His Royal Majesty, Eld. Amb (Dr) Solomon Osim Edward JP is the Chairman, Cross River State Traditional Council. He is also the Paramount Ruler of Abi local government area of the State. In this interview, the Royal Father gives his opinion on the performance of Gov Bassey Otu in two years. Excerpts:
*His Majesty, the Governor of Cross River State is celebrating two years in office. In your opinion, how has he performed so far?*
I want to say, without the fear of anything, that the Governor has indeed performed very well. He has touched a lot of lives. He has embarked on infrastructural developments and has empowered many Cross Riverians. There are life-touching projects the Governor has initiated. Our roads are now better. In fact, I score him very highly in terms of visible performance.
I agree with a lot of people that the Governor has impacted many lives positively in Cross River State. I believe that this may be why almost everybody is calling on him to continue beyond four years.
*Are you saying that the traditional institution is supporting the Governor continuing in office beyond 2027?*
Yes, the traditional institution is supporting the Governor wholeheartedly, we are solidly behind him. We make bold to advise here that the Governor is doing well and should complete his tenure of eight years. If in two years, he has achieved what we have all seen, I think he will do better in the next six years and we all will be happy.
*But some people are saying the Governor should be replaced for, according to them, he has abandoned those who worked for his election in 2023. What do you have to say on this?*
They should have patience. If it is your brother’s turn today, it will be your turn tomorrow. Everyone cannot be given an appointment in one fell swoop. All Cross Riverians should stand with the Governor and encourage him to continue his good works. There is always a better tomorrow.
We, the traditional rulers would support the Governor to come back, we are solidly behind him. We want him to continue to 2031.
*What are the challenges you face as the head of the traditional institution in the State?*
Yes, there are some few challenges. The Traditional Rulers do not have good official vehicles. We are asking the Governor to give us new vehicles. The vehicles we are using are more than seven years old, and are now subject to incessant breakdowns. They were provided by the previous government. We wish that His Excellency would touch the traditional institutions with the provisions of brand new cars, especially as very soon, we would be hosting the Forum of the South-south Monarchs here in Calabar, where automatically the Governor is going to be the chief host. The event is coming up on June, 23 and 24, 2025.
However, let me thank the Governor for providing accommodation for me. When I took over, there was no accommodation for Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council as my predecessor operated from his house but the Governor quickly stepped in and provided the much needed accommodation for me. You know it was difficult coming all the way from Abi to attend to important matters and meetings
I have no doubt that every other challenge will be solved one after the other. The Governor cannot solve all the problems in one day or in one month.
As I said earlier, the Governor cannot touch the lives of all Cross Riverians in one day, it is a gradual process. If he cannot touch you today, tomorrow he will touch you. Don’t give up. We are a people of faith. Let this faith drive us to a brighter tomorrow.
