The Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Cross River State, Linus Obogo, has responded sharply to recent comments by APC chieftain, Hilliard Eta, describing them as an attempt to project personal grievances as public policy analysis.
Obogo’s response followed remarks attributed to Eta at a forum organised by the Abuja chapter of the Association of Cross River State Journalists, where the former party official reportedly criticised the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu and questioned the state’s relevance in national affairs.
In a statement made available to journalists, Obogo said governance should be assessed by measurable outcomes rather than “theatrics of dissatisfaction,” insisting that personal disappointment must not be confused with objective evaluation of state performance.
READ ALSO: Community protests killing of 100 indigenes by gunmen
“Governance is not a theatre of grievance, nor is it a platform for recycling personal frustrations as evidence of public failure,” Obogo said. “Public discourse demands facts, data, and comparative analysis, not conjecture driven by unmet expectations.”
He faulted Eta’s description of Cross River as weak, citing recent economic and institutional milestones achieved by the state. According to Obogo, the state has secured a $3.5 billion Afreximbank backed financing arrangement for the Bakassi Deep Seaport, attracted African Development Bank support for a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, and successfully negotiated the handover of the Tinapa Business Resort from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
“These are not symbolic gestures,” Obogo noted. “They are the result of sustained engagement, credibility, and responsible governance. No serious institution commits such assets to a government it considers incapable or reckless.”
On youth development, Obogo highlighted ongoing programmes including the training of hundreds of youths in software development at Tinapa, the sponsorship of two cohorts of 200 Cross River youths for agricultural value chain training in Nasarawa State, and the provision of startup support upon completion. He also referenced the deployment of agricultural machinery to farming communities, empowerment schemes for market women, and continuing road rehabilitation projects across the state.
Addressing comments on Internally Generated Revenue, Obogo dismissed what he described as “data-free assertions,” arguing that any fair critique must compare revenue performance before and during the current administration. He added that increasing investor interest in the state reflected confidence that could not be dismissed by anecdotal claims.
Obogo further rejected claims that Cross River had been sidelined in federal appointments, pointing to existing national representations from the state as evidence to the contrary.
Political observers see the exchange as part of wider internal party debates but caution against reducing governance discourse to personal narratives. Obogo, however, maintained that the Otu administration would remain focused on delivery rather than distraction.
“The work of this administration is visible in skills, infrastructure, agriculture, and investment recovery,” he said. “Cross River is being repositioned through competence, not noise, and progress will not be derailed by grievance driven commentary.
