Cross River Central Deserves Better: A Call for Accountable Leadership and Genuine Representation

 Cross River Central Deserves Better: A Call for Accountable Leadership and Genuine Representation

By Pearl Nenka Obaji

Founder, Nenka TV

For far too long, the people of Cross River Central have remained trapped in a painful cycle of hope, disappointment, promises, and neglect. Election after election, our people have faithfully entrusted their mandates to leaders who pledged development, empowerment, and prosperity. Yet, years after these promises were made, many communities continue to battle poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, and a growing sense of abandonment. The gap between political promises and the realities of everyday life has become too wide to ignore.

This article is not written out of bitterness or political rivalry. It is written from a place of genuine concern for the future of our people and the generations that will inherit the consequences of today's leadership decisions. As citizens, we owe ourselves the responsibility of speaking truth to power when governance fails to deliver meaningful results. Silence in the face of neglect only deepens the suffering of the people.

Leadership, at its core, is about service. Political office is not intended to be a reward system for a privileged few or an avenue for personal enrichment. It is a sacred trust given by the people to individuals who are expected to improve the welfare of those they represent. The true measure of leadership is not the title one holds but the positive impact one leaves behind in the lives of ordinary citizens.

Unfortunately, many leaders across our constituency appear to have lost sight of this responsibility. For more than two decades, distinguished political figures from Cross River Central have occupied strategic positions at both the state and federal levels. They have served as senators, ministers, legislators, commissioners, and influential government officials. Yet the average citizen in Ikom, Etung, Boki, Yakurr, and Abi continues to ask a simple question: what tangible benefits have these years of representation brought to the people?

One of the most visible failures remains youth unemployment. Every year, hundreds of young men and women graduate from universities and colleges with hopes of building successful careers. Many possess the qualifications, competence, and dedication required to excel in both public and private institutions. Yet countless graduates remain unemployed, while others are forced to leave their communities in search of opportunities elsewhere.

This reality raises serious concerns about representation and access to opportunities. With the level of influence accumulated by some of our leaders over the years, one would expect that a significant number of young people from Cross River Central would have secured quality employment in federal ministries, agencies, and parastatals. Instead, many qualified youths continue to roam the streets carrying files from one office to another, searching for opportunities that never come.

Take, for instance, the expectations many people have had from Senator John Owan Enoh, who has represented the people in various capacities over the years and now serves as Minister of State for Industry. Many constituents believe that his years of political influence should have translated into broader opportunities for the youths of Cross River Central. They argue that strategic appointments, employment opportunities, and empowerment initiatives ought to have significantly impacted the lives of ordinary citizens within the constituency.

The frustration becomes even greater when programs supposedly designed to empower the people of Cross River Central are coordinated by individuals from outside the constituency. Such decisions leave many people confused and disappointed. If the objective is to uplift the people of a particular district, should those who understand the local realities not be given a prominent role in implementing such initiatives? These are questions many concerned citizens continue to ask.

The issue is not about regional rivalry or exclusion. It is about ensuring that opportunities meant for a particular constituency genuinely benefit the people they are intended to serve. Across Cross River Central, there are countless educated, competent, and loyal young men and women who have invested years supporting political leaders and promoting their visions. Yet many of these individuals remain overlooked whenever opportunities arise.

Stories of disappointment have become all too common. Young people travel to Abuja seeking assistance from leaders they helped elect, hoping for support, employment recommendations, or empowerment opportunities. Many return home with nothing but unfulfilled promises and frustration. Others spend years trying to secure meetings or responses to applications, only to discover that access is often reserved for a select few within political circles.

Meanwhile, poverty continues to tighten its grip on families across the constituency. Parents struggle to pay school fees, graduates remain dependent on aging relatives, and small business owners battle daily economic hardship. In many communities, basic opportunities that should help families improve their standard of living remain scarce. The result is a growing feeling that the people have been left behind while those in positions of authority enjoy the privileges of public office.

