Whilst on
Saturday I was glued to my television set watching the Transformation
Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) South-South rally in Port-Harcourt with high
expectations of seeing Cross River State put up a formidable showing in
solidarity, I was disappointed yet again at what is gradually becoming the
trade mark of Cross River State and her citizens' inability to mobilize
massively towards a common goal.
I saw it
happen before and during the ceding of Bakassi and the eventual loss of the 76
Oil wells rightly belonging to Cross River State to Akwa-Ibom State. I fear
that this trend will continue because our oppressors will keep oppressing us
for as long as they know that we’ll not bite when they do.
As the
Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a political group mobilising
Nigerians for the second term bid of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan election
in 2015, held its South-South rally in Port-Harcourt, one would’ve expected a
huge turn-out of delegates from Cross River State, watch them mount the podium
as a show of total support and solidarity, and as an opportunity to prove to Mr
President that our state sees him as ‘our’ own and therefore have him commit
himself to our developmental goals post 2015, because no matter how we
look at this, one cannot take away sycophancy and public display of
loyalty from such political activities. However, that was not so with CRS
showing at the rally held on Saturday, 30th August 2014.
This was
clearly seen when Cross River States delegates mounted the rostrum. It was Mr.
Ray Murphy, a private sector person who though has political aspirations and
plenty of valuable contacts, Hon John Odey, former Environment Minister, and Mr
Edem Duke, Minister Of Tourism who represented the entire Cross River State
while Edem Duke laboriously and unimpressively tried to deliver a solidarity
message from Cross River State in support of Mr President. Mr Edem is a smooth
sweet talker, an orator per excellence, but lost his oratory prowess as a
result of weak support-base.
And you
ask ‘why there’s less Federal Government presence in Cross River State?’
I have
heard people pin the blame as to why our Federal Roads are in deplorable
conditions on our Federal Legislators. Well, they’ve a right to do so, but
there is little our Federal lawmakers will do if they don’t get the needed push
and support back home. Mr President will listen more to the governor who’s like
his direct lieutenant and general overseer of the state than he’ll do to a mere
Federal lawmaker, except he or she has sufficient clout or is a ‘ranking
legislator’. Otherwise forget it, given the way our federal system is
constituted.
Again, I
observed the number of timber and calibre of Edolites, Deltans, Bayelsans, and
Rivers State delegation who mounted the podium on behalf of their states. One
could see clearly also how we’ve been short-changed as all the delegates
sometimes numbering over thirty were top Public Servants serving their states
at the Federal level. My question then is... How many Cross Riverians are
currently serving in the Jonathan administration? What’s the percentage of our
people (Cross Riverians) compared to other states currently serving in the
Jonathan South-South Presidency?
Is
Jonathan really ‘our’ President? - Kennedy Nsan
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