Governor Bassey Edet Otu has disclosed that the Cross River State Government has converted the state's garment factory into what he described as Africa's first mosquito manufacturing factory, saying the decision was taken after his administration concluded that the original garment project was not delivering the desired economic value to the state.
The governor made the disclosure during an interview with media personality Diana Mary Nsan on her programme, Dialogue, while responding to questions on the fate of major projects inherited from the immediate past administration.
Responding to concerns about abandoned projects across the state, Otu said his administration deliberately suspended plans for entirely new legacy projects after discovering the huge amount of public funds already invested in numerous abandoned government projects.
According to him, governance required practical decisions rather than political sentiments.
"When we came into office, we had our own priorities and legacy projects we intended to pursue. But governance is different from campaigning. Once we assumed office and saw the realities on the ground, we discovered numerous abandoned and uncompleted projects with huge public investments already tied down in them."
He said abandoning such projects would have amounted to wasting taxpayers' money, stressing that government remains a continuum regardless of changes in administration.
"There comes a point where governance transcends politics and becomes a historical responsibility. If we had ignored those projects, they would simply have remained monuments to waste."
The governor explained that his administration first focused on rehabilitating government offices before embarking on the restoration and completion of inherited capital projects across the state.
Speaking specifically on the former garment factory, Otu revealed that the facility has undergone a complete transformation and is currently awaiting commissioning.
When asked by Diana Mary Nsan whether the facility would still function as a garment factory, the governor replied in the negative.
According to him, the government carried out an economic assessment and found that the garment factory was not contributing significantly to the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment opportunities or industrial development.
He said the facility has now been repurposed into what he described as the first mosquito manufacturing factory in Africa.
Otu further disclosed that the project has already secured a contract worth over 80 million US dollars, describing it as a pioneering industrial investment on the African continent.
Beyond the garment factory, the governor provided updates on other inherited projects.
According to him, work at the Obudu Cargo Airport has reached an advanced stage, expressing confidence that aircraft should begin landing at the airport before the end of the year.
He also announced that Cally Farm has been completed and is currently awaiting commissioning.
The interview followed a question from Diana Mary Nsan, who sought clarity on what the administration had done over the last three years to revive inherited projects such as the Calachika project, garment factory, cocoa processing facilities in Ikom, cattle ranch, Obudu Cargo Airport and other capital projects initiated by previous administrations.
In response, Governor Otu maintained that preserving existing public investments while delivering new projects remains one of the guiding principles of his administration, insisting that continuity in governance is essential for sustainable development in Cross River State.
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