Infrastructure development tells a similarly troubling story. The condition of the Ikom–Etomi Road remains a source of concern for residents, motorists, and business owners. What should be a vital economic route has deteriorated over time, making transportation more difficult and costly. The poor state of the road affects commerce, agriculture, tourism, and the daily lives of thousands of citizens who depend on it.

The situation around Four Corners and several adjoining streets is equally troubling. Roads that should facilitate movement and economic activity have become riddled with potholes and increasingly difficult to navigate. During the rainy season, many sections become even more problematic, creating additional hardship for residents and business operators. Such conditions are difficult to reconcile with decades of political representation and government presence.

Roads are more than physical infrastructure; they are instruments of economic growth and social development. Good roads connect farmers to markets, students to schools, patients to healthcare facilities, and businesses to customers. When roads are neglected, communities become isolated and opportunities diminish. Development cannot thrive where basic infrastructure is consistently ignored.

What makes these challenges even more painful is the visible contrast between the living conditions of many citizens and the lifestyles of some political office holders. While ordinary people struggle with unemployment, poor roads, and economic hardship, many leaders appear disconnected from the realities facing their constituents. This growing disconnect has fueled frustration and weakened public confidence in the ability of elected officials to deliver meaningful change.

The people of Cross River Central deserve better. They deserve leaders who view public office as an opportunity to serve rather than a platform for personal advancement. They deserve representatives who deliberately create opportunities for young people, support local businesses, improve infrastructure, and ensure that government resources reach the communities for which they were intended. Representation should produce visible and measurable results.

However, citizens also have responsibilities within a democracy. For too long, many young people have embraced a politics of eye service, blind loyalty, and temporary rewards. They celebrate politicians during election periods, defend them passionately, and mobilize support without demanding accountability afterward. This culture has contributed significantly to the persistence of poor governance.

The youth must begin to ask tougher questions. What projects have been delivered? How many jobs have been facilitated? How many communities have benefited from meaningful development initiatives? How has the quality of life of ordinary citizens improved over the years? These questions are not acts of rebellion; they are legitimate demands within any functioning democracy.

Political leaders should not be judged by the size of their entourages, the number of billboards bearing their images, or the grandeur of their public appearances. They should be judged by their impact on the lives of the people. Leadership is ultimately about results. It is about leaving communities better than they were found and creating opportunities that outlive one's tenure in office.

As another electoral season approaches, leaders must understand that support from the people should never be taken for granted. The citizens of Cross River Central deserve performance, accountability, and tangible development. They deserve leaders who remember the communities that entrusted them with power and who remain committed to improving the lives of those communities.

If elected representatives continue to ignore the cries of the people, continue to neglect community development, and continue to prioritize personal interests above public welfare, then citizens must be prepared to use the power of their votes to demand change. Democracy provides peaceful and legitimate mechanisms for holding leaders accountable, and those mechanisms should never be underestimated.

The red card is not an act of hostility. It is a democratic statement that leadership must produce results. It is a reminder that political power belongs to the people and that elected officials remain accountable to those who placed them in office. No leader should assume that public support is automatic or permanent.

Cross River Central is blessed with hardworking youths, resilient women, experienced elders, abundant resources, and enormous economic potential. What has been lacking is not talent, intelligence, or ambition. What has often been lacking is leadership that consistently places the interests of the people above personal and political considerations.

The time has come for a new culture of accountability. The time has come for leaders to reconnect with the realities of their constituents and prioritize development that can be felt in homes, schools, roads, businesses, and communities. Most importantly, the time has come for the people of Cross River Central to demand the dividends of democracy they have long been promised and rightfully deserve.

History will not remember the number of political positions occupied by our leaders. History will remember whether those positions were used to uplift the people or merely to enrich a privileged few. The future of Cross River Central depends on the choices we make today, and the voices we raise in defense of justice, development, and accountable leadership.