By Ushang Ewa
Federal lawmaker, Senator Gershom Bassey (PDP, Cross River South) has said that there is need for the leaders to listen more and act to create wealth to forestall a reoccurrence of the massive looting that happened in Calabar, the Cross River State capital last weekend.
Two properties belonging to Mr. Bassey; his family house at Mayne Avenue and his private residence at Asari Eso layout were looted and set ablaze.
And, in what appears his first media outing since the incident on Saturday, he said that there was an ongoing assessment of damage done while some properties were been recovered.
Gershom who described the incident as an “uprising” said it was “not affiliated” with the #EndSARS protests against police brutality. However, he said both had sent a message that leaders need to listen to.
“We as leaders must listen and I think as leaders we are listening,” Mr. Bassey said, adding that: “As far as my personal property is concerned, my house, it was not badly damaged. But we are recovering and we are assessing.”
On preventing a reoccurrence, he averred that: “We need to continue to strive towards good governance. And, it is good governance that will continue to deliver these dividends of democracy.
“For us in the National Assembly we must continue to make laws and play our role to ensure that the Federal Government, the Executive delivers the dividends of democracy and what are these dividends of democracy? Things like youth employment and so on so forth, we must do this, creation of wealth and all these for our people and we must continue to play our tole to ensure that is done.”
No fewer than 60 properties were attacked between Friday and Saturday with an earlier dusk to dusk curfew imposed by the State eased to allow movement between 8:00AM and 4:00PM.
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