Gov. Ben Ayade, has approved the appointment of 427 additional aides during an economic downturn for the rest of the planet.
Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, announced the appointment of the aides in a press statement issued in Calabar, the Cross River capital, on Monday, April 20, 2020.
Among those appointed are chairmen and members of boards of agencies, as well as special assistants.
According to Ita, “Some of the appointments are subject to confirmation by the state House of Assembly.”
Ayade’s latest love for big government is being displayed as Nigeria head into recession, no thanks to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has led to shutdowns of major Nigerian cities, including Lagos and Kano–the nation’s southern and northern commercial hubs respectively.
The low demand for crude oil in the international market due to the pandemic also means federal and state governments are finding it difficult to pay salaries of employees.
Oil is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.
Ayade, the grandiloquent and showman governor of one of Nigeria’s poorest states, has always been a fan of a bloated bureaucracy.
In February, the state’s legislature granted Ayade approval to appoint 70 additional special advisers, bringing the total number of advisers on the state’s payroll to 140.
