By Magnus Effiong
Gov Bassey Otu has said his government was poised to reinvent Cross River, building on the foundation already laid by the past administrations of former governors Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke and Ben Ayade.
The Governor said this at the Presbyterian Church, Duke Town Parish, weekend, during the thanksgiving service in honour of Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong of Cross River South
“In Cross River State, a solid foundation has been laid already and we shall build on the gains of democracy we met on ground. We know what Governor Donald Duke did, we know what Gov Liyel Imoke added and we know what Gov Ben Ayade added too but this time around, we are going to explode.
“It is at difficult times that miracles are wrought. Even with removal of the fuel subsidy and other challenges, our future is bright for what God cannot do does not exist. I want to give you the assurances that we are moving to the next level.” he stated.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government was poised to make commuters’ nightmarish experiences on the collapsed Calabar-Itu highway a thing of the past.
According to him, the President had already showed his commitment through the priority given to road infrastructure in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states in the 2024 budget.
Akpabio noted that the dilapidated condition of the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway was seeking to divide the people of the two States, adding “the President is aware of this predicament and will do everything possible to address it.
“Cross River and Akwa Ibom States are one but what is threatening to divide us is Calabar/Itu road but we shall work together to fix it. I suggest that the entire APC Chairmen and leaders in South South should lead a delegation to Mr President and complain on this menace that seeks to divide us.”
Also speaking, Senator Ekpenyong, who used the thanksgiving service to dedicate his third child, Abasi-Anam Ekpenyong, said the thanksgiving was to acknowledge every of God’s blessings in his life, adding that at 37, he has become the youngest Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He promised to represent Cross River Southern senatorial district well and join hands with other political leaders to attract dividends of democracy to the South South region.
