Imoke vows to reduce poverty via human capital dev

Governor Liyel  Imoke of Cross River State has reiterated his commitment to reduce poverty among the populace in his state before leaving office in 2015, adding that human capital development is key in the initiative.

Imoke, who stated this while presenting his scorecard with the  theme, Building a Foundation for Good Governance and Sustainable Development between 2007 and 2014 at the Cultural Complex Calabar yesterday, said his administration's policy thrust was working towards building a solid foundation where human capital would be developed to go beyond impacting on academics. He also said the administration would build a potential for discipline where  the culture and laws of the land would be respected and harnessed for a better future. Imoke said: 'The government is bound by a social contract to dictate the pace of socio-economic development to uplift the state to a greater pedestal. So, Cross Riverians should embark on massive and aggressive development of their potential for the needed development.' Speaking during the breakdown of sectoral achievements, the Special Adviser to Governor Imoke on Economic Planning, Prof. Ndem Ayara, said the state had become a centre for winning of laurels in sporting events. Ayara said such strides across Cross River State had recorded an increment of 450 per cent, adding that urban renewal development was ongoing across the state. According to him, the phase one state housing unit for civil servants had been completed and allocated to deserving civil servants just as there was reduction in rural urban drift because of the enabling  environment provided by the government. He said the phase one water scheme for Ikom people had been completed while plans to begin the phase two water scheme, which would cover 14 communities within Ikom Local Government, were on.