High Chief Higgins Peters, a prominent Cross River stakeholder, awarded Governor Bassey Edet Otu an 80 % performance rating on Sunday, 8 November, at the Governor’s Ball held at Government House in Calabar. Peters said the rating reflected the governor’s achievements in infrastructure renewal, investment attraction and economic repositioning, which he described as “compelling evidence of purposeful leadership.”
Speaking in front of a gathering of business leaders and influential personalities, Peters stressed that the score was based on tangible accomplishments rather than political sentiment or personal relationships. He added, “I am not scoring him because he is my friend. I am scoring him based on his performance. And you should know that if a governor was not doing well, I would say so.”
“The state doesn’t spend a penny on that ball. It was a confluence of opinion across the country because the people who came were business leaders, captains of industries. These were global business leaders who had identified this man by his performance and the direction he is taking the state,” Peters said.
Peters highlighted the importance of leadership for attracting investment, noting that Cross River’s hosting of the ASDEX conference was a direct result of the governor’s credible leadership. He explained that the selection process for the conference involved an audit of performance, character, integrity and investment confidence, and that “hosting ASDEX anywhere is competitive.” He urged residents and businesses to seize the opportunity, calling the event “a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity.”
In closing, Peters cited a major road project in the Northern Senatorial District that had been neglected for 30‑40 years as evidence of the governor’s focus on physical infrastructure. He added that his long‑standing relationships with former governors—Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke, Ben Ayade and the incumbent—had never compromised his objectivity, and that the visible improvements across the state “prove the man is doing well.”
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
