Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s People-First administration has received fresh political backing from automobile technicians and allied professionals across Cross River State following the inauguration of the Unified Automobile Technicians Support Group (UATSG) in Calabar.
The group, comprising automobile technicians and other operators across the automotive value chain, formally declared its support for the Otu administration and the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Representing Governor Otu at the event, the Special Adviser on General Duties, Barr. Ekpenyong Akiba, attributed the growing support for the administration to its people-oriented policies, empowerment initiatives and commitment to inclusive governance.
Akiba said the administration remained committed to carrying every Cross Riverian along irrespective of ethnic or geographical background, stressing that the state’s development required collective participation.
“Cross River is one family. None of us chose where we were born. What matters is what we can collectively contribute to the state,” he said.
He also commended President Tinubu for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the project as a major economic corridor with the potential to expand trade, tourism and investment opportunities in Cross River.
Akiba said continuity in governance would be crucial to enabling the state to maximise the opportunities that the emerging infrastructure would create. He therefore urged UATSG members to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, assuring them that their commitment and contributions would be recognised.
He further assured the group’s leadership of the state government’s continued willingness to engage with its members and address issues affecting the automotive sector.
Chairman of the occasion and Chairman of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission, Barr. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, described the inauguration as a landmark development, noting that it represented the first time automobile technicians and allied operators across the state had been united under one platform.
Ekpo commended the Otu administration for its achievements in its first three years, particularly in road infrastructure, education, healthcare and agriculture. He also cited efforts to recover Tinapa, refurbish the Obudu Cattle Ranch, relaunch the Nigerian Chronicle and establish two new state-owned universities.
He further highlighted the administration’s efforts to secure ownership of the state’s oil wells, while disclosing that the Advisory Council of the Cross River Consultative Forum would meet to consider the admission of UATSG as an associate member.
Ekpo urged members of the group to leverage their extensive grassroots networks to mobilise support and encourage strong voter participation in the 2027 elections.
Earlier, the Director-General of UATSG and Special Adviser to the Governor on the Automobile Technicians Regulatory Department (ATRD), Chief Ndem Effiong, said the group was established to provide technical and political support to the APC-led government.
Effiong said UATSG comprised six major segments of the automotive value chain: automobile technicians, spare parts dealers, engine oil and lubricants dealers, motor dealers, the Female Automobile Technicians Association (FATA), and the Automobile Technicians Regulatory Department (ATRD), with a combined membership of more than 200,000 people across the state.
He said the group had facilitated several initiatives aimed at strengthening the automotive sector, including the Automotive Training Centre at Awi in Akamkpa Local Government Area and a CNG/Electric Vehicle Conversion Centre at the University of Calabar, while plans were also underway for a vehicle assembly plant.
Effiong disclosed that the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) would hold a five-day National Executive Retreat in Calabar later in August.
He added that the state government had assured the group of land for the establishment of a dedicated automotive centre, describing the development as significant to the growth of the sector in the state.
Effiong pledged that UATSG members would provide free emergency technical support for campaign vehicles and generators during the 2027 electioneering period and other major state events.
By Ekanem-Faith Usang
