Intellectual Money: Ayade Is Smiling To The Bank & Creating Jobs Making Facemasks At Cross River Garment Factory 

Amidst the COVID -19 outbreak, Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade has employed additional 1,000 workers as demand for Cross River Garment Factory facemasks skyrockets.

In one of his interviews, the governor is quoted to have said that 'Palliatives are for the old and vulnerable ' adding that the youth population should be productively engaged to face the pandemic.

This employment is an addition to his thousands of aides whom, he is currently engaging as task force, to check observation of precautionary measures. Since the COVID 19 outbreak, all appointees of government have left their high offices to the streets; at major junctions and all entry points into the state.

Following increased orders of nose masks from the Cross River state Garment Factory, Calabar, the state Governor, Sir Ben Ayade approved the recruitment of additional 1,000 hands to ramp up production at the facility.

Speaking on Monday, May 11, 2020, during the induction exercise for the newly recruited workers at the factory in Calabar, the governor explained that the new intakes were part of the 8,000 job drive embarked upon by his administration, to cushion the economic impact of the global pandemic, COVID-19, on Cross River youths.

On the outbreak COVID 19, while other states were sharing 'palliatives', Sir Ayade unveiled the first ever Job Carnival, only a genius can think that up. The Job Carnival is offering 8, 000 job openings to youths of the state at a flat Monthly pay for all. The youths serve as Environmental Health officers, fashion designers at the factory, Agricultural workers and in other capacities.

"Directly behind me is a team of young men and women who have just been recruited as part of the 8000 young people we are recruiting as a consequence of Covid 19 outbreak and as part of the covid 19 program. Cross River committed herself to the recruitment of 8000 young men and women, mopping them off the streets. Consequentially, we have here almost a thousand people who want to resume as fashion designers,” he stated.

The governor said "after the induction, they're expected to commence work because we are also ramping up to three full shifts and we actually need additional hands. So, what you find here is an employment program on that flat rate of N30,000 a month to ensure that everyone of them has a job to do.”

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some states, private firms and individuals have been placing orders for nose masks from the factory, states like Kano, Lagos and Benue tops the list. The highest of such order came from Lagos state government last month, when they made an order for one million pieces of the facemasks.The demand for the item, says Ayade has however since gone up, necessitating the recruitment of extra hands in order to beef up production.

According to his words: "The demand for the nose masks is on the increase. Incidentally, the federal government has also given an order that everybody should wear a mask if they have to go out to public places. In other words , the No mask No Movement policy of Cross River State has gone national.”

The governor expressed worry at federal government's refusal to adopt the Cross River state Garment factory as the principal producer of nose masks in the country as the battle against the pandemic rages on.

"We are giving out nose masks free in Cross River to the people but one would have expected that the federal government will use it also as a stimulus package by taking our Garment Factory outfits across the country and specify standards for them, if necessary get NAFDAC involved in the certification process and then give order for mass production thus stimulating the economy", he stated.

It is worthy of note that by the time COVID 19 is over, Cross River would have created more jobs and earned more income as states and countries around the world would be gearing up to return to economic activities.

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