Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has charged youths in the state to take the lead in mobilising support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the state must target four million votes for the President to strengthen its bargaining power at the national level.
Otu gave the charge on Saturday while addressing members and supporters of the Evidence Group, a youth movement established to mobilise young people and showcase the achievements of his administration.
The Governor, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon Sylvester Agabi, thanked the convener of the group for the initiative, stressing that the time had come for youths to be placed at the centre of political and governance activities.
‘It is time for the youth. That is why we are putting the youths first,’ the Governor said.
He urged the youths to mobilise support for President Tinubu, saying: ‘We must produce four million votes for the President in the state so that we can have proper negotiating power at the national.’
The group’s convener, Comrade Edem Dominic Bassey, Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State, stated that it is the time for youth engagement. He praised the President and Governor for their excellent performance, pointing to the large turnout as proof of their success.
Earlier, the Director-General of Evidence Group, Bassey Henry Eyoma, said the movement was created to harness the energy of young people and channel it towards productive engagement, civic participation and leadership.
Eyoma said the group was not established to compete with or undermine any existing organisation, but to provide a platform for youths to unite and contribute positively to society.
He said unemployed and disengaged youths could become vulnerable to social vices, stressing the need to provide them with opportunities for meaningful participation in governance and economic activities.
According to him, youths already have a place in the administration, noting that young people occupy positions in the state Executive Council and are increasingly participating in electoral politics.
Eyoma said Evidence Group would focus on presenting what he described as tangible evidence of the Otu administration’s activities in education, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure.
‘That is why we want to show evidence. We are showing evidence, not making noise. That’s why our slogan is: ‘No Noise, Just Proof,” he said.
On translating social media activism into civic and economic action, Eyoma said the group was working with the State Planning Commission on the development of what he referred to as the ‘Yellow Economy’.
He explained that the initiative was intended to explore ways of converting young people’s social media activities and digital engagement into income-generating opportunities.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Efa Effiong Nyong, said he joined other youths at the event to express solidarity with President Tinubu and Governor Otu.
Nyong described the Governor’s administration as having recorded significant achievements, saying supporters of the administration had come out to demonstrate their backing.
The Director-General of the Cross River State Geographic Information Agency, William Archibong, also said the name ‘Evidence Group’ was chosen to draw attention to projects and programmes of the Otu administration.
Archibong said the group was particularly focused on demonstrating what the administration had done over the past three years and highlighting its youth-oriented initiatives.
He urged Cross Riverians to support the administration for what he described as greater achievements.