In the last 20 years, May 29 has remained a historic day in Nigeria’s political system. It is the day that heralds new a administration and brand new leadership from national and to state levels of governance. And in May 29, 2023, the batons of leadership would change in about 28 states including Cross River where Sen. Bassey Otu of All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The state Collation Officer for Cross River State governorship election, Prof. Teddy Charles Adias, said Sen. Bassey Edet Otu of APC polled a total of 258,619 votes to defeat his closest rival, Prof. Sandy Onor, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that scored179, 636 votes.78983 votes.

A few days to the end of Governor Ben Ayade’s administration and the ushering in of Otu’s era, there are great expectations from the citizens. While some expresse optimism that the in-coming government would restore the state’s economy where small scale business would boom, others are pessimistic that they are many hurdles for the governor-elect, Sen. Bassey Otu, to cross considering the litany of projects scattered across the state and some policy directions left behind by the outgoing administration that need to be studied and possibly re-directed to get the state moving.

Of course, like every other governor, Ayade on assumption of office appeared a cut above his predecessors by promising the construction of three signature projects including Supper Highway, garment factory and Bakassi Deep Sea Port within his first term in. He followed it up with so much hype and signing of over hundred of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with different investors across the globe aimed at decoupling the state’s economy which had hither depended on federal allocation.

During the second term, Ayade embarked on further industrialisation policy of siting industries in almost all the 18 local government areas of the state and pursued it with vim and vigour. Again, to prove that his administration seemed to be a far cry from others, he expanded the base of political patronage by appointing over 7,000 aides some of them not doing anything within his eight years tenure in the name of stomach infrastructure.

But checks revealed that within the eight years in office, Ayade couldn’t complete the Supper Highway and Bakassi Deep Sea Port, neither did he complete about 80 per cent of the industries scattered across the state nor successfully completed and inaugurated any other road project including the Tinapa-Odukpani Junction Highway, East-West Boki road and Yala-Bekwarera-Obudu-Obanliku Highway. Rather, the out-going administration has put machinery on ground to privatise all the factories including the Cocoa factory at Ikom and Ogoja Rice mill, fueling speculation as to what was the intention of setting them up ab initio.

Analysts have argued that if the above industrialisation and patronage policies had been well implemented, the state would have been an Eldorado as it would have, indeed, decoupled the economy and boosted the revenue base of the state.

In an interview, the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Inter Party Affairs and the former chairman, Inter party Advisory Council (IPAC), Cross River State, Comrade Sunday Michael, said Cross Riverians are yearning for the development and betterment of the citizens as the new government takes over in May.

Michael, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said normally after every election, there are always high expectations and this one is not going to be different considering the stiff contest and the big pairs of shoe that Governor Ben Ayade’ administration is leaving behind.

According to him, “government is a continuum and the governor-elect, Sen. Bassey Otu, coming from a rich background of experience and capacity is equal to the task. The raw materials as seen in the industries located across the state and the natural resources as well as human capital that abound are solid foundation for the incoming administration to take off properly.

“So we expect first, smooth transition, secondly running an inclusive administration and putting square peg in square holes and thirdly improving upon what he met on ground and finally adding colour and panache to the state.

“With these in place, the state is good to go and compete with other comity of states in the country. Again, we should expect sweet things ahead of us, in addition to what his Excellency, Governor Ben Ayade has done, especially in the areas of security, infrastructure jobs and employment and youth empowerment,” he said.

He advised Otu to build on the political space Ayade has opened by accommodating the younger generation and continue in the spirit of equity and justice which was the game changer just as it has brought peace and unity among the people of the state.

Also speaking, a rights activist and human rights lawyer, James Ibor, said: “The Governor-elect should get to work from day one by restoring confidence in governance.This he can do by strengthening systems like community policing and restoring the safety of lives and property; this will boost tourism, revive our tourism sites and programmes.

“He should revive and recover Tinapa, Cattle Ranch Resort, the monoliths and the development/ urban towns across the state, judicial and legislative independence. He should liaise with Federal Government over the dredging of the Calabar Port and boost water transportation. This is the time to build infrastructure-good roads and potable water, restore the Calabar waste management system and the green Calabar Canopy. To achieve this quickly, he needs an apolitical technical team to get the revenue and drive his programmes," he advised.

Demanding that the new government should be a complete departure from the charade that characterized the outgoing administration, the state chairman of Inter party Advisory Council (IPAC), Anthony Attah said: “Cross River State is in urgent need of a servant leader and a laundry merchant who is dedicated to the cause of cleansing the mess of the outgoing administration.

“Therefore, the incoming governor, Senator Prince Otu, should appoint a very lean cabinet made up of largely technocrats with proven capacity, character and courage to deliver on the rescue mandate.

“Our civil service that has been in comatose for eight years now needs to be revived. A new direction should be given to the Head of Service to completely overhaul the entire ministries, Department and Agencies to reflect the 21st century working environment," he added.

A community leader from Ikom local government area, Ntufam Micheal Ojong, called on the incoming government to re-visit the agricultural enhancement programme of cashew, castor oil and pineapple production to re-jig our economy while federal allocation would have been somewhat of a reserved fund.

“Agriculture is our major area of comparative advantage because we have four vegetation belts that can grow any crop on earth. From the semi-temperate forest of Obudu cattle ranch and the weather thereoff through the semi-savannah of Obudu, Obanliku, Ogoja and Yala down to the rain forest in Boki and Akamkpa and then the swamp of Bakassi, Akpabuyo and Odukpani, no type of crop on earth would not grow in these four vegetation. There is poverty growing in cocoa, palm and rubber estates when we have the resources to sustain the economy.

“Besides, we have over eighty per cent of Western African forest in Cross River alone. That means ninety-per cent of Nigerian forest is in the state already. By now we should have been training forest and wild life managers as well as in ecotourism,” he stated.

Analysts have argued that the numerous uncompleted projects are like a yoke around the neck of the incoming governor, Sen. Bassey Otu, adding that Ayade was a man in a flight of fancy as some of the policies would brew more economic crisis in future, especially when that food-on-the-table stops coming.

However, as governor Ben Ayade bows out in three weeks from now, the Cross Riverians are full of great expectations that the incoming governor Bassey Otu would roll up his sleeves and hit the ground running. (Daily Sun)

Update news