…We won’t beg for crumb, We’ll ask for our rights legitimately 

By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR 

The Cross River South Consultative Forum (CRSCF) have bemoaned the continuous  marginalization  of Cross River State in federal appointments, berating the Senate President and Senators from the state over their indifference in matters concerning the state.

The forum made its position  known in a statement signed by its  Chairman , Hon Eyo Nsa Esq and Secretary , Sir Maurice Effiwatt and 13 others and made available  to newsmen on Sunday in Calabar.

The forum posited that the inaction of the Senators from the state was detrimental  to the wellbeing of CrossRiverians as they were being shortchanged in the scheme of things as it concerns federal appointments.

They cited recents appointments  into Cross River Basin Authority and National  Assembly Service Commision, lamenting that Cross River state was not duly recognized and practically given the back seat in all the appointments made.

The statement partly reads, “Today with a heavy heart and a resolute voice to address the glaring injustice and marginalization that has befallen our beloved Cross River state in recent federal appointments.

” Like a tree whose roots are starved of water, our state has been left to wither while others flourish under the shadow of favoritism and political bias.  

“We stand here not to beg for crumbs from the table of power but to demand our rightful share, for Cross River state is not a beggar but a proud contributor to the Nigerian project.  

“The recent appointments to the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Cross River Basin Development Authority (CRBDA) have laid bare the stark reality of our marginalization. 

“While Akwa Ibom state enjoys the lion’s share of these appointments, Cross River State is left with mere scraps.  

“In the NASC, Dr. Savior Enyiekere from Akwa Ibom was named Chairman, and Hon. Mary Ekpenyong, also from Akwa Ibom, was appointed as one of the two commissioners representing the South-South zone. This is not just an oversight; it is a deliberate act of exclusion that reeks of bias.  

“How can one State produce both the Chairman and a Commissioner in a zone that is meant to be shared equitably amongst six supposed State-beneficiaries ?  This is not just an insult to Cross River but a slap on the face of fairness and justice.”

They further stated that the  composition of the CRBDA board is even more disheartening. 

Adding that, “Out of 10 members, only two—Chairman and Executive Director of Finance—are from Cross River. Key positions such as Managing Director, Executive Director of Agricultural Services, Executive Director of Engineering, and Executive Director of Planning and Design were all handed to Akwa Ibom indigenes” 

The forum lamented that it was dismayed by the deafening silence and inaction of Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr (Cross River South) and Senator Eteng Jones Williams (Cross River Central.

Adding that the senators from the state have failed to leverage on their goodwill with the Senate President to address this dangerous trend of injustice against our Cross River State.  

They called on the Senate President not to relegate Cross River to the background while calling for equitable representation in all federal appointments.

“Cross River state is not a footnote in the story of the South-South; we are a chapter that deserves to be written in bold letters. We demand equitable representation in all federal appointments, and we will not rest until justice is served.

They called  on the Senate President to rectify the imbalance and ensure that Cross River state is given its fair share of federal appointments and urged the APC  senators to rise above political complacency and fight for the interests of the people they represent.