C’River: Sen Otu assumes office as Governor, presents development plan
From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Senator Bassey Otu, the former senator representing Cross River South in the National Assembly has assumed office as the governor of Cross River State.
The governor, alongside his deputy Peter Odey were sworn in at the UJ Esuene Stadium by the State Chief Judge, Justice Akon Ikpeme.
In his inaugural speech, Governor Otu promised to build a Cross River State for all which is deviod of any discrimination.
He warned criminals in the state to either turn a new leaf or relocate from the state.
“This government will bear no insignia of discrimination in belief, origin or gender. Women and men, young and old, educated and non-educated will be carried along and treated as equal before the law.
“I have spent my gifting opportunities in the legislative and my creative convictions in advancing the course of humanity and I intend to leverage on those templates in providing the best governance to the people of Cross River State.
“For the few who take pride in criminality, there shall be no hiding place and only two options are on the table: turn a new leaf within our upcoming amnesty window or vacate Cross River State without delay.
“Our administration shall have zero tolerance for criminality in whatever form or shade.
“The State will be given an immediate facelift through critical infrastructural repairs, clearing of waterways, trimming of overgrown trees, repainting and refuse evacuation”, the governor said.
He also promised to engage the federal government and other international organizations to review obnoxious judgments against the state.
“We shall further engage the Federal Government and international community to review obnoxious judgments against us with the aim of creating relief in the pains accruing to the loss of Bakassi and the ceding of our 76 Oil wells as well as streamline our boundaries to minimize communal crisis.
“Enabling reforms and relevant legislations will be engaged to rekindle confidence and scale up the morale of international agencies. Friendly tax policies, fair weather investment atmosphere, realistic State budget and commitment to good governance will constitute the official architecture to attract donor funds and grow the organized private sector in our State.
“We will recalibrate our legacy assets at various stages of completion. Our decision on the future State of our respective brownfield assets shall be drawn from an interrogated, unbiased public sector value comparative analysis.
“Our economic management team shall be professional in adopting non-traditional, non-recourse hybrid financing products working with the private sector.
“I am determined to change the fortunes of Cross River State by implementing a vibrant Agricultural ecosystem supported by various trade consolidation centers.
“In Calabar, palm oil and fisheries shall be reactivated, while the trade consolation centres for cocoa in Ikom and rice in Ogoja shall be developed and promptly established.
“We will also explore all trade and legal openings for Tinapa to properly take off”, he said.
