By Azogor Ideba
It is said that the heights that great men attain are never achieved in one day, nor do they come on a platter of gold; but they, while others slept, burned the mid-night oil in focus and determination to be relevant to their society someday.
Senator Bassey Edet Otu, a humble and humane personality for more than a decade, has continued to demonstrate in deed that serving the people is sublime and ought to be a commitment to adding value to human kind. Thus, in his service, he has exemplified passion, commitment and a rare drive, in pursuit of excellence.
He has navigated various strands of human endeavors, yet has come out taint-less. Even when a few of such endeavors offered numerous drawbacks to sway him off the wholesome track, he remained resilient and indomitable. His focus has been unmitigated. Here is a man, who has spurned all limitations and glitches that dotted his flight; yet, over the years, has held his head high, even when other people around him are losing theirs.
In Bassey Otu, you will find a man who cannot be bought; a man who will put character above wealth; a man whose words are his bond; a man who holds fast unto what he believes; a man who is not confined to selfish desires; a man who will be honest in small things as in great things; a man who will make no compromise with wrong and will not lose his individuality in a crowd; a man who is true to all in good report and in bad report, in adversity and prosperity; a man who is not ashamed or afraid to say the truth, even when it is unpopular; a man who possesses opinion and a strong will; a man who does not believe that shrewdness, cunningness and hard headedness are the best qualities for achieving success; a visionary with a clear sense of purpose.
For Otu, the tale is different. His reputation is founded on the pillars of self-development, strong character and inimitable will. He did not emerge from the clouds.
Born 18th October, 1959, to the family of late Elder and Mrs. Edet Okon Otu of Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, Otu, before venturing into politics, was into banking, and then petroleum.
He represented Calabar Municipality/Odukpani federal constituency in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011, and within the period became the chairman, House Committee on Petroleum – Upstream. In this role, he superintended over the draft amendment bill that would reposition the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, as a more effective vehicle to develop local content in the oil and gas industry. He also sponsored the Nigerian Content Development Act, which today has revolutionized the petroleum sector and has put food on the tables of many citizens.
In 2011, Otu was elected senator to represent Cross River South senatorial district. His sterling performance while in the House of Representatives earned him the Senate committee chairmanship on Finance and later Banking and Other Financial Institutions.
After his four-year stint at the Senate, he was in 2018, appointed into the board of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Otu’s record of service and representation is unprecedented in Cross River State’s political history till date.
In all the positions he has occupied, he has demystified; bringing modesty and brainpower to bear. His permanent temperament as a gentleman, his generosity and accessibility have been effectively combined with his ever-alluring smile; an aura that has helped to endear him to millions of people. He is everybody’s man. Bassey Otu knows no hate and hurts no fly. He has never been known to be rabble-rouser.
Williams Shakespeare, one of the most prolific creative writers of all times, in his drama, ‘Julius Caesar,’ described a politician as an ingrate who believes “Lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber upwards turns his fact;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees,
By which he did ascend. (Act II; 1) …’’
The narrative above doesn’t fit into Otu’s mold. He is altruistically committed to helping the down trodden to not only find their feet, but also find their bread. He has continued to bring smiles on faces of thousands; hope and respite to the indigents. Eight years after leaving the Senate, families are still been enabled to meet their needs and advance their aspirations. He has since been identified as a quintessence of humanity.
Senator Otu views every step in his life as an opportunity to better the lives of others, and never looks back with scorn at any step he has taken, or any individual he has come across. He appreciates every condition he finds himself and everyone that has helped him to advance.
Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come through if we have the courage to pursue them.” Then wrote an Egyptian playwright, Tewfik Al-Hakim, in his popular play, ‘Fate of a Cockroach,’ “The attainment of desires is not by hoping; things of this world are gained by striving.”
If Albert Einstein’s popular clichés, the “try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value,” is anything to go by, Otu has striven all through the years to build himself into a unique personality that has become the cynosure of many eyes. His character provokes interest from any quarter. His stock is made of quality; a quality brand that speaks for itself any day, anytime, anywhere.
What other option does Cross River State have for governor in 2023 when she is already blessed with such a symbol of amity, a harbinger of light and embodiment of progress in Bassey Otu, who not only understands the undercurrents of the state and the daunting challenges before her, but can also effectively pilot the statecraft with requisite experience, right intellect and immaculate integrity, having been a public servant, with a magnificent record of service and accomplishments; not to mention his geniality, acceptability and goodwill across the state?
•Ideba, a journalist, writes from Calabar, Cross River State.
