4 November 2020
JOINT OPEN LETTER BY THE EFIK LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION (ELF) NGO &
EFIK EBURUTU CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY (EECA) TO GOVERNOR AYADE
Re; Obong of Calabar cements a positive legacy for the Ayade administration…if
The Efik Leadership Foundation (ELF) and Efik Eburutu Consultative Assembly (EECA) stands solidly behind His Eminence, the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V in his call for better governance in Cross River State.
We respectfully ask Governor Ben Ayade to please listen, appreciate and act on the candid reflections of the Obong, who is after all the highest traditional stool in the State, at par nationally with the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife and the Oba of Benin.
On the occasion of a recent visit by HE, Governor Liyel Imoke, following the harrowing spate of violence that overtook the #EndSARS protests in Calabar, His Eminence, the Obong of Calabar Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, channelling the anger and frustrations that led to the civil unrest in the city two weeks ago was reported to have called for the Ayade administration to be replaced by an interim government.
In its true essence, what the Obong called for was better governance in the State. He said:
“I have been watching and I am so unhappy that the peace and calm we used to have here is taken away. Why? Because we have failed. Who has failed? The politicians have failed. There is a need to change.
“And if I had my way, I would have said this governor should wait. Let’s set up an interim administration, so that he can start learning and looking at how administration is actually done. We don’t allow people to come in and do anything the way they like. No, there is a principle; there is a policy that should be adhered to.”
He made the call in his capacity as the Obong of Calabar and not on behalf of any other institution he may associate with.
In listening to the Obong, Governor Ayade should recall that many citizens and groups in the State and nationally have called for better governance at all levels not least following the recent #EndSARS protest which overflowed into civil unrest in Calabar. Many leaders have accepted the calls for better governance and apologized to youth and citizens, pledging to henceforth imbibe a new spirit of accountability, transparency and good governance. The televised Judicial Enquiry on SARS is an important example of this new paradigm.
We call on Governor Ayade, to join other Governors in imbibing this new paradigm. At the root of violence wrought by our youths, misguided as they were, is the despair that comes from the severe lack of edifying jobs that channel their abundant talents and energy and the anger that comes from years of repeatedly broken promises by leaders who only remember them during election campaigns. We urge His Excellency, Governor Ayade, to hearken to the voice of the Obong, channelling the depths of concern of the people of Calabar and indeed Cross River State, and trigger a pivot to good governance over the next three years that will cement a positive legacy for his administration.
All that the people of Cross River State want is government that enables the environment in which they can work productively and live useful lives. The next three years of the Ayade administration could herald a new slogan Pivotal! Pivotal!! Pivotal!! if only Governor Ayade listens, appreciates the true meaning of the admonition from the Obong of Calabar and pivots to better governance.
The Efik Eburutu Consultative Assembly and Efik Leadership Foundation and all well-meaning institutions will support such a pivot and work with the administration to achieve a better governed Cross River State.
We thank the Obong of Calabar for recognising this important moment in our history and lending his unique and powerful voice to the pleas of his people.
Governor Ayade, we plead with Your Excellency to pivot and lead us in rebuilding Calabar and Cross River State.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Duke and Barrister Timothy Esu
On behalf of the
Efik Leadership Foundation (ELF) NGO
Obonganwan Barbara James
On behalf of the
Efik Eburutu Consultative Assembly (EECA)
4th November 2020.
