Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering better dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

Mr Otu, fondly called “Sweet Prince,” made the commitment in Abuja during a special town hall meeting with Cross River indigenes, stakeholders and investors to mark his third anniversary in office.

The event, organised by the state government with the theme, “Inside Gov. Otu’s Three Years of Bold Rebirth of Cross River,” was designed to reflect on achievements recorded by the administration, assess progress and chart the way forward.

According to him, the administration will overhaul key sectors such as aviation, education and agriculture among others, to bolster the delivery of democratic dividends to Cross River people.

Mr Otu said, “We will be looking to buy more aircraft, 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 reiterated his administration’s commitment to upgrading and upscaling educational institutions across the state, promising the restructuring of the education sector 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, Mr Otu said measures had been 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, adding that steps had been taken to increase pay packages within the sector to boost manpower and service delivery.

In the agricultural sector, the governor said 108 mini tractors had been procured, with more than 50 already distributed to farmers across the state.

He added that 77 motorcycles had also been distributed to agricultural and extension officers to enhance mobility, improve service delivery and strengthen monitoring activities.

Mr Otu further said that his administration had adopted a food systems transformation pathway anchored on policy support and strategic interventions aimed at boosting economic growth, job creation and industrialisation.

The governor also 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 event featured goodwill messages from representatives of the Cross River North, Cross River Central and Cross River South senatorial districts.

Some commissioners also made presentations before the unveiling of the administration’s third anniversary scorecard and cutting of the anniversary cake. 

(NAN)