By Joe Ephraim, Calabar
The Forum of Special Advisers to Governor Bassey Otu has presented a three-year sectoral scorecard detailing the administration’s governance achievements, highlighting the recovery of nearly ₦1 billion from the Etung Cocoa Estates and the reclamation of several illegally occupied public assets.
The Chairman of the Forum, Barr. Ekpenyong Akiba, stated that the administration has focused on citizen-centred governance, recording milestones across multiple sectors simultaneously
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Akiba noted that several completed roads and public facilities have already been put into use without formal commissioning ceremonies, stating that the government prioritises project delivery over ribbon-cutting.
Presenting the report on behalf of the Department of Asset Management and Recovery, Barrister Gilbert Agbor disclosed that the agency conducted statewide asset identification, verification, and recovery exercises across the three senatorial districts.
The exercise uncovered numerous government properties that had been illegally occupied, encroached upon, or unlawfully transferred to private individuals.
According to Agbor, comprehensive audits within the Etung Cocoa Estates led to the recovery of several abandoned, concealed, or irregularly acquired cocoa plots, generating nearly ₦1 billion in government revenue.
He stated that the exercise blocked revenue leakages associated with agricultural assets, improved transparency in collection, and strengthened accountability in public asset management.
Agbor has also identified several government vehicles retained by former political appointees, contractors, and private individuals for recovery, while efforts remain ongoing to reclaim public lands belonging to the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) from illegal occupants.
Additionally, Agbor credited the administration with recovering the state’s oil wells and Tinapa assets, and announced the commencement of a digitalized state asset registry to improve tracking.
In the infrastructure and monitoring sector, the Special Adviser on Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Raphael Adoga Morphy, reported that hundreds of road projects have been executed or are ongoing across the Southern, Central, and Northern Senatorial Districts.
These include the rehabilitation of major highways, construction of urban roads, and intervention projects in security formations and public institutions.
Reporting on the health sector, the Special Adviser on Health, Dr. Ekpo Ekpo, disclosed that the state government lifted a 13-year employment embargo, resulting in the recruitment of over 200 health professionals into secondary healthcare facilities and more than 500 workers into the primary healthcare system.
Ekpo added that over 90 primary healthcare centres have been rehabilitated across the state, several hospitals are undergoing reconstruction or upgrading, salary packages for medical workers have been improved, and state nursing colleges have secured academic accreditation.
Regarding transport and technical reforms, the Special Adviser on the Automobile Technicians Regulatory Department, Chief Ndem Effiong, stated that the government has introduced reforms to regulate automobile technicians, spare parts dealers, and lubricant marketers
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Effiong announced that an automotive training centre for the South-South region has been established in Cross River in partnership with the National Automotive Design and Development Council, and that the state is developing facilities to support electric vehicles and compressed natural gas (CNG) technology.
Other Special Advisers presenting scorecards brief included Hon. Peter Egba (Special Adviser on Industry), Nkoyo Otu (Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs), and Hon. Ada Charles Egwu (Special Adviser on Community Relations).
Following the presentations, aides to the governor unanimously passed a vote of confidence on Governor Otu, stating that the sectoral achievements demonstrate a commitment to infrastructure development, healthcare delivery, asset recovery, and economic growth.
