By Frank Ulom
The Territorial Archbishop of Calabar and Convener of the Cross River State Christian Leaders Forum, Archbishop Josef Bassey, has endorsed Governor Bassey Edet Otu for a second term, declaring that the state is “profoundly better” than it was when the administration assumed office in May 2023.
Bassey announced his position during a World Press Conference titled “The State of Our State Address,” where he assessed the Otu administration’s performance across debt management, infrastructure, security, aviation, healthcare, pensions, education, agriculture and economic development.
The cleric said his assessment was based on what he described as evidence rather than political affiliation, stressing that his loyalty was to Cross River State and not to any government or political party.
“I have no loyalty to any government. My loyalty is to Cross River State,” Bassey said.
He noted that he had criticised previous administrations when he believed the state was moving in the wrong direction and said the same sense of responsibility required him to acknowledge what he considered measurable progress under the present administration.
Otu inherited state in distress, Archbishop says
According to Bassey, a fair assessment of the administration must begin with the condition of Cross River when Governor Otu took office in May 2023.
He said the administration inherited significant fiscal, institutional, infrastructural and security challenges, including a reported domestic debt of approximately ₦204 billion by June 2023, substantial external liabilities and accumulated gratuity arrears owed to pensioners over several years.
The Archbishop also listed the deteriorated condition of several public assets, including the Governor’s Office, State Library, Cultural Centre Complex, Nigerian Chronicle complex, CRBC facilities, government lodges and other public institutions.
He said the destruction of public facilities during the EndSARS crisis further compounded the challenges inherited by the administration.
Bassey also recalled the loss of Tinapa to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, the poor state of roads across the state and declining security.
“Cross River was in a deep pit,” he said. “The government that came in May 2023 did not inherit a normal developmental starting point; it inherited a rescue operation.”
Debt reduction and revenue growth
The Archbishop said the state’s reported domestic debt had reduced from about ₦204 billion to approximately ₦132 billion, representing a reduction of about ₦72 billion.
He, however, acknowledged that external debt remained substantial and said the government should not be credited for reducing liabilities that had not been reduced.
Bassey also pointed to what he described as significant growth in internally generated revenue, arguing that the fiscal direction of the state deserved recognition.
He cautioned against comparing current expenditure with spending from previous years without considering inflation and the depreciation of the naira.
“What ₦500 million could accomplish in another economic period may require several billions today,” he said, while maintaining that government must demonstrate value for money.
Commends reconstruction of public institutions
A major part of Bassey’s address focused on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of public assets across Cross River.
He said the administration had invested heavily in restoring facilities inherited in various stages of deterioration rather than abandoning them for entirely new projects.
According to him, facilities receiving attention include the Governor’s Office, State Library, Cultural Centre Complex, Local Government Service Commission complex, CICC facilities, government lodges, the Office of the Wife of the Governor, CRBC and Nigerian Chronicle, among others.
Bassey described the approach as an act of ownership and patriotism.
“You look at something another administration built and say, ‘It belongs to Cross River; therefore, I will not permit it to lie waste,’” he said.
He also described the recovery of Tinapa as significant but stressed that recovering the facility was only the beginning.
“Tinapa must now work and become economically productive,” he said.
Archbishop highlights road interventions
On infrastructure, Bassey said the Otu administration’s road intervention portfolio exceeded 608 kilometres, including new roads, rehabilitated roads, dual carriageways, road networks and security and institutional roads.
He said the interventions were spread across the Northern, Central and Southern Senatorial Districts.
According to him, the importance of roads should not be measured only in kilometres but by their impact on farmers, businesses, healthcare access and communities.
“A road is not merely asphalt,” he said.
“It is the farmer who can finally move his produce to market, the pregnant woman who can reach a hospital, the family that can drive to its own house, the business that becomes viable and the community that enters the economy.”
‘Peace has returned’
The Archbishop also credited the administration with improving security in the state.
He said Cross River had experienced kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence and other forms of criminality before the current administration assumed office.
Bassey argued that peace had returned to the state, allowing residents, businesses and visitors to move around more freely.
“Peace has become ordinary again, and that is an extraordinary achievement,” he said.
He noted, however, that communal conflicts and boundary disputes still required decisive government intervention.
The cleric urged the government and security agencies to protect the prevailing peace.
