By Frank Ulom
Cross River Governor Bassey Otu has urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council to embark on a fact-based campaign across the 18 local government areas of the state, insisting that his administration deserves a second term to consolidate its achievements and drive wealth creation.
Otu made the call on Saturday, October 31, 2026, during the inauguration of the APC Cross River State Governorship Campaign Council at the party’s State Secretariat in Calabar.
The governor said his administration had spent its first term rebuilding the state’s foundations through debt reduction, asset recovery, infrastructure development, improved security, employment restoration and economic reforms, adding that a second term would focus on expanding opportunities and delivering prosperity.
Addressing party leaders, chieftains and campaign council members, Otu said his administration came into office on May 29, 2023, with a commitment to its People First mantra and the responsibility to address the challenges inherited from previous administrations.
He identified insecurity, a demoralised public service and neglected government assets as major challenges confronting Cross River State when he assumed office.
According to him, the administration deliberately adopted a development approach centred on discipline, restoration and continuity rather than personal ambition and political drama.
“We did not promise all fixings in one year, but we covenanted to stop the bleeding, clear the ground, recover the losses and restore abandonments,” he said.
On the state’s finances, Otu disclosed that his administration inherited a domestic debt stock of more than ₦204 billion but had reduced it by over ₦70 billion without taking new loans.
He said the state’s domestic debt stood at approximately ₦132 billion as of March 2026.
The governor also highlighted improvements in internally generated revenue (IGR), which he said increased from ₦21.1 billion in 2022 to ₦31.56 billion in 2023 and ₦46 billion in 2024.
He attributed the improvement to revenue reforms, automation and stronger financial management, stressing that funds recovered from outstanding obligations and government assets would create more resources for public services.
Otu further disclosed that the government had recovered nearly ₦1 billion from Etung Cocoa Estates and other public assets as part of its ongoing efforts to reclaim state-owned properties.
He said the administration was also pursuing the recovery of Cross River’s oil wells and its interests in the Bakassi axis, alongside efforts to advance the state’s deep seaport ambition.
On security, the governor said kidnapping and violent attacks that previously affected the Calabar-Ogoja Highway had been substantially curtailed through improved police logistics, boundary monitoring drones and collaboration with security agencies.
He described improved security as a necessary condition for attracting local and international investment into the state.
The governor also said his administration had restored more than 3,000 local government workers to employment and paid the first tranche of gratuities to pensioners after nearly two decades of waiting.
He announced that preparations were underway for the payment of the second tranche, which he said was expected next month.
On infrastructure and project continuity, Otu said his administration had deliberately continued projects initiated by previous governments, insisting that development should not be abandoned because of political differences.
He cited the Obudu Cargo Airport, where he said the government had undertaken railway construction, fire station development, water hydrants and access roads.
He also mentioned the revival of the Teachers Continuous Training Institute to accommodate the new College of Education, as well as the transformation of Akamkpa College into a University of Education and Entrepreneurship.
The governor said the government’s garment factory and Obudu Cattle Ranch had also been concessioned through public-private partnerships aimed at generating employment and attracting investment.
He described the approach as evidence of political maturity, noting that continuity was essential to sustainable development.
On aviation and tourism, Otu said Cally Air had expanded its operations, with more than seven aircraft in its fleet and two additional aircraft expected.
He also disclosed that flight operations had been tested at the Bebi Airstrip.
According to him, the 2025 Carnival Calabar recorded unprecedented traffic, attracting sponsors and boosting economic activities within the state’s hospitality sector.
The governor further listed road construction, electricity projects and agricultural development among the administration’s achievements, noting that several communities across Ogoja, Yala, Biase and other parts of the state had benefited from infrastructure interventions.
He described the Okrikang Road project as a significant development capable of improving connectivity and economic activities.
On agriculture, Otu said his administration had expanded cultivation across several value chains, including cocoa, rice, potatoes, palm produce and cassava.
He said the government had distributed farm tools, equipment and improved seedlings to support agricultural production, expressing optimism that increased investment in the sector would strengthen food security and reduce hunger.
The governor also highlighted the state’s digital transformation initiatives, saying more than 200 kilometres of fibre infrastructure had been deployed across Calabar metropolis to improve connectivity and public service delivery.
He disclosed that more than 600 Cross Riverians had received information and communications technology training, with some now earning incomes in foreign currencies.
Otu said revenue automation initiatives, including the Cross River CAPs, had contributed to an increase of more than 200 per cent in internally generated revenue since 2023.
He added that residents could now make government payments through an artificial intelligence-powered agent, while digital land documentation and improvements in tax administration, forestry and budgeting had reduced some government processing times by up to 99 per cent.
