End-time Reportage

WHEN RESULTS MEET RHETORIC: A TALE OF TWO ADMINISTRATIONS

Some Cross Riverians have recently developed the habit of comparing Prince Bassey Otu's three-year administration with the eight-year reign of Professor Ben Ayade. It is an interesting comparison, akin to comparing a man building a house to another who spent years describing the house he intended to build.

In less than three years, Prince Otu has secured the return of Tinapa from AMCON, a development many considered unattainable. He has advanced the Bakassi Deep Seaport project from a long-standing aspiration to a federally approved project with the necessary compliance certifications. The Boki East-West Road, which had become a symbol of abandoned promises, is receiving renewed attention. Across Calabar, numerous access roads have been rehabilitated and reconstructed, improving mobility and restoring public confidence in government intervention.

The administration has equally invested in education through the sponsorship of WAEC examinations for thousands of students across the state. At a time when many families are struggling with economic realities, such interventions have ensured that financial limitations do not deny students access to vital educational opportunities. This is governance that directly impacts households rather than merely generating headlines.

Critics have also questioned the significance of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway because it is a Federal Government project. That argument conveniently ignores how major infrastructure projects are attracted in the first place. Federal projects do not emerge in locations by accident. They are often influenced by advocacy, strategic relationships, political goodwill, and effective engagement. Had Cross River lacked a governor with access, influence, and the ability to make a compelling case for the state's inclusion, the project could easily have terminated in Uyo or Port Harcourt. Instead, Cross River occupies a strategic position in one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Nigeria's history. Leadership is not only about building projects directly; it is also about attracting opportunities and ensuring that your people are not left behind when national benefits are being distributed.

Equally misunderstood by some critics was the government's town hall meeting in Abuja and the early unveiling of the 2026 Carnival Calabar. Serious governments do not wait for investors to discover them by accident. The Abuja engagement was designed to connect Cross River with investors, development partners, and influential stakeholders whose resources can accelerate economic growth. The unveiling of Carnival Calabar follows the same logic. Tourism is an industry, and industries thrive on planning, marketing, sponsorship, and visibility. Investors are easily seen in Lagos, not in the streets of Calabar.

The difference between both administrations is becoming increasingly clear. One excelled at announcing grand ambitions; the other is steadily assembling the conditions necessary to achieve them. One often gave Cross River reasons to imagine the future; the other is creating reasons to believe in it.

Cross Riverians should therefore be cautious when making comparisons. Eight years is a generous period in governance. If after eight years many celebrated projects remain subjects of debate rather than engines of economic transformation, while a three-year administration is already recovering strategic assets, attracting federal attention, supporting education, rehabilitating roads, and positioning the state for investment, then the comparison may not be as flattering to the former administration as its supporters imagine.

History has a way of separating promises from performance, announcements from achievements, and political theatre from genuine development

Omah Ambrose Muabe
End-time Reportage