In 2005, the Cross River State government, under the leadership of Mr. Donald Duke, established the Obudu International Mountain Race, which requires runners to cover a distance of 11.25 kilometers from a point of the Obudu Mountain Resort (formerly Obudu Cattle Ranch) through 800 meters incline to the top of the plateau.

With the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in place and the Calabar Carnival thriving, the government of the day thought correctly that the Obudu Mountain Resort would augment these tourism facilities and, in deed, expand the options for the visitor. And, with the benefit of hindsight, this thinking has paid off as the Obudu International Mountain Race is currently dubbed ‘the world’s richest mountain race’,

But, that is not the mountain that awaits the next man or woman aspiring to continue the quiet but impactful strides of incumbent Governor Liyel Imoke in Government House, Calabar, come May 29, 2015. That man or woman must be an expert in public debt management because Cross River State is the third most-indebted state in the country (behind Lagos and Bayelsa) due to all the bonds and loans that have gone into setting up the structures that attract the world to Calabar and other parts of the state.

And, indications are that that man or woman will come from any of the five local government areas that constitute Cross River North (aka Ogoja) Senatorial District, namely: Ogoja, Bekwarra, Yala, Obanliku, and Obudu courtesy of the statements and body language that seem to suggest that the incumbent occupant of Government House in Calabar, Senator Liyel Imoke, has promised to honour a rotational or zoning system which seeks to ensure all three senatorial districts of the state produce its chief executive in turns.

Since the splitting of Akwa Ibom State from Cross River State in 1987, Dr. Clement Ebri of the National Republican Party (from Central Senatorial District); Mr. Donald Duke of the Peoples Democratic Party (from Southern Senatorial District) and incumbent Senator Liyel Imoke also of the Peoples Democratic Party (from Central Senatorial District) have won mandates to oversee the affairs of the state. No one has come from ‘up north’ yet and the belief is strong that 2015 is when that would happen.

But, as statistics from the Debt Management Office (DMO) on the Domestic Debt Data Reconstruction of the public debt liabilities profile of the 36 states and FCT indicates, Cross River State has a total public debt of N113.598 billion consisting of a local debt component of N96.544 billion and foreign debt of N17.053 billion thereby making it the third most indebted state behind Lagos State (N238.262 billion) and Bayelsa State (N167.173) as at June 2012.

So, the 2015 governor, like incumbent Liyel Imoke, must brace himself or herself to run a state that relies on income from sources other than either oil or any income from the Federation Account as very little gets to the Cross River State treasury after deductions at source.

In setting up the tourism Eldorados like Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort and upgrading the old Obudu Cattle Ranch into the modern and high-tech Obudu Mountain Resort complete with its international race competition and cable cars, the government needed massive funds, and these funds had to be borrowed. Payback time started way back and will continue well into the future. And, this fact must be clearly understood by Cross Riverians in general and would-be governorship aspirants in particular.

That is the mountain that has to be climbed as politicians and technocrats jostle for Government House in Calabar. Word is strong about it being the turn of Cross River North Senatorial to produce that man or woman to steer the Cross River ship of state after Imoke completes his tenure in 2015 not only because the incumbent governor supports it but also because the Nigerian Constitution says supports it as well.

Section 14 Subsections (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, seem an ignored part of that all-important document but a cursory look shows that it is a sine qua none to peaceful coexistence in a country with over 250 ethnic groups where many of these groups, especially those in the minority, feel marginalised.

Section 14 Subsection 3 of the Constitution says that ‘the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies”.

More fundamentally, Subsection 4 says that “the composition of the government of a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the federation.”

The above sections form part of the Constitution’s Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy the aim of which is to foster unity among competing groups and give a sense of belonging to minorities who would ordinarily not govern if the proverbial majority continuously have things their way.

In line wine with this thinking, a statement recently made its way to newswires where it was reported that politicians and leaders of the Cross River Northern Senatorial District are putting their house in order for the purpose of receiving the mantle of governance when Senator Imoke is done. The leaders, meeting at the instance of a former Deputy-Governor, Dr. Matthias Offorboche, reaffirmed their support for Governor Imoke’s inclination towards ensuring equity and social justice through the rotation of the governorship seat among the three senatorial districts of the state.

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Read this article in the Leadership Newspapers