He also disclosed that Cross River State had secured international recognition for its technology initiatives, following the selection of its government technology team among the first 10 participants in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence in Governance and Public Administration Boot Camp in Seoul, South Korea.
The governor said the programme attracted 940 applications from 180 economies, describing the recognition as an endorsement of the administration’s commitment to technology-driven governance.
Turning to his administration’s proposed second-term agenda, the governor said the focus would shift from recovery and restoration to wealth creation, industrialisation and economic prosperity.
He explained that while the first term was devoted to rebuilding public institutions, recovering assets and laying the foundation for development, the next four years would concentrate on creating economic opportunities for residents.
“The first term was about clearing the bush and laying the foundation. The second term will be about building the house and filling it with prosperity,” he said.
Otu said his second-term development agenda would align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in areas of infrastructure, transportation, investment and economic expansion.
He identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, the proposed Bakassi Seaport and trans-Saharan transportation routes as major opportunities capable of transforming Cross River’s economic fortunes.
He said the administration intended to transform Tinapa from a recovered public asset into a productive economic hub driven by logistics, technology, entertainment, manufacturing and job creation.
The governor also promised to translate the anticipated recovery of the state’s oil wells into increased revenue for scholarships, primary healthcare, agricultural support and export-oriented businesses.
On infrastructure, he pledged to complete the Obudu Cargo Airport and the Ranch Dual Carriageway, while working with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to advance the Calabar-Odukpani-Ogoja corridor.
He said the proposed transportation links would improve the movement of agricultural produce and solid minerals to northern markets while strengthening economic connections with the eastern part of the country.
Otu further promised to expand youth enterprise grants, agricultural support and tourism development to enable young people to establish businesses in agriculture, the creative industry, technology and hospitality rather than depend solely on government employment.
He also listed the payment of the second gratuity tranche, a fully digitised civil service and the establishment of a new industrial park in each of the state’s three senatorial districts as priorities for his proposed second term.
Addressing members of the newly inaugurated campaign council, Otu urged them to take the administration’s achievements to residents across the 18 local government areas and the state’s electoral wards.
He cautioned against campaigns built around insults and personal attacks, urging party members to rely on verifiable achievements and communicate the administration’s development plans with decorum.
“You are being inaugurated today not just as party men and women but as apostles of continuity and disciples of conviction,” he told the campaign council.
“Do not campaign with insults but speak with facts and decorum.”
He urged campaigners to highlight improvements in infrastructure, employment, security, education, agriculture, tourism and public service delivery, adding that residents should understand the economic benefits of ongoing government projects.
According to him, the administration had not completed all its plans but had demonstrated the capacity to deliver on its promises.
“Let them know we have not finished the work but we have proven we can do the work. Let our results in restoration convince them of our capacity for progression,” he said.
Otu also assured the campaign council of his administration’s support, expressing confidence that the APC would record an unprecedented electoral victory in the state.
The governor also used the occasion to express strong support for President Bola Tinubu, urging Cross River residents to give the President overwhelming votes in the state.
He defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms, arguing that Nigeria’s current economic difficulties were rooted in decades of structural challenges rather than policies introduced by the present administration alone.
Drawing from his experience as a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Senate Committee on Finance and Senate Committee on Banking, Otu said he understood the historical circumstances behind the country’s economic difficulties.
He maintained that the President had taken difficult but necessary decisions to reposition the economy, adding that the benefits of the reforms would gradually reach ordinary Nigerians.
“There’s never been a time that we’ve ever had a president that has been so courageous who can see this truth and speak to power,” he said.
Otu also pointed to improvements in electricity generation, arguing that Nigeria had increased its generation capacity but needed stronger transmission infrastructure to make the additional power available to consumers.
He said the transmission infrastructure required to support the country’s electricity needs could not be rebuilt overnight, urging Nigerians to give the administration time to address the challenges.
The governor disclosed that President Tinubu was expected in Cross River on Tuesday for his campaign activities and called on party members and residents to turn out in large numbers to demonstrate their support.
He insisted that the state, being the first APC-controlled state in the South-South geopolitical zone, had a responsibility to demonstrate its political strength through its electoral performance.
Otu also welcomed Barrister Venatius Ikem into the APC, describing his return to the party as a valuable addition to its membership.
He said the party needed unity among its members to deliver its development agenda and called on political leaders and supporters to work together towards the state’s progress.
The governor urged campaign council members to intensify mobilisation across communities, insisting that the party must communicate its achievements and future plans effectively.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to development, Otu said Cross River was moving beyond the recovery of public assets and institutional rebuilding towards an era of wealth creation and prosperity.
“We’ve done with restoration. We are now moving into creation of wealth and prosperity,” he said.
