Gov. Bassey Otu signs the bills into law as others watch.
By Nsa Gill
Lastweek, His Excellency, Governor Bassey Edet Otu, signed four important bills into law, each one a stepping stone toward the next phase of Cross River State’s development. Let’s break them down in plain language:
1. Cross River State Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2025
Think of this as topping up your budget. You start a project with a set amount of money, but along the way you realise you need more to get it done. This bill injects an additional ₦104 billion into the state budget to fast-track major projects. This would help completing key infrastructure and boosting agriculture (one of the major focus of this administration), strengthening healthcare, education, security, and creating jobs through targeted investments.
2. Cross River State Counterpart Funds (Amendment)
Our state’s improving financial profile and transparency have been attracting international funding. This law ensures we can coordinate and account for these funds effectively. It empowers the Ministry of International Donor Coordination to supervise money from external donors and development partners, aligns interest rates with industry best practice, and streamlines how we manage counterpart contributions. In short, it makes funding easier to access and better organised for big projects.
3. Cross River State Roads Fund Law 2025
We know rural areas face a serious road infrastructure gap. This law creates a steady funding mechanism to complete rural roads, improving access to farms and markets. Since agriculture is a cornerstone of our economic drive, better roads mean faster movement of goods, easier market access, and stronger rural economies.
4. Cross River State Electricity Law
Previously, only the Federal Government could generate and distribute electricity. But after the 2024 constitutional amendment of the 1999 constitution, states now have that power too.
This law gives Cross River State the legal framework for both public and private sectors to generate and distribute electricity locally. It also makes corroborate the Cross River State Government efforts to acquire power plants and attract investors into our energy sector.
These four laws may sound technical, but they all boil down to one thing: putting structures in place to speed up development, improve services, and open more opportunities for Cross Riverians.
Gill is the Special Adviser, Public Affairs to the Governor, Cross River State.