By Linus Obogo
The attention of the Cross River State Government has been drawn to a laughably incoherent and intellectually bankrupt publication circulating online, attributed to one nondescript Ogenye Bernard Odey – a man who evidently confuses madness for activism and vulgarity for truth. Hiding under fanciful aliases like “The Ancient Spirit Man,” Mr. Odey has demonstrated his commitment to ignorance, paranoia, and reckless slander.
Let it be made clear: Cross River State is not governed by drunkards of rhetoric or jobless purveyors of Facebook nonsense. His Excellency, Senator (Prince) Bassey Edet Otu, is not just the Executive Governor of this state, but a custodian of the moral fabric and cultural integrity of our people. No amount of foul-mouthed saboteurs will taint that.
To suggest that prostitution has been “legalised” in Calabar—without evidence, context, or basic grammar, is the height of mental laziness and moral dishonesty. It is a pity that someone old enough to spell his own name would post such rubbish online, comfortably wrapped in the ignorance of his own echo chamber.
And then there’s the absurd claim that “87% of ladies in Calabar are doing prostitution for a living”—a figure so fantastical, even a drunken gambler wouldn’t bet on it. This isn’t just a lie; it is an unforgivable insult to the intelligent, hardworking, dignified women of Cross River State—women who, unlike Mr. Odey, actually contribute positively to society.
Mr. Odey’s tirade is not activism; it is the public diary of a man plagued by delusions of relevance. A man whose mind is so corrupted by sensationalism, he mistakes bile for boldness. If he has any shred of evidence that government vehicles are being used to “patronize prostitutes,” let him present it. Otherwise, he should crawl back into whatever pit of misinformation he came from.
His suggestion that hotels be shut down and women forced into “bakery” or “pure water” labour camps would be laughable if it weren’t so barbaric. Only a man utterly detached from civilization would parade such medieval nonsense as a solution in the 21st century.
Let it be known: Cross River State, under the leadership of Governor Bassey Otu, is not a jungle where illiterate ranters dictate public discourse. Governor Otu is rebuilding a state of peace, purpose, and prosperity—despite the best efforts of social media jesters like Mr. Odey who bring nothing to the table but disgrace.
Odey may pride himself as a “bad leaders’ nightmare.” That is false flattery. He is a bored man’s distraction, a clown desperately begging for attention with a cracked megaphone and an empty script. He does not speak for Cross River State. He does not speak for our people. He barely speaks for himself.
We advise him to either educate himself or quietly retire into the obscurity he so richly deserves.
Obogo is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Cross River State.