By Akpan Udo-Inyang
CALABAR -The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Cross River State, Sir Arthur Archibong, has asserted that “If not for the non-indigenes in the state, the economy would have been dead.
Archibong was giving a critical assessment of Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s administration for the past three years during a press conference on the state of Cross River.
He explained that the contributions of non-indigenous residents have been the primary force keeping the state’s economy afloat ,explaining that commercial activities across the state rely heavily on non-native entrepreneurs and traders.
According to him “That’s the truth. “Going to the markets, going to the shops, all non-indigenous” stating that government policies have failed to generate sustainable economic opportunity for citizens, reducing public assistance to performative distractions.
The founder of Arthur Jarvis University, said he has to break a three-year public silence on the current administration, accusing the state government of economic neglect, widespread nepotism, and systemic disconnection from the populace.
Hear him, “What government has done to us as a people is just translation – carrots,” citing the distribution of used vehicles, minibuses, and tricycles (Keke) close to elections as electioneering ploys rather than genuine empowerment schemes.
“They pile up those things and when it’s time for election, they bring them out and give to us, and eventually turn around again and collect those bikes from them (beneficiaries)” he further said.
He blamed the present APC government of disconnecting from the people and being near zero on the issue of empathy, passion and commitment to the real yearning and aspirations of the broad generality of the people of Cross River.
“This is because the Governor is hardly in the state. Available, verifiable records show that there is no month the Governor spends more than ten (10) days in the state. Twenty days, at least, on a monthly basis, are spent either in Abuja and/or abroad with nothing whatsoever to show for this absence” he observed.
“I will not be Calabar Limited. I have the broad mindedness, vision, agility, love as well as the physical and mental capacity to constantly traverse the different zones of our dear state in the search for and implementation of real development for our people.” Archibong , also maintained.
Again, he added that” I would not be an absentee Governor” but will be constantly available to the people and only travel outside of the state very rarely and only to attend to obviously critical affairs that usher verifiable development to the state
“A State Governor must be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared for the job of chief servant of the state. Anything short of this breeds disaster in project management as is presently the case” Archibong, further said.