Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, who is running for Governorship in 2027 under the ADC, given her track record in public administration, the international and diplomatic community, the civic space and human capital development …
I was at the airport when a reporter approached me and asked the question, “What, in your own opinion, is wrong with Cross River State?” I told her, “It all depends on who you are asking”. I promised her that I would send in an article tomorrow on the said question and why Cross River State needs new politics and government, which are at the root causes of the multi-structural challenges the State faces.
As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence, I consider it an historical truth to say that Cross River State was once the pride of Nigeria. The cleanest state. The safest state. The tourism capital. The state of firsts – first to host a world-class carnival known as Carnival Calabar in West Africa, first to dream of Tinapa, first to show that a state in Nigeria could be beautiful, orderly, and hopeful.
Today, that dream has faded, and the reality in sight and on the ground has left so much to be desired. Many things are currently in disarray while excuses, refusal, failure and propaganda are on the rise. No state can continue on this path if it seeks to revive the economy, create jobs and become competitive in key sectors.
That is why those of us in civil society and the private sector have come to the logical conclusion that Cross River needs a new politics, a new roadmap and a new government to take the state and its citizens out of poverty and lead new channels of growth and margins of transformation.
I pinpointed the following facts unambiguously to show why a new politics and government are urgently needed:
- Because Potential Without Leadership Becomes Pain
God gave Cross River everything: Atlantic coastline, mountains in Obudu, a rainforest that is the last of its kind in West Africa, fertile land in Yala, Ikom, Etung and Ogoja, limestone, solid minerals, and the most industrious, educated and peaceful people in the South-South.
But what has happened to that potential? Our cocoa farms are grossly underutilised from a processing and product diversification standpoint. Our rubber estates are silent. The Calabar Port remains comatose. Tinapa, the billion-naira dream that should have made us the Dubai of Africa, is a ghost of itself. Our young people leave every day for Lagos, Abuja and abroad – not because they don’t love Cross River, but because Cross River has stopped loving them back.
We do not have a poverty of resources. We have a poverty of execution by the current leadership under the current regime led by Gov. Prince Bassey Otu.
- Because The Old Politics Is Built on Accumulation and Division, The New Must Be Built on Selflessness and Vision
The old politics in Cross River is a politics of clan, of zone, of “where you come from” instead of “what you can do.” It is a politics of sharing, not creating. Of appointments, not jobs. Of stomach infrastructure, not economic infrastructure. The politics has largely been about me, myself and I, while millions of Cross Riverians face unprecedented poverty with zero faith in government to do anything right.
The collapse of the road leading to the Sea Express terminal off the Diamond axis is a case in point. The neglect of Bakassi, the many environmental emergencies that are not being addressed, including rampant fire incidents, are not far-fetched from the details of bad leadership.
This is why a new politics must ask different questions:
Not “Who is our brother?” but “Who has the competence?”
Not “What can we share?” but “What can we build?”
Not “How do we win the next election?” but “How do we provide for this generation and the next?”
Cross River needs a politics that sees a child in Bekwarra and a child in Bakassi as the same – both deserving of world-class schools, primary healthcare that works, and digital skills that connect them to the world. A politics that fights and prevents corruption, not one that encourages the looting of public wealth.
- Because Our Economy Needs To Be Rescued From Government House
For too long, Government House has been the largest industry in Cross River. When government fails to pay or delays salaries and pensions, Calabar stops breathing. That is not an economy; that is dependency.
A new government must have the courage to do what the current one has refused to do:
Decentralise Power and Lead Transparency in Budgeting and Budget
Make Calabar Port Work Again: Dredge it, concession it, and make it the gateway for Northern Cross River, Benue, Ebonyi, and even Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Return To Agriculture With Value: Not just planting cocoa, but processing chocolate in Ikom. Not just rice in Ogoja, but milling and packaging it as Cross River Rice. Not just palm in Akamkpa, but industrial-scale oil processing.
Revive Tourism With Seriousness: Carnival cannot be a yearly party that gulps billions. It must be a 365-day creative economy – film village, fashion, music, tech hubs and cultural enterprise in Calabar.
Unleash Obudu and Our Blue Economy: From Obanliku to Bakassi, Cross River can feed Nigeria and power tourism in West Africa if we think beyond monthly FAAC allocation.
- Because Our Youth Cannot Wait Anymore
More than 60% of Cross Riverians are under 35. They are brilliant. They are online. They are global. But the old politics offers them only Okada, SA and PA appointments, and handouts.
A new government must offer them what they deserve: a functional tech ecosystem in Calabar, agricultural loans without political strings, credit for small businesses in Ugep, Ogoja, Etung and Ikang, and a state that trusts them enough to include them in the room where decisions are made.
The youth are not leaders of tomorrow. In Cross River, they must be leaders of NOW, and a new government will make that possible.
- Because Character Still Matters
Cross River used to be known for integrity, cleanliness, and peace. We were the state where you could walk at 2 am in Calabar and feel safe. Where public offices were neat. Where promises meant something.
We need to return to that Cross River. A new politics where a contract is executed, not abandoned. Where a budget is for the people, not for a few. Where a governor sees himself as a servant, not a king.
The Clarion Call and Way Forward
This is not about APC or PDP. Both have ruled us. Both have tried. This is deeper than party. It is about us – the Cross Riverian spirit.
The generation that built Tinapa with vision, that built the Obudu Cattle Ranch out of a mountain, that made Calabar the cleanest city – that spirit is still in us. It is time to awaken it.
Cross River does not need another government that manages poverty. It needs a new government that creates wealth.
It does not need a new set of politicians. It needs a new kind of politics – honest, competent, inclusive, and courageous.
Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, who is running for Governorship in 2027 under the ADC, given her track record in public administration, the international and diplomatic community, the civic space and human capital development, comes across as a compassionate, completely informed and knowledgeable Cross Riverian who is ready to form a new government, create a different kind of politics and bring the dividends of democracy to all Cross Riverians.
As I close today on this post, it is my hope that you reading this article give this a thought and think on these things broadly and rally your family, friends, associates, colleagues, wards and LGA to vote for Amb. Nkoyo Toyo for Governor to enable her to create the right direction for the State and a government that works for all hardworking Cross Riverians and households. From me to you, do have a fantastic new month and a happy Independence Day, if both are within your reach.
Thanks
Richard Inoyo writes from Citizens’ Solution Network Bureau in Calabar.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Richard Inoyo, and do not represent the opinion of TheInvestigator or any other organisation the author works for/with.
