…Says Move in the Best Interest of C’River
By Our Reporter
The initiator of the Think Cross River Group( TCRG), Edem Darlington has commended the Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, for his security approach and modern policing initiatives in the State.
Mr. Darlington,who said this while speaking with Journalists in Calabar the state capital, noted that the emergence of Governor Otu has brought peace and tranquility to not just the state capital but the entire Cross River.
His words: “We were all here in this State when kidnappings, arson, ritual killings, cult-related killings and all manner of crime were being perpetuated sometimes in the broad day light.
“At one point, Cross River State was rated as one of the most dangerous places to visit in Nigeria. We moved from being the most peaceful state to one of the most unsafe places in Nigeria.
“No one was spared, our medical doctors repeatedly kidnapped, a situation that prompted the leadership of the NMA, at the time, to go on strike each time one of their members were kidnapped.
“Even waterleaf sellers and petty traders were not spared, and as low as five thousand was collected as ransom. Those were the issues the Governor met on ground. But today, the reverse is the case.
“The Governor, since assumption of office, has had countless security meetings, provided security officers with modern equipments to fight all forms of crimes and criminality in the State. I think the governor deserves commendation for returning our State to a peaceful and secured place,”he noted.
Mr. Darlington, who is also the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, used the opportunity to clear the air regarding the recent cancellation of a cultural parade, Nkot Mbok, insisting that the cancellation was done in the best interest of the State.
“No one in the State have access to the level of security information that the Governor has. So if intelligence gathering points to the fact that a particular event will lead to chaos where lives and properties could be lost, what a good leader and father will do is to be proactive and nip the issue in the mud immediately. It is my sincere opinion that the government should rather be commended.
“If you look at the recently released Nigeria security report for 2024, you will realize that Cross River State made significant progress in terms of peace and security stability and that means that we are gradually taking back our place as the safest and most peaceful state in the country”
The Think Cross River initiator used the opportunity to call on young people in Cross River to continue to pray for the peace of the state as no meaningful development would thrive in an atmosphere of chaos and violence.
