more than curious humour – as opposed to instant disdain – is that it was actually evident to the citizenry that these governments were doing more than mere media campaigning in order to fix the run-down economy – or as in Osun’s case, the Education Ministry.

Imagine is The State of Osun owing months’ worth of salaries to workers right now tried to speak about “rebranding”.

Governor Ayade needs to stop putting his cart before his horse. He needs to fix his own broken image as well as the broken system in Cross River before attempting to etch his name within 18 stars with a new State logo.

Besides,  a red logo with an encircled charging bull? Are we playing Hoola-hoops here? Is this a joke? Both the designer and Governor Ayade or whoever approved this logo need to be asked serious questions about cognitive functions.

Comments (4)

  1. After listening to the explanations and justifications of the new logo, I was like… Eh, Prof.?
    Please, think. Cross River should switch from tourism to Buisness Investments, How is that working out for you so far, signing MOU’s all over the place, increasing Tax and creating names for new ones… Recently heard one, Emission from generator tax, Today no fuel in the state cause of tax increase for tanker drivers, or is it the one collected @ UNICEM for all trucks daily yet they are still the ones who fix their roads, well, the Logo fits your government bt definately not Cross River State. What does our government take us for, Toys. Tomorrow another government will come with their own Logo and color. When commercial states like Lagos is adding Tourism to their investments, our govt is saying crap. Please Gov and Profs. What sold us out and make Cross River State to stand out, what made our voice heard, what made us relevant in this country, isnt it the same tourism you seek to destroy. You want us to accept you, prove yourself out there, go learn from Don. Incase you havent noticed, he has become a reference point for all your misdoings and undoings, He set us going the tourism way before he brought in the state Logo. Pls and please, we have chosen an Identity, lets stick with it, imagine God redesigning your face every 6 years… Imagine the confusion, even the Name of your State has Nothing absolutely in relation to your Logo. You want us to be investors, yet you task us with heavy Tax like your bull, I believe the Bull stands for 100 Mirian, Tax Masters, DOPT, Area boys, Ndito Ekpo, and all the menace to society your govt. Has created with its constant wrong and crazy decisions. This government has failed woefully, a new logo wouldnt fix it so take responsibility and fix this state.

  2. ,

    the government should not try or dar’ 2dis endrolment at all because these has never happen in the time of any government.
    these will bring total problem in the state.

  3. I visited calabar recently and It was appaulling.
    Wat market, one of their more popular centers of trade, is an eye sour. There’s refuse everywhere. Infront of shops, on the roads and people are selling perishable goods & foods side by side with the refuse. No one cares about the health risk this poses or even what might happen if there’s an outbreak.

    The state of Cross River is deplorable and it’s getting worse. The waterboard that services the residents and gives them water pretty much stopped because of unpaid salaries.
    Security is limited to just Calabar municipality and even that is very porus. Calabar south is dangerous at night with frequent stories of robberies and killings.

    Gov. Ayade should realize that Cross River doesn’t need a rebrand. It needs to go back to the awesomeness that it used to be and build on that. Or at least, get some things to work.

  4. This new logo has got me in stitches.
    Gov. Ben, Seriously?

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