“The assignment now is to guard that peace jealously and never lose it again,” he added.
Aviation, pensions and healthcare
Bassey said aviation connectivity had improved compared to the challenges faced by travellers in 2023.
He argued that improved air connectivity could support tourism, investment, conferences, hospitality and commerce.
The Archbishop also commended efforts to address accumulated gratuity liabilities owed to retired civil servants.
He said gratuity arrears had accumulated for about 14 years but were now being systematically cleared, reportedly reaching the 2015 backlog.
“The job is not finished, and government must finish it,” he said.
He added that a government could not claim prosperity while failing to meet its obligations to senior citizens who had served the state.
On healthcare, Bassey cited the upgrading and revitalisation of Primary Healthcare Centres, expansion of oxygen infrastructure, recruitment and training of health workers and growth in health insurance and maternal healthcare services.
He also highlighted vocational training, support for students and MSMEs, training and promotion of public servants and teachers, agricultural development and sports.
Recovery must become development
Bassey said Cross River had spent the first three years of the Otu administration largely on rescue, recovery, rebuilding, restoration and repositioning.
He said the next phase must focus more aggressively on production, investment, industrialisation, job creation and wealth generation.
The Archbishop said agriculture, processing, improved road infrastructure, aviation, Tinapa, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport, tourism and human capital development should be integrated into a broader economic development strategy.
“Put these things together properly and something begins to emerge — not a collection of projects, but the architecture of an economy,” he said.
He added that agriculture could provide production, processing could add value, roads could move goods, maritime infrastructure could expand markets and human capital could provide the skills required for sustainable growth.
“We have spent three years buying back our past,” he said. “Now we must purchase the future.”
Archbishop faults weak appointees
Despite his positive assessment of Governor Otu, Bassey criticised some government appointees, saying they lacked the competence and capacity required to deliver the administration’s objectives.
“Some appointees in this government are simply not good enough,” he said.
He accused some officials of occupying positions beyond their competence, while others were allegedly more focused on personal political ambitions and self-promotion than service delivery.
“Strategic appointments must cease to be political settlements,” Bassey said.
“If a man cannot take obsessive ownership of the vision and translate it into results, remove him. If he cannot execute, replace him.”
He called for greater emphasis on measurable outcomes rather than announcements and statistics.
The Archbishop said government should demonstrate the economic impact of youth training, agricultural programmes and other interventions.
“Tinapa has been recovered; make Tinapa work,” he said. “The Deep Seaport is advancing; push until ships berth there.”
Spiritual dimension
Bassey also praised Governor Otu for publicly identifying with Christianity and dedicating Cross River State to God.
He said he viewed the development from his position as a religious leader and spiritual watchman over the territory.
However, he clarified that his comments about spiritual darkness should not be interpreted as a reference to political opponents or critics of the government.
“Political opposition is not darkness, and criticism of government is not darkness,” he said.
“I have criticised this government myself today.”
He said the state needed truth, righteousness, justice, strong institutions, competent leadership and the defence of the common good.
‘Otu has earned a second term’
After weighing what he described as the achievements and weaknesses of the administration, Bassey declared that Governor Otu deserved re-election.
“I have considered what Governor Otu inherited and what he had to work with,” he said.
“I have also considered the other side: weak appointees, outstanding liabilities, unfinished projects and promises that must still become reality.”
“Having weighed both sides, my finding is clear. Cross River State is profoundly better today than it was in May 2023.”
Bassey described Otu’s performance over the past three years as “extraordinary” when measured against the challenges inherited and the country’s difficult economic environment.
“Governor Bassey Edet Otu has earned a second term,” he declared.
The Archbishop said continuity was necessary to enable the administration to consolidate its recovery efforts and move the state towards more aggressive economic development.
“At this point in our recovery, Cross River State needs the continuity of a second Otu administration, not so that another four years can be spent rebuilding yesterday, but so that what has been recovered and repositioned can finally become the foundation for aggressive development,” he said.
He urged Cross River residents to put the interest of the state above political considerations.
“Not for Otu. Not for APC. For Cross River,” Bassey said.
He concluded by warning against what he described as political experimentation with the future of the state.
“We have spent three years recovering our inheritance. Now let us build our future.
“Governments will come and go. Political parties will come and go. All of us will eventually leave the stage.
“Cross River remains. And Cross River must win.”
