7th September, 2012
Governor of Cross River State, southsouth Nigeria, Senator Liyel Imoke has re-assured the people of the northern senatorial district of the state that his successor would come from the area in 2015.
Imoke, who made this promise in Calabar during an interactive session with newsmen recently, said it is clear where the next governor would come from since the southern and central senatorial districts have had their shots at the number one position in the state, adding that it is only fair the northern district of the state should also take its turn in 2015.
“Many times people tell me ‘oga dem no dey talk so openly’ but I tell them there is no doubt as to where the next governor would come from. There are three senatorial districts in the state and two, the south and the central, have had their slot, it is fair that the north which is the third should be given a chance. Will it be fair if the north is not given the same opportunity?” asked Imoke, who spoke on several issues including environment, state police, security and infrastructure development in the state during the press conference.
The governor dispelled the rumour making the rounds in the state that he, Mr. Donald Duke and Mr Gershom Bassey, have an agreement to rotate governorship post in the state among themselves, saying there was no such plan and that their presence in government was to show that things could be done differently.
Imoke also asserted that for effective and accountable security, state police was a necessity.
“The patrol vehicles used by the police are provided by us and even the quick intervention vans have tracking device. We often know where these vehicles are but when a crime occurs and the security agents are called to intervene, they don’t move until the criminals have gone and I cannot query them because they are not under me. But if there is state police and I appoint a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, from Calabar South where there are lots of crimes and the problem still persists. I can call the DPO and say look, you may be sacked if you don’t do something but now I cannot do anything about it,” he said.
On the problem of flooding in the state, Imoke said human activity is the principal cause of the problem and until the people of the state learn to do things differently, the flooding would continue.
“It is our failure to manage the environment that is the cause of the recurrent flooding in the state. People cut down trees without considering the effect it would have on the environment. Until we learn to do things differently, the situation would only get worse,” he added.
By Emma Una/Calabar