Cross River needs N5bn to repair vandalised conference centre – Gov. Ben Ayade
Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River state, says it would cost N5 billion to fix the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC) that was vandalised by a mob.
The governor had imposed a 24-hour curfew on Friday, following attacks on assets in the state.A mob broke into some warehouses in Calabar and carted away COVID-19 food palliatives, including rice, noodles, garri, generating sets and salt.
The family house of Gershom Bassey, senator representing Calabar-south, was set ablaze by thugs on Saturday after looting items from the building.
The conference centre, which boasts of a combined capacity of 5,000, was not spared in the attacks.
“It will take the state government N5 billion to bring back the Calabar International Conference Centre, the beauty of Cross River State,” Ayade said.
“This is not the Cross River that I was born into; it is unlike us.”
The governor who said the action will hamper the state’s industrialisation drive to create jobs.
#EndSARS protest which began as a nationwide campaign against police brutality was hijacked by hoodlums and this led to a breakdown of law and order in various parts of the country.
Some governors imposed curfews to restore normalcy.