Gov. Bassey Otu.
By Anietie Akpan
The race for 2027 is on and the Cross River South Consultative Forum, the group that was largely instrumental to the emergence of Governor Bassey Edet Otu in 2023 has metamorphosed into a bigger and all embracing body. That is the Cross River State Consultative Forum with Barr. Eyo-Nsa Ekpo as its Chairman.
Thus the Chairman of the Forum, the Treasurer, Sir Maurice Effiwat, the Secretary, Dr Julius Okputu and the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Nsa Gill, in an interactive session on Tuesday, emphasized on why Governor Otu and President Bola Tinubu should have a second term.
Chairman of the Forum said, “the Cross River State Consultative Forum was born after the endorsement rally by the Cross River South Consultative Forum. There was a massive endorsement rally in the month of July and the venue was Calabar Sports Stadium where we endorsed His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu for a second term and also His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term and we did give reasons for that endorsement, not just about party loyalty but about the things we have seen on ground, the massive achievement of this government both at the state and at the national level. Therefore, that is why we endorsed them.
“But then it became necessary to also bring on board the whole state, particularly the elites of Cross River State, not just for the support to the president and the governor of our state but also I think there is the need now for Cross River State to properly chart the course for the future.
“If you look at his actions within the past two and a half years, it will show you clearly of a man who is broad-minded, accommodating and he has a vision for the entire state. His programs for the state so far shows that he is reaching down and every day, he also has a listening ear”.
He said, Otu is a listening governor and “for the first time, he was able to bring all the governors, the past governors who are Cross Riverians, to the same table and honour them. Because if we had built up from what others left behind, our state would have been great today.
“It’s not a matter of coming and then you chastise all the projects of your predecessors and then you say you want to start on a clean slate. Definitely, there is no way you will finish solving all the problems of Cross River State in eight years. So there is need, therefore, to always build on what we have already.
“If you look at what Senator Bassey Edet Otu has done so far, you’ll find out that in building up from the past, we reclaimed the state library, local government building completed, we’re going to the newspaper corporation, which is at a very high level of completion now. And bringing up other programmes that will be beneficial to the poor and the masses, N10 billion set aside for payments of gratuities and pensions, which have been outstanding, I think, since 2013. They are being paid now.
“As people retire, they are now collecting their gratuities and the pensions are ongoing. He’s setting up a Cross River State social investment programme and law is at the State House of Assembly.
“They are working on the law to give it a legal framework. And that is meant to go down to the poor, to uplift people who are not in any way connected with government, those who are not civil servants, but the vulnerable in our society. Even students, indigenous students who do not have a means of taking care of their school fees and others will be fed into the programme”.
Ekpo listed other things like the Cross River Youth Empowerment Scheme, which is also coming on board; the taking back of TINAPA from AMCON, Infrastructure development across the state meeting the needs of our communities to justify the call for governor Otu to get a second term from the people.
He declared, “we in the Cross River State Consultative Forum believe that the governor should have a seamless transition into his second term. We believe that nobody worth his onions from any part of Cross River State should come out at this time to say he wants to contest the governorship in 2027.
“What we are doing at the Consultative Forum is to engage the citizens across board on the need to give this government maximum support for the remaining six or five and a half years, and also to chart a course forward. We must be conscious and we must all be partakers on who governs us.
“All of us must be partakers so that we will know from the word go who is fit to hold public office. It’s not everybody that is fit. Some people are good businessmen, but they are not good in holding public office. Public office is held in trust for the people…We don’t want to eat crumbs from the master’s table.
“So the Cross River State Consultative Forum is out to straighten the political system, to set a pathway forward, and as much as possible drum up support for the second term of His Excellency Prince Bassey Edet Otu and also His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Why are we doing this? I don’t think we did a lot in 2023 and that is because 2023 I believe was a transition year. We must in 2027 give enough to be able to have a bargaining chip for Cross River State at the national level. Therefore we must drum up enough support and engage our local people, citizens engagement, to tell them why this needs to be so”.
On his part, the, Secretary of the Forum, Dr Julius Okputu, said former Governor Clement Ebri, “is going to be unveiled on Thursday the 11th of December as Chairman of the Elders Advisory Council, as constituted by His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River State, Apostle Senator Bassey Edet Otu. There’s a relationship, a strong relationship between the ascendancy of the Governor’s People’s First Mantra, you know, in that regard, and the traces of our time, the carnival theme.
“Governor Ebri is foundational to a lot of things and His Excellency, the Governor, has thought it wise that former Governor Ebri should head the Elders Advisory Council. You know, it’s that wisdom, the convergence of the wisdom that is going to happen. We will continue to consolidate the gains, from that rich past. We’ve had hiccups. A few things have happened to Cross River state because we’ve not been able to put our politics and governance on a prosperous pedestal somehow. Governor Otu has come to repair all that. Everything is built on the fear of God and the Governor has it”.
He said, that December 11 the day of the inauguration is incidentally former Governor Ebri’s birthday, “so when the Chairman of the forum suggested the 11th of December for the inauguration and unveiling of former Governor Ebri’s chairmanship of the Elders Advisory Council, none of us knew that was going to be on his birthday. So, you see, the things of God happen in a manner to make us humble. So, whatever we are doing here has God’s approval. Governor Otu having placed his hands on the plow to do God’s work, everything that is going to happen will happen to support that work.
“From the infrastructural, the state is today a construction site, If he is gone back, you know, this, the cardinal objective of his administration is to restore completely and then put Cross River State on the global map”.
Adding, Sir Maurice Effiwatt, Treasurer of the Forum and Chairman, Civil Service Commission has this to say:
“As a forum we are very intentional about supporting good governance, not just in the state, but at the federal level. We may not have had the best “in quotes” because what you bring to the table determines what you take from the table. In 2023 elections APC didn’t do well in Cross River State, nationally, came second.
“But we did very well in other elections. But the very first election we didn’t do well, you know. We lost the senatorial seat in Northern Senatorial District, we lost House of Reps in Odukpani/Calabar Municipality. We need every one of us to come together. That’s why I’m taking time to explain. Everybody is important. Everybody has seen it and what he has done so far is just a tip on the iceberg. Greater things he will do. Just watch out”.
He stated that there was embargo on promotion since 2005 but the governor has done promotions and recruitment which is ongoing.
So, having said all that, Effiwat noted, “we feel that at our own level, we need to come back and give this administration a push. We want to bring everybody on board, including our elders. That is why we are putting together an Elders Advisory Council..
“Then, bottom level, we also bring in on board grassroots politicians and local governments. Drawing from the various local governments, about six local governments, they will constitute what we call the coordinating committees at the local government level” to ensure that everyone is taken along.
