By Kelvin Obambon
The initiator of Think Cross River, Mr Edem Darlington, has said that the initiative seeks to reignite the spirit of patriotism among Cross Riverians, while also galvanizing support for the government in its effort to deliver good governance to the people.
Darlington stated this at an interactive session with journalists in Calabar on Wednesday.
He maintained that Think Cross initiative is a major advocacy tool for the government to promote the rich tourism potential, and as well as highlights various business and investment opportunities available in the state.
Beyond this, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor affirmed that at the core of the Think Cross River initiative embedded the message of patriotism, love for one another, prosperity, collective responsibility and social justice for all.
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According to him, “If you are patriotic, you won’t take up arms against your neighbour. If you are Thinking Cross River there is no way you will see something going wrong around your neighbourhood and you won’t call the security agents. If you are Thinking Cross River, there is no way you will see someone trying to enter your neighbour’s house and you won’t call the police. We are just trying to promote peace, promote unity, promote peaceful coexistence.”
“It is no news that Cross as a state has a very friendly people. We are naturally very hospitable; and so that is the very first attraction for any serious business or investor. And then too, for a long while we have remained the most peaceful state in the country; and so naturally, Cross River is the darling of every investor who actually wants to put his money and make real gains from it. So this tool is to promote everything about Cross River, and also, very importantly, to call on all Cross Riverians to join hands with the governor, our dearest sweet prince, Senator Prince Bassey Otu and promote what he is doing, support the current administration and also promote everything that has to do with Cross River State.
“It is a tool to unite Cross Riverians, so whether you are from Cross River or you are living in the state, it doesn’t really matter, but the fact that you are doing business or living here means that you are a Cross Riverian and our governor will always say that. Think Cross River is a tool to unite us as a people and ensure that we are all part of what the government is doing by way of protecting government facilities around your locality, ensuring that you reach out to security agents whenever you see anything going wrong in your area and ensuring also that we keep our environment clean because everything cannot be about government.
“We as a people, we are also part of what government is doing. We are also part of government. So the actual responsibility must begin with us. It must begin with us. Think Cross River is a tool to galvanize all forms of support for the current administration and even beyond this current administration.
“However, we also have a way, we are planning on reaching out to some persons by way of promoting what we are trying to do.
“For example, if a neighbour is there and doesn’t have a job, you can actually reach out and say, okay, what business can we do? We have plans like that and we take from all of this, you know, from our little contributions amongst us. For me, if we remain at peace, if we love ourselves, if we support what the government is doing, then it is good enough. That for me is very important than any other thing,” he emphasized.
Darlington also used the opportunity to commend governor Bassey Otu for his giant strides in infrastructural development, payment of gratuity to pensioners and ensuring relative peace and security in the state.