November 27, (THEWILL) – Stakeholders and resource persons from the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State have concluded a one-day town hall meeting on the state’s 2024 budget.
The budget, which is christened People’s First Budget, is currently before the State House of Assembly for approval and has an estimate of N250 billion.
The stakeholders came together under the Cross River South Coalition with the theme: Aligning the Cross River South Agenda with the key themes of the 2024 state budget for rapid economic recovery and growth.
The town hall meeting aimed at bringing together a lot of dispersed interests and ensuring there is unity and understanding of what the challenges of the south are in relation to other parts of the state.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the coalition, Senator Bassey Henshaw, said the hopes and aspirations of the people are very high, particularly among the youth.
“We must not allow our expectation to create a sense of entitlement rather we must seek to join hands to develop our state.
“The decay of the last eight years is enormous and our state has gone back more than 20 years.
“Valuable assets are lying waste and the treasury is empty. We should resuscitate our valuable wealth lying waste like the Tinapa, Obudu Ranch Resort.
“We should also reclaim our 13 percent derivation payment, Bakassi was ceded by Nigeria and not Cross River State, therefore, losses arising from there should be borne by Nigeria and not the state,” he said.
He congratulated Governor Otu on his 100 days in office as well as his victory at the Court Of Appeal, saying it’s an affirmation of the will of the people as anchored on the Calabar Declaration 2021.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Bishop Josef Bassey, commended the people of the south for the initiative, saying they are given to details and excellence.
He called for a stronger private sector in the state, as it plays a major role in economic development.
He also faulted those who kept quiet over the last eight years but chose to speak now, saying, “We all owe God and humanity a duty to speak up on what is wrong and stand on the side of what is right.”
On her part, the spokesperson of the Coalition, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, said a lot of members of the coalition belong to the Back to South Movement and having brought in a new government, they feel the government owes them a responsibility to be responsive to their needs.
She said the budget is the entry point to this and so they are asking themselves the key problems of the south.
Ambassador Toyo added that they hoped to have a collective action and use it as a basis to try to negotiate with the government and ultimately see that the 2024 budget works for the people.
Several speakers and resource persons, including Arch Bassey Ndem, Richard Duke, Ken Asim Ita, AIG Enene Okon (Rtd), and Obonganwan Barbara James among others, made presentations during the engagement.
About the Author
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
