Benedict Ayade


Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade is a Nigerian politician and the current Governor of Cross River State since 29 May 2015. He ran successfully for the office of Governor in April 2015 on the platform of People's Democratic Party. Before that, he was a member of the 7th Senate of Nigeria.
He was re-elected as the governor of Cross River State in the 2019 gubernatorial elections.

Early life

Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade was born on 2 March 1968 to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Peter Akinsheye Ayade, natives of Kakum, a village in Obudu LGA, northern Cross River State. His parents were both devout Catholics. His father worked as a Public Servant with the Water Board.

Education

Benedict Ayade received his primary education at St. Stephens Primary School, Obudu and proceeded to Government Secondary School, Obudu, Nigeria for his secondary education.
Ayade earned his B.Sc. from the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Nigeria . He then proceeded to obtain his M.sc in Microbiology and subsequently his Ph.D in Environmental Microbiology from the same University of Ibadan, winning the Best Doctoral Dissertation Award in Environmental Microbiology. Ayade also has an MBA from Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo State. Ayade is a lawyer with a LLB Law Degree from Delta State University, Abraka. Ayade went on to work as a lecturer at Delta State University, Abraka where he was subsequently appointed Professor.
From his work in groundwater remediation in Nigeria, Ayade invented a sewage treatment plant powered by solar energy.

Appointments/political career

Ayade ventured into politics when he ran for a seat in the Nigerian Senate in the 2011 elections as a member of the PDP. Ayade was elected by accumulating a total of 91,123 votes.
During his term in the Senate, Ayade held the position of Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology. He was also a member of other Committees such as Petroleum Downstream, Education, Drugs/Narcotics/Crime etc.
Ayade won the gubernatorial poll again on the platform of the People's Democratic Party in the April 2015 elections in Cross River State having polled 342,016 votes ahead of the All Progressives Congress candidate in the state, Odey Ochicha, with 53,983 votes.
Ayade recontested in the 2019 Gubernatorial Elections as a member of the People Democratic Party and was reelected as the governor of Cross River State.

Awards

Ayade was awarded the 2016 Vanguard Governor of the Year.
Ayade was awarded the 2019 Champion Newspaper Governor of the Year.
On 24 August 2019, Ayade was invested as the Knight of St. John International by the Roman Catholic Church, Sacred Heart Cathedral, the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calabar.

Family and personal life

Ayade is married to Dr. Linda Ayade and has 3 children. His hobbies include reading, playing and watching games, as well as dancing.