C’River is lucky to have someone like Gershom Bassey, social commentator argues. See reasons

Efio-Ita Nyok|21 February 2017

A high profile social commentator while comparing a handful of legislators at the upper chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly yesterday has given the Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District a pass mark NegroidHaven can report.

Simon Utsu an Obudu-born Cross Riverian confessed that Sen. Bassey performed creditably well while fielding questions from NTA journalists over the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). According to him, Bassey was articulate and informed.

His words, ‘I just watched a clip of Senator Gershom Bassey representing Cross river south fielding some questions from an NTA journalist. The questions centred on the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB). I was quite impressed with how articulate and informed Gershom Bassey was on that subject. This is the first time I’m watching him speak on any topic at length. People take such stuff for granted but I’m giving him the thumbs up because not many of his colleagues can express themselves the way he did on such a pressing topic.

‘The people of Cross River south are lucky to have someone like Gershom Bassey representing them in the upper chambers likewise Cross River central.

The social commentator who was shy of Dr. Mrs Rose Oko, the Senator representing Cross River north, his own senatorial district noted that the Senator representing the largest population sized constituency at the Senate was incoherent when interviewed recently on Channels Tv. He advised his own representative Oko to take a bow out seeing that she is hardly heard or seen at the red chamber. According to him, ‘Last year, I remember watching Senator Solomon ‘Yayi’ Adeola, who represents Lagos west senatorial district which happens to be the largest sen. District in Nigeria by population, speak on 13% derivation and resource control. He was being interviewed on channels TV and ended up spending the better part of 30 minutes perambulating with words and sounding very unintelligible and incoherent.

‘Can’t say same of my senatorial district, Cross river north. Our senator, Rose Oko is hardly seen or heard‎. She has been the subject of several rumours in the last couple of years. US Senator, Ted Kennedy was down with cancer for years but was politically active up till the point of his death.

‘Not every one can muster such energy I understand, so isn’t it better to step down and attend to your health if it gets to that point, that is, if we’re to go by the rumours of ill health we keep hearing about Senator Rose Oko? Instead of shortchanging your people in the short run and even yourself in the long run?’, Utsu concluded.

Are you comfortable with Utsu’s assessment of Sen. Bassey? Is Bassey worthy of that pass mark?

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org