Efio-Ita Nyok|1 February 2016|5:00am
Pst. Usani Uguru Usani
The Honourable Minister
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs
Sir,
ON THE CHARACTER OF THE OPPOSITION IN CROSS RIVER STATE
It has become apposite that I employ this medium to write an open letter to you.
Albeit, before I continue with the main objective of this missive, permit me to commend your successful piloting of the affairs of the ship of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Cross River. I wish to personally acknowledge your honest commitment, selfless investments and persistent doggedness towards the materialisation of the 'change' narrative especially taking cognizance of the varied challenges that has bedeviled your stay as the chair of the Party in the State. I must observe that even when we, as critics, raise objections, we do so not being unknowledgeable of the demands that leadership imposes on us.
Again, I must congratulate you on your presidential nomination as 'Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria', and your successfully scaling through the hurdles of the screening by Nigeria's Red Chamber and final successful swearing-in few months ago, a rare feat by which I am free to address you as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the democratic presidency of Mr. Muhammadu Buhari. Indeed, God has been faithful to you.
Three things has inspired the writing of this letter. Firstly, I wish to draw your attention to the fact that the Cross River electorate and body-politic is in dire need of a viable opposition. Regrettably, your party, the APC, has not been impressive in this regard. Secondly, I also wish that you use your good office to convey the aspirations of the Cross River electorate and polity especially as it borders on the policies/programmes of the APC at the federal level. Thirdly and most importantly, I wish to communicate a few things on the failing Naira.
*On the Opposition in Cross River State:
Democracy, that political culture that seeks to objectify the aspirations and interest of the people is characterised by what we commonly refer to as 'opposition'. By reason of the latter, an alternative ideology geared towards addressing a given societal challenge(s) is articulated. This is why, both you and every other student of politics will readily agree with the thesis that 'politics is all about alternatives'. When Nigerians casted our votes in favour of the All Progressives Congress-APC during the March 28, and April 11, 2015 general elections, we practically gave a thumbs-up to an alternative, different from the then ruling now opposing Peoples Democratic Party-PDP, in confronting our problems.
Candidly, in our dear state, Cross River, we seem to be at a lost as to what the nationally governing All Progressive Congress-APC represent as an Opposition at the level of state politics. What is the alternative ideology as championed by your party in addressing headlong, the variegated socioeconomic, sociopolitical and sociocultural challenges that has characterised us as a people?
Or, are you asking us to be comfortable with the way and manner the governor of CRS is going about public administration? Is the PDP-led government in the state, synonymous, policy- and ideology-wise, to what the APC represent? Could that be the reason why you are not challenging the policies and political ideology of the Ben Ayade PDP government? If not, what is wrong?
Who is the leader of the APC in the state? Beyond the fact that his name is Mr. John Ochalla, what political values, ideology, policy, etc does his party represent as an alternative to the glaringly policyless and ideologyless administration of the Ben Ayade PDP led government?
In very direct terms, to begin with, What is the stance of your party in respect of the Ben Ayade's Signature Projects comprising the 260km dual carriage superhighway and deep-sea project? Secondly, what is the stance of your party in respect of Ayade's Garment Factory? Thirdly, what is your party's position on the Green Police initiative of the present state Government?
Fourthly, concerning the interview that was conducted within the first one hundred days in office of Gov. Ben Ayade, as advertised by an aide to the Governor, Declan Genesis-Ogar, for employment into the Garment Factory and Green Police, how have you tasked the present state government to realise it? Fifthly, what's your take concerning the over bloated Executive of the CRSG? Must the governor, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade, appoint 700 Cross Riverians into government before we all(including your party) realise how defective this policy is? Is that the employment he talked about? Is this trend in synch with your APC? Sixthly, How did you or your party react to the failure of the state government to commission the Monorail from Tinapa to Calabar on the 20th of December 2015? Are you comfortable with the way the Carnival Calabar 2015 was prosecuted? Critics have said that it was shabby in its outlook? What is your take?
Seventhly, Are you comfortable with the too many travels of the state governor both to Asia, Europe, the US, etc with nothing tangible to show except the numerous MoUs reportedly and unilaterally signed? Eighthly, how have you reacted to the allegations raised by critics especially Ifere Paul that Broad Spectrum Limited, the purported Israeli company contracted by the present CRSG to raise funds for the so-called signature projects is a limited liability company based in Nigeria, in fact Rivers State? When Barr. Joseph Odok, a card-carrying member of the APC in CRS was petitioned by the Distinguished Senator representing his Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, how supportive was either you or your party(APC CRS)? Again, how supportive have the APC in CRS been to the duo of Ifere Paul, the renowned whistle blower whose fear is the beginning of wisdom for Ben Ayade and the entire CRS PDP government and Barr. Joseph Odok the renowned social media change agent whose quibbles have put to task the authenticity in the now infamously vague phrase, 'politics with ethics', attributed to Gov. Ben Ayade?
Tenthly, why did all the candidates who vied for various elective positions on the platform of the APC in CRS failed at the post election litigations in CRS? And why are they mute against their counterparts occupying the elective positions they all vied for? Eleventhly, when the Cross River State House of Assembly(CRSHA), via its Speaker, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo, pledged its utmost loyalty to the Executive Council, thereby jettisoning the Montesquian principle of separation of powers, what public statements did either you or your party make in censoring such a degree of unpardonable compromise?
I can keep on spewing out a plethora of questions; however, I will rest my case here to allow you respond accordingly. It should be emphasised that I am addressing this open letter to your office because I need a public statement. Besides, by reason of your present appointment, you are the most senior politician in CRS-APC. In essence, I wish for your office and person to rationalise the perceived degree of passiveness of your party, the APC CRS, in CRS body-politic?
The other two features that inspired this letter, namely, the failing Naira and the communications of Cross River aspirations to the presidency, as I mentioned in the fourth paragraph of this write-up will constitute the bulk of subsequent communications of this nature. Do receive the assurances of my best wishes as I anticipate your prompt and kind response.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Editor
Negroid Haven
