The Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Elvert Ayambem, received Governor Bassey Otu’s Community Relations Officers on Wednesday in his Calabar office, charging them with developing a strong working relationship with relevant stakeholders in government and their respective communities to be able to solve the masses’ problems.
Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem stated that Community Relations Officers have independent work scope due to the latitude function in their office. He urged them to go to the communities in their respective areas to solve the masses’ problems rather than seeking offices where members of the communities would come to them.
“You can use the Local Government Secretariat if an office space is required, but it is preferable to go to people and interact with them to resolve their political, social, security, and other issues and relay them to the governor if they are beyond your abilities,” Ayambem said.
Ayambem thanked the governor for prioritizing the Community Relation Officers, citing an example of a salary increase by the governor compared to what the Officers were paid in the previous administration, and promised to convey their need for mobility to the governor for the Officers to function effectively. “Senator Bassey Otu’s government is not insensitive. It is a government that is ready to address the problems of the people.”
The Speaker also advised CROs to consult with stakeholders at all levels before holding meetings in their respective communities to avoid unnecessary crises.
Earlier, the Spokesman of the Community Relations Officers, Mr Abeng Neji, appreciated the Speaker for quick approval and the audience, given the short notice for a courtesy call.
Neji expressed gratitude to God for restoring peace to the Assembly following several weeks of unrest and went on to highlight their difficulties, which included not having an office mandate that would have allowed them to carry out their duties efficiently and without interference, not having an office space since they were appointed as Community Relations Officers (CROs), not having an empress for their offices, and having to be mobile to carry out their community relations work.
While thanking the Speaker and Assembly members for their efforts and recommendations for their appointments, he appealed for the cooperation of respective members to achieve success in security, political, social, and other matters.
