A BATTERED PARADISE SEEKS RENEWAL 

Bassey Otu should work for the good of Cross River State, writes Paul Obi 

“A good government is known from a bad government by this infallible test: that under the former the labouring people are well fed and well clothed, under the latter, they are badly fed and badly clothed“-  William Cobbett, 

English Journalist & Politician

As Cross River State dust off the past eight ruinous years, those who love the state will now be praying for a supersonic turnaround. A turnaround from a sad tale of governance; ravaging and stealing of Boki forest; turnaround from abandoned projects. A turnaround from infantile lies, bizarre governance and familitocracy straight out of Kakum. Turnaround from insidious budgets blended with grandiloquent titles. Within the last eight years, state annual budgets became a nest of all sorts of perfidious scenes of lawbreaking and lawlessness. It is doubtful if many at the executive branch of the state and Cross River State House of Assembly ever saw the real budgets for eight years. With those insane budgets’ titles of blush and bliss and the like, Cross River was blown away to the dryland of pains. The state became a laughing stock among the comity of states. While her neighbours, Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi became Eldorado, Cross River was stagnant, metaphorically transforming her motto from People’s Paradise to a battered paradise.

In the midst of these colossal and wanton failures, Cross River elders, especially court jesters and political jobbers in the palace of the environmentalist kept sealed lips for the sake of crumbs. Cross River got burnt from all corners from the man whom the Great Elohim lifted from the slippery hills of Kakum. Instead of governing the state, he battered it and her hapless people. Of a truth, it was a heartless butchery with reckless abandon. It is a history no Cross Riverian wants to remember, ever again. In all, it was a paradoxical ruin of one of the most endowed states in Nigerian.

That is the sordid state the newly sworn-in Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Bassey Otu met. But Otu has his hands full. Cross River State is highly endowed and blessed with natural and human resources. From the historical town of Gakem, to the forest belt of Boki, to Yala, Ogoja, Obubra, Ikom, Etung, Yakurr, Abi, Biase, Akamkpa, Odukpani, to the serene Calabar Municipal down to Akpabuyo, Cross River should not be lacking if her leaders judiciously harness the state’s resources. First, the governor must pursue accountability and transparency. It will be disingenuous if Otu’s government fails to ask questions about what went wrong in the last eight years. The level of carnage and scorch-earth policies were too excruciating and mind-boggling to wash aside. Second, the government must root for merit and backlist the business of political sycophancy, mostly the claptrap of praise-singers in the corridors of power, and also render foot-on-the-table policy as an aberration.

The recent announcement of early appointments is indicative that the government will tilt towards competence. By headhunting Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and others, it is glaring that at least Otu wants to shade off the drama of the past years and get serious with governance. Another fundamental issue is that the governor must ensure inclusivity in the administration of the state. Granted, the governor rode to victory on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), but it needs to be stated that most of the votes that went to Otu in the State Gubernatorial Election was more of protest votes, a repudiation and reprimand of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for jettisoning the zoning formula of the state. Without the disruptive politics of PDP, it is doubtful if APC would have had its way. Therefore, inclusivity is vital.

More importantly, Cross River suffered a lot in the complete neglect of infrastructural development – most local governments never benefited from any road construction or state-of-the art project in eight years. For instance, the Boki East – West Road could not be completed for years,  and was left as a mere window-dressing by the last regime. Same is applicable to the rest of the 18 local governments. The most disheartening was the Ogoja – Obudu – Yala – Bekwara Road, among other abandoned projects – that ended up as the woeful signature of that administration. Other unfinished projects like the Cocoa Processing Mill in Ikom; Groundnuts Mill in Bekwara, Rice Mill in Ogoja, among others should be completed and given a new lift.  The governor should also realise that the Cross River ecosystem is what makes the state thick. The green economy should be protected by all means. Education also suffered severely, more attention is needed. Otu must therefore set a path for renewal of Cross River.

Instructively, given the precarious situation on ground, the governor barely has any honeymoon. Yet, he can still learn that times have changed. The era of a scavenging political elite culture is far gone. For nearly 63 years, across the federal and state governments, Nigeria’s political elites triumphed only in lining their pockets and pilfering the public purse. We thought Cross River was immune from such a rapacious culture of greed. But between 2015 and 2023, the state went through hell and it’s now back. But will Otu learn? That’s the 25-million-dollar question. Now, Cross River has two leagues of former governors: the good governance clique – Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke and the lonely bad governance club… The outcome of 2023 Cross River North Senatorial Election is a rejection of that bad governance scorecard, and should be an ultimate lesson for Otu. But where will Otu belong?

If recent history is our guide, bad leaders no longer have escape routes. In 2023 general elections, some had their fingers burnt-out, especially by the Obidient’s Movement. In Cross River, Governor Otu can steadily use the 2023 election as a guidepost to govern well by being the opposite of the last eight years. To do so, he can govern without being clannish; he can develop the state without helping himself and his family; he can face governance without being too hard and uncaring. Otu can fight poverty and work for the poor without shedding Crocodile tears in front of Catholic monks and clergy. Himself, a resolute and firm political Iroko, Otu can at least clean Calabar and bring back her glory. He can resuscitate the Obudu Cattle Ranch and Tinapa Resort without suffering the state purse heavily. The political calculus that Otu should weigh is whether Cross Riverians will be well fed and well clothed under his leadership. In his inaugural speech, Otu pledged to “leverage on those templates by providing the best governance for the people.” He likewise added that “champions are made during trying moments.” What type of champion does Otu intend to be? Will he end up like the champion of Kakum? Or a champion from a shining hill? In the final analysis, what will be his legacies after his tenure? The choices are his. I wish my governor well. 

Obi is a journalist and media scholar interested in media, elections, politics and democracy