Open letter to His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, Governor of Cross River State
A Sincere Appeal for the Completion of the 5KM North Ukelle Road and a More Meaningful Engagement with the People of Ukelle.
Your Excellency,I write with profound respect and a deep sense of responsibility as a concerned citizen of Ukelle to sincerely appreciate you for your administration’s intervention in the long-standing road infrastructure challenges confronting our people, particularly the award and commencement of the 5-kilometre North Ukelle Road project.
Your Excellency, the people of Ukelle have not forgotten your visit to our communities in July 2023, only a few months after your emergence as Governor of Cross River State.
That visit created considerable hope among our people that government was finally paying attention to the developmental challenges of Ukelle.
The subsequent award and flag-off of the 5-kilometre road project in 2024 therefore represented an important step towards fulfilling that expectation. Public reports confirm that the project was flagged off on July 5, 2024, as part of your administration’s intervention in Ukelle’s road infrastructure.
It is against this background that I respectfully appeal to Your Excellency to give renewed attention to the project and ensure its completion.
THE VOICE BEHIND THE “SHAME ON TO YOU” SONG
Your Excellency, I respectfully wish to draw your attention to the “Shame on to You” song recently released by some Ukelle youths.
I sincerely believe that the song should not be interpreted principally as an act of disrespect towards Your Excellency or the Government of Cross River State. Rather, it should be understood as an expression of frustration by young people who feel that their community’s concerns have not received sufficient attention.
The unfinished North Ukelle Road has become one of the strongest symbols of that frustration.
Young people who have grown up experiencing the consequences of poor road infrastructure naturally have questions when a project that generated enormous hope remains incomplete.
Their questions may sometimes be expressed in unconventional or uncomfortable ways, but that should not automatically invalidate the legitimate concerns behind them.
I therefore respectfully appeal to Your Excellency to look beyond the language of the song and listen to the frustration that produced it.
UKELLE IS NOT HOSTILE TO GOVERNMENT
Your Excellency, it is equally important to state categorically that the people of Ukelle have never been inherently hostile to government, nor are they hostile to your administration.
The people of Ukelle remain law-abiding, hardworking, peaceful and respectful of constituted authority. They have consistently demonstrated their willingness to cooperate with government whenever government reaches out to them.
Ukelle people are honest, industrious and resilient. What they seek is not confrontation with government, but an enabling environment in which they can pursue their livelihoods, educate their children, move their agricultural produce and participate meaningfully in the economy of Cross River State.
What they need are basic amenities, functional infrastructure and responsive representation.
THE NEED FOR DIRECT AND HONEST ENGAGEMENT
Your Excellency, the Town Hall Meeting held at Wanokom on 14 September 2026 was expected to provide an opportunity for meaningful interaction between government representatives, political leaders and the people of Ukelle.
The expectation was that difficult questions concerning infrastructure, representation, constituency-related matters and other developmental concerns would be openly discussed, while government would also have the opportunity to explain its policies, processes and constraints to the people.
Unfortunately, there is a growing perception among some members of the community that the meeting did not sufficiently achieve this purpose.
There are also concerns regarding subsequent reports of the meeting, including the report aired by the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC). Some participants and observers believe that the report did not adequately capture the range of questions, concerns and positions expressed at the meeting.
I respectfully urge Your Excellency not to rely solely on mediated reports from political actors or government representatives.
Where there are conflicting accounts, the best solution is direct engagement with the people and, where necessary, access to the actual proceedings or records of the meeting.
THE DANGER OF SPEAKING FOR THE YOUTHS WITHOUT LISTENING TO THEM
Your Excellency, I also respectfully appeal that the voices of the Ukelle youths should not be substituted by the voices of political intermediaries.
The youths who asked difficult questions are also citizens of Cross River State. They have the right to ask questions about projects in their communities, public resources, representation and government programmes.
Their questions should not be interpreted as rebellion.
Constructive criticism is an important component of democratic governance. Indeed, your administration has publicly emphasised citizen participation and grassroots engagement as important elements of governance.
Therefore, allowing citizens to ask difficult but genuine questions should strengthen, rather than weaken, the relationship between government and the people.
A SPECIAL APPEAL ON THE NORTH UKELLE ROAD
Your Excellency, the North Ukelle Road is more than a road to the people of Ukelle.
It is a route to economic opportunity.
It is a route to education.
It is a route to healthcare.
It is a route to agricultural markets.
It is a route to stronger integration between communities.
And, importantly, it is a visible test of whether government promises can be translated into completed projects.
We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to personally review the present status of the project, establish what has delayed its completion, ascertain the remaining scope of work and provide the people with a clear timeline for completion.
Where technical, financial or administrative challenges exist, we respectfully ask that the people be informed.
Where there have been changes to the original design or scope, the reasons should equally be explained.
Transparency will reduce suspicion and restore confidence.
A CALL FOR UNITY AND RESPONSIBLE REPRESENTATION
Your Excellency, Ukelle does not need a confrontation with government.Ukelle needs partnership with government.
The people need political leaders and representatives who will place development above partisan interests and communicate the genuine concerns of their constituents without distortion.
They also need government to distinguish between legitimate citizens’ concerns and partisan political activity.
I therefore appeal to Your Excellency to create a direct channel of engagement with the people of Ukelle—particularly the youths, women, traditional institutions, community leaders and other critical stakeholders—so that their concerns can be heard without unnecessary political filtering.
OUR APPRECIATION AND EXPECTATION
Your Excellency, despite the frustrations expressed by some members of our community, the people of Ukelle remain grateful for your visit in 2023 and for the attention your administration subsequently gave to the North Ukelle Road.
We acknowledge the fact that the project was awarded and commenced. We are simply asking that the journey should not end halfway.
The people want to see the road completed.They want to see government presence translated into tangible development.
They want to believe that their questions can be asked without being interpreted as hostility.And they want to know that their government listens.
Your Excellency, history will not only remember governments for the projects they awarded; it will also remember the projects they completed and the communities whose confidence they restored.
We therefore respectfully appeal to Your Excellency, as the Chief Executive of Cross River State, to personally take another look at the situation in Ukelle, particularly the unfinished 5-kilometre North Ukelle Road, and provide the necessary intervention for its completion.
The people of Ukelle are not asking for special treatment.They are asking for attention,accountability, basic infrastructure and effective representation.
We remain peaceful, law-abiding and committed to the development of Cross River State.
May Your Excellency continue to receive the wisdom and courage required to serve the people of Cross River State.
Yours faithfully,
Comr. James Eddelukpata
Political Literacy Advocate for Grassroots Development
Concerned Citizen of Ukelle, Yala II State Constituency.