TheCable

Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, has approved the appointment of 18 special assistants on religious matters.

Nine persons who were previously appointed in the same role in 2016 were retained.

Each of the special assistants represents the 18 local government areas in the state, and were drawn from the three senatorial districts.

Christian Ita, special adviser on media and publicity, confirmed the appointments to TheCable on Saturday.

“Yes, the appointment of the men of God as special assistant on religious matters is true,” he said.

With the latest announcement, more than 1,000 aides have been appointed by the governor in 2020.

In April, the governor had approved the appointment of 427 new aides, including a special assistant on the state’s groundnut oil factory.

The special assistant to the governor on media and publicity, while defending the appointment of a special assistant on groundnut oil factory, had said “the duty of government to create jobs for its citizens.”

“The governor had said repeatedly that he only needs about five percent of his appointees. So, he deliberately creates these jobs to put food on the table so as to reduce social tension,” Ita had explained.