By Patrick Obia
The Cross River State Traditional Rulers Council says the State needs a clearer developmental plan as Governor Bassey Otu requires the truth from Cross Riverians.
The Council made the assertion through the Paramount Ruler of Bakassi Local Government Area who doubles as Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council – HRH Etim Okon Edet, in a one-day Consultative Forum for the preparation of the 2024 budget.
The royal fathers said it was high time Cross River left bogus white elephant projects and embarked on projects that would benefit the citizenry directly.
“I have sat here for almost one hour or so. And I want to speak my mind. We cannot continue in sin for grace to abound. The picture is not very clear to me where we are going. And so, I will not at the end of the day be able to tell my colleagues who are not here what happened here today.”
The Chairman continued: “Every time, we allow the leadership to bring programs to us without us giving it to them. We are supposed to give Governor Otu from Yala to Bakassi, this is what we want. We want rural roads at so-and-so places, we want water supply at so-and-so places, and not someone telling us, he will do superhighways by himself all by himself, and everybody will clap.
‘A lot of things need to be straightened out. This is the people’s government. Prince Otu requires the truth from the people.
“He is a good man, but a good leader can be turned into a bad one by the followership. Let the Sweet Prince be in our heart, not from our lips. As for me and my Traditional Rulers in the State, the Sweet Prince is in our hearts, not on our lips. If you pass through the State Traditional Rulers Council, you will see a new phase of life just in two months of his reign and the owners of the place are happy with him.
“Let’s adopt a bottom-to-up approach in our 2024 budget, do away with those projects that are not feasible, continue or complete those that are so that at the end, Sweet Prince would be even sweeter,” he inferred.
On his part, the Special Adviser to Governor Otu on Budget, Monitoring, and evaluation, Mr. Otu Otu Ita said “Cross River State as it stands does not have a state development plan, and if we don’t have a state development plan you cannot build on anything.”
The SA disclosed that Governor Otu has directed the State Planning Commission to do a short-term and long-term plan for the State, and the budget office to develop a medium-term expenditure framework; hence, the bedrock of the consultative forum ahead of the 2024 budget.
“It is important that we establish that Cross River State as it stands does not have a state development plan and if we don’t have a state development plan, you cannot build on anything. So, on the directive of the Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Bassey Edet Otu has directed the State Planning Commission to do a short-term and long-term plan for Cross River State, and in the same vein, the Governor has also directed the budget office to develop a medium-term expenditure framework.”
He added: “The reason we are gathered here is to discuss the medium-term expenditure framework, which will now set the guidelines that will follow in the course of the preparation of the 2024 budget. We have tagged it the budget consultative forum because we know that most of the Ministries that have been created are new, and it is important that our people know and understand the mandate of each of these Ministries.”
