By Asuquo Cletus
Special advisers to Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has ccused political opponents of spreading falsehood and misinformation about the administration’s performance as preparations for future elections gather momentum.
The advisers made the allegation during a sectoral briefing organised by the Forum of Special Advisers in Calabar to present the scorecard of the Otu administration after three years in office.
Chairman of the Forum and Special Adviser on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, on Monday said critics of the government had deliberately ignored major achievements recorded across key sectors, including infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, education and asset recovery.
According to him, the administration had focused on people-centred governance and executed numerous projects that had either been completed or put into use without formal commissioning.
“Some of the mischiefs that are coming from evil men because elections are close have decided to come out from where they were. I believe by the end of this engagement, facts and records will be put straight,” Akiba said.
He maintained that the governor had delivered projects across the state without prioritising publicity, adding that several roads and public facilities had been completed and were already serving residents.
Special Adviser on Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Raphael Adoga, presented what he described as the administration’s infrastructure scorecard, listing road construction and rehabilitation projects across the Southern, Central and Northern Senatorial Districts.
Adoga said the government had undertaken numerous road projects in Calabar, Odukpani, Akamkpa, Ikom, Yala, Obanliku and other local government areas.
He also addressed concerns surrounding the ongoing Akria-Okuku Bridge project, describing criticisms of the project as politically motivated.
According to him, work was temporarily adjusted to accommodate additional engineering requirements after project monitors discovered that piling was not included in the original design.
“We made a report to His Excellency that variation needed to be done on that bridge. The governor approved the variation to ensure the bridge’s long-term durability,” he said.
On healthcare, Special Adviser on Health, Ekpo Bassey, said the administration inherited a health sector weakened by years of manpower shortages and inadequate investment.
He disclosed that the state government had recruited more than 200 health professionals into the secondary healthcare system and over 500 workers into the primary healthcare sector after lifting a long-standing employment embargo.
Bassey further stated that over 90 primary healthcare facilities had been rehabilitated across the state’s 18 local government areas, while doctors and other health workers had benefited from improved remuneration packages aimed at reducing workforce migration.
He added that the state had expanded immunisation coverage, strengthened responses to public health emergencies and attracted increased support from development partners through the prompt payment of counterpart funding obligations.
Speaking on government assets, Special Adviser on Assets Management and Recovery, Gilbert Agbor, said the department had recovered several government properties, records and lands allegedly lost to illegal occupation and encroachment.
Agbor said the government had also improved asset documentation and revenue collection systems, claiming that close to N1bn had been recovered from agricultural estates through reforms and improved accountability measures.
He noted that the administration had successfully reclaimed strategic assets, including Tinapa and the Studio of the former state-owned broadcasting facility.
Also speaking, Special Adviser on Automobile Technicians and Regulatory Services, Ndem Effiong, highlighted efforts to organise and train automobile technicians across the state, reduce conflicts among practitioners and establish modern automotive training facilities.
Effiong said the government had facilitated the establishment of an automotive training centre in Akamkpa and was supporting the development of infrastructure for electric vehicles and compressed natural gas technology.
The advisers insisted that Governor Otu’s administration had delivered tangible results across multiple sectors and urged residents to rely on verified information rather than political narratives.
They maintained that the achievements highlighted during the briefing demonstrated the administration’s commitment to development and improved service delivery across Cross River State.
