The Cross River State Governor, Mr. Bassey Otu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering more democratic dividends to the people of the state through reforms in key sectors of the economy.
Governor Otu made the pledge at a Special Town Hall Meeting with Cross River indigenes, stakeholders and investors in Abuja to mark his third anniversary in office.
The event with the themed “Inside Governor Otu’s Three Years of Bold Rebirth of Cross River,” provided a platform to showcase the achievements of the administration over the past three years, assess progress made and outline priorities for the future.
Efforts on Critical Sectors
The Governor said his administration would intensify efforts to transform critical sectors, including aviation, education and agriculture, to accelerate socio-economic development and improve the welfare of residents.
According to him, “the planned reforms are aimed at strengthening service delivery, attracting investment and creating more opportunities for the people of Cross River State.”
Governor Otu noted that his administration remains focused on consolidating its achievements while implementing policies and programmes that would foster sustainable growth of the state.
He said; “We will be looking to buy more aircrafts, and it will be a regional aircraft, not just jet or an internal aircraft, the vision is quite huge. We are looking at plying the whole of West Africa.
“We are already training over 16 people to become pilots. We are looking to train a little more, in terms of aircraft engineering, aeronautics engineering, and in other areas.
“Some few airlines were making sort of steer and we were at their whims and caprices. They cancelled flights to other states, but those things have stopped since we started,” the Governor said.
Educational Institutions
Governor Out reiterated his administration’s commitment to upgrading and upscaling educational institutions across the state, while promising the education sector restructuring to provide higher quality teaching and learning.
He identified achievements being recorded to include payment of WAEC fees for indigenous students for 2024, 2025 and 2026, establishment of the University of Education and Entrepreneurship, and College of Agriculture and Forestry.
He said; “other achievements under his watch included regularisation of staff salary of Teachers Continuous Training Institute of West Africa in the state.”
Speaking on healthcare, the Cross River state Governor said that measures are being put in place to address manpower shortages and improve service delivery in health facilities across the state.
He said there were few doctors working in the state’s hospital facilities and that there are plans to increase pay packages within the sector to boost manpower and service delivery.
In the agricultural sector, the Governor said 108 mini tractors have so far been procured, with more than 50 already distributed to farmers across the state.
He stressed that 70 motorcycles had also been distributed to Agricultural and Extension Officers to enhance mobility, improve service delivery and strengthen monitoring activities.
Mr. Otu said that his administration adopted a food systems transformation pathway anchored on policy support and strategic interventions aimed at boosting economic growth, job creation and industrialisation.
The Governor highlighted the rehabilitation and completion of critical infrastructure projects, including roads and bridges, as well as the provision of solar-powered electricity to communities across the state.
The town hall meeting brought together Cross River indigenes, investors and other stakeholders who reviewed the administration’s performance and discussed strategies for advancing the state’s development agenda.
It featured presentation by some commissioners on achievements in their sectors.
