CALABAR – Governor Bassey Otu returned to Cross River State Thursday after a controversial three-week annual leave, boldly declaring he is back with “renewed vigour and a double dose of energy.” But while he celebrated his return at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport with fanfare, critics are questioning whether energy and rhetoric alone can drive real development.
Addressing government officials and loyalists, Otu insisted his time off had sharpened his vision and boosted his determination to deliver on his administration’s manifesto. “We have a manifesto to fulfil,” he said, “and I believe by the second year, some promises are already becoming reality.”
However, some observers argue that the governor’s prolonged absence—extended by the state assembly only to be abruptly cut short—sent mixed signals about his commitment at a time when pressing issues continue to plague .
Otu touted federal projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone as game-changers, yet skeptics say these initiatives are more federal lifelines than results of state leadership.
“The groundwork is paying off,” Otu claimed. “We have sown the seeds; now we must nurture them.” But many Cross Riverians are still waiting to see tangible harvests from those seeds, especially in terms of job creation and infrastructure upgrades.
He also announced upcoming visits by top officials, including the African Development Bank President and Nigeria’s Vice President, for the groundbreaking of a new Export Processing Economic Zone—another promise some fear could join the long list of unfulfilled mega projects in the state.
As Governor Otu returns with bold optimism, questions remain: will his “double dose of energy” be enough to silence growing doubts, or will the state’s transformation remain more talk than action?
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