Amidst the prolonged fuel scarcity in Nigeria, the Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Edet Otu, has given a directive to all petrol stations in the state to commence full operations and sell fuel at the approved pump price.
Speaking to journalists in Calabar yesterday, Otu expressed concern for the plight of citizens of the state and appealed to oil marketers to offer respite to the people by selling fuel at the regulated price.
Furthermore, Governor Otu announced the immediate freezing of all government accounts operated by the state government.
He said, “I have asked all accounts of the state to be frozen immediately and that all transactions be stopped forthwith.”
Explaining the reason behind this action, Otu stated that a needs assessment exercise is necessary to determine the budget requirements for various sectors, particularly employment creation and security.
The Governor also assured the citizens of the state that their security is a top priority, stating that his administration has put in place comprehensive measures to tackle the menace of crime.
“Today we had a meeting with all security chiefs and I reiterated that all criminals in the state should accept our amnesty programme within the window that it will be opened or they must leave the state”.
In addition, Governor Otu disclosed that a transition review committee has been set up to oversee the smooth handover to the new administration. The committee will be led by former executive secretary of National Planning Commission, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, with Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong and Prof. Owan Enoh as members.
