We have been very silent for some months now , in an attempt to study and understand what is happening in Cross River State, in terms of governance; but all our efforts seems to yield nothing, I mean nothing at all.
I have had asked myself , should it be I am the one that failed or refused to see what my state governor , Prince Bassey Edet Otu is doing ? At least, in the past three years , the state has done nothing to my village , nothing tangible that I know. Though some of my brothers would point to appointment given to some of our sons, and I have always demanded that their office address be given to me, so that I can write letters to them, can anyone help? Our problem is road, electricity and water in Ito/Idere/Ukwa Ward. Any appointment without office key, is a daiapointment to me .
Or, could it be that there are other places that the state government is very active that I do not know , after all, admirers of the government will tell you that government cannot be everywhere ; so, I needed to take a break, watch and study where the state government is doing excellently very well, so that we can praise them .
Since there is no agency currently in charge of relaying government policies and programs to the public , except the SSA on General Duty to the governor, whose mode of communication is also difficult to understand, I needed to follow groups who were out to showcase the works of the governor and government in the state. First, it was a group called the “Data Boys”
Following this group of young men and women was so amazing , amazing in the sense that they were like a cultural troupe , very good at dancing ‘akaba’ dance , led by a self-professed “akaba” pastor with other members who would regularly visit drainage sites in Calabar , the State capital , dancing and shouting , with no one to tell the world where the drainage is coming from , and where it is going , while we still have Calabar flooded with rain water .
Then came the “Evidence Group”. A group that is a combination of more brighter minds , combined with the ‘akaba boys and girls’ that made up the Data Boys . I became a fan because they said their mission was to showcase the works of the state government r in the 18 Local Government Areas of the State . I decided to follow them round the state and devoted my time to watching their programs .
The disappointment that came with the Evidence Group is one that has kept me weeping in tears , with nothing to console my conscience because I promoted the coming of Prince Bassey Edet Otu as governor , heaven and earth knows this. I have been unconsciously asking myself , ‘is this the same Prince Bassey Edet Otu, Sweet Prince we knew?’ . If my village, Mbiwa; Clan , Obiobom; and the entire Ito/Idere/Ukwa Ward are not lucky to be remembered by the Prince Bassey Edet Otu’s government for anything , why is the entire state also facing such neglect, that the places the evidence group could only visit are uncompleted roads of less than 3 kilometres and abandoned street works , in three years with huge unprecedented federal allocations?
One thing my brothers and sisters from Southern Cross River State in particular do not understand is that, When people continue to support failed or corrupt political leaders driven by ethnic loyalty, party affiliation, or short-term personal gain, it creates a cascade of severe consequences for society and democratic institutions, such as: Perpetuation of Bad Governance and Mediocrity. Citizens who excuse or cheer for underperforming leaders become enablers of systemic failure, and when leadership is treated as a tribal, regional, or partisan project rather than a matter of competence, criticism is viewed as betrayal, making true accountability impossible. The same reason one of my dear sister called me “Ifot atta idem” , witch that eats itself , for daring to criticize the governor. When governance is treated as our turn to chop, Society grows numb to what good governance actually looks like, lowering the baseline for public service.
But they say in every thing, there must be advantage and disadvantage . And I know someone will ask, what is the advantage of a failed leadership in the state? And my answer will be that , the benefit or advantage of failed leadership in the state is that all young men and women will now become members of Media/Publicity or New Media Campaign Team of the failed system . A portfolio to boost their ego, make them look important and very confident to project lies that is not only to their own detriment , but generations after them .
Since the entire Southern Cross River people , both young and old have all decided to be cheerleaders at a time where 95% of our people are languishing in abject poverty and same percentage of our communities have no road , no electricity and no water, when we have a governor that should salvage the situation but have refused to , for reasons known to him, please, allow some of us to be the voice to remind him about some of these things , so that posterity will not say we all kept quiet , the world is watching .
For those who would want to be angry, please, do not be angry, instead , prove me wrong . If you are a government admirer or supporter , visit your village to show us what government has done for your people .
Ekpenyong Isaiah-isababa
Commander, Infantry Pen Battalion
isacool4good@yahho.com
