CALABAR—Stakeholders in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State have said the process of restoring the state’s littoral status as an oil-producing state has reached an advanced stage.
The stakeholders said the restoration, being pursued by the state government with the backing of the Federal Government, would have significant economic implications for Bakassi and Cross River State if concluded.
The pro-tem leader of the Bakassi Elders’ Forum and former Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Patrick Antigha Ene, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Bakassi.
Ene said the administration of Governor Bassey Otu, supported by President Bola Tinubu, had made progress on issues that had remained of concern to the people of the area.
He said, “Under Governor Otu’s leadership, with the backing of the President, the process to restore Cross River State’s littoral status as an oil-producing state has reached an advanced stage.”
The former deputy speaker said the restoration of the state’s status would bring economic benefits to Bakassi and the state, particularly by improving access to resources accruing to oil-producing areas.
He also identified the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport as another major development being pursued by the Federal Government, saying President Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to the project.
According to him, the seaport is currently awaiting a formal flag-off date, while the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would provide an important transportation corridor for the evacuation of goods from the facility when completed.
Ene said the combination of the restoration of the state’s littoral status, the deep seaport and the coastal highway could significantly alter the economic prospects of Bakassi and the wider Cross River region.
“There are many silent achievements that the people of Bakassi can credit to the federal and state governments,” he said.
The stakeholders also expressed support for the continuation of the Tinubu and Otu administrations, linking their position to what they described as developments affecting the people of Bakassi.
The meeting, which brought together political office holders, elected representatives and other stakeholders from the area, was held at the APC chapter secretariat before the delegation proceeded to the Bakassi Local Government Council Secretariat.
The stakeholders met with the council chairman, Hon. Effiong Etim Okon, council appointees and workers as part of efforts to consolidate their political position ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The council chairman and other participants also highlighted improvements in security in the area, with Effiong Eyen Okon saying the situation had improved to the extent that investors and residents were no longer fleeing the area because of insecurity.
He said council operations were no longer being disrupted by criminal elements as was previously the case.
Okon also pledged to lead stakeholders on a tour of project sites where state and local government interventions were being implemented.
The meeting ended with the participants pledging to mobilise support for the APC and its candidates in the 2027 elections.
They said the restoration of Bakassi’s fortunes, improved security and ongoing infrastructure projects would remain central to their mobilisation efforts.
