The Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, has challenged opposition politicians in the state to focus their criticisms of Governor Bassey Otu on his administration’s policies, programmes and performance rather than his whereabouts NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
Cobham made the call on Tuesday during an interactive session with journalists at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre, Calabar, where he responded to recent criticisms of the governor’s administration by opposition politicians.
The commissioner was reacting to a claim by the factional Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Sir Arthur Javis Archibong, that Governor Otu had spent most of each month outside Cross River State since assuming office.
Cobham dismissed the argument, saying opposition politicians should raise concrete issues about the administration’s performance and present alternative policies for public scrutiny.
He said, “I would wish that we strive to the strata where this persons would be able to engage Senator Bassey Otu on policies, on programs, and let us have a conference, let us have a debate.”
According to him, political opponents should identify specific areas where they believed the administration had failed and explain what they would do differently if given the opportunity to govern the state.
“Let them try and raise the bar. Educate themselves to the strata we are operating under,” he said.
The commissioner argued that discussions about the governor’s physical presence in the state did not adequately address the broader responsibilities of governance, particularly in a federal system where state governments must continually engage the Federal Government to secure development opportunities.
He said the opposition should instead interrogate the administration’s achievements and policies, noting that Cross River was working towards strengthening its position as an oil-producing state.
“We have gotten ourselves enlisted amongst oil-producing states. That’s where we are going,” Cobham said.
The commissioner said opposition politicians should “reel out what you think the government has not been able to achieve” and come up with alternative proposals capable of moving the state forward.
He maintained that the administration’s record should be subjected to substantive public debate rather than what he described as arguments centred on the governor’s whereabouts.
Cobham, who assumed office as Information Commissioner recently, also reiterated his commitment to constructive engagement with the media.
He said the Ministry of Information would work towards ensuring that government policies and programmes were properly communicated while journalists were given greater access to information needed to scrutinise the administration.
The commissioner said the ministry also planned to take journalists around government projects to enable them obtain first-hand information on their status and report on them based on verifiable facts.
He urged journalists to move beyond what he described as their “comfort zone” and embrace investigative journalism by independently verifying claims concerning government projects.
Cobham said such an approach would enable journalists to hold the government accountable while also ensuring that public discourse was based on facts.
He added that the ministry would continue to engage the media as part of efforts to reduce misinformation and improve public understanding of government policies and programmes.
