Otu Bassey Edet
Otu Bassey Edet is a Nigerian politician from Cross River. They have contested 1 election (1 win) across 1 party, receiving 259K total votes. Most recent: 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Biography
Bassey Edet Otu (born 18 October 1959), popularly known as Sweet Prince, is a Nigerian politician and the current governor of Cross River State, Southern Nigeria.
He served as a Senator for Cross River South from 2011 to 2015 and a Representative of Calabar Municipal/Odukpani constituency of Cross River State in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.
Prince Bassey Edet Otu was born on 18 October 1959 to the family of Late Eld. & Mrs. Edet Okon Otu of Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. He grew up in his home city of Calabar and in Jos, Plateau State, where his father had been assigned to the mission of the Church of Scotland.
He obtained a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Calabar.
Before entering politics, he was engaged in banking and the petroleum sector. He is also involved in farming.
Otu was elected a Member of the House of Representatives in April 2003 to represent Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency and re-elected in April 2007. During this period (2003–2011), he was Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Vice Chairman, House Committee on National Population, and a member of committees on Power, Ministry of Niger Delta, Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Inter-Intra Party Relations, Environment, Water Resources, and Defense.
In a 2007 interview, he stated that the ruling by an international court that the Bakassi peninsula belonged to Cameroon was incorrect, but emphasized the need to resettle displaced relatives of Nigerians and move forward.
Otu was Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream). In 2011, he was elected as Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District. Upon arrival in the Senate, he became Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance and later Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and other Financial Institutions; he was also a member of the Committee on Navy, Power, Petroleum, and Water Resources.
It is believed that he had a significant impact on the citizens of Cross River.
In 2018, Otu was appointed to the board of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following his inaugural speech in May 2023, Otu claims he joined politics for the service of humanity.
Political Career
Party Positions
Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.
Agriculture
Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.
Security & Defense
Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.
Environment & Climate
Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.
Economy & Trade
Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.
Infrastructure
Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).
Enterprise grant support
Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.
Energy
Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.
Governance & Reform
Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.
Education
Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.
Healthcare
Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
Reliefs and scholarships
Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.
Other Candidates in Cross River
Sources
Bio, State of Origin: Wikipedia ↗
Photo, Date of Birth: Wikidata ↗
Gender, Qualifications: INEC ↗