Cross River: It’s Inaccurate, Unfair to Conclude Otu Has Done “Nothing” for Central, Says SSA Arikpo
By Judex OKORO
Special Adviser, Political (Central Senatorial District) to Governor Bassey Otu, Obol Nnana Arikpo , has stated that it is inaccurate and unfair to conclude that Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu has done “nothing” or “not enough” for Cross River Central, or to suggest that the administration has forgotten the people of the district.
Responding to some concerns raised in some quarters over state of roads in Cross River Central, Arikpo admitted that our people deserve good roads, better access to markets, improved rural connectivity and infrastructure that supports agriculture and commerce, but argued that governance must be assessed within the realities of the resources available to government and the challenges inherited by the administration.
According to Arikpo, it is a state that has had to manage serious financial constraints while simultaneously addressing years of accumulated infrastructure, salary, pension and institutional challenges.
He added that despite these limitations, the Otu administration has not stood still.
In a statement made available to THE BEAGLE NEWS, Otu's aide said: "In the health sector alone, government has raised the sector’s budgetary allocation from about six per cent to 10 per cent, employed more than 2,500 health workers, restored full CONMESS for doctors, recruited additional doctors and embarked on the renovation and upgrading of primary healthcare facilities across the state. These are investments that benefit Cross Riverians irrespective of senatorial district.
"In education, the administration has continued to intervene in a sector that requires sustained funding, while the state has also recorded a significant improvement in SSCE performance, moving from about 65.2 per cent to above 78 per cent. Government has equally continued efforts to clean up the education sector by tackling illegal schools and strengthening standards.
"The administration has also restored about 3,000 local government workers who had been removed from the payroll, a decision that directly affects families and communities across the state. It has intervened in transportation costs, supported workers and continued to pursue projects capable of expanding the state’s economic base.
"Perhaps more importantly, Otu’s government is investing in projects that are not merely designed to produce immediate political headlines but to change Cross River’s economic fortunes. The Calabar International Convention Centre/Tinapa axis, the revival of dormant state assets, the Calabar airport project, the proposed deep seaport, agricultural infrastructure and other public-private investments are part of an attempt to expand the economic space from which government can generate resources for roads and other social services.
"The argument that the administration should simply “mobilise contractors” because it is dry season also oversimplifies road construction. Good roads require engineering assessments, designs, procurement, funding, right-of-way considerations, drainage works and sustained financing. A government cannot responsibly award every road mentioned in a social-media appeal merely because the rains have stopped.
"And there is another important point: Cross River Central is not an isolated political constituency requiring development only when an election approaches. It is an integral part of Cross River State. The Governor is constitutionally the Governor of all three senatorial districts and should be judged by how equitably he distributes available resources across the state.
"It is therefore misleading to reduce the relationship between Governor Otu and Cross River Central to the number of bulldozers that may be seen on particular roads before the next election.
"The Governor’s People First philosophy should indeed translate into visible projects in Central, just as it should in the North and South. That is a legitimate expectation. But demanding more from government is different from rewriting the record of what the government has already done.
"The Otu administration inherited a state with enormous infrastructure deficits and severe financial limitations. Yet, within the resources available, it has kept government functioning, expanded investment in healthcare, improved education outcomes, restored workers to the payroll, pursued major economic projects and continued interventions across sectors."
Acknowledging the concerns about the Assiga-Ekori, Ekori-Mkpani-Bamia, Mkom-Echumofana and other roads should be taken seriously, he said criticism should also acknowledge progress and necessary in a democracy,
Maintaining that Cross River Central deserves more infrastructure like every other part of the the state, he said further: "The appropriate demand, therefore, is not that Governor Otu should suddenly “focus” exclusively on Central because an election is approaching. The demand should be that the administration continues its equitable development programme, prioritises the most critical roads according to available resources and ensures that Central receives its fair share of infrastructure investment.
"Governor Otu may not have solved every problem in Cross River, and no honest assessment should claim that he has. But saying that his administration has done “nothing” or has forgotten Central is simply not supported by the record. The call should be for more delivery, not the denial of what has already been delivered. Cross River needs development, not political amnesia."
THE BEAGLE NEWS
