BY: VITALIS UGOH, Calabae
Cross River State government has inaugurated the 14th Board of the Cross River State Water Board Limited with a charge to work as a team to achieve results.
Performing the inauguration onbehalf of the state governor yesterday, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Obol Godwin Etta, said “there is always results when Board members work together”.
According to him, “you have been carefully selected to serve in this board because of your wealth of experience and integrity”.
Therefore, he said, “So far, we know how Water Board has faired until today that we are going to inaugurate the Board. My advice is that the Board should work very closely with the status and provisions of the Water Board Limited that operated overtime as a Limited Liability company”
Ettah said “So far even with the challenges we had within the water sector, I would say that so far so good. When we came, there were alot of problems. Those problems are still there but with the person we have as Managing Director, Chief Victor Effiom Bassey, things have started to improve.”.
He said “after this inauguration, I expect that what we have been doing so far should improve so that we should have higher achievements today than what we had in the past. You must from today, work with members of the Board. You must learn to resolve any seeming problem within the Ministry of Water Resources. Resolve problem internally first before taking it to the governor”.
The Commissioner added, “we are here collaboratively to make sure that Cross Riverians have water in their homes. Overtime, the only Ministry that is known by all and sundry is Water Board. Whether, there is money in the treasury or not, nobody will know, but if there is no water, the entire population will know about it immediately. Our history is very there and if we work together I am sure we shall succeed and at the end would have satisfied Cross Riverians”.
Furthermore, “our job is to reduce the enormous challenges this administration is facing as it concerns water, he added”.
The governor, Senator Ben Ayade, is very passionate about the water problem has directed the Board to ensure that we work satisfactorily to provide water to Cross Riverians.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Gidwin O. Igle lauded the governor for the opportunity given to them to serve as Board members of Water Board Limited. “We are aware of our duties and role and we will ensure that water board functions very well. We shall provide good advice to our Managing Director that will move this place forward”.
Also, he said, “we shall ensure that there is absolute cooperation between the Ministry and the Board and our sister agency RUWASA, the Board and the Managing Director. The board must source for international grants for funding and financing of the agency and the Ministry with relevant stakeholders in the Ministries of Finance and Justice”,
“We shall ensure monthly board meetings to give approvals to projects and expenditure to the managing director to ensure that the expenditure profile is consistent with approvals as well as training and retraining of staff, he added”.
Chief Victor Effiom Ekpo, Managing Director, Water Board Limited who commended the governor for appointing men and women of proven integrity into the board. assured that they will work as a family to ensure that the aim and objectives of appointing them shall be accomplished.
He assured that the governor will be happy at the end of the day for finding them fit to serve in the board, adding “we are not going to let the state government down. There shall be results at the end of the day,l”